Coping with E-Z Pass

Computers are marvelous things that bring all sorts of benefits. But have you ever been told by a Customer Service Representative that some perfectly reasonable request of yours cannot be fulfilled because the computer does not allow it? Of course you have - this happens all the time!

At the risk to stating the obvious, computer systems are designed by humans. What a system can or cannot do reflects the priorities and personalities those who designed it and their view of the people who will interact with the system.

For example, take the EZ-Pass system installed on bridges and toll roads over most of the northeast U.S. Now, don't get me wrong: EZ-Pass is a wonderful thing. I love being able to sail through the EZ-Pass lanes on bridges and thruway exits throughout the area. It saves a lot of time, and I'd never give it up.

But there is something one-sided about the way EZ-Pass computers keep track of tolls, accounts, and "replenishments" -- that's EZ-Pass talk for "payments." It seems perfect for collecting money, but not quite as well tuned for the customer experience.

Take the "replenishment" system. EZ-Pass requires a running deposit, presumably just in case you split for the West Coast and never return that little box on your windshield. Staying ahead of cash flow is an understandable business strategy, but unlike most service companies, which bill on a fixed date every month, EZ-Pass deducts more money whenever your balance drops to about 25% of your predicted monthly bill. That's handy for them, since they always have some of your cash. But for us customers, we never know when that automatic withdrawal is going to happen. It might come the day after payday -- no problem -- or the day before, which, if your budgeting skills are like mine, could cause a minor liquidity crisis. If they can do all that fancy predicting, why can't they bill people on the same day every month?

The EZ-Pass website is better than it was. You can now view your account details by logging in with a User Name and Password. When your statement is ready, they can send you an email with a link to the statement, but when you log in this way, you have to enter a PIN number, not your password. Come on folks, make it a PIN or a password, but do we have to remember both?

EZ-Pass computer systems have an acute sensitivity when it comes to recording your charges and collecting your payments. But when it comes to detecting patterns that might save you money, you're on your own.

Somehow I missed the fact that when you sign up for a commuter discount, you have to declare which bridge or road you plan to take every day -- like calling the pocket in billiards. I discovered this fact after changing jobs, so that instead of traversing one bridge 17 times or more each month, I switched to another bridge for my daily ritual. This went on for months before I noticed that instead of 50 cents per trip, I was paying a dollar each time and getting penalized for not using the first bridge! Silly me -- I assumed that going over anything 17 times a month would trigger the discount. But no, if you sign up for one route and then start going somewhere else every day, you have to call E-Z Pass.

Computers are good at keeping track of every little detail. The designers of the E-Z Pass system could have designed the software to detect a change in commuting routine and adjust the discount automatically. I wonder why they didn't. Too much work? Could the loss of unwitting additional revenue had anything to do with it? I can imagine the discussion: "But what if customers complain?" The answer is obvious: "We can just blame it on the computer."