I had the most unprofessional and discriminatory experience at the Altus Tag Agency office today with a specific employee named Norma Lopez. I am astounded that she is still an employee there and is allowed to treat people this way. I have lived in Altus OK my whole life with my entire family. I moved away after high school and visit occasionally throughout the year to see my parents and help them as needed. Never have I experienced such unprofessional, unfair, hateful and discriminating aid in public services. Let me preface-I've experience plenty however, nothing like this. I could not believe my eyes when I saw another woman of color treat people with a language barrier with such bigotry and negligence.
My father walked in and was attended by Norma Lopez. He asked if a lien release for a newly purchased car was faxed or emailed to the office. He had a folder of all documentation needed to review and be able to properly assist. When he spoke to Norma, she didn't even bother to look at him or try to understand him. She immediately said, "I don't understand what you're saying." When my dad switched to Spanish, she completely ignored him. I asked if she spoke Spanish and she said yes and walked away. Her customer service skills were awful. She completely disregarded my father and I. It was clearly discrimination based on her lack of interest in helping my father and ignoring his requests in English and Spanish. She had no intention of helping him due to his language barrier.
I repeated what my father said in English and asked if she understood me. When she realized I was there to ensure my father received the proper help, she barely put in any effort to look into the email/fax we were inquiring about. Zina Robbins took over and was able to better assist me. It gets worse, as I'm waiting- I see another older Latina lady come in who couldn't speak English well. There was another young lady working and told the customer in English what was needed and barely attempted to help. Norma Lopez, the supposed Spanish-speaking employee, didn't intervene either. She watched and let the lady walk off lost and discouraged. Another example of unprofessional and unhelpful act towards another customer. I have spoken to other Altus residents and it seems Norma Lopez is known for being extremely unprofessional and discriminating towards Latino customers who can't speak English. It is a shame that the Altus Tag Agency has an employee like her, as it reflects poorly on the agency as a whole. Discrimination is illegal and can lead to lawsuits and legal actions.
Oklahoma Anti-Discrimination Act (Title 25, Chapter 3, Sections 1101-1104 of Oklahoma Statues) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in employment, housing and public accomadations. In the context of the Tag Agency/DMV discrimination laws may come into play.
Access to Services: The agency must provide its services to all individuals equally, without discrimination based on protected characteristics. This includes services related to vehicle registration, titling, driver licenses and other dmv functions.
Zina Robbins- I appreciate your help and thoroughness. However, I highly recommend replacing her as an employee and reevaluate the representation and values your office employees are providing. She is a walking lawsuit risk for you and your business. read more
