EDIT: See the end of this post. The problem with the expiry date being incorrect on the myki website has since corrected itself. Would be interested to find out why.
The Sea of Despair.
So, way back in April 2010 I noticed an annoying little bug (yes, another one) on the myki website.
This screen shot was taken in December 2010, but the problem originates from April 2010, yes, that's two years ago.
As you can see, I apparently had 2 active myki passes on my card (which isn't actually possible, you can only ever have one or two inactive, one active and one inactive, or one active pass on your card at once). One is a 37 day pass which correctly expired on 11/12/2010 at 03:00:00 AM. The second, was a 33 day Pass, which I originally purchased on 11/4/2010 at 4:16:00PM (A sunday). I would have touched on and activated the pass on Monday 12/4/2010, so the expiry date should have been 15/5/2010 03:00:00AM. Normally, once a pass expires, it vanishes from the website.
However, in this case, for some reason, instead of showing the expiry date of the pass (33 days after it's activation), it's showing 12 months to the minute after I purchased the pass. When the pass expires on the myki card itself, it continues to show on the myki website, incorrectly, for an entire year. And, as I recall, it did. I never reported it; I wanted to see if myki might fix the problem themselves. But they didn't, and the pass vanished from the myki website on April 11, 2011 at 04:16:00PM.
Fast forward to today, more than two years later. I bought a 29 day myki pass this morning. When I looked at the website this evening, I found this:
The Sea of Despair.
So, way back in April 2010 I noticed an annoying little bug (yes, another one) on the myki website.
This screen shot was taken in December 2010, but the problem originates from April 2010, yes, that's two years ago.
As you can see, I apparently had 2 active myki passes on my card (which isn't actually possible, you can only ever have one or two inactive, one active and one inactive, or one active pass on your card at once). One is a 37 day pass which correctly expired on 11/12/2010 at 03:00:00 AM. The second, was a 33 day Pass, which I originally purchased on 11/4/2010 at 4:16:00PM (A sunday). I would have touched on and activated the pass on Monday 12/4/2010, so the expiry date should have been 15/5/2010 03:00:00AM. Normally, once a pass expires, it vanishes from the website.
However, in this case, for some reason, instead of showing the expiry date of the pass (33 days after it's activation), it's showing 12 months to the minute after I purchased the pass. When the pass expires on the myki card itself, it continues to show on the myki website, incorrectly, for an entire year. And, as I recall, it did. I never reported it; I wanted to see if myki might fix the problem themselves. But they didn't, and the pass vanished from the myki website on April 11, 2011 at 04:16:00PM.
Fast forward to today, more than two years later. I bought a 29 day myki pass this morning. When I looked at the website this evening, I found this:
Instead of my pass showing up as expiring on May 26 2012 at 03:00:00AM, it's showing 27 April 2013 06:53:00AM, a year to the minute after I purchased the pass this morning. If I do nothing and don't report it, and if myki fail to fix this problem (again), the pass will sit there on the myki website for a whole year.
I know in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor problem. Remember, the myki website is only a reflection of what's happening on your actual myki card, and in this case the reflection is a bit smudged.
But, they've had two years to fix this problem. Surely they are aware of it. It must be happening to countless other people as well, particularly now that the system is being used by more than 66% of all commuters.
It is in my opinion a symptom of a much larger problem. I'm concerned that the fault reporting, analysis and resolution process in myki is deeply flawed. What other explanation is there for a problem that's been hanging around for two years not being solved? What are they doing in there? They MUST know about this. Minor or not, there is no excuse for this not being fixed by now.
It's dreadfully disappointing for those of us that have watched the progress (or lack thereof) of myki from the beginning.
It would appear, at least to me, that problems, both large and small, are being swept under the rug. The Zone 1/2 overlap charging issue is still occurring, I did it again last week. Though, ironically, one of the trips involved has never shown up on the myki website, so I'm unlikely to get a reimbursement for the overcharge.
The Ray of Hope.
One ray of hope that things may actually be improving. On two separate occasions I did an online top-up on the myki website in the morning, and the top-up arrived on my card at a myki reader that afternoon. This is a substantial improvement. Previously online top-ups would always take until at least over night, and in some cases very early on, days. For myki users to be able to top up online and have it there a few hours later is a much better state of affairs. There has been no official announcements of this new "feature" and it would appear to only be possible at train readers right now, as trams and buses only get their new topup lists when they return to the depot. But anything which will reduce the growing queues at myki machines, particularly at CBD stations, has to be a good thing. Well done myki on this particular innovation, even if you aren't telling anyone about it!
ADDENDUM added 28/4/2012 10:04AM.
So, it appears I was wrong. This morning, when I check, the pass details have mysteriously corrected themselves:
I wonder what the explanation is for that.
This is not related to myki money, but to myki pass.
ReplyDeleteIf your pass is expiring at 03:00 AM later that night, you cannot top it up, as it will tell you that you have exceeded the number of passes. So, you have to wait for the pass to expire and they buy one. That is stupid...
But, the problem I have is that I bought a pass online days before, the card readers tell me that I have no pass on the card. The silly online top-up system tells me that I am unable to buy a pass, as it has exceeded the number of myki passes on the card (which means that the pass is still there and that you should have a balance).
Well, it is no issue, until you hop onto a tram and get approached by Authorised Officers and log a report (a.k.a. possible fine - $180 ouch!). I reckon that, before issuing fines, they should fix the bloody system! I do not know if I'll be able to dispute the fine.