Auckland Transport Hop card - look out for errors

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robjg63

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#143708 24-Apr-2014 10:52

Just a warning to any HOP card users - keep an eye on your transactions!

I havent had any problems until last Monday morning.

I caught the bus at the same stop I always use into the CBD.
I always use the stop that is the first within the single stage into town - normally always takes 1 stage = $1.60.
As I tagged off outside Britomart I saw $3 flash up.
Was vaguely annoyed but thought maybe there GPS on the bus was on the blink.

Caught the bus home at the end of the day - I always get off several stops before the end of the single stage (a walk doesnt hurt me) and thought it flashed up $5 (again should be $1.60).

Of course you cant see the transactions until the next day - when I looked it showed the trip into town was started at the stop before I got on the bus and the trip home - while if showed the correct start and end of journey it had actually taken $10 from my card!!

Rang up and reported it - the person on the phone was very nice about it - agreed the second transaction was just plain wrong - but they have to log the call and pass it on to an internal unit - will take up to 10 business days to process and refund.

So I used cash up to this morning when I decided surely my card would be ok.
It stole 2 stages again!!

Watch your transactions! I am sure Auckland Transport is becoming very profitable these days!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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#1030460 24-Apr-2014 10:58

I think you're tagging it wrong ;-)

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#1030461 24-Apr-2014 11:00

Get a monthly pass.... less hassle when their system goes loopy :)

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Kyanar

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#1030463 24-Apr-2014 11:02

I've seen worse. With a pass active between zones B and A, I was charged $5.03 for a journey from Pt Chev to Greenlane. Both points within the pass boundaries, and $5.03 isn't even a valid fare for any journey. On one instance, I was even charged 2 stages for a journey that according to the AT HOP website was actually about 10 metres up Pt Chev Road which took 40 minutes. To give you an idea of roughly just how wonderful AT HOP is... here's an extract of a document detailing Complaints and Compliments for Auckland Transport.

(Columns are Complaints, Compliments, and Total). Definitely has a long way to go.

Side note, it won't take 10 working days. Mine took 25 working days to resolve.

floydbloke

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#1030464 24-Apr-2014 11:02

Looks like you're not the only one.
Fair go had an article on it last night, available on TVNZ on demand Hop card article start 11 minutes into it.
(I tried to include link but BBCodes are giving me grief)

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Kyanar

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#1030467 24-Apr-2014 11:15

Don't bother with BBcode floyd, just paste the link :)

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/s2014-ep9-video-5939458

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Bee

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#1030468 24-Apr-2014 11:17

Have had several overcharging errors... usually when we have a different bus driver from the regular ones.

The transactions take 48 hours to appear on the website and then you can apply for a refund and wait 2 weeks.
I travel 3 stages every day - $4.05 usually. One day it was charged at $9.27 and then another at $10.03... dont know how they get those prices...

I did get the refund but yes it took 2 weeks...

Does pay to log in and check it at least weekly...

There is work being done currently to make this refund process better and faster as there is currently no SLA in place and no monitoring either, but don't know when it is likely to be completed...

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

robjg63

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#1030470 24-Apr-2014 11:21

Thanks - didnt see Fair Go last night - will have a look.
Guess I just have to keep using coins - costs more and holds everyone up - but I dont like being robbed!

I suspect many people are being ripped off - but if they have a larger balance on their card and make longer trips than me they might not always notice.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

huckster

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#1030484 24-Apr-2014 11:36

Went and had a look after reading this and yes, one $4.05 fare was charged at $10.08.
The refund web page shows all my $4.05 fares as $5.04 including the $10.08 fare, so I ended up phoning in.

Case raised - up to 10 days to fix. Hold music was The Beatles - Baby you can drive my car..... Hmmmm

robjg63

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#1030547 24-Apr-2014 12:43

huckster: Went and had a look after reading this and yes, one $4.05 fare was charged at $10.08.
The refund web page shows all my $4.05 fares as $5.04 including the $10.08 fare, so I ended up phoning in.

Case raised - up to 10 days to fix. Hold music was The Beatles - Baby you can drive my car..... Hmmmm

I just looked and it now shows my transaction this morning. Shows I tagged on at the start of the route - think thats 3 stages (and a couple of kms away).
Also shows 'amount' of $5.04. (It shows this amount for every trip I have ever taken). Maybe thats the maximum for the route?
Its gone buggy as hell since around the 14th May?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

robjg63

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#1030550 24-Apr-2014 12:44

Tried using their refund request and it looks like their server timed out...

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Kyanar

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#1030668 24-Apr-2014 15:31

Don't do the refund request thing, just contact them. That way they're also bound by the 20 working day SLA as well.

wasabi2k

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#1030671 24-Apr-2014 15:36

Ferries seem fine.... though they should be given they are point to point fixed cost.

mattwnz

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#1030705 24-Apr-2014 16:39

Is hop card the same thing as snapper, which we have down here in wellington? I have never had any problem with these systems, and they have been operating down here for many years.

robjg63

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#1030711 24-Apr-2014 16:54

mattwnz: Is hop card the same thing as snapper, which we have down here in wellington? I have never had any problem with these systems.

We did have snapper for a couple of years - they named it HOP card.
It was introduced by one of the bus companies - think they were owned by infratil and I think they own snapper NZ.
The plan was that Auckland transport were trying to set up unified (one card) payment.
The snapper card would be made to work with whatever they introduced for the ferries and trains.
Anyway - the snapper card system had a few bugs which eventually settled down and was working ok.
Some time later Auckland transport decided to go with Thales (A french company) as system supplier for Ferries/trains and other bus companies not using the Snapper version.
There was then a big meltdown and lots of finger pointing - Snapper said Thales didnt let them have access to the API etc so they couldnt integrate etc etc.
There were millions of dollars of penalties mentioned and court cases - dont think there has been anything in court - not sure where that is at.

The snapper card system was switched off late last year and no-one in Auckland uses them anymore and now we all have AT hop cards (Thales).

The bus side of things has been working fine (for me) until the beginning of last week.
I now don't trust it at all.

I cant see what would have been wrong with Snapper - would have been good for small cashless payments as well.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

sonyxperiageek

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#1030716 24-Apr-2014 16:59

I've also been charged wrongly, and at times it seems their GPS is way off point!

Another minor issue is when I try to set a card as my primary HOP card on their new website, it just won't do it..

Sony

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