El Cerrito DMV

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Jerry Chou
a week ago
I went in today after work to get my car registration renewed. The place closes at 5 pm. I make it in before that and the lady handing out numbers says they are not handing out numbers anymore and that the cutoff time today was 4 pm because they were short staffed. They turned everyone away who didn't have an appointment. They should had a sign on the door or outside saying that they were short staffed and wouldn't be accepting any more people. There is a sign on the door that says you have to be inside before 5pm in order for them to serve you.They didn't follow that policy. Also, the lady was rude.

  Marty West
3 weeks ago
Outstanding! I needed to get my photo taken and take any eye test to renew my driver's license. Filled out the forms, paid fees and took the Online Learning drivers test before heading to DMV. Couldn't get an appointment for 10 days and needed renewal sooner. Checked webpage for this office and it show how busy they are throughout the day. Picked a slack time and got in and out in 15 minutes as a walk-in. Staff was courteous.

  Hugh C Neville
2 months ago
Andre was incredibly helpful during my visit. He was efficient, respectful, and while I was there I saw him helping several other folks and going above and beyond to explain and break down language barriers, etc. It s the DMV so my expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised. Make sure you join the virtual queue before you get there and bring all your paperwork since they are unlikely to help you print anything. There is a copy central 1 minute drive away if you need to print, but best to show up with what you need and fill out as much as possible in advance online.

  Lawrence W
4 weeks ago
Starting my driver's license renewal online did not help because I did not already pay. That part had to be done over again. When I got to the front of the line for the picture, they stopped the picture taking. It did not matter that I had an appointment. There were people way back in line for a driving test, so we did not get to proceed for over 20 minutes until I asked for a chair because I could not stand any longer (I am older but that also did not matter). Then they finally got somebody for the picture taking. I do not know if that person left after taking my picture or not.

  Lani Quintanilla
a month ago
Does the DMV give employees training on how to be rude to customers? I say this because I have yet to meet a DMV employee who has good customer service. The woman that worked today 3/8/2024 giving out numbers, talked to people so damn rude, like if we were animals. Not even animals deserve to be talked to that way. My God, if you hate your job, LOOK FOR ANOTHER ONE. That's if another job would even take you. Maybe this is the only place that will have you. DMV BE BETTER DO BETTEROh, and the door wouldn't be blocked if your employee wasn't sleeping on the job, making sure it wasn't. I have a photo, that's if the manager cares to even see it.

  BAM From the BAY
3 weeks ago
The DMV visit is a lot different than it was before exclamation point they are really organized and they get you in and out as efficiently as possible. I was in and out in 45 minutes or less with all my business taken care of.

  michael calderon
3 months ago
I have been here a few times now and have yet to meet any staff who are empathetic and courteous. I can understand that they are dealing with the Kafkaesque system and they likely have to deal with some unpleasant people but this particular DMV is beyond the pale with grumpy, rude, and contemptuous staff. The people who work here have lost all sense of perspective and civility.

  Alex Vinogradov
3 years ago
Great improvement !!! It is 12 pm , Monday. It is fast and efficient. Restroom is available. The body temperature is checked at the entrance. A parking lot is huge. Not many people are inside. it took just 15 min to receive my 3 years driver licence information printout.I am very satisfied with employee's service.

  Shu Neel
2 months ago
Horrible, Terrible, and Disrespectful employee I hope the manager or whoever belongs read this including that employee...... Window 12I am an Asian little guy (Shorty) who came to the US back in 2020. I Was there for My driving's license renewal on 02/12/2024 and was served by window 12, the lady with the mask(African American ), She Was such a rudest person I have seen in my life .she told me that I read everything when I applied, So she was so angry as hell to tell me anything that I ask (As I was changing to Real Id) and I asked again she did not give any damn care instead she was starring at me till I left .I was treated as dumb and Foolish. I might be wrong but other employees were serving others, seems great and the way they were talking was great. The documents were right there on her window she was like oh Give that To me in my hand ??? Oh, you disrespects as hell to me and you want respect for in exchange ,,, that s your service ???? You are the most disrespectful person I have seen in my entire life To me, I will never come back to the place and I felt that I was mistreated for being a shorty, Asian who can t speak well and is afraid of someone when talking.. I will never forget that lady and the day I was mistreated and bullied to some extent and might be some sort of racism. Thanks .Lastly for the payment, I ask if a credit card is fine or debit. She lastly replied, "Did you read when you apply the application ".Thanks for the outstanding Service...AND YOU ARE WORKING IN A PUBLIC SERVICE , IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE CUSTOMER SERVICE, ITS TIME TO CHANGE YOUR CAREER...

  Maria A
5 months ago
I ve gone to this location twice. The first time was such a truly pleasant experience, everyone was polite and the process was fast. Kudos to everyone that day.This second time, golllly. Rude as hell. I was afraid I was going to get my head chopped off. Rude for no reason at all. Or rather, for no reason related to the clients at all. Like, I d get it if patrons were rude, or not following directions, or asking the same question over and over again but no. You look at them and they re rude. They raise their voices, wave you away, and from what I observed, they have zero patience for elderly people, people who are not tech savvy, and people who don t speak English. Even though some of the workers speak Spanish, they offer zero help for Spanish speaking patrons who are clearly struggling to communicate with them. They treat grown adults like we are dumb, pesky, annoying, rude children. (And even if we were children, don t be rude because I know there are teenagers who are taking their test for the first time!) Nobody wants to be at the DMV, ok? Nobody. But damn, maybe if they were polite, EVERYONE would have a better experience. We re all going to the DMV to try to get our license or ID and be law-abiding residents. But y all make it difficult. Please don t talk down to us. Acknowledge us. Say a simple good morning, hello, have a good day. Patrons were being so polite to these rude workers, even genuinely telling them to have a good day even after being treated like imbeciles. Get some manners. If there s an internal problem going on making these workers pissed, please fix it, for one and two, please don t take it out on people who are just trying to do the right thing, people who took time out of their day to come here. Treat us how you want your loved ones to be treated. Thank you.

  Rochelle Richard
3 months ago
Horrible. The ID number #38 belonging to a worker there had a very unprofessional, unpleasant, un kindness stank behavior and attitude. Please do better by hiring approachable, kind, and professionals with understanding behavior and attitudes. Horrible!.

  j c
4 months ago
After going here once and getting the most horrible service ever even after Contacting the IRS...CA DMV hires the worst trained employees...sadly I have not returned. I don't blame the employee but the state for hiring these people that don't want to work or provide the service we pay for.

  christina zou
5 months ago
This is a fast dmv (comparatively) - i was able to walk in without an appointment on a Tuesday at noon, and file a replacement for a driver s license, in about 20 minutes. It was worth driving here vs the Oakland DMV which is a lot more crowded because of its location

  Mario Trujillo
2 months ago
Trust every single bad review here please. The employees are HORRIBLE the worker at the entrance desk is extremely rude and told me I won't get no where in life just because I answered back to his offensive remarks. DMV needs to hire new people can't believe they allow people like that to work here.

  michelle cardoza
6 months ago
This office by far has to be the worst one yet. The guy taking appointments was so effin rude for no damn reason. Got an attitude the moment my mom and i walk up and makes the experience of having to go in much worse. Why work there id you hate interacting with all kinds of people. You have to be patient and understanding that not everyone knows what to do or even can get nervous at the fact that they need to be there. I wish i can give that specific person 0 stars and this office needs to have better interviewing procedures to pick the right kind of person to work there. On occasions, I had to deal with such rude workers and with the most ugliest attitudes ever. Find another damn job if you hate this one so much to take out your anger on the people who need YOUR help. It urks my soul when instead of being the one who makes our experience easier and better, they make it 10 times worse. Although there are some staff who are nice, understanding and super helpful, it seems to be more of those who are just sour to be working there.

  Zeheng Wu
4 days ago
This is the worst DMV in the Bay Area. I failed the test 4 times with the white male instructor, each time for very small, very controversial reasons. When he saw that I failed twice on the permit, he smiled and said "you should be an expert!" and when I was "failed" again, he said to me in a sly way "you may need some help?" Never come to this place to take an exam.

  Jazmin Sanchez
a week ago
If I could give zero stars, I would The worst service ever from the beginning to end the guy checking you in for the appointments has a horrible attitude very rude and disrespectful after making your appointment you still have to wait an hour and a half to be seen so they can tell you that they can help you dmv has The worst employees, rude, bad attitude it looks like they don t even want to be there

  Nia Roberson
6 months ago
I've gone to this DMV probably 4 or 5 times in the past couple years. Every single time I've come out being insulted to some degree, talked down to, and been treated with outright hostility. I know the dmv has a bad reputation and I can't imagine how tiring a job it can be which is why I always treat customer service people with the utmost respect and kindness. These people here deserve any rude behavior that comes their way as they greet you with disrespect and anger.

  Nathan Renard
7 months ago
I've visited this DMV location on two separate occasions, and both times I left deeply unsatisfied. It became evident that asking questions was not welcomed, as staff would raise their voice in response, making it feel as if I was causing an inconvenience by seeking clarity. Despite completing the online knowledge test beforehand, they restarted my process, which was both confusing and time-consuming.The lines were consistently long, and I received conflicting information from different staff members, suggesting a lack of preparation and proficiency in their roles. Based on my experiences, I would advise potential visitors to consider other DMV locations. I genuinely hope my feedback can lead to necessary improvements in the future.

  Sumaira Qayyum
4 months ago
Literally the worst dmv ever. The stupid lady at the table for the permits is an idiot with no manners. She barely knows anything and acts as if she owns the place. Someone needs to go in there and teach her manners

  Earl Newton
5 months ago
I started the process of transferring the title of our vehicle online and I wanted to make sure to get back the original documents so the virtual team suggested to visit my local DMV office, so I got an appointment. Even with an appointment you need to check in at the office to get your number according to the procedures you have to do, then just wait for the next window to be available and done!

  Fernando San Martin
3 days ago
3 freaking hours, with an appointment, to transfer an out of state drivers license.Your tax dollars at work!

  Soco Diaz
4 months ago
Is really bad employee there they not call the number the I have went I ask the employee was rude with all the costumer and she was rude with me after the 7 minutes she said the I have to have and other number the employee is rude I said you was with other costumer there and she said you have one minute to came to my window I said yes but you was with other people and she said you have to take and other number and I was waiting for more the one hour

  Ira Serkes - COMPASS Real Estate Berkeley
2 months ago
It s the only place in town if AAA doesn t do it5 Stars for the length of the one (if you like long lines)Google said short wait so I came up hereFortunately made an appointment for next week so will be back and a much shorter line

  Belqui Rodriguez
6 months ago
Bad customer service from the employers of the desk to the manager. They all have attitudes like if they don t like their jobs us as a customer we go in trying to fix our situation, but it seem like they get so annoyed for us to ask questions how to do stuff.

  Serina Mercado
5 years ago
Been waiting five hours and counting. Still waiting. The people seem helpful for the two minutes I was able to talk to one but otherwise it s all waiting. I wish they had a sign or something that told wait times before I entered because I would have just left and come another time. As it is, I ve invested too much time here to leave. Im trapped in the eternal purgatory that is the DMV. There is no food. Now water. Everyone is now cranky and exhausted. There is no end in sight. Please end help.Other than the wait time it seems alright.

  James L
9 months ago
After making an appointment online prior to arrival, I still waited for 30min to just get into the DMV (for more wait time) because the reception person let in multiple non-appointment people before working the line with appointments. When asked she told me she chooses to let in people however she sees fit .

  Aquanetta B.
a year ago
Today, 3/20/23After waiting 2 hours for my previously scheduled appointment. I finally got called to window 15 by a woman who was completely nasty to me. She snatched my paper work and told I had a fee of $14 which I ve already previously paid. I guess somehow she didn t see it on her end. EVEN THOUGH I HAD PROOF MY PAYMENT IN MY EMAIL. She would not let me finished my statement expressing her that I had already paid. It s like she was determined to not help me in anyway. She was completely unprofessional and extremely belittling. I will go the route of now waiting for my tag in the mail, after wasting my time there and being treated unfairly. I wish I got her name. But she has is at window # 15, with a very poor attitude.

  Elizabeth Glez
4 months ago
Today was a good day it wasn t packed like always and got out very fast.

  BUBBLE P-BODY
3 months ago
Got there late, had forms filled out online already. I was done within 15 minutes.