Metro Forced To Halt Sale Of SmarTrip

Several Metro directors said they did not understand why the transit agency ordered too few cards. "Could we not have anticipated this?" asked D.C. Council member Jim Graham, who represents the District on the Metro board. "We've set this whole momentum into place, and then you're going to yank out the rug from under it."

Transit system officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that at least one top manager had warned of a shortage months ago and urged the purchase of more cards but that her concerns were disputed by those who procure the cards.

Although SmarTrip cards are popular, some riders have run into glitches. And they say poor customer service has worsened their problems.

Jenifer Butensky, 30, was sold on the virtues of SmarTrip when she moved to the District in May. After a year in Dallas, where public transportation was dismal, Butensky was "thrilled" to be able to hop a bus from Georgetown to work at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at 16th and H streets.

Until SmarTrip failed her a month ago, that is.

Butensky said she boarded a bus one afternoon, added $20 to her card and then tapped the card to the SmarTrip sensor, which subtracted her $1.25 fare. The next day, the sensor told her the card had no value when it should have registered $18.75.

To recoup her money, Butensky said, she has called Metro's SmarTrip customer service number 10 times. She has waited on hold for up to an hour, sent one e-mail and left one message. On the few occasions Butensky has reached a person, she has found little help.

"They kept telling me the system's down, so they have no record of my transaction," she said.

"I want my money back, but it's not even the money that matters. . . . It's when you talk to people on the phone constantly who just don't seem to care," Butensky added.

Alexandria resident Bob Koslosky, 50, tells a similar story. A month ago, he said, his SmarTrip card stopped working with $33 on it. "I thought it would be a relatively simple matter" to fix, he said.

He was wrong. Several phone calls and e-mails later, Koslosky still has not spoken to a SmarTrip representative. The customer service is "terrible, in all capital letters," said Koslosky, a federal worker. "I've never had such a problem."

One rider ordered a card online and received eight in the mail. It took him several calls to reach a customer service agent to cancel the extra cards. Metro officials said last night that they were unaware of any problems with online sales.

Ten agents at a call center in Reston handle complaints about SmarTrip cards. Four others answer e-mails and process damaged cards. With the surge in SmarTrip card sales, those workers are overwhelmed, said Murray Bond, director of SmarTrip operations for Metro. On Wednesday, the call center received 505 calls -- 200 more than on a typical day a few months ago, Bond said.

Often, the representatives are tied up talking to people whose problems they cannot handle, such as questions about SmarTrip vending machines or parking garages. Metro is adding two agents next week, Bond said.