Lazy And Incompetent MTA Employee

Here's another example of lazy and unqualified State employees.

I had a scratched MetroCard. It still had $30 on it.

With MetroCards, the value of the card is stored both on the card and on the server. That's a fraud-prevention technique.

If a MetroCard gets scratched, you can give it to a token clerk. He's supposed to transfer the remaining value onto a new card, and give you a replacement card.

The clerk didn't know how to process the transaction. He said in an authoritative-sounding voice "You have to mail it to the MTA for a refund." He was wrong. I left in disgust.

I found another token clerk who wasn't unqualified, and got a replacement card.

The vending machines and token clerks have more-sensitive card readers. There are cards that don't work in the turnstyles but will work for the token clerk and vending machine.

Alternatively, I could have found a vending machine that was able to read the card, added some money, and it would have given me a new MetroCard. Any MetroCard with less than 6 months to expiration will be auto-replaced if you put it in a vending machine and add value. Also, damaged MetroCards are sometimes auto-replaced.

It was pretty offensive, that the token clerk didn't know how to process the transaction.