I went to the Secretary of State office in Champaign, IL to apply for a driver license on March 19th, 2014. The lady at the information desk told me that I need to show the I-94 form. She gave me a sheet of information paper saying I should follow the instructions to get the I-94. I asked if I can print the document in the office once I found it online and she told me I can not print there and must go back home to print it.
Then I tried to find the I-94 form on the instructed website but failed as the information on the paper only tells me the website I should go but lacks detailed steps. I was only able to retrive the I-94 number from the website which shows a print option.
I went back to the lady at the information desk to confirm if that print option is the form requested and she said she didn't know and I had to confirm myself as she had already given necessary information, the sheet of paper, to me. I told her that if she, a government official in charge of the whole matter, does not know if that is the requested form, how I could possibly know. She said, however, she had offered me the instructional information and no one else had my problem getting the I-94 form online, indicating that she was not responsible any more. I had to say the information is incomplete and I was not sure if what I found online is the required form but she was unwilling to confirm to me if that was the form I should print. She suggested that I should ask some friend who has done this before to see if that is the requested form. I was confused at this point as I told her that she is the government official who is in charge of this, how I should go back and ask my friend for the government's business. It just sounds as if the legislators told people to seek help from their friends to illustrate the laws.
I had to leave the office as she told me that I was blocking the desk and she had offered all services she can offer to me. I was really feeling hurt and bad about the service. I was wondering if she could not give me information about whether what I found online was the correct form I should print, how she should be standing at the "information desk" to offer customers "information". I am really frustrated with my experience that day and I wonder if other people have similar encounters.
I hope there could be some improvement in the future, though I guess it is understandable as government services are less financailly motivated as private businesses.