Metro, you're on my shit list...

[DemandaBanana]

BCE#1 was SO excited about riding the train.  Instead, I had to write the following letter to the shithoses at Metro.  Imagine the following, but filled with shittons and cuntloads worth of swearing.  Then imagine the conversation I had with the Metro employees involved while trying to control myself in the presence of BCE#1.  On the brightside, the Building Museum is so fun, and J and I plus 2 strangers managed to get the arch put together! 

Saturday afternoon, August 22, 2009, around 1:30pm my husband, 2 ½ year old, 6 month old, and I drove to the Takoma Metro station to catch a red line train to Judiciary Square.  Normally we’d walk, but the weather was off and on again rain.  I had to run into the station to get a pass, but my husband had his SmarTrip, so he and the girls stayed outside and played.  I saw a sign near the pass machines for delays between Takoma and Fort Totten, which I had expected.  To get the stroller to the train, you have to leave the main part of the station and go to the elevator.  To exit the elevator area, you have to use your fare card.  The train was just coming into the station, but everyone got off, and they (the passengers) told us we’d have to take a bus to Ft. Totten.  To exit we had to use our fare cards again to get back on the elevator and down to where the buses are.  Of course, it charged us for a Takoma to Takoma fare.  I went down to find a manager.  No one was in the booth, but 4 Metro employees were standing around chatting.  I asked if I could talk to the booth person.  She identified herself, I explained, and she said I’d have to speak to a manager.  I asked who that was, and she pointed to one of the men standing there, who later identified himself as Phillip.  I again explained what happened.  He basically told me it was my fault (?!), that they couldn’t do anything since there is no information on the paper pass or SmarTrip that could prove I wasn’t just scamming them.  I assume when you have to shuttle to another station, they don’t make you swipe your card at the station you’re leaving or at the one where you re-enter, since that charges you.  In our case, since we had to use the elevators, there was no other way out of the station.  There was no indication anywhere in the main station or on the elevator that we couldn’t go southbound by train.  If one of the 4 chatting employees had taken 1 minute to write a simple sign for the elevator, we’d have just turned around and driven to Ft. Totten.  As it was, we just ended up taking our car to Judiciary Square, since it wasn’t going to be worth all the extra fare charges, so I’m so thankful we drove to the station rather than walked.  I was and am extremely angry at the useless employees (and manager) and their pitiful excuses.  Thanks, Metro. 

[Snatch]

I bet when public transportation works, it's wonderful!  But I bet it really sucks when things don't go right.

[Mtlchick26]

Due to my car being in the garage I have the pleasure of taking the metro tomorrow. While it IS convenient (I can get to the  downtown area in 10 minutes, and work in 20 min) there are the days when there is a blocked door, or god forbid someone commits suicide, then you wait and wait and fucking WAIT!

[DemandaBanana]

UPDATE:  Since BCE#1 really wanted to take the train (she made a wish for a train ride at a fountain  ), I suggested she and J take the train on Sunday while BCE#2 and I were at a baby shower.  They were going in the opposite direction from Saturday, so they figured there'd be no problems.  They again took the elevator.  This time there were employees up there to prevent what happened to us on Sunday.  We like to think it was thanks to me and my mad letter writing skillz!  Also, I got a call from Metro today, and they will be sending us 2 free passes.  That's half decent customer service, but I'd rather they have just done their jobs right the first time.  I'm still pissed the manager tried to make it OUR fault.  Riiiiight. 

[Tuzla]

What galls me is that Phil-boy said, "there is no information on the paper pass or SmarTrip that could prove I wasn’t just scamming them."

Have you ever jumped teh gate by accident? They run your card through the reader in the booth and your last 10 trips come up on the screen.

What a lying ASS.

I work 1/2 block from the building museum. Metro sucks ass. have you looked here: http://unsuckdcmetro.blogspot.com/ ?

[DemandaBanana]

Tuzla-  Ooooooo, I love that blog!  I sent my story!  Thanks.