If you've stumbled on this blog and you're not from Victoria in Australia - a Myki is a plastic card we use to travel on public transport in these parts. If you're a regular traveller, the best way to top it up is with a pass that can last for a week or a month or however long you nominate, and you get unlimited travel between the selected zones in that period. If you're just a casual traveller, rather than purchasing passes, you can purchase Myki Money, which gets debited from your card every time you travel.
I travel from South Geelong to Southern Cross for work each day. My Myki Pass covers me for all travel between zones 1 and 4, which is pretty awesome. I purchase a pass weekly for around $73. I think the Myki itself is a good idea, but the system behind it is a bit flawed, and that's what I'm about to get into.
The Issue:
This happened the first and second time I topped up my Myki Pass. I used the Myki ticket machine at South Geelong Train Station to purchase my weekly pass. I then touched on and travelled to Melbourne, touching off at Southern Cross. When I touched off, $11 of Myki Money was deducted from my card, leaving me with a balance of negative $11, despite having just purchased a pass for $73. $11 is the standard 1-way fare between South Geelong and Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. When I tried to travel back home that night, the Myki was declined, and I had to spend $11 to reactivate it.
I went to the Myki Hub at Southern Cross Station and explained that in effect, I was paying $84 for a weekly ticket that should cost me $73. I explained that I had purchased the weekly pass and expected my first trip for the week to be included in that purchase. They checked the transactions on the Myki system, and showed me that according to them, I touched on at South Geelong Station and didn't actually purchase my pass until around 15 minutes later. That wasn't how I remembered it, but I hadn't retained my receipt, and I couldn't argue with a computer. I sucked it up and spent $11 to reactivate my Myki card.
The following week I was very careful about the order in which I purchased the pass and then touched on. Once bitten, twice shy. I also made a point of collecting my receipts. Again, when I touched off at Southern Cross Station, I had $11 of Myki Money debited from my card, and I could not use it again until I paid a further $11 to cover that debt. I looked at my Myki transaction list, and again it suggested that I purchased my ticket about 15 minutes after I touched on at South Geelong Station. I checked my receipt for the exact time, and this is what I saw (and later circled):
You'll see the receipt time on the top of the receipt as 7:15, but the eftpos transaction time was 7:01:06. So the ticketing machine seems to have its own clock, which is 14 minutes fast. Below is a picture of my Myki transaction list, showing most recent transactions at the top and oldest at the bottom. You'll see where I had to purchase $11 of Myki money in the afternoon to travel home. You'll also see that I touched on at South Geelong at 7:01:57, which was approximately 50 seconds after I purchased the Myki Pass.
In a nutshell, what this means is that the Myki Ticketing Machine's dodgy clock ripped me off by postdating my purchase. I'm still seeking a refund of the two amounts of $11 I had to pay, and contending with Myki's "no refund" policy. Myki's response to my request for a refund was:
Please note on 06/08/2013 you topped up for a pass after the registered touch on at South Geelong station at 7:09am. your pass did not activate on 06/08/2013 as your trip to Southern Cross was covered by myki money fare of $11.
In accordance with our Business Rules, we are unable we are unable to provide any reimbursement for the myki money fare charged on 06/08/2013.So because the clock on the Myki ticketing machine was wrong and recorded the incorrect time for the purchase of my Myki pass, I have to pay a full fare and am not entitled to a refund.
I urge anyone who has been similarly ripped off to contact Public Transport Victoria (PTV) on 1800 800 007 and let them know. You should not have to pay any more once you have purchased your periodical pass. Keep your receipts, and carefully check the time in the two spots I've highlighted on my own receipt. Currently, PTV are in denial about this issue, but if more people come forward with their own similar stories, they just might start paying attention and fixing up their system. If they don't help out, get in touch with the Public Transport Ombudsman on 1800 466 865.
