Bureau of Vital Statistics — Local services in New York

If it was possible to give this establishment negative 5 stars I would. I was incredibly disappointed with the service at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. I had placed an order through VitalChek a month and a half ago with my Grandfather inorder to get him a copy of his birth certificate which he unfortunately needed Friday for a personal situation I will not disclose. He is almost 90 years old and lives in Texas, I live in New York. We payed for expedited service and patiently waited for the certificate to arrive but it never came. About a month ago I called customer service to inquire about the certificates. I was informed that the order had been filled but for some reason was not sent out. I called my Grandfather and informed him of the situation and that the woman assured me it should be going out for delivery any day now. We waited another 2 weeks and finally my Grandfather called me in tears incredibly frustrated with the entire situation and asked me to go to Vital Statistics directly because he desperately needed this certificate. I was pleasantly greeted by the woman working in the kiosk room when after filling out my Grandfather's order directed me to Room 125. After having such a pleasant experience I never expected the situation that was about to unfold. I have never been more insulted or treated with such incredible disrespect as I was in this office. I calmly explained my situation to the woman behind the window who told me she was unable to give me the certificate in person which I understood for security reasons but I asked why they haven't been sent out yet. She went to the back and spoke to another woman, who in my opinion should be fired. I watched as this second woman opened a drawer filled with what looked like HUNDREDS of packages that had not been sent out! These packages had been sitting for weeks and has simply not been sent out! Unfortunately the woman who's job it is to send these forms out (2nd woman) is not capable enough to do so, sadly because she is not in a state to do so. I can't use names because the women in the office were not wearing name tags but now I understand why, they're unfortunately cowards who are afraid of bad reviews that they deserve and are lazy. They have left several jobs unfinished. It is my advice to anyone using VitalChek to call every day and make a complaint especially if you've order through the New York Bureau of Vital Statistics because your expedited money is being given to people who are simply too lazy to do their job. Your records are sitting in a drawer next to my grandfathers, who will now be unable to receive his certificate in time. Best wishes to everyone using this service it's absolutely appalling. With the amount of incredibly qualified people looking for jobs these days The NYC Bureaus of Vital Statistics and VitalChek should relive this woman of her position and give it to someone who fully appreciates how important their job actually is to the public. These documents are hard copies of someone's life, not just papers to be forgotten and stuffed away in a drawer and mailed whenever they feel like it. I'd be more than happy to come in and identify this employee due to her lack of a name tag. Such an unfortunate situation and I don't know what to tell my...

My Frustrating Experience with NYC Vital Statistics Room 144 The ordeal began with what I thought was a straightforward task: correcting my birth certificate. Two simple changes were needed—one to my maiden name and another to my father’s name. To ensure everything went smoothly, I did my due diligence. I reached out to the NYC Vital Statistics office via their website to confirm exactly what documents I needed to bring. Their response seemed clear, so I booked an appointment, purchased a flight, and made the journey to New York, confident that I was prepared.

Arriving at Room 144, my confidence quickly turned to dismay. From the moment I walked in, I was struck by the hostility of the staff. The atmosphere was cold and unwelcoming, and every person in line seemed to be met with the same rude, dismissive attitude. It was as if we were inconveniences rather than people simply trying to handle important life matters.

After waiting over an hour, my number was finally called, and I approached the clerk’s window. With a polite tone, I explained my request and handed over my carefully prepared documents. Instead of receiving assistance, I was met with a litany of complaints.

First, the clerk commented on my documents being in a plastic sleeve, as though that was somehow offensive or unacceptable. Then came the real blow: she informed me that I was missing additional documents—documents that had not been mentioned when I had reached out to the office for guidance.

I couldn’t hide my frustration. I had been meticulous in my communication beforehand, detailing the changes I needed and confirming what I should bring. Yet here I was, after hours of travel and waiting, being told I would need to come back again. There was no acknowledgment of the inconvenience or the time and money wasted.

What angered me the most was the sheer lack of empathy. The clerk seemed indifferent to my situation, as if sending people away empty-handed was just part of her daily routine. The staff as a whole appeared entirely unfazed by the frustration and confusion they were causing. It didn’t matter to them how far someone had traveled or how much effort they’d put into being prepared—they treated everyone with the same dismissive hostility.

By the time I left Room 144, I was both disappointed and furious. It was clear to me that this agency has no regard for the time or efforts of the people they serve. The lack of clear communication, coupled with the unprofessional demeanor of the staff, made an already stressful situation much worse.

If there’s one takeaway from my experience, it’s this: be prepared for frustration if you’re dealing with NYC Vital Statistics. Double and triple-check everything, and even then, don’t expect smooth sailing. This was, without a doubt, one of the most aggravating bureaucratic experiences I’ve...

So.... LOL This place is where you wonder why the Doge people didn't take their jobs. 😏 The website is way to complicated and misleading. For one thing they say your appointment should last 15mins which makes you think you won't be there long. WRONG. Be prepared to be there at least an hour to hour and a half. NO PLACE TO PARK BTW. 🙄 Also, after going through a metal detector, you have to check in at room 144 and get a number. 😳 Then go back to the other end of the long hallway to give number in and enter it (yourself) into a laptop "kiosk" where you then have to enter in your info, only to be told later that the clerk at the window back in room 144 doesn't need any of that. 🤪

Now....the staff. These are some special individuals yall. I get you hate your job sis but dont take it out on me! I needed a SIMPLE first name correction 2 letters are wrong in my name. How was I to know there is a limit on how many letters could be changed without a court order. Apparently it's just ONE LETTER. After driving almost 2 hours and walking on the streets searching for this place in the heat. Not many knew where this department on Lafayette was. Even police officers. This place needs signs to direct peopleon the outside. So staff seemed unphased by the time, money and day off from my job that this took for me to be here. No empathy as the bald woman spoke to me in a rude and accusatory manner. As if i wasted her time ! LOL Saying over and over it says it on the website. Then I tried to show her I spoke to someone online about everything and she snapped at me that she never heard of that person. 😳 Then she abruptly leaves me standing there for 5 mins. I assumed she was going to ask her supervisor "what to do with me" Her demeanor wasn't called for as I was polite and patient the whole time. Even when the supervisor came over holding my paperwork, but before walking 2 feet over to tell me no, he takes a phone call. Leaving me standing there awkwardly trying not to make eye contact while i watch him have a phone conversation instead of letting me be on my way. 🤦🏾‍♀️ THE UNPROFESSIONALISM IS TOP TIER AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND AMENDMENTS The one 🌟 is for the security staff which was actually nice and helpful to everyone. A word of advice try to get a morning appointment as mine was at 2pm but didn't get seen until 3:15 just before they close. Yeah, a government office that closes up before 4pm. Smh... I partly think they just didn't want to help me because they were getting ready...