EZ-Link Horror Story

Bus rider get charge for mysterious train ride

If you are in Singapore and if you get charged for a mysterious train ride from the EZ-Link card you are holding, be warned that the claim process is not as easy as it seems.

A friend of themediaslut related the incident and his fraustrations over a similar incident.

Let's call my friend Sirius.

At the Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station, Sirius tapped his EZ-Link card only to find that it refused to open, beeped a red alert sign and blinked "Card Error".

Sirius then took the card to the ticketing machine and it showed that he boarded the East West MRT from Tanjong Pager and did not exit the train station. Hence, in EZ-Link speak, Sirius entered Tanjong Pager MRT station and has not exited any train station.

Either that or Sirius forget to tap the gantry gate on his way out of the train station.

However, Sirius did not sit the train the whole day and was nowhere close to Tanjong Pager. He sat the bus to meet his girlfriend on at Dhoby Ghaut.

The obvious was for Sirius to bring the EZ-Link card to the train control station and get the well-trained station manager to handle the situation.

Wrong move.

Despite several attempts reminding the well-trained station manager not to tap the card on the gantry, the well-trained station manager tapped the card on the gantry. Tapping the card "legitamize" Sirius's ride. So in EZ-Link language, Sirrus has sat the MRT from Tanjong Pager to Dhoby Ghaut.

When asked why the well-trained station manager tapped the card, the well-trained station manager refused to give Sirius an answer. The well-trained station manager continued in his disbelief that Sirius had not sat the train at Tanjong Pager.

Fortunately, Sirius has a big wallet full of receipts and movie stubs. He took out a pair of movie stubs and showed that he was in the cinema at the same time he was supposed to have entered Tanjong Pager Station.

Unfortunately, the customer is never right.

The well-trained station manager still refused to listen to Sirrius and insisted on going through each of Sirrius's past 20 transactions, spanning five days of records of Sirrus public transport habit.

That took the well-trained station manager a full 20 minutes.

After constant bickering, Sirius was refunded the full amount for his mystery train ride.

Singapore is asking its people to speak up right? So Sirius feedbacked the situation to the PR-trained professionals at SMRT so that SMRT can improve the relations between train station control managers and its riders.

Another wrong move.

Sirius was given a scripted reply by the PR-trained professionals. It seems like they have a cut-and-paste template which they use to address suggestions, feedback and complains. The template went on to explain that if Sirrius doesn't tap the EZ-Link card at an exit, it would cause problems.

But the biggest problem was that Sirius was nowhere close to Tanjong Pager Station.

Refusing to admit a problem with the EZ-Link system, SMRT went on to reply that the refund was done out of goodwill.

Goodwill because SMRT is right and Sirius is wrong.

The above incident shows how much SBS-Transits listens to its riders. They were given many opportunities by Sirrius to show their goodwill, but they just wouldn't listen or were unable to take the hint.

This raises a lot of questions for SMRT:

1. Are the bus captains and control train station trained in handling problems resulting from the EZ-Link card? The expected answer from their PR templates is yes, and that Sirrius is an isolate incident.

Isolate? themediaslut don't think so as there are many cases out there that might go unreported. If there are problems with the EZ-Link system, just admit it and look at solving the problem, rather than swept the problem under the tracks.

2. Did the PR respond to Sirius feedback positively?

themediaslut has posted the email below and you be judge if that is a positive reply.

the reply showed that the PR person did not read Sirius email, thus ignoring the effort and time he took to craft the feedback. Instead of thanking Sirius for highlighting a possible bug in the EZ-Link card, they blamed it on his incompetency for not having tap his card on the way out.

(share your ezlink horror story with themediaslut at themediaslut@gmail.com)

First Reply


>From: "xxx (SMRTCORP/CMC/CMC/CREL/CREL)"
>
>To:
>CC:
>Subject: FW: Feedback Form
>Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:21:53 +0800
>
>Dear Mr xxx,
>
>Once again, I would like to apologise for the confusion.
>
>As the staff mentioned is a staff of SBS-Transit, and service 14 comes
>under the perview of SBS, we have taken the liberty to forward the case to
>SBS for their inverstigation and follow-up.
>
>I hope that I managed to clarify and thank you for your patience.
>
>Your sincerely
xxx(ms)
>Officer, Customer Relations
>Tel : 1800-366 8900
>
>
>
>cc: SBS - for your attention and direct follow up with Sirius.
>
>Thank you.
>
> From: pxx@hotmail.com [mailto:xxxr@hotmail.com]
>Sent: Sun 14/08/2005 19:37
>To: SMRT Corporate Communications
>Subject: Feedback Form
>
>Feedback send by Mr xxx on Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 19:37:08
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date: 14 August 2005
>Time: 6pm
>Station: Dhoby Ghaut
>Train Number: n/a
>Staff: Mr xxx
>Title: Mr
>Name: xxx
>Email: xxx@hotmail.com
>Tel: 9106xxxx
>Address: xxx
>Comment: To whom it may concern,
>
>I am writing in question SMRT’s policy on handling erroneous
>transactions.
>
>The story is roughly as follows:
>
>On 14 August 2005, at approximately 6pm, I tried to take a ride from Dhoby
>Ghaut station. The EZLink card showed CARD FAILED.
>
>I went to a ticketing machine and it showed that I had a previous ride
>open. It asked for 65 cents for a ride from Tanjong Pagar station.
>
>This is wrong because I had arrived in town from Siglap Road on bus 14.
>Before that I took 55 from Bedok and switched to 13 at Marine Parade. There
>was no way I could be at Tanjong Pagar.
>
>I offered him cinema slips for the movie Sin City at 3pm at Cineleisure
>Orchard, and shopping receipts from Plaza Singapura’s Carrefour at
>5-plus pm.
>
>So I took this to the station master on duty – a dear Mr xxx,
>Asst Station Manager – telling him the transaction is wrong.
>
>Here is where the problem begins – he just took the card and closed
>the erroneous transaction, deducting the spurious claim for 65 cents!
>
>After that when I questioned his quick “solution” does he
>attempt to provide due diligence. Of which begins 20 minutes of pointless
>retracing of the previous 20 transactions on the EZLink card trying to
>prove that the transaction is valid. He tried to tell me that a ride I took
>yesterday from Harbourfront to Clarke Quay was the reason, which was a
>closed transaction and hence utter rubbish from him.
>
>Only when I lost my patience and asked him what is the end result of all
>rechecking then he quietly refunded me the 65 cents.
>
>This is something which he could have avoided if he bothered to ask me what
>was wrong when he took my card. A precious 20 minutes of my time.
>
>So what is SMRT’s stand on this, are his actions correct and endorsed
>by SMRT? The card details and incident report should be available from the
>log at the station I presume.
>

>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>


2nd Reply ( 1 week later)

Hi,
you have not addressed my concerns.

Points of contention:

1.
I am contesting that there was no prior train ride!
No *trains* of SMRT/SBS was taken for that day.
So obviously I could not perform an exit on an entry that only exists
electronically.

2.
I told the station manager there was an error and YET he still closed the
erroneous ride! The previous few card uses all were for buses, unless SBS
chooses to correct me that Service 14 is actually classified under the
Trains category.

3.
Therefore I then asked that station manager to show me which ride had that
outstanding exit he was touting or just refund the error.
And then he pored over 20 minutes -- over 19 legitimate transactions
spanning 5 previous days -- before I pushed him to conclude something.
Only then did he give me the refund.
I have seen the printout, are 20 rides of A to B + concluded fare so hard to
understand, especially for a trained personnel?

This waste of time was the last straw to make me write in, requesting on
what the proper procedures that staff should follow in such situations.

I question such "goodwill" if it is to cover up the error.

I also regret writing in if only to receive more of such "goodwill".

No thanks.

xxx
1SEP2005

>From: xxxy@sbstransit.com.sg
>To: xxx@hotmail.com
>Subject: Feedback on Station staff at Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station
>Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 09:40:25 +0800
>
>
>
>
>
> Our Ref : 2005/Aug/1403 Tel :
> 6284 8866
>
> Fax :
> 6282 5583
>
>
>
>
> 1 Sept 05
>
>
>
>
>Mr xxx
>xxx@hotmail.com
>
>Dear Mr xxx
>
>Feedback on Station staff at Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station
>
>We refer to your above feedback which was conveyed to us by SMRT on 23 Aug
>05.
>
>Please allow us to explain that when passengers enter the system to take
>the train via the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) Gates, they need to exit
>the system via the AFC at their destination station. Passengers will
>encounter difficulties using their Ezlink cards when the entry or exit
>process is not properly done. Failure to do a proper entry or exit process,
>due to whatever reasons, will result in a minimum fare of 65 cts being
>automatically imposed before the passenger can use his Ezlink card for
>subsequent travel on the train.
>
>The deduction of 65 cents from your Ezlink card on the alleged day was for
>payment for a previous train ride. Nevertheless, as a gesture of goodwill,
>our staff has waived the amount.
>
>Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. Should you have
>further feedback on our services, please contact us (our Customer
>Relations Centre) directly through the following channels:
>
> Toll-free hotline : 1800 287 2727
> DID : 6383 7214
> Dedicated fax line : 6282 5204
>
>As an additional alternative, customers can also provide feedback on our
>services via our Feedback Form which is available at our website
>(www.sbstransit.com.sg). For route enquiries, commuters can also call the
>TransitLink Integrated Service Information Toll-free Hotline at 1800 225
>5663.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Yours sincerely
>
>
>xxx (Ms)
>for Assistant Director
>Corporate Communications
>SBS Transit Ltd
>
>
>
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