Leap Card.

Africa

I know there is a transport forum as well, but I thought this was a Consumer issue, and really shows how much CIE still try to rip us off and overlook actually helping customers.


Got on a bus there last week, which has less than 13 stages. Was told just to put up against the machine and was charged whatever it was, 2.40 I think, when it should have been 1.90. Driver acknowledged it was his fault for saying it, and said I gotta ring Leap Card and theyll sort it. So I ring them and guess what. They want me to go to Dublin Bus in O Connell Street to get it back! Joke!

Second joke - topped up last TUESDAY online by 15 euro with activation at Irish Rail. So go to Pearse next day, nothing. No money on the card. Ok, i remember it said up to 24 hours to do it. Same coming back from Blackrock. Same the next day as well, both ways. So now its Friday morning and still nothing, so I call them. Apparently 'Irish rail isnt working properly as they didnt upgrade their machines properly' and so cant top up there. I ask for it to be transfered to any retial and he says he cant! Once its done, it cannot be altered! So he says the 15 euro is gone for 7 days then it will be refunded! Right... I said ok, I want it back on my account and I'll top it up myself. So I top it up manuallyon Friday, go over the weekend, and then Monday morning (6 days later) it tops it up with the 15, on top of the 20 Ive got on there! Joke!!! What can I do about this one? Probably nothing!!

Corruptedmorals

In fairness, why did you agree to hold it up to the door validator? If you read all of the info that comes with the leap card you would have known that 2.40 is automatically taken from your card and that all of the lesser fares (1.95 in this case, not 1.90) and the cheaper ones need to be taken at the driver validator. Driver should have been better informed of courseThe easiest way I find is to say '1.95-destination'. It takes all of them a few seconds but they do it correctly.

Your second problem is of course ludicrous. There are definitely issues with it, things like this and with people getting charged maximum fare sometimes and with refunds and with not being allowed to use your credit card to top up online more than once a week. I would call this stupid issues they should have worked on a lot more before even tentatively launching it in a test situation, instead of to the public. But not a rip-off.

The fact that topping up online means you still have to go somewhere else to activate it is probably the most annoying. I just go to a shop- no problems there. Maybe you should just stick to that, it's instant too.

Africa

Its what I plan to do in future; makes the online top up so pointless and frustrating. They really dont seem to have their heads screwed on. Ive already realised its a pretty junk system thus far and opted to get a TaxSaver bus and rail, but now ill have a lot more money on the card that I had intended to.

And I did on the advice of the driver as there were several trying to get on and thought it would speed things up, and in fairness I did think that those routes with less than 13 stages would be configured to not overcharge. Honestly I think that isnt too much to ask for, if that situation arises. Im sure theres more than one route with less than 13 stages. The real frustration though is that the person on the phone couldnt fix it and I have to trek into dublin bus to get it fixed, which of course means spending more on public transport to get there. Smells like a friekin scam to me.

ibarelycare

Africa wrote: »

Its what I plan to do in future; makes the online top up so pointless and frustrating. They really dont seem to have their heads screwed on. Ive already realised its a pretty junk system thus far and opted to get a TaxSaver bus and rail, but now ill have a lot more money on the card that I had intended to.

And I did on the advice of the driver as there were several trying to get on and thought it would speed things up, and in fairness I did think that those routes with less than 13 stages would be configured to not overcharge. Honestly I think that isnt too much to ask for, if that situation arises. Im sure theres more than one route with less than 13 stages. The real frustration though is that the person on the phone couldnt fix it and I have to trek into dublin bus to get it fixed, which of course means spending more on public transport to get there. Smells like a friekin scam to me.

Are you really going to there to get your 50c back?

dharn

they seem to have spent years, and millions setting this up and they still cant get it right

Tow

dharn wrote: »

they seem to have spent years, and millions setting this up and they still cant get it right

It is right mess:
The Luas machines still call it a Luas Smart Card when they announce at top volume to the local muggers you have cash in your hand to top up.

The bus drivers are still confused a month later and it takes their machines almost 5 seconds to recognise and debit the card when you look for the lower fare.

Oh well, in 1996 Dublin Bus were promising a Smart Card to go live in 1998...

Africa

ibarelycare wrote: »

Are you really going to there to get your 50c back?

thats the scam part...

maxer68

Africa wrote: »

thats the scam part...

Its always easy to blame someone else especially when the real blame lies closer to home.

I haven't been on a bus in over 25 years, I don't have a leap card, yet I know through all the publicity that when you get on the bus you are to state the fare you want and the driver debits this from the card.

So, if a person who has no interest in the product and who will never buy the product knows how to use it, surely someone with the card should know too?

Did you read the litreature that came with the card? or di you just assume how to use it?

foggy_lad

maxer68 wrote: »

Its always easy to blame someone else especially when the real blame lies closer to home.

I haven't been on a bus in over 25 years, I don't have a leap card, yet I know through all the publicity that when you get on the bus you are to state the fare you want and the driver debits this from the card.

So, if a person who has no interest in the product and who will never buy the product knows how to use it, surely someone with the card should know too?

Did you read the litreature that came with the card? or di you just assume how to use it?

Read the OP's first post. they were instructed to use the validator by the driver whoo is an authorised person and the instructions of drivers and inspectors must be followed!

dub45

Once again the opportunity to accumulate a nice interest free loan is availed of :mad: X no of leap cards x €5 = handy money!

calex71

dub45 wrote: »

Once again the opportunity to accumulate a nice interest free loan is availed of :mad: X no of leap cards x €5 = handy money!

That €5 deposit is a safety net so to speak, If you have for example 10c left on the card that deposit will be dipped into to cover your fare home, and be reclaimed when you top up again , so it would get you to work and back if you were stuck one day same as the IOU credit you can get from phone companies.

Sure it earns interest for them but it's also there should you need it.

dub45

calex71 wrote: »

That €5 deposit is a safety net so to speak, If you have for example 10c left on the card that deposit will be dipped into to cover your fare home, and be reclaimed when you top up again , so it would get you to work and back if you were stuck one day same as the IOU credit you can get from phone companies.

Sure it earns interest for them but it's also there should you need it.

Indeed but even 50,000 users gives them a nice little "float".

dudara

That money would be a liability on their books and should be classed as so from an accounting perspective. Now it's another story what they actually do with the money.

But the same approach is common on transport systems all over Europe, including our own Luas. It's meant to act as a buffer, so that you have enough to cover one trip.

dub45

dudara wrote: »

That money would be a liability on their books and should be classed as so from an accounting perspective. Now it's another story what they actually do with the money.

But the same approach is common on transport systems all over Europe, including our own Luas. It's meant to act as a buffer, so that you have enough to cover one trip.

Nice and convenient though:)

shangri la

Must get one as i always throw in a e2 coin and dont cash the 10c refund so the leap card will actually end up costing them money.

shangri la

How do you check the balance apart from online?

keithclancy

At least you got the thing, people were moaning for years that Ireland was backwards because there was no common ticketing system across Bus/Train etc.

The Dutch system took years to get right, started in 2005 and was only fully rolled out last year.

So give them a chance at least, it will take a while to work the kinks out.

Tow

keithclancy wrote: »

The Dutch system took years to get right, started in 2005 and was only fully rolled out last year.

We started in 1996!

Anyway, it is only a short term solution, Barclays already have RFID chips in their credit cards and it will only be time before more Visa/MasterCards have the same. As the system is in place, it 'should' only a matter of time before you can use any main stream RFID equipped credit/debit card.

BTW It was claimed that one of the delays was caused as they wanted to introduce a card which could be used in shops as an electronic purse. Something which is very unlikely to rollout as it would be an Ireland only system and the banks are already dumping the Irish 'Laser' card system.

Del2005

Tow wrote: »

Oh well, in 1996 Dublin Bus were promising a Smart Card to go live in 1998...

In fairness to DB they did have a smart card and where told to stop it, by the DoT/DTA/NTA/whatever quango issued the LEAP, in order to develop a smart card that would work across all Dublin transport providers.

What took so long was getting CIE to agree how to split the fares between itself and it couldn't even do that with the LEAP. As you still pay each individual fares on each type of transport.

MOH

maxer68 wrote: »

So, if a person who has no interest in the product and who will never buy the product knows how to use it, surely someone with the card should know too?

Did you read the litreature that came with the card? or di you just assume how to use it?

You'd expect the bus driver to know. It's the typical transport attitude in Ireland of the customer being expected to know everything about how the various ticketing systems work, while the staff often don't.

Africa

MOH wrote: »

You'd expect the bus driver to know. It's the typical transport attitude in Ireland of the customer being expected to know everything about how the various ticketing systems work, while the staff often don't.

Precisely. And now due to this I have to wander all the way into town to get a 50c refund? Scam and blatant. Whats the point of a customer care line if they cant actually help, only advise? They should totally be able to pull up the records and see that it was wrong, and issue the refund. The reason they dont is greed.

ibarelycare

Africa wrote: »

Precisely. And now due to this I have to wander all the way into town to get a 50c refund? Scam and blatant. Whats the point of a customer care line if they cant actually help, only advise? They should totally be able to pull up the records and see that it was wrong, and issue the refund. The reason they dont is greed.

So you are really going to go in to get your 50 cent back? Will that not just cost you more? I can understand the principle but that's a lot of time and effort for a measly 50 cent!

mynameissarah

I've heard numerous people had the same complaint about online top up taking a long time to come through.

I know it says on the website that Irish Rail machines are slightly different but are there any signposts at railway stations to indicate that?

Have many people had problems topping up online and finding their balance is taking days to come through?

Sandraf

"It is right mess:
The Luas machines still call it a Luas Smart Card when they announce at top volume to the local muggers you have cash in your hand to top up."


I've leart how to stop that top volume woman telling the muggers about my money. When it asks how much - just feed in your note and it will then say, at top volume, press top up when finished. Much safer idea me thinks!.

Whitehawk

ive just heard about these smart cards and was wondering how they work on the dart - ive see these tag on and off mashens but they all on the inside of the barrier to get on to the platform? so how do you get though the barrier, and if there is a system on this barrier to "tag" you for it to open do you need to tag it on one of them other ones as well.... your really think there site would tell you this and not just say all you need to do is tag the damm card

Random

@whitehawk
when getting on the dart you can tag it where you would normally put in the ticket you bought and the same when leaving.

Africa

I got mine refunded. Couldnt believe the awfulness of the service or the actual problems with the product. Back to good old cardboard with magnetic strip.

keithclancy

Tow wrote: »

We started in 1996!

Anyway, it is only a short term solution, Barclays already have RFID chips in their credit cards and it will only be time before more Visa/MasterCards have the same. As the system is in place, it 'should' only a matter of time before you can use any main stream RFID equipped credit/debit card.

BTW It was claimed that one of the delays was caused as they wanted to introduce a card which could be used in shops as an electronic purse. Something which is very unlikely to rollout as it would be an Ireland only system and the banks are already dumping the Irish 'Laser' card system.

There is not a balls hope in hell that I would use a card directly linked to my bank account for the Public Transport system.

Whitehawk

Random wrote: »

@whitehawk
when getting on the dart you can tag it where you would normally put in the ticket you bought and the same when leaving.

thanks for clearing that up

jonnny68

Isn't purchasing a monthly ticket far cheaper than this Leap card, even a weekly bus ticket would work out cheaper, what is the attraction of this, from what ive heard it's been problematic from day one, mine you nothing surprises me anymore in this country.

LeftBlank

jonnny68 wrote: »

Isn't purchasing a monthly ticket far cheaper than this Leap card, even a weekly bus ticket would work out cheaper, what is the attraction of this, from what ive heard it's been problematic from day one, mine you nothing surprises me anymore in this country.

The Leap Card as it is at the moment is not aimed at regular transport users - it's only aimed at occasional users who might get one or two buses a week. Eventually, the card will carry monthly tickets etc.. but that's some way off at the moment.