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Had a similar feeling of frustration the other day when I thought I had lost my wallet and was considering what a pain in the ass it was going to be to get my I
by el_benhameen 6y ago
Had a similar feeling of frustration the other day when I thought I had lost my wallet and was considering what a pain in the ass it was going to be to get my ID and cards replaced. 4-6 weeks for a replacement CA driver’s license, and you have to go to a physical DMV location! I know that digital-only management of identity and payment is a whole new can of worms, but I spent a lot of time thinking about how absurd it is that we still require possession of a small piece of plastic to operate as an adult in the world, and how losing that plastic cuts you off from a great many things.
(Turns out I threw the wallet in the recycling can while cleaning the garage. So I guess don’t pay me to build the system that replaces physical identity tokens.)
- harikb 6y agoLet us not forget the value of having it mailed to their home address for majority of the population. It provides some guarantee that the person who gets mail at the address is the only one who will get to use it. Most of the population use insecure Android phones and are not the Little Snitch & 1Password wielding HN crowd.
- vtail 6y agoNot sure if it was just a temp measure during the pandemic, but last May I renewed my driving CA license completely online, and they mailed it to my home address; no visit to DMV was necessary.
- el_benhameen 6y agoI saw that, too. Unfortunately, it’s only valid if they’ve sent you a renewal notice. My DL expires this year but I haven’t received a notice yet, so I was ineligible.
- refurb 6y agoGo onto the online portal and try and renew now. I did it 3 months before receiving the notice.
- dylan604 6y agoAt some point, your DL picture is too old, and they need you to come in to get an updated picture. Not sure the frequency, once every 10 years, every other renewal, etc, but the GP could have been subject to some similar circumstance.
- refurb 6y agoThat makes sense. I was more calling out that you don’t need to wait for the physical renewal form to do an online renewal - the system seems to make it an option 5-6 months prior to expiration.
- Spooky23 6y agoI’d suggest for future reference getting a passport card. It meets all identity requirements and has the benefit of not providing your address.
- zem 6y agoonly works for citizens
- Spooky23 6y agoAnd green card holders
- TMWNN 6y agoA non-US citizen by definition cannot receive a US passport, which a US passport card is.
- alasdair_ 6y agoNot green card holders, only citizens. Of course green card holders have a separate id card that they legally must carry with them at all times, so they don’t need a passport card.
- marshmallow_12 6y ago> Of course green card holders have a separate id card that they legally must carry with them at all times It is utterly beyond me to guess how such a system can possibly make any sort of meaningful difference to law enforcement. Or even how it can be enforced in any meaningful way.
- davchana 6y agoSpecially when law enforcement is not supposed to ask about immigration status unless one can't produce any ID or have probable cause.
- maerF0x0 6y agoDMV recently charged me $25 to get a printed sheet of paper mailed to my house (replacement registration). They dont even send you the original sized item, they just blow it up and print it on a regular 8.5x 11. Hell they should have just sent me the PDF and i could have printed it myself w/o the need for a stamp (or covid transmission)...
- chrischen 6y agoPart of it must be to enforce address requirements.
- maerF0x0 6y agoFunny thing I learned is you dont actually have to have the original registration card, you can also have a facsimile (which i take to mean a photocopy).
- davchana 6y ago& I think one can print the same on their instant kiosk booths too, although for same money.
- shirro 6y agoI only carry my debit card and drivers licence as a backup incase my phone goes flat. My digital drivers licence is accepted by police and vehicle registration has been entirely digital for years. If I lost my physical one I don't think I would bother replacing it. I can register an expired vehicle through an app and drive it immediately. The only time I go to a service centre is once a decade to get a licence picture. If I report a lost debit/credit card to prevent fraud then the card is cancelled and I can't pay with my phone and have to wait a week for a replacement card. At least I can still drive without a physical licence.
- el_benhameen 6y agoThat sounds great. Can I ask which country you live in?
- marshmallow_12 6y agoSounds suspiciously like the United Kingdom. I don't think a single government service remains that cannot be done online. Not only that, but they actively invest a vast amount of resources into convincing anyone who tries to use physical services (mail, phone) that they are making a huge mistake. Anyone unfortunate enough to have to phone up any government office must to spend at least 3 minutes hearing about how much easier it would be to just use the website.
- zhte415 6y agoAs a UK national overseas I don't know pains of calling up anywhere, and for sure there will be pains for many in varied forms, but find gov.uk consistently excellent from personal affairs to running a business. While not applicable as gov.uk does everything I need, surely channels exist for those than cannot, or unable, to use it?
- lmm 6y agoExample: setting up national insurance contributions from abroad. You can't do that online, and so being repeatedly told to use the website while on hold on HMRC's phone lines (if you're lucky enough that their voice recognition system didn't hang up on you) is adding insult to injury.
- PebblesRox 6y agoI once threw away a fast food bag that contained our checkbook, $100 in cash, plus the title and registration paperwork for our new car! We didn't realize until a few days later, but fortunately we found the bag before the trash pickup came :)
- codecutter 6y agoI fail to understand why anyone would keep such important documents in a fast food bag.
- dylan604 6y agoHave you never been in a situation where 2 hands were not enough, but that's all you had? Sometimes, getting out the car is a lot easier combining things that are not in a pocket or bag/purse into whatever back you might be carrying into the house with you.
- COGlory 6y agoI was wondering the same as gp. Why would anyone ever do something that risky and obviously stupid? Then I read your comment and realized I've done this like 6 times in last year...
- refurb 6y agoYou know what? Based on my life experience to this point I wouldn’t do that. On a couple of occasions I’ve had an idea of where to put something (e.g. “if I put the money here it will be safe”) and my brain stop me (e.g. “are you stupid? You’ll never remember you put it here. Put it somewhere you’ll actually check if you cant remember”) and it stops me. Benefit of getting older and learning from past mistakes?
- skinkestek 6y agoWallet goes in right front pocket. Phone goes in left front pocket. Keys goes with wallet. Exception: When I'm out running, if cell phones are forbidden (certain locations at certain customers), or if I wear a suit (things like weddings, funerals and when I celebrate 17th of May.) If a pair of trousers cannot hold these items I don't buy them. Sticking to these invariants makes for less frustration. Not sticking to them means frustration twice a month or so.
- davchana 6y agoAgree, & I think now you can order a replacement driving license on their website as long as it is not near its expiry.
- ricardobayes 6y agoGood point, especially homeless people are vulnerable, if they lose their papers they might not be able to get new ones.