I am afraid my experience is quite the opposite to yours Pat. I can recall three direct involvement with the registrar generals office viz.: (i)when i needed birth certificates in 1990 to be delivered by mail i sent the money requesting 10 copies and they were sent via the snail mail system within 7 days and with change.
(ii) when my wife and i needed our marriage certificates via the express route in 1999. we visited the registrar general's office ordered and paid and we got it in the 3 day period as they promised and
(iii)when we needed new sets of the marriage certificates and birth certificates for the embassy 2006 and they were delivered within the week (a day apart) via diplomatic delivery. this after ordering them online.
i agree that they need greater resources to handle the demands but its not for lack of trying.

regards