The combination of bad programming and stupidity is not a good one.

I travelled to NYC Saturday for my old boss's memorial service. I used my EZPass. I got an email yesterday saying urgent attention was needed because the card I have on file for automatic replenishment of my EZPass balance had declined my $25 replenishment. So I log into my account and discover that I needed to update the expiration date because I have a new card. I did that and made a $25 payment.

So I get another URGENT email from EZPass this morning saying my $25 payment has been declined. I know this can't be right. I check my bank statement online and there is a pending $25 debit for EZPass. I therefor decide to call EZPass (and was surprised I didn't have wait very long to speak to someone, that was a shock). She explained that my balance on the 31st was 7.82 and that when it dips below $10 the autopayment system makes a $25 payment using the card I have on file. She said it was declined. I said it was showing up on my checking account so in fact it was not declined and I was confused about why I got another email. She said my card was declined. I said it wasn't declined, I can prove it. I could also see online that my EZPass balance was $32.82, so I pointed that out to her as further proof that a payment of $25 was credited to my EZPass account. She said the payment had been declined. What is wrong with people? There was incontrovertible proof that a $25 payment had been made and she was being totally oblivious to the facts. So she said I had no card on file. Well of course I do, I updated it yesterday and used it yesterday for a successful transaction as evidenced by my new balance. So I look online, and sure enough my card information was wiped out. After I asked to speak to her supervisor she became more helpful for some reason.

Bad programming and ridiculousness. Modern life.

I will never understand stupid people.

That would drive me crazy, Bernard. Did you get it worked out? I've noticed a remarkable difference between talking to a supervisor and talking to first-line support. Part of it is that the supervisor can authorize things that the first-line can't. I also think they must be getting some incentives. But I've had agents tell me that something was totally impossible, and after escalating to a supervisor voila! It's done!

Grrrr. It's such a dance.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
That would drive me crazy, Bernard. Did you get it worked out? I've noticed a remarkable difference between talking to a supervisor and talking to first-line support. Part of it is that the supervisor can authorize things that the first-line can't. I also think they must be getting some incentives. But I've had agents tell me that something was totally impossible, and after escalating to a supervisor voila! It's done!

Grrrr. It's such a dance.

It was worked out in so far as she finally stopped saying the payment was declined. I don't think she understands how their system works and I think the system is badly written. 10 to 1 I check tomorrow and find their system has debited my checking account another $25. As I think about it, the payment was initially declined because my old card expired. I think the system tried to put through another payment last night even though I made an online payment yesterday. I strongly suspect it has put automatic payments on auto retry and since it lost my credit card info (another fault in their system), the auto retry failed. Now that I've updated my account by re-entering the credit card info I'm almost certain it will try making another payment because it's oblivious to the online payment I made yesterday. If so, it's a very badly designed system. Some of these system really make me wonder who writes them.

I have major heartburn with these systems that require you to carry a balance in THEIR system. You are giving them an interest-free loan of your money. In my case, the toll system will suck money from your credit card in a minimum increment of $30 when your balance drops below $30. I use the toll road two or three times a year, so they get to sit on my money and I get nothing. Oh, and if you don't use the toll road or make some other transaction (like putting another $30 in your account) for 90 days, they take out a $2.50 (?) "account maintenance fee". At least *that* counts as a transaction so, it resets the 90-day clock. But if you set up an account and never use it, it costs you $10.00 a year to give them this loan. And I assume there are hundreds or thousands of accounts abandoned each year (like when people die or move out of the area), so the money in those accounts is pure gravy to the company that manages the system. In our case, it is a private company, I've heard it's in Texas, and the employees on site here are forbidden from telling anyone the name of the company.

It's a freakin' scam.

I hit one of those walls with AAA yesterday. Apparently, they (without calling me or telling me) canceled autorenew on my AAA membership, because the address now says Oklahoma.

I call the membership number. This is Massaschusetts, you'll have to speak to Oklahoma, I'll transfer you. I get transferred ... to roadside assistance. Who transfers me back to ... Massachusetts.

Rinse and repeat a couple of times, including a time when the woman on the line said, "I'll stay on the line in case you get transferred to the wrong place." Nope. She didn't.

So, the next time, I asked to speak to a supervisor. They got me to Oklahoma, and the guy in Oklahoma was very helpful.

I wish these organizations would get their programming right, though.

I just got another email from EZPass. I want to pull my hair out.

quote:

Your credit card issuer has failed to approve a recent toll replenishment payment of $25.00 (or an E-ZPass Plus charge $20.00 or greater) which you previously authorized E-ZPass to charge to a primary and, where applicable, secondary credit card on file. As of the date of this letter, your E-ZPass account balance is $32.91. The credit card(s) you previously had on file has been removed from your E-ZPass account and the replenishment method has been changed to cash.


If you wish to continue with automatic replenishment by credit card, you must immediately add a valid credit card to your E-ZPass account. You can add your credit card to your account today by using the convenient methods described below:

So I log into my EZPass account. The credit card I entered this morning is there and the method of payment is credit card.

They are f**ked up.

Wow, Bernard, I was going to post my own somewhat similar New York story but mine is regarding EZPay, for transit fares. They do the same deal: if your balance drops below a certain amount, they take $25 from your bank account. But I get $25 deducted every month, sometimes twice a month, and I'm sure I don't use the system that much. Especially since I get the half-fare senior citizen rate.

Something doesn't smell right, but there is supposed to be an available online accounting of all my trips that I can access. I wonder if that will clear it up.

You know, Bernard, it almost sounds like they generate their emails at a particular time or with a particular trigger, and not at the end of a business day or something like that.

So they send you an email, you fix it, but not before their robo-email kicks out another stupid notice.

I'm thinking that if you log on and it shows your CC and payment, you're good. But to be safe I'd try again tomorrow.

Gaah. Obviously no one actually writes test cases for these.