Ventra - Feedback and Updates

[Amtrak41]

Just looked at my account, and it says

Status: Closed

Current Transit Balance:

Transit Autoload Amount

$0.00

What does Status Closed mean ?

[brownliner]

 

Usually, it is the 3 digits on the signature strip on the back of the card following the 4 digits indicating the last 4 digits of the account number. Real issuers don't want the SSNs hacked.

 

Every card I've ever call to activate has asked for some piece of personally identifying information. That's usually SSN (or the last four digits of it.), but some times it's been other things (I had a card express shipped to an out of town hotel, and Chase made me answer a bunch of questions before they'd activate it.) The idea is that they're making sure you didn't just steal the envelope out of a mailbox.

The ventra people don't have the luxury of knowing any personal information about you (other than the name that was on your CCP account, which doesn't have to have been real). so they have to do the "send an email to set it up" dance. They could have done it better (like, not have a six week delay between when they say they're mailing the card, and when they actually do.)

Also, I've been trying to look at my ventra account online for the last four or five days. I can log in, I sometimes see some information, and then get redirected to an error page. Sometimes, I get the error page directly. Yay. (Update: just checked again, and I can get in. If they're applying things in chronological order, they missed about five trips, two full fare, two transfers and one that might be either. Does that make up for the people they're billing twice?)

[Busjack]

Tribune article. Between the CTA Tattler, complaints to the Tribune, and all the comments on both places, something has to be wrong (other than the consumers).

Didn't Steele promise to get the call wait time down a couple of weeks ago?

[Fails the Turing Test]

Just looked at my account, and it says

Status: Closed

Current Transit Balance:

Transit Autoload Amount

$0.00

What does Status Closed mean ?

Is there an "Add Value" button to the left of "Current Transit Balance"? If so, maybe it's just a confusing way of saying "There's no money on this card". If no, maybe it means the card is actually disabled for some reason. FWIW, my card's status is "Active".

[BusHunter]

Is there an "Add Value" button to the left of "Current Transit Balance"? If so, maybe it's just a confusing way of saying "There's no money on this card". If no, maybe it means the card is actually disabled for some reason. FWIW, my card's status is "Active".

It's either that or you have a bad card. I hope you didn't have money on the card or I'd be calling ventra. When I loaded a card I got error messages as well, but everything's fine so far.

[BusHunter]

Anyone know if a Senior Citizen can just get a Ventra Card from a retailer? My Mom got a notice months ago about the Ventra Card being sent out in the fall(registered Chicago Card holder) but has yet to receive it in the mail. I tried the 877-Ventra number, but it doesn't seem to work, and the CTA Customer Service line is busy.

I was thinking screw it and buying one from Jewel for her, but only if she'll get reduced fare for it, not the full fare.

Seniors should have got their Ventra cards last month in the mail. (mid September) The cards have a picture ID of the rider, so I don't believe it's possible to buy a reduced fare ventra card. All the reduced fare student cards were issued also. Maybe you should send either Ventra or CTA an email.

[Busjack]

Seniors should have got their Ventra cards last month in the mail. (mid September) ...

As I noted above, the RTA page said through November, and CTA has nothing to do with it.

[Guest ctafan630]

Just looked at my account, and it says

Status: Closed

Current Transit Balance:

Transit Autoload Amount

$0.00

What does Status Closed mean ?

I believe it is closed because the card is not fully activated yet.

[Guest ctafan630]

I have two questions reagrding the rollout of Ventra:

1) Are balances from the Chicago Card supposed to automatically transfer to the Ventra Card after activation or do you have to call CTA to get the balance transferred?

2) How is the Metra Link Up pass going to work now that the CTA is doing away with the magnetic stripe cards. I could not find information about this anywhere on the CTA website.

[MarioM]

I have two questions reagrding the rollout of Ventra:

1) Are balances from the Chicago Card supposed to automatically transfer to the Ventra Card after activation or do you have to call CTA to get the balance transferred?

2) How is the Metra Link Up pass going to work now that the CTA is doing away with the magnetic stripe cards. I could not find information about this anywhere on the CTA website.

1) Balances from Chicago Card Plus accounts are supposed to transfer over after you complete the step where you activate the card that Ventra sent you over the phone. It may take a little while after you call (often under an hour).

Balances from regular Chicago Cards will not transfer over. In order to transfer a regular Chicago Card balance, you either have to go to one of the balance transfer events in the park or mail your old card in to Ventra in January.

See:http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=3205

2) According to Jon Hilkevitch Metra riders will receive magnetic stripe cards through November and will receive Ventra Link Up cards in December.

[owine]

Second Ventra card for our household arrived last night. Called in to activate around 7 PM with no problems. However, as with the first card that arrived, it is taking an awful long time for the balance/pass to transfer. For the first card, it took about 20 hours. For this second card, we are at 14 hours and counting. At lease the CCP is still active during this window.

[Busjack]

Sun Times said that Cubic is running the call center. Probably Cubic is also running the computers. Maybe CTA could get Cubic to perform its contract and stop dumping on the consumers.

[Amtrak41]

My Ventra account page has a button for Prepaid Debit Account (which I'll NEVER use-thank you).

What about the Transit account ? There is no equivalent button for that.

[BusHunter]

I was using a ventra card for the first time yesterday. At first my card wouldn't scan, then it would give me stop notices, each trip about four tries before it accepted the card. Then it occurred to me, that if you look at the ventra reader there only appears to be one sensor on the bottom of the reader versus three chicago card sensors equally placed around the target. So if you take your ventra card when boarding hold it so that the black swipe strip on the rear is at the bottom of the reader you then can board in one touch. So far I've had no problems since I've done that.

[Guest ctafan630]

1) Balances from Chicago Card Plus accounts are supposed to transfer over after you complete the step where you activate the card that Ventra sent you over the phone. It may take a little while after you call (often under an hour).

Balances from regular Chicago Cards will not transfer over. In order to transfer a regular Chicago Card balance, you either have to go to one of the balance transfer events in the park or mail your old card in to Ventra in January.

See:http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=3205

2) According to Jon Hilkevitch Metra riders will receive magnetic stripe cards through November and will receive Ventra Link Up cards in December.

Thanks Mario for that help.

[jajuan]

I was using a ventra card for the first time yesterday. At first my card wouldn't scan, then it would give me stop notices, each trip about four tries before it accepted the card. Then it occurred to me, that if you look at the ventra reader there only appears to be one sensor on the bottom of the reader versus three chicago card sensors equally placed around the target. So if you take your ventra card when boarding hold it so that the black swipe strip on the rear is at the bottom of the reader you then can board in one touch. So far I've had no problems since I've done that.

For me, as long as I hold my card close to the black sensor with the stripe of the card facing the sensor, the reader accepts my card regardless of which angle I hold it when I tap.

[owine]

CTA reversed the Monday deadline so you can now buy new plastic fare cards and reload Chicago Cards at the vending machines. Silly to do this on Wednesday.

[BusHunter]

I guess 10,000 calls to ventra on monday was too much for them.

[Busjack]

CTA reversed the Monday deadline so you can now buy new plastic fare cards and reload Chicago Cards at the vending machines. Silly to do this on Wednesday.

Tribune story.

I guess 10,000 calls to ventra on monday was too much for them.

It wasn't so much that as that the story went viral this morning. Apparently sending out Brian Steele to the CTA Tattler and Tammy Chase to other media outlets with the company line that the customers weren't using the phone tree didn't snuff the problem out.

The other item was that there is supposed to be another round of e-mails for CC and CC+ registered users who did not activate yet.

[Kevin]

My Ventra account page has a button for Prepaid Debit Account (which I'll NEVER use-thank you).

What about the Transit account ? There is no equivalent button for that.

There are buttons on that same page to add transit value, a pass, or enable autoload. (Yes, this page is poorly designed. And the Ventra site is working extra slow for me today.)

[Amtrak41]

Thanks Kevin, but my Manage Account page does not have those Blue buttons.

"Current Transit Balance" is over on the left where that would be.

I also get Account : Closed". I tried to register, and it says "You are already registered".

[Busjack]

Thanks Kevin, but my Manage Account page does not have those Blue buttons.

"Current Transit Balance" is over on the left where that would be.

I also get Account : Closed". I tried to register, and it says "You are already registered".

The already registered makes sense, since you got the card in the mail, but was your card properly activated?

[Amtrak41]

Thanks guys.

It was pre-registered, I got an access code, signed in, loaded a funding source, but forgot to call back 1-888-824-8802 to "Activate" with access code. Just did that. I'll give it a few hours, because I signed in right afterward, and no change.

I do hope it is not this bad with SEPTA:

http://www.septa.org/fares/npt/project-timeline.html

[Busjack]

The updated Tribune article said at the end:

The CTA said that because it found that many original Chicago Card/Chicago Card Plus e-mail addresses are no longer valid, those customers who have not received a card or e-mail may wish to purchase a card from a retailer, train station or online at ventrachicago.com.

However, the purchase of a card from a retailer or train station doesn't seem to make sense if the reports on the home page are correct in stating that a balance cannot be transferred from a CCP other than by activating the Ventra card sent in association with the CCP account.

[Kevin]

Tried to load value on my Ventra card using the web site this evening. So much for that idea.

At least the Ventra site is proving to be a gold mine of examples of what not to do when designing software.