EZ link card with Giro

[Homme]

Just made my swap for the new Ezlink card and i learnt something really strange...
The old card used to have $3 deposit (Some $5 as wat i hve learnt from reading this thread)...this deposit will oso be transferred to your new Ezlink card. The new card will show u $3+current value. Great i thght, hve more money to spend liao! BUT the catch is, i was told, you hve to maintain a min of $3 inside the card else you will not be able to use it in next transaction! Which means if your card shows u $10 (for eg), u can only use up to $7!...basically WE have to mentally deduce $3 from the total valve shown....now thanks for so much 'help' from advanced technology ya. Can't they just follow the 'old' system n show what is useable instead?

 

[kiwitan]

pls think how luck u r to be born in this beloved Singapore. u dont have to walk long distance to catch a bus to reach your work place or home.

Hi all,

I have always use the old EZ link card with Giro facility without any issues. No charges whatsoever when a top-up has been initiated using the old card.

With the new card (so-called CEPAS) now, I have to re-apply for Giro facility, it will take 21 working days (what are those ppl doing in EZ link office), and for every top-up, it will slap an additional 25 cents to the top-up amount! This is just 变相起价! Agree?

Isn't this pure daylight robbery? I can understand that with every unsuccessful top-up, in case I don't maintain sufficient funds in my bank account, I can be fined up to $5 or something, but with a 25 cents charge for every top-up, I seriously cannot swallow this.

Can you imagine how much money they're making by just collecting this top-up charges?

Any comments?

 

[vince123123]

You donno why arh? Its all about marketing. When the new one was released you know what they touted as the marketing point? The fact that deposits were abolished. But no one said that you can't use the card if it falls below S$3.

Good con job right?

Just made my swap for the new Ezlink card and i learnt something really strange...
The old card used to have $3 deposit (Some $5 as wat i hve learnt from reading this thread)...this deposit will oso be transferred to your new Ezlink card. The new card will show u $3+current value. Great i thght, hve more money to spend liao! BUT the catch is, i was told, you hve to maintain a min of $3 inside the card else you will not be able to use it in next transaction! Which means if your card shows u $10 (for eg), u can only use up to $7!...basically WE have to mentally deduce $3 from the total valve shown....now thanks for so much 'help' from advanced technology ya. Can't they just follow the 'old' system n show what is useable instead?

 

[Virgo]

pls think how luck u r to be born in this beloved Singapore. u dont have to walk long distance to catch a bus to reach your work place or home.

Yes. Very luck to be a Singaporean, and have to visit the ticketing office a few times just to get a simple change of my old card to a new one, and up till now, I'm still holding on to my old card!

 

[harrynkl]

of cos we r lucky, we are lucky to pay $0.25 everytime we top-up to get better transport system

 

[Yappy]

erm,,,,then top $100 at one go lor, then it will detuct 25 cents only. if you top up $20 5 times, then u have to pay 1 dollar.

your Occupation is IT, dont tell me u cant afford 25 cents

We were encouraged to be cashless and after the cashless.. we are 'cashpoor'

I use to pay using net. By using net, the shop keeper get to save time to deposit the cash and it is safer as the money goes straight to the account.

The shop keepers were charged 2% or ???? and from the number of transactions, NETS makes ton of monies. Because of frequent usage, my card broke and render unusable and I decided to change a new card... I was charge $5 by the bank for replacement. They had actually made so much from me and yet still charge me for replacement.. I dont see the logic!

Now I use cash instead. Let them go and do the banking, let them engage staff to count the money and risk being robbed! If they increase the price of their goods, i will go to another shop to buy!

I dont think it is the money but the principle...

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

pls think how luck u r to be born in this beloved Singapore. u dont have to walk long distance to catch a bus to reach your work place or home.

This is really an irrelevant point. Might as well say we're so lucky in Singapore since we actually have buses and trains, not like the middle of the Sahara desert.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

We were encouraged to be cashless and after the cashless.. we are 'cashpoor'

I use to pay using net. By using net, the shop keeper get to save time to deposit the cash and it is safer as the money goes straight to the account.

The shop keepers were charged 2% or ???? and from the number of transactions, NETS makes ton of monies. Because of frequent usage, my card broke and render unusable and I decided to change a new card... I was charge $5 by the bank for replacement. They had actually made so much from me and yet still charge me for replacement.. I dont see the logic!

Now I use cash instead. Let them go and do the banking, let them engage staff to count the money and risk being robbed! If they increase the price of their goods, i will go to another shop to buy!

I dont think it is the money but the principle...

Yeah picking up on your last sentence, the main point of this thread is to argue on the principle of collecting money for GIRO top-ups under the guise of a "convenience fee", which is really incorrect, since GIRO makes it convenient for EVERYONE, not only the customers.'
I suppose it's cheaper for them (Transitlink) to arrange regular collection of cash from their stations, and have armed CISCO (or whatever) guards accompany the cash till it's deposited in the bank. haha.

 

[Muckafutha]

I think we are all a bit pampered in Singapore.

When its bad times we complain that every cent counts, as if in good times we will gladly pay the 25 cents.

Do we call or write to the papers to congratulate or commend service providers when they improve theri service or lower their fees? But 25 cents and we make so much noise.

Some forumers don't mind going to well known shops and pay slightly more expensive prices to get their camera gear, just for peace of mind. But yet 25 cents for convenience is too much to pay.

 

[night86mare]

Some forumers don't mind going to well known shops and pay slightly more expensive prices to get their camera gear, just for peace of mind. But yet 25 cents for convenience is too much to pay.

i think the issue here is the fact that this 25 cents never used to be levied.

nothing else has changed, so why the levy now?

 

[Virgo]

Bro, be it go or bad times, 25 cents per transaction (please note it's per transaction, not a 1 time charge) is what I'll not agree to. The fact that we're going cashless, and by going Giro, we're in fact doing them a service (or convenience to them as you may call it) so that they don't have to eract more top-up machines, set up more service counters becuase some top-ups don't work, etc. So why are we, in return, being charged for this convenience fee?

And what do you say about the deposit which equals to the cost of the top-up?

And some say that I'm in IT, and can't even afford 25 cents? Who on earth told you IT in Singapore earn a lot of money? Sorry, this is OT, and I'm not going to argue about IT earnings in Singapore. Let's get back to the topic.

I think we are all a bit pampered in Singapore.

When its bad times we complain that every cent counts, as if in good times we will gladly pay the 25 cents.

Do we call or write to the papers to congratulate or commend service providers when they improve theri service or lower their fees? But 25 cents and we make so much noise.

Some forumers don't mind going to well known shops and pay slightly more expensive prices to get their camera gear, just for peace of mind. But yet 25 cents for convenience is too much to pay.

 

[mohgui]

after reading each and every post and arguments... my conclusion is, i'd rather go through some inconveniences than to pay for convenience.

it just doesn't make sense to be paying the so-called 'convenience fee'... and what a term to name the fee. it sounds like this fee is making somebody's paycheck conveniently increased.

i say... bring back the bus ticketing conductors of the old days. really missed them.

 

[Muckafutha]

i think the issue here is the fact that this 25 cents never used to be levied.

nothing else has changed, so why the levy now?

just because somethings weren't done before doesnt mean they shouldn't. Its just their way of transfering costs to commuters, whereas they have absorbed the costs last time. i was also shocked to find that there is now a fee charged, when i changed my giro linked card, but for me i will choose not to pay the 25 cents but top up manually. so in a way become i choose to forego the convenience and save my money.

Bro, be it go or bad times, 25 cents per transaction (please note it's per transaction, not a 1 time charge) is what I'll not agree to. The fact that we're going cashless, and by going Giro, we're in fact doing them a service (or convenience to them as you may call it) so that they don't have to eract more top-up machines, set up more service counters becuase some top-ups don't work, etc. So why are we, in return, being charged for this convenience fee?

And what do you say about the deposit which equals to the cost of the top-up?

And some say that I'm in IT, and can't even afford 25 cents? Who on earth told you IT in Singapore earn a lot of money? Sorry, this is OT, and I'm not going to argue about IT earnings in Singapore. Let's get back to the topic.

i think that the giro arrangement is for mutual benefit. Convenience for us and less paperwork/admin for them. so i don't agree that we're doing them a free service.

as for the deposit, yes it sucks that we have to pay first and it will probably stay with them till we decide to surrender the ticket. however on the other hand, they could argue that in the past some people top up through giro but there was no money in the user's account. i think the old system was like a credit system. they immediately give you the credit, but process the transfer from your bank later. i could be wrong but they may have lost some money from people who didnt have enough in their accounts.

 

[mohgui]

i think that the giro arrangement is for mutual benefit. Convenience for us and less paperwork/admin for them. so i don't agree that we're doing them a free service.

i don't see the logic here.

by having machines to run the job instead of humans means better efficiency. it also means embracing technological advancement. but why still need to impose the so-called 'convenience fee' when the direction is to move forward and not backwards?

so are we saying that, every time some company improve its process workflow, the public gets to bear the grunt of efficiency?

if that's the case, then i would like to charge LTA some convenience fee for each time i take the bus/mrt to work as i'm no longer contributing to traffic problems. this would make LTA's life easier as there will be less road maintenance work to be done. convenient right? mutual benefit to both right?

 

[Virgo]

i think that the giro arrangement is for mutual benefit. Convenience for us and less paperwork/admin for them. so i don't agree that we're doing them a free service.

as for the deposit, yes it sucks that we have to pay first and it will probably stay with them till we decide to surrender the ticket. however on the other hand, they could argue that in the past some people top up through giro but there was no money in the user's account. i think the old system was like a credit system. they immediately give you the credit, but process the transfer from your bank later. i could be wrong but they may have lost some money from people who didnt have enough in their accounts.

As what you've said, it's a mutual benefit. Then what's the convenience fee for?

You're wrong on the credit system when there is no money in the user's account. Our system is very intelligent one. If you do not maintain enough funds in your bank account, sorry hoh, you cannot do a Giro-top up when you're on the bus, MRT or LRT. You think they so good huh, give you credit? :nono:

 

[Muckafutha]

after reading each and every post and arguments... my conclusion is, i'd rather go through some inconveniences than to pay for convenience.

This means that you agree you did enjoy a certain degree of convenience. So why can't it be called convenience fee?

i don't see the logic here.

by having machines to run the job instead of humans means better efficiency. it also means embracing technological advancement. but why still need to impose the so-called 'convenience fee' when the direction is to move forward and not backwards?

so are we saying that, every time some company improve its process workflow, the public gets to bear the grunt of efficiency?

if that's the case, then i would like to charge LTA some convenience fee for each time i take the bus/mrt to work as i'm no longer contributing to traffic problems. this would make LTA's life easier as there will be less road maintenance work to be done. convenient right? mutual benefit to both right?

Why is imposing a fee considered moving backwards? Also you travel, be it by car or bus or mrt, to acheive your own objectives. Which is to get to work, or do marketing or whatever. No one asked you to travel. So by not travelling you are not doing anyone any favours. We are the ones that caused the traffic problems in the first place. By staying at home, we are just doing our part to not cause more problems. So why do we need to charge anybody for it. If i may give an extreme example (may not be appropriate), lets say I was a gangster and went around bashing people up, then one day i decided to change and become a "non-gangster", should I charge the people around me cos now they don't have to be afraid of me, and charge the police cos now they don't have to spend resources trying to catch me?

 

[Virgo]

This means that you agree you did enjoy a certain degree of convenience. So why can't it be called convenience fee?



Why is imposing a fee considered moving backwards? Also you travel, be it by car or bus or mrt, to acheive your own objectives. Which is to get to work, or do marketing or whatever. No one asked you to travel. So by not travelling you are not doing anyone any favours. We are the ones that caused the traffic problems in the first place. By staying at home, we are just doing our part to not cause more problems. So why do we need to charge anybody for it. If i may give an extreme example (may not be appropriate), lets say I was a gangster and went around bashing people up, then one day i decided to change and become a "non-gangster", should I charge the people around me cos now they don't have to be afraid of me, and charge the police cos now they don't have to spend resources trying to catch me?

I think you're dragging off the topic. Let's concentrate on the existing discussion. What is this convenience fee all about, and not forgetting the deposit and application fee!

 

[Muckafutha]

As what you've said, it's a mutual benefit. Then what's the convenience fee for?

You're wrong on the credit system when there is no money in the user's account. Our system is very intelligent one. If you do not maintain enough funds in your bank account, sorry hoh, you cannot do a Giro-top up when you're on the bus, MRT or LRT. You think they so good huh, give you credit? :nono:

when you buy from 7-11 or ntuc, and pay by nets, need to dial up or not? your MRT gantry can dial up so fast? Just tap only straight away confirm you got money in the bank? It is credit system, but very short term like within 3 days. Thats why when you have done a auto top up the MRT office person cannot straight away cancel the giro link. It takes 3 days.

 

[Virgo]

when you buy from 7-11 or ntuc, and pay by nets, need to dial up or not? your MRT gantry can dial up so fast? Just tap only straight away confirm you got money in the bank? It is credit system, but very short term like within 3 days. Thats why when you have done a auto top up the MRT office person cannot straight away cancel the giro link. It takes 3 days.

I'm not sure how they work in their back end, and that's not my problem to know. However, I have personally tested to see if it will 'credit' a top-up to my card if I don't maintain enough funds in my bank account. Guess what, my Giro farecard don't work. So whether it does a direct debit or not it's not my issue. Your question is whether it's a credit system or not, I'm not sure too, but it is confirmed that if you don't maintain enough funds in your bank account, for sure it will not top up for you.

 

[Muckafutha]

I think you're dragging off the topic. Let's concentrate on the existing discussion. What is this convenience fee all about, and not forgetting the deposit and application fee!

OK...sorry.

Convenience fee - for the times when you don't want to queue to top up your ticket, and times when you have no money in your pocket, and also basically so you can just travel without fear that there is no more value left, for that they charge you 25 cents.

Deposit - For someone who tops up but doesn't have money to pay back, they take your deposit.

Application fee - You don't need to worry cos if you do it within 6 months, its free. Oh but wait. If you do apply for it, it means you can't bear to give up the convenience of not topping up the ticket at the counter or machine. So for that convenience they will charge you 25 cents.