DMV (License Plate Office) — Local services in Durham

TL;DR: Useless employees will send you on a scavenger hunt for documents and then change the requirements every time you show up.

I assumed that since the license plate offices aren’t actually run by the government that they’d be infinitely more helpful than the actual DMV. I assumed wrong. Way wrong. I don’t know how you could possibly find more unhelpful and uneducated employees than the ones at this office.

After moving here from Michigan, I needed to transfer the title of my financed car to NC while keeping a relative on the title who still lives in MI. I have been to this office no less than four times and each time I have received contradictory information about what I need to bring to get it transferred. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t line up with what’s listed on the NC DMV titling website.

My visits: Brought NC license, MVR-1 and MVR-180 (both of which apparently aren’t needed), insurance info, and my Michigan registration since the car is still under lien (as listed online). I was turned away because I didn’t have a notarized power of attorney form for my relative which conveniently wasn’t listed online.

I came back with the correct forms, and was turned away because I didn’t bring a scan of my relative’s license because why would I know to do that if it isn’t listed online and I wasn’t told?

I returned this time with the correct forms AND scans and got turned away for the power of attorney form now being filled out incorrectly. How did this suddenly happen you might ask? I have no idea, it’s the same form I brought in last time and it was fine then.

Confidently, I return once more ready to get my hands on my very own North Carolina license plate. However, luck was not on my side this time either because now after all I’m finally told I need to bring the actual title. According to the lady at the desk this is because Michigan is a “two title state” where I’ll have one now and receive another when my loan is paid off. This is not true at all and I have no idea where she came up with this. I just didn’t bring it because the website says not to if the vehicle...

If registering from out of state, go to the one in south Durham. Much more helpful and professional. This location talks very condescending to you 1st visit. The second one the clerk was nice up until I brought up an exemption for out of state vehicle purchase and the waiver if the tax was paid there 90 days or less. The clerk said the DMV website doesn’t have anything to do with them (the site simply states the law of NC…so the law isn’t what they go by) the manager was much worse, like talking to a child. Was combative right away before we even spoke face to face and would not help or explain it in any way. Her explanation was that she doesn’t care what South Carolina does (once again in reference to their state law, which states that they no longer charge vehicle tax as a “sales tax” but rather a “infrastructure maintenance fee” which was noted on the bill of sale). I also was instructed by the SC DMV to print the information out about the fee above to present it but without even looking at it, she said this document isn’t official so I can’t accept it. I asked her to look it up online then to what their definition of that tax is there and she said no I can’t and proceeded to more of this incident. It went from where on here, to show me where, to point to where it is and acted as if it wasn’t stated there. The end of it was that she doesn’t care, that’s how they do things there and I can try the Raleigh location. Gave me the number and I told her they haven’t been answering and she told me tough luck. I just moved here after serving the military 12 years and this is my first interaction with the state and it is terrible. Like I said though, go to the other location, much more polite, explained it to me and told me what...

I literally can’t stand this location. Yes they are always very busy here but their customer service still is very bad, all the way up to the top. First off, I bought a vehicle and came in to get tags and title switched over, since my wife wasn’t their I couldn’t do it. They checked over all the paperwork and said. All looked good but she needed to be there. That is fine. But I wasn’t told I needed anything else. The next day I came in with my wife and then the lady asked for our nc drivers license. The same day I bought this vehicle in question I then bought me a seperate vehicle from a dealership. My license had been lost and I applied for a new one and I only had to provide the document from DMV. I showed them my veterans ID and that was sufficient to do purchase and title and tag there. Well today at the DMV they said my veteran Id was not acceptable even though I described to them that dmv is accepting the same way I had just done with my other vehicle. They simply refused. It would have been nice to have known this before waiting in line for twenty minutes two days in a row. Rude customer service and no one smiles there. I simply don’t like anything about this place except...