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Clip Joint
Aug. 23rd, 2023 09:52 amFor getting around on light rail, Caltrain, and buses in the Bay Area, I have a Clipper Card, which is a stored-value card that auto-reloads from one of my credit cards when necessary. While I had not used it for a while, it worked just fine when I got here. So yesterday, I used it to right light rail to get some groceries, as there is very little within walking distance of my hotel.
( Groceries by Rail )
When I got back to my hotel room, I reached for where I thought my Clipper card was. Nothing. I reckoned that I must have dropped the card while on the train. Trying to find it would be difficult. So I logged into the Clipper Card system online and reported the card lost. $3 fee to freeze the balance.
I unloaded my groceries. Guess what I found at the bottom of the bag? That's right, my Clipper card. I must have dropped it into the bag when I though I was putting it in the pocked of my shirt.
I logged back into Clipper, but could find no way to reactivate the card. I called Clipper customer service, and after wading through their menus, reached a human being who told me that once a card is deactivated, it can never be reactivated. (Too bad; I'd had that card for many years, and it's inadvertently traveled around the world with me.) However, they were able to stop the system from trying to mail me a new card back in Fernley, and said that if I got a new card, they could transfer the balance to it. Well, I could do that, as there are VTA fare vending machines that will sell you a Clipper card across the street in the light rail station.
Walking over to the station, I bought a new card ($3 fee), went back to the room, and called Clipper customer service again. They said that they could transfer the $70 balance for yet another $3 fee, and that it will take between 2 and 5 days for the balance to appear. I hope it's back on the card by Monday when I'm going to San Francisco! However, even if it is not, I can add money to the card at VTA fare machines.
So I'm more or less okay other than being out $9 in service charges, and it could have been worse, with an unusable card being sent back to Fernley. I wish I'd tried checking my bag before rushing to deactivate my card.
( Groceries by Rail )
When I got back to my hotel room, I reached for where I thought my Clipper card was. Nothing. I reckoned that I must have dropped the card while on the train. Trying to find it would be difficult. So I logged into the Clipper Card system online and reported the card lost. $3 fee to freeze the balance.
I unloaded my groceries. Guess what I found at the bottom of the bag? That's right, my Clipper card. I must have dropped it into the bag when I though I was putting it in the pocked of my shirt.
I logged back into Clipper, but could find no way to reactivate the card. I called Clipper customer service, and after wading through their menus, reached a human being who told me that once a card is deactivated, it can never be reactivated. (Too bad; I'd had that card for many years, and it's inadvertently traveled around the world with me.) However, they were able to stop the system from trying to mail me a new card back in Fernley, and said that if I got a new card, they could transfer the balance to it. Well, I could do that, as there are VTA fare vending machines that will sell you a Clipper card across the street in the light rail station.
Walking over to the station, I bought a new card ($3 fee), went back to the room, and called Clipper customer service again. They said that they could transfer the $70 balance for yet another $3 fee, and that it will take between 2 and 5 days for the balance to appear. I hope it's back on the card by Monday when I'm going to San Francisco! However, even if it is not, I can add money to the card at VTA fare machines.
So I'm more or less okay other than being out $9 in service charges, and it could have been worse, with an unusable card being sent back to Fernley. I wish I'd tried checking my bag before rushing to deactivate my card.
