Being a marketer, I often times find myself in situations where I sympathize with brands when they’re in tough marketing situations.

On the flip side, being a marketer sometimes makes me really intolerant of things like poor customer service, and my level of brand disgust is….perhaps…. more than it would be if I were just a regular ‘ole customer (not that I’m necessarily anything more than a regular ‘ole customer, but the viewpoint adds something to your experience).

Case in point: A completely unmoving, unreasonable and unsympathetic DMV.  I know I know, I’d be shocked if any one of you haven’t had a ridiculously annoying interaction with the DMV.

I just don’t get why there’s such a consistent disregard for even one element of customer service.  Things like, firstly, rationality.  From there, what about sensitivity, flexibility, even just a really sweet “Sorry honey, I know it stinks, but there’s nothing we can do. It would make my day if I could tell you otherwise.  Here are some tips for the future so this doesn’t happen again…. at the very least, I’ll see what I can do about the late fee on there….”

Nope, none of that.

So, after a tiring phone call with a DMV personnel, concerning my car which hadn’t entered the city of Medford all year and had been registered and insured in NY since last December and was now receiving a Medford city excise for plates that had been cancelled on January 3rd – none of which I understood because the whole thing is completely unreasonable – I attached the following letter to my payment.  I doubt they’ll read it, but it was a plea to just think about the job they’re doing….

15 June 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m unclear as to why I need to pay this excise tax (including the incredible late fees!), even after speaking with someone in your office.

My car has been registered in New York State (where I now live) since December of 2009, and has been in the state of Massachusetts only a hand full of times since then for one day periods at a time  (with NYS plates on it).  Furthermore, as of November 2009, I’m no longer a resident of Medford, as I sold my condo and moved to New York.

Despite trying to get a logical explanation from someone concerning this issue, after additionally explaining that I hadn’t  received the initial request even remotely on time to my new address (thus, I was not able to pay it or deal with it), you were unwilling to offer even a single dollar off this amount (which simply makes no SENSE to me!).

At this point, I’ve been told I need to just pay up.  I expect nothing in return from your office, but I would like to suggest that just because you’re a government office, doesn’t mean you need to live up to the already poor reputation that most government offices are subject to in terms of customer service.  You should be able to offer some sort of leniency in issues that just don’t make ANY logical or rational sense (which your office personnel readily admitted to).

Unfortunately, when you don’t, you leave a bad taste in the mouths of the people that you’re supposed to be affecting positively.

I spent many years in Medford, and it really stinks that my last impression of the Medford brand is how insensitive the government bureaucracy was in this case.  It might do you well to start thinking like a marketer and realize that your number one audience is your citizens.  While you need them to follow a certain set of rules and guidelines, and they should be expected to give you something in return, you also need them to appreciate you and feel as if you respect them and are working for them. The excessive nature of your “punishment” does NOT do that.

So, I’ve enclosed my cheque for $53.75 for a car that is no longer in your town, plus a total of $32.00 in unnecessary “warrant,” “demand,” and “warrant notice” fees (have fun at your summer BBQ at my expense, since I can’t understand where else these fees would go).  Oh, I forgot the $0.99 final slap in the face for “interest.”

Sincerely,

Kate Brodock