Social Security Administration

Came there on a Thursday to get replacement SS cards for my wife and 2 kids. Had applications filled out. Arrived at around 12:00 left at around 230pm. There was a line that wrapped all the way on the inside of the waiting room. The line moves OK, but not fast. Wasn’t aware that this line is just for «check-​in», then they tell you to sit down and call you up.
The agents were overall nice. They processed the application for both my kids and gave their passports back. My wife’s signature didn’t match the signature on her passport, so the agent white-​out the sig and told me to come back in with the correct sig. She put her initials on a post-​it on the front of my app. She indicated that she will pull me out of line and process the application if I come in tomorrow.
I had the app signed and just decided to mail everything in instead. Overall if you just need to get a replacement SS cards, just mail everything in. The only advantage of physically going into the office is you get to keep your original documents, w/​o waiting for USPS to mail them back, or possibly getting lost on the way back through the mail!!!

Went in on a Friday at 2pm and got in and out in a about 35 – 45 mins. The staff was friendly. The only reason it’s wasn’t a 5 star experience is because directions to wait in line when there is no line formed was confusiong. I sat down right away when I should have stood in a line to be called. The security guard I asked about taking a number or writing down my name did not correct me. I only realized that you actually need to form a line when someone who obviously been there before stood and waited. But good experience none the less. I suggest going on Friday afternoon.

Came here with wife to get her SS card.
The good:
1. Friendly and warm staff.
2. Good for people watching when waiting to be called.
3. Less than 10 minute walk from the RI Ave metro station.
The bad:
As Holly said, you really have no idea when you’ll be called. There were people that arrived after us that were called up much earlier than us, while there were a few people who had been waiting when we arrived, and were still waiting when we left.
Total wait time: 1.5 hours
Total time w/​SS staff: About 5 minutes
It wasn’t my worst government office experience, but wasn’t my best either.

Lord help you if you need to go to the SSA.
I just needed to get a new SS card for a change of name. Came in with all documents ready and paperwork filled out. Stood in line 30 minutes to get to the window where the person there looked over my stuff, said «okay» and added my name to ~The Board~.
~The Board~ is a mythical pit where your name is thrown, probably on a piece of paper like in the Goblet of Fire, but unlike Harry Potter’s name, yours is not guaranteed to ever come out again.
When SSA workers want to do work, they draw a name from ~The Board~ seemingly at random. Indeed, there was confirmed to be «no order to names being called» by the security officer on duty. The SSA workers choose names from ~The Board~ based on what they «can do». Because workers are apparently not all trained to do normal daily activities. Cross-​training, anyone?
After being added to ~The Board~ I was told to sit and wait. I did. For 2 more hours. For the first 45 minutes of those 2 hours, not a single waiting person was called to the mysterious back area where the lucky few drawn from ~The Board~ disappear, hopefully conduct business, and then make room for the next sacrifice.
When my name was finally called, the lady in the mysterious depths of the SSA office who called me was able to complete my name change/​new card in 3 minutes flat.
Total time at SSA office: 3 hours, 12 minutes
Total time interacting with SSA staff: 4.5 minutes
PROs: They were nice about it; walking distance to H8 line and Rhode Island Metro.