Need an Inspection Sticker?

I hate car inspection stickers. Every year, when May rolls around I remind myself that I need to get a new sticker. I write it down on my "to-do" list every week. And yet every last week of May, I find myself on a deadline and no sticker.

I went out around lunch-time today to get said sticker. I found a garage where there was only one person ahead of me and was happy that I would have a sticker before I head to PA. I pull my car into the garage, the man takes my registration and $29 fee. (Why $29 cash? Couldn't they just round it up to 30 to make it easier???) I make myself comfortable in the lobby and wish that I had brought a book to read.

The auto tech comes over, hands me back my the reg and my $29.00. I'm puzzled. He said "Everything on your car is fine, Ma'am. But I can't give you a sticker because there's something wrong with your registration." WHAT??! Then he tells me that I am going to have to go to the Registry to find out.

Oh NO!! Anything but that! I'm sure it's similar in other states, but the Registry of Motor Vehicles is usually a terrible experience. The lines are ridiculously long, the fees are usually outrageous and the personnel is well.....not personable. Maybe there is an exception to this rule, but I sometimes wonder if people who work at the registry answer personal ads that ask how difficult they can be in situations.

I give myself points for being clever today: I stopped and ate lunch before I headed over. When I got there, there was a long line to get your little ticket to wait in another line. My ticket said that there was approximately a 29 minute wait. Not bad. I should've known it was too good to be true, because it was over an hour. And I never did make it to the counter, because I ran into someone else with the same problem and he was told that the inspection system was offline. I knew I didn't have anything wrong with my registration!!!

Anywho, there's two hours of my life lost forever. And I still don't have a damn sticker.