u/mrtw1st3r

I’m sure anyone who has dealt with public services here knows the usual story: you apply, you wait, nobody really tells you much, and then somehow you’re the annoying one for asking what’s happening.

I passed my theory test on 21 May and applied for the learner permit the next day. Approved same day.
Still no licence. After a few weeks of chasing NDLS and RSA by email, phone, online forms, complaints, the whole lot, I was eventually told there was a broken printer and around **5,000 people** were affected.

Fair enough, machines break. Annoying, but it happens.
But here’s the thing. No email to the affected people. No notice on the NDLS website that I could see. No update on the application tracker. Nothing. You only find out if you keep ringing them. I was promised supervisor callbacks a few times. Didn’t happen. Then today, after more chasing, a supervisor finally rang me and said my licence had been posted on 23 June, returned to NDLS on 1 July, and posted again. Apparently An Post gave no reason. Again, nobody told me when it was returned.

So now I wait again.

I’ve contacted the Ombudsman and local TDs, not because I think I’m special or because I want compensation. I’ll get the licence eventually. But if a government service knows 5,000 people are stuck because of their own issue, surely they should tell people?

Do people just accept this now? Is this actually normal?

I’m sure anyone who has dealt with public services here knows the usual story: you apply, you wait, nobody really tells you much, and then somehow you’re the annoying one for asking what’s happening.

I passed my theory test on 21 May and applied for the learner permit the next day. Approved same day.
Still no licence. After a few weeks of chasing NDLS and RSA by email, phone, online forms, complaints, the whole lot, I was eventually told there was a broken printer and around 5,000 people were affected.

Fair enough, machines break. Annoying, but it happens.
But here’s the thing. No email to the affected people. No notice on the NDLS website that I could see. No update on the application tracker. Nothing. You only find out if you keep ringing them.

I was promised supervisor callbacks a few times. Didn’t happen. Then today, after more chasing, a supervisor finally rang me and said my licence had been posted on 23 June, returned to NDLS on 1 July, and posted again. Apparently An Post gave no reason. Again, nobody told me when it was returned.

So now I wait again.
I’ve contacted the Ombudsman and local TDs, not because I think I’m special or because I want compensation. I’ll get the licence eventually. But if a government service knows 5,000 people are stuck because of their own issue, surely they should tell people?

Do people just accept this now? Is this actually normal?