Go Card adjustment question

[triplethree]

Hey guys, just a quick question.

From Monday to Friday I made ten journeys, to and from work each day. Of those only 9 were paid - one was a free journey due to a faulty DCU early in the week. But on Friday morning I tagged on correctly, but the DCU broke down mid-journey so I couldn't tag off. When I caught the bus home on Friday evening I got charged the fixed fare.

I called TransLink yesterday and requested an adjustment which was approved but will take several days to process. Until then, the Go Card system has recorded only 8 paid journeys.

Right now I'm on my way to the Sunshine Coast, and am being charged for my journey as the system thinks it's only my 9th journey this week.

My question is: when the adjustment is processed, will I be refunded for both the fixed fare and my journey up to the Sunshine Coast, or just the fixed fare? Has anyone else here had a similar experience?

[ozbob]

Yes, journeys for the journey cap count are only completed paid journeys. 

I think you have to ring up and request adjustment.  Could do it online if registered.

[triplethree]

I knew that the free journeys only kick in after nine paid journeys. I'm just wondering if the balance adjustment process recognises that your number of journeys for the week has changed. So the system currently thinks that my journey up to the Sunshine Coast today is my ninth paid journey (I made ten overall journeys to and from work Monday to Friday, but one on Tuesday or Wednesday was totally free, and on Friday morning I couldn't tag off and got charged $2.50).

But when Friday morning's journey with the fixed fare due to the faulty DCU gets adjusted, will the system automatically recognise today's journey as my tenth journey and refund me the $6.25 19-zone fare that got deducted from my balance?

I'll find out in a couple of days anyway. I'll keep you posted.

[Golliwog]

Yeah, my understanding is that the system will charge you for the weekend travel and you'll have to call up a second time to have the trip made free. You might have been able to get it done with 1 phone call if you mentioned you were going up the coast on Sunday and that you would be getting charged for that. I know I've called about a bus DCU issue but they were unable to correct it when I called as the bus hadn't returned to the depot, but the chick I was talking to took down all the details of what happened and put it on my account as something for someone to look at later once the bus had sent in its record of the transaction.

Though whether that was something they 'officially' do, or if this lady just wrote herself a note next to the computer, I'll never know. Quite helpful though.

[somebody]

I knew that the free journeys only kick in after nine paid journeys. I'm just wondering if the balance adjustment process recognises that your number of journeys for the week has changed. So the system currently thinks that my journey up to the Sunshine Coast today is my ninth paid journey (I made ten overall journeys to and from work Monday to Friday, but one on Tuesday or Wednesday was totally free, and on Friday morning I couldn't tag off and got charged $2.50).

But when Friday morning's journey with the fixed fare due to the faulty DCU gets adjusted, will the system automatically recognise today's journey as my tenth journey and refund me the $6.25 19-zone fare that got deducted from my balance?

I'll find out in a couple of days anyway. I'll keep you posted.

When I've had an equivalent problem in the 50% frequent user days, I never got the couple of bucks back.

[triplethree]

The adjustment for the Friday morning journey to work when the DCU failed mid-journey went through OK, but I wasn't refunded for Sunday's little jaunt for a bit of mountain climbing on the Sunshine Coast. So I just sent an online enquiry through the Go Card website explaining the situation and requesting a further adjustment.

It will be interesting to see if it goes through. Maybe this sort of thing can be added to the Smart Go Card User's Guide as an example of what to look out for a card adjustment is combined with reaching the 9-journey cap ...?

[ozbob]

Yes, once the fixed fare is sorted then you have to make another claim for adjustment for fare costs when the user should have been free, this has been pointed out before.  It is hopeless that the system cannot recognise the then successful sequence for the journey cap then reverse any subsequent journey costs to zero.  I intend to raise this with TL direct.

Worth pointing out is that if you don't touch correctly even after having achieved the free travel threshold you get fixed fares ... 

[triplethree]

I got a fixed fare once for touching off on the Spring Hill Loop (force of habit on my part). I didn't bother getting an adjustment for that. You'd think the system would recognise free services, but no.  :conf

[WTN]

I thought you don't need to swipe for those free loop services.

[somebody]

I got a fixed fare once for touching off on the Spring Hill Loop (force of habit on my part). I didn't bother getting an adjustment for that. You'd think the system would recognise free services, but no.  :conf

Why is that even possible?  You'd think that there would be no readers or they would be turned off.

[STB]

I got a fixed fare once for touching off on the Spring Hill Loop (force of habit on my part). I didn't bother getting an adjustment for that. You'd think the system would recognise free services, but no.  :conf

Why is that even possible?  You'd think that there would be no readers or they would be turned off.

Those buses AFAIK do normal routes when not doing the free loops.  The reason they are switched on is so the driver can hit the count button for record purposes.  I suppose though they should be able to somehow just stop the readers from activating, or perhaps just program them in to not record any fares if someone accidently touches the reader?

[triplethree]

I thought you don't need to swipe for those free loop services.

You don't. It was just force of habit (i.e., getting my card out of my pocket and touching off automatically because that's what I'm used to doing 5 to 15 times a week).