A LaSalle woman left empty-handed for the 4th time after waiting more than eight hours on Saturday in front of the SAAQ offices to renew her driver’s license.
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“I’m starting to get nervous. My license expires on March 14 and I need to be able to drive. What will happen if I am not able to renew it in time? asks Elizabeth Messi, met by The newspaper when the SAAQ offices in LaSalle closed on Saturday.
After trying the offices in Brossard and Saint-Hubert, she returned to the offices in her borough, which she knew were already overwhelmed. Arriving at 8:30 a.m., she hoped to be entitled to one of the 110 coupons distributed on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, when I arrived, the line had already stretched several meters. People had arrived around 5:30 a.m. and had brought their camping chairs! exclaims Ms. Messi, surprised at the chaos created by the SAAQ’s new system.
It is because she has been trying to renew her license since February 3, without success. The appointments are complete until May, she says, visibly desperate.
Presque…
Minutes from closing, Elizabeth Messi and six others were still holding out hope of securing a place. But around 3:45 p.m., a security guard asked them to evacuate the premises, much to the despair of those who had been waiting for several hours in the cold.
“The employees have already done two hours of overtime today for not much. They haven’t finished, they still have to close their fund and they still have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, we can’t pass everyone,” the employee points out to indignant customers.
A person came forward to protest and tried to negotiate, without success. But the employee was unequivocal: the offices are closed for the day. We will have to come back next time.
Frustration
“It just doesn’t make sense. Does that mean I have to sleep here to renew my license? “Laments Elizabeth Messi, exhausted by the hours spent standing waiting for nothing.
According to the SAAQ website, an appointment is supposed to last about ten minutes. However, appointments last much longer, according to Ms. Messi.
“I have to wait for hours in the queue. I hardly ate, barely a coffee! And you have to take turns to go to the toilet, ”she adds.
Nobody seems to have learned from the passport crisis last summer, since the same problem is repeated on the side of the SAAQ this year, almost a year later, deplores the resident of LaSalle.
She will try her luck again next Saturday, just a few days before her driving license expires.