Presto tweeted me back:
@ThisCrazyTrain @ellenroseman @GOtransit This is not new. This fee is in the PRESTO Card Terms & Conditions http://t.co/diWO6ysIJb (see PDF)
I read through it and although it's documented, it's not explained why the fee is necessary.
I think we're entitled to ask and know why Presto feels a need to collect a fee seeing as they aren't in the bricks and mortar business.
Anyhow, here's a follow-up post: Presto charges for courtesy. I guess I can be okay with that
I knew there was a fee but didn't know anyone who actually had it charged to them.
ReplyDeleteAnd They (They being Presto) know they've got you because there's no alternative. Well, you could buy a day pass every day but as the saying goes: "Ain't nobody got time for that!"
Stupid policy.
Its really easy to avoid the fee by not taking a trip with insufficient funds.
ReplyDeleteIf Presto added user fees that are mandatory then I think we'll have a revolt coming
The reason is simple. Presto does things like this because they can.
ReplyDeleteEnd of list of reasons.
Its very simple to rip off Presto back like they do it with the 25 cent fee.
ReplyDeleteJust throw away the Presto card with the negative balance and attend special gatherings that local transit agencies offer. They give out free Presto cards so just obtain a new card. I know York Region does this every few months
@Anonymous Haven't you considered that doing so just costs us more money in the end? This is the same reason I have my Presto card refilled via direct debit instead of credit card: it's our money. If Presto/Metrolinx/whomever is losing 2% (for example) on every transaction, we're all going to complain when our taxes/bus/train fare goes up by 2%+.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, they used to make the fee much more obvious with earlier versions of Presto. When you had to visit a customer service agent to clear the underpayment, it would show on the receipt that 25¢ of your new balance was charged as a fee for the underpayment. This was made clear to me from the Presto literature when I received my first card (not that I'm faulting you, CJ, for not noticing).
I'm of two minds on this. It's nice that underpayments are now automatically cleared (so one doesn't have to visit a ticket agent), but at the same time, it makes this fee even less conspicuous (because, let's face it, who's going to notice 25¢?).