Tag: grrrrr
Metro TAP Card: Poor User Interface Design
Remember yesterday when I complained about the poor interface for the Metro TAP card. I just attempted to add a student pass to my daughter’s card. Here are the errors I got:
When I added the Student Pass to the cart, I got the following error:
The Verification process has encountered some errors:
The Quote Type ‘Regular’ must have atleast only one items of type ‘Card Product’.
Product QTY and Card QTY does not match. Pls check ‘CSC Mon Pass St’ requested is null.
The Quote Type ‘Regular’ must have atleast only one Product added to the Card.
Please make the necessary changes.
Of course, it provided me no opportunity to fix any of these, and (surprisingly), when I clicked check-out, it actually did check me out, collect card info, and seemingly place the order. Of course, the order confirmation message wasn’t reassuring:
The responsibility of user ‘XXXXXX’ does not allow accessing view ‘Order Confirmation View (eSales)’.(SBL-DAT-00329)
So I tried to go to the FAQ. I got the error:
The responsibility of user ‘XXXXXX’ does not allow accessing view ‘FAQ First Level Category List View (eService)’.(SBL-DAT-00329)
I’ve submitted a help request regarding the poor error messages. Of course, it’s not just the error messages that are bad. Consider the following statement:
Orders placed prior to the 24th of the month will receive fare product for the current month. Orders placed after the 25th of the month will receive fare product for the following month.
This is really unclear what happens if you place the order on the 24th or 25th. Now, my order, placed today (the 25th) seemed to be for next month, but perhaps that was just random luck.
Poor, poor, website design.
Not Working as Planned
As you may or may not know, last week I exchanged my old Nokia with another unused phone we had here, an Audiovox CDM 8940. I was hoping to be able to use the phone as a camera also — we don’t have data service, but the phone supported a Mini SD card for transferring pictures. So, I ordered a 4GB Mini-SD card from CellPhoneShop when I ordered a second charger and case.
It arrived today. Grrr. I was unable to format the card with the phone, and it turns out that the maximum capacity the phone can support is the 1GB card (a fact that is nowhere in the manual). Further, the investigation uncovered that even if I was able to get the card to work, the phone stores the pictures in a non-standard format that nothing else (except for proprietary software) can read.
So, I’ll just use the phone, surprisingly…. as a phone. I can replace it in November if I’m fed up with it under “New Every Two”. I’m exploring whether I can return the SD card; if I can’t, I’m sure I can use it in a camera.