New York State DMV - Brooklyn (Coney Island) — Attraction in New York

Make sure you have an appointment otherwise the front door security will not let you in. Came in at 8:30AM for a 9:00AM appointment for my dad because he lost his license (did the replacement online and got a temp license, figured oh cool, don't have to make a trip to the DMV), but DMV sent a letter saying his photo needs to be retaken and to bring the letter with us. Figured we would try and renew his license as well since it was going to expire in a few months.

We were directed to reception 1 and 2 instead of the kiosks at the front because their systems were down (normally you would go in and scan your appointment barcode on the kiosk and it will give you a ticket number). Explained our situation to the lady at reception 2, who kept repeatedly turning to her coworker over at reception 1 to gossip instead of listening (great customer service already yay). Lady obviously didn't understand what I was trying to ask, took the letter from me, reads it, and said, "The recent picture he took is not valid" ... explained to her there was no recent photo taken, it was an online request for a replacement because his license was lost. I just want to know if he can take the picture and renew his license at the same time since it's still a couple months out. She gave me the license renewal form to fill out and directed us to Counter 24 (photo station), but did not give us a ticket number (why? I don't know, was the whole reason for me waiting in line at reception not to get a ticket number?).

At Counter 24, there's no designated line, just a free for all. Other people come waltzing in front because they have a ticket number and their number was supposedly called. Counter 25 was open, so I go to ask the employee there my question and showed her the letter. Lady is straight up sitting back in her chair chilling, doesn't lean forward to try to listen, nods her head and then says, "My camera isn't working, you need to go to Counter 24." Ok, fine I get it, you can't do anything because of technological issues, but at least have the decency to try and help if someone is asking you a question. There were multiple people standing around in the back just chatting (including an Asian lady with glasses and long hair, I know you saw me looking at you because we had a whole 4 minutes stare down).

I told my Dad to wait by Counter 24 since I had no choice but to get back in line at reception to try to get a ticket number. Retrieved the ticket, saw my Dad signing a piece of paper at Counter 24 and ran to ask the lady my question. Lady working at Counter 24 at 9:00AM on September 16, 2024 was the ONLY helpful person. She listened, understood my question, and even guided us over to her colleague to help us with the next step.

Now, this is where it goes even more downhill. By now I am frazzled from running around trying to retrieve my ticket number, figure out where to go, and seek answers for my questions, so I didn't have time to fill out the license renewal form - I didn't expect the Photo Station associate to bring us to the front of the waiting queue. Whoever she brought us to was SO RUDE, made a comment about how I wasn't even done filling out the form, asked a question and I couldn't hear her over the background noise and said, "Now you're making me raise my voice." Excuse me? You do realize how loud this place is? As she's filling out the paperwork, I asked her again to make sure that we were getting a renewed license, not just a replacement with the old expiration date on it. She sat there typing and looking at her screen pretending not to hear me. She had no name tag on (is this not a violation?), otherwise I would've taken a picture and reported her. When the voters registration came up on the screen, she told me to choose "Chinese" and hit "No." Why would I choose "Chinese" when I was speaking English to you the entire time? What if I wasn't even Chinese but of another Asian descent? The subtle racism in this place ain't so subtle at all.

TLDR; useless and...

Summary of previous review: made a reservation, spent 3 hours, staff have no communication or teamwork, new ticket system is terrible, website and location do not provide the same info.

Edit with updated information: I had to come back here a second time, luckily not spending another three hours. This time, despite what the website and the checklist paper said, I was still denied my permit because the proof of address I had didn’t apply to me, according to the clerk I had the displeasure of talking with. For now, I’ll take it from the top.

Once again I had made a reservation, for 8am this time. I was immediately sent to reception anyways despite having a reservation. Reception was fine, which I will admit, exceeded my expectations.

The main clerk I had the displeasure of conversing with conducted herself in such a disrespectful manner. I try to show basic respect to everybody I interact with but when I’m not getting that respect back, we’re gonna start having a problem. First I was told that I cannot take a permit test without having my birth certificate with me, despite me having already passed the permit test, of which my results were still valid. The entire time she’s talking to me, she has a noticeable tone of superiority in her voice, like she has authority over me. I show her my permit test results, which prompts her to state that my selected proof of address was invalid because I didn’t meet the conditions and told me that I needed to use the checklist while heavily implying that I’m stupid. The checklist in question specifically states that I should’ve been able to use the proof of address that I chose, which the website further confirms. I don’t know what she was referring to but it certainly wasn’t something that I knew of. I will not tolerate this level of disrespect towards me from anybody, so without making a scene, I decided to leave at that point.

Now, I hate to bring racial and sexual profiling into this, but I have a gut feeling that I was treated like this almost exclusively since I’m a white male by appearance. I have a gut feeling that anybody of any other skin color would get actual service here. Everybody who is working here gives off an air of superiority, and seem to all follow the idea that the white man is the demon that must be subjugated to torture in purgatory for a thousand years because of the sins his ancestors committed. Well, everybody but the door security.

If I could give less than one star, even if only to one single review, this would be the one that gets it. Avoid this location...

The staff there were abusing their authority and showing racial discrimination. On November 13, 2024, I arrived at my scheduled time, 12:45 PM, to upgrade my driver’s license to a Real ID. The person at the front desk who scanned my appointment QR code insisted that I had booked the wrong type of appointment and claimed I was there for a learner’s permit. She tossed out my original ticket number and gave me a new one. I didn’t understand their system or process, so I just accepted it.

There were no screens showing which number was up, and the numbers seemed to be called in no particular order. It was only after I sat down that I noticed a message on my phone saying my original number had been called, but my number had already been changed. So, I had no choice but to listen for my new number being called over the announcements.

When my number was finally called to counter 25, I saw there was still someone at the counter being helped, and he just started. Usually, counters only call the next number once they're ready, so I stood there waiting. As the person ahead of me was finishing, the staff member told me to sit down and allowed a white woman, who came after me, to go first. (For reference, I'm an Asian woman.) I went up to ask why let someone behind me to go first, and she simply insisted I sit down. I sat down and waited for a while, thinking that she might continue to cause trouble for me, so I went to the front desk to request a change of the counter I had assigned.

The reception staff were seated far back behind a thick glass panel, and I had to practically shout to be heard—a first for me after living in New York for so long. The person kept saying she couldn’t hear me. When I showed my number, she just told me to check my phone for updates. I repeatedly explained that I wanted to switch counters, and after they finally understood, they said it wasn't possible to change it. Frustrated, I left and decided to try a different location.

Guess what? The next day I went to the DMV in Manhattan, and everything went smoothly. I hadn’t booked the wrong appointment at all. I received my ticket number, took my photo, went straight to the counter, and the staff were friendly. The staff at the first DMV location truly need basic ethical training before they should be allowed to work in any role serving the public. Instead of giving them power, money, and stable jobs, allowing them to abuse their positions to...