Busjack Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 ...The big drawback in these cards is noone knows at the farebox what the balance of the card is. I'm surprised that in itself doesn't warrant a lawsuit. It's like going to the grocery store and the cashier says well that's $5 and there is no register saying anything. Essentially this is a blind leading the blind transit card. Even operators are at a loss, because they don't know what you purchased either. This really has to change. I take it you aren't Cheryl from the CTA Tattler, but she just made about the same request. Also, given that someone asked above how to transfer transit value to the debit card account, someone at the CTA Tattler (same post, under Robert Eltzholtz), asked how to activate the prepaid debit card, also assuming that that would transfer the transit value. Talk about coincidences ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 If you remember my comment about BCBS calling people after they filed applications for 2014 plans, the Red Eye now says that CTA is going to call CC users who haven't activated yet. If that's happening, maybe that will break the logjam of people saying they haven't received their cards or activation information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 If you remember my comment about BCBS calling people after they filed applications for 2014 plans, the Red Eye now says that CTA is going to call CC users who haven't activated yet. If that's happening, maybe that will break the logjam of people saying they haven't received their cards or activation information. A far far far more reasonable undertaking both from an expectation standpoint and a logistics standpoint than doing so back when they sent emails out instead. Good move. Talked to a co-worker today who activated her Ventra card but it has taken 2 weeks and her CCP value has not yet transferred. Another anomaly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I take it you aren't Cheryl from the CTA Tattler, but she just made about the same request. Also, given that someone asked above how to transfer transit value to the debit card account, someone at the CTA Tattler (same post, under Robert Eltzholtz), asked how to activate the prepaid debit card, also assuming that that would transfer the transit value. Talk about coincidences ! What she said happened to her is even worse. That a pass became pay per use in the middle of the pass. This means most likely that even pass users will have to check up on ventra on a regular basis. Transit cards are so much more reliable. Since I switched back I no longer have to look over my shoulder wondering if my balance is prematurely disappearing. I don't know on dec 15th CTA is going to have some real problems with this card. It may actually result in ridership decline. No one likes being ripped off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownliner Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 What she said happened to her is even worse. That a pass became pay per use in the middle of the pass. She claims it happened to a Chicago card plus, not a ventra card. There's a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 What she said happened to her is even worse. That a pass became pay per use in the middle of the pass. This means most likely that even pass users will have to check up on ventra on a regular basis. Transit cards are so much more reliable. Since I switched back I no longer have to look over my shoulder wondering if my balance is prematurely disappearing. I don't know on dec 15th CTA is going to have some real problems with this card. It may actually result in ridership decline. No one likes being ripped off. Just don't put the plastic pass near anything in your pocket or they'll soon be worthless. 40% of CTA rides use Ventra. What percentage do you estimate are getting screwed or experiencing serious issues with the day to day usage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 ... 40% of CTA rides use Ventra. What percentage do you estimate are getting screwed or experiencing serious issues with the day to day usage? Why don't you contact them and find out? Or do a scientific survey of that populace? Otherwise, if this is a rhetorical question, what do you seek to prove? Just trying to do Jimmy Kimmel's Liewitness News? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Why don't you contact them and find out? Or do a scientific survey of that populace? Otherwise, if this is a rhetorical question, what do you seek to prove? Just trying to do Jimmy Kimmel's Liewitness News? I'm asking people to quantify their opinion if the system is broken, how broken do you think it is? 40% of CTA rides use Ventra now, so,etching about the system must be working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrak41 Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Invest in a package of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VCNRA2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For non-commuters, there is the reel & badge option, which is what I do. But many people also have corporate RFID badge and many hang it from their belt, so this all gets rather clumsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I'm asking people to quantify their opinion if the system is broken, how broken do you think it is? 40% of CTA rides use Ventra now, so,etching about the system must be working. What is etching supposed to mean in this context? Somebody putting acid on the lexan windows? Our opinion doesn't count, when Emanuel obviously told Claypool to delay at least one deadline after it passed, after Steele basically said (like you) that it was the user's fault. Like I said, if you have some quantification based on facts, give it. If you want my quantification, it is somewhere between not smooth and the head of the CTA, Emanuel, saying that we are putting a tech blitz on it.* Apparently not quite up to a lawsuit like in the NABI case, but I still predict that is coming. __________________ *Compare to what Pres. Obama said about here about healtcare.gov. That was, of course, after about 10 minutes of anecdotes about people who were able to sign up, and that the product was not the website. Other than the "tech experts" point, that speech is almost identical to what Claypool reportedly said while Emanuel's lips were not moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroShadow Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I'm asking people to quantify their opinion if the system is broken, how broken do you think it is? 40% of CTA rides use Ventra now, so,etching about the system must be working. One way or the other, it's teething. Nothing is ever perfect (or near perfect) as you introduce something new into the ecosystem. I'll defer to the comment about the learning curve (but Ventra/Cubic/CTA isn't off the hook either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 One way or the other, it's teething. Nothing is ever perfect (or near perfect) as you introduce something new into the ecosystem. I'll defer to the comment about the learning curve (but Ventra/Cubic/CTA isn't off the hook either). Theoretically, they should have teethed it when they first started out by rolling out the student passes. In any event, there should have been a slower rollout to a select number of CC and CCP members instead of saying "this is the deadline." As was pointed out in some news reports, whoever Ventra is provided the worst service to theoretically CTA's best customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrak41 Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Or CTA thought outsourcing it all to a private contractor also absolved them of responsibility and blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Or CTA thought outsourcing it all to a private contractor also absolved them of responsibility and blame. Possible, but their action of not identifying that Cubic was running the call center until Claypool made his announcement would tend to show that they were trying to cover up for Cubic. In any event, it was bad contract administration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 What is etching supposed to mean in this context? Somebody putting acid on the lexan windows? Our opinion doesn't count, when Emanuel obviously told Claypool to delay at least one deadline after it passed, after Steele basically said (like you) that it was the user's fault. Like I said, if you have some quantification based on facts, give it. If you want my quantification, it is somewhere between not smooth and the head of the CTA, Emanuel, saying that we are putting a tech blitz on it.* Apparently not quite up to a lawsuit like in the NABI case, but I still predict that is coming. __________________ *Compare to what Pres. Obama said about here about healtcare.gov. That was, of course, after about 10 minutes of anecdotes about people who were able to sign up, and that the product was not the website. Other than the "tech experts" point, that speech is almost identical to what Claypool reportedly said while Emanuel's lips were not moving. Apples and oranges. The federal government at least gave itself a six month window to work out the glitches while the CTA only gave itself three months. Also customers seeking healthcare do have several alternatives to the federal website. The phone process in the fed's case is relatively hassle free and the individual state websites, which the federal site was going to send people to anyway, are working with few problems. So folks are getting signed up. In CTA's case, if you're one of the unfortunate folks hitting a snag, then you have to deal with the crappy phone customer service agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Apples and oranges. The federal government at least gave itself a six month window to work out the glitches while the CTA only gave itself three months. Also customers seeking healthcare do have several alternatives to the federal website. The phone process in the fed's case is relatively hassle free and the individual state websites, which the federal site was going to send people to anyway, are working with few problems. So folks are getting signed up. In CTA's case, if you're one of the unfortunate folks hitting a snag, then you have to deal with the crappy phone customer service agents. So it seems that your quantitative assessment* is that Ventra is worse, while I was only making a comparison of certain facial similarities. Other difference is that one apparently can apply to insurers directly, who can't turn you down, while the only way for people with balances on the CCP who haven't been treated properly is to sit on hold. ___________ *for owine's purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 What is etching supposed to mean in this context? Somebody putting acid on the lexan windows? Our opinion doesn't count, when Emanuel obviously told Claypool to delay at least one deadline after it passed, after Steele basically said (like you) that it was the user's fault. Like I said, if you have some quantification based on facts, give it. If you want my quantification, it is somewhere between not smooth and the head of the CTA, Emanuel, saying that we are putting a tech blitz on it.* Apparently not quite up to a lawsuit like in the NABI case, but I still predict that is coming. __________________ *Compare to what Pres. Obama said about here about healtcare.gov. That was, of course, after about 10 minutes of anecdotes about people who were able to sign up, and that the product was not the website. Other than the "tech experts" point, that speech is almost identical to what Claypool reportedly said while Emanuel's lips were not moving. Typo of "something". I suppose I should expect a class action lawsuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 One way or the other, it's teething. Nothing is ever perfect (or near perfect) as you introduce something new into the ecosystem. I'll defer to the comment about the learning curve (but Ventra/Cubic/CTA isn't off the hook either). This is my point. What many are terming the failure of the system overall is just expected teething. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 So it seems that your quantitative assessment* is that Ventra is worse, while I was only making a comparison of certain facial similarities. Other difference is that one apparently can apply to insurers directly, who can't turn you down, while the only way for people with balances on the CCP who haven't been treated properly is to sit on hold. ___________ *for owine's purposes. You can cancel and spend down a CCP and just purchase a new Ventra card. The transition is not the ONLY way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrak41 Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Apples and oranges. The federal government at least gave itself a six month window to work out the glitches while the CTA only gave itself three months. Also customers seeking healthcare do have several alternatives to the federal website. The phone process in the fed's case is relatively hassle free and the individual state websites, which the federal site was going to send people to anyway, are working with few problems. So folks are getting signed up. In CTA's case, if you're one of the unfortunate folks hitting a snag, then you have to deal with the crappy phone customer service agents. On one of the cable or network news stations (not Fox) a few days ago, someone said they were testing and code-changing ACA software until 4 days before go-live. I think it comes down to a lack of I-T Project management skills, perhaps too much outsourcing to India, making dates with incomplete projects, poor communication to business owner, and I-T management burying itself in incident ticket processes and "correct" paperwork rather than anything of any substance. CGI also got fired by Ontario over a healthcare package. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 You can cancel and spend down a CCP and just purchase a new Ventra card. The transition is not the ONLY way. How about if they don't turn off your autoload (as has been reported, at least by CTA Tattler commenters)? How many customer service calls have you answered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 On one of the cable or network news stations (not Fox) a few days ago, someone said they were testing and code-changing ACA software until 4 days before go-live. ... Weeze going way off topic, but CNN is now reporting that there was a test a couple of days before healthcare.gov was to go live and the computer crashed, but HHS didn't tell Pres. Obama about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 How about if they don't turn off your autoload (as has been reported, at least by CTA Tattler commenters)? How many customer service calls have you answered? I don't know. You said there's no alternative, there is something. What are you asking with the second question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I don't know. You said there's no alternative, there is something. What are you asking with the second question? Because since you are asking all of us what the quantitative measure is, supposedly to "gotcha" us with some number you made up, maybe we would like to know what position you are in to imply that there is only a problem around the edges. And, of course, why you think that any alternative, no matter how convoluted, is a practical alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owine Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Because since you are asking all of us what the quantitative measure is, supposedly to "gotcha" us with some number you made up, maybe we would like to know what position you are in to imply that there is only a problem around the edges. And, of course, why you think that any alternative, no matter how convoluted, is a practical alternative. I have no "gotcha." All I'm asking for is someone to state their opinion in the fashion of "I think 10% of all Ventra riders are getting screwed/charged incorrectly in some way shape or form". A quantitative measure is just putting a number on something. If we want to start doing a comparison of number of Ventra rides and number of Tattler/ChicagoBus complaints/issues that could be interesting too. And I work in real estate, nothing remotely related to any company involved in Ventra. I have no bias in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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