Since this is my blog, I’m allowed to complain about minor inconveniences. This is one of those times.
So just like we had at our downtown location, our new suburban work location in Burnaby offers an employee transit pass discount. Back in the glorious downtown days, we’d go to the front desk and then on a sheet of paper write down our name and number of zones we’d need a transit pass for.
When the transit passes were all purchased, we’d all get an e-mail stating the passes were ready to pick up. Keep in mind since the list of people buying passes was manually entered in, the recipient list in the e-mail thus had to be manually written out as well. No one really forgot to get their transit pass even if it was really busy day since there was that e-mail that reminded you. Even if you forgot to get it from the receptionist and they went home, you wouldn’t be screwed. Since the security desk is manned 24 hours a day, the security dude on duty could always give your pass and then check you off on the list.
Now they do things a bit different in Burnaby. First, you don’t write down a damn thing. The receptionist makes you scan your badge when you go buy your transit pass. So the information of every single person who buys a transit pass is recorded on a computer somewhere. Now keep in mind which system would probably be more capable of sending out a reminder message to pick up your transit pass. The system where all names were written down manually or the computerized system where names are recorded digitally? You guessed it. In Burnaby, they can’t seem to find a way to translate the names in the computer into an e-mail reminding you to pick up your transit pass.
Today was the last day of November and because I was so busy, I forgot to pick up my transit pass. I remembered at 6pm and I knew the receptionist would be long gone but I was hoping the security dude would help me get my pass. No dice. I was told in no uncertain terms that the receptionist was the only person in a studio of over 1200 employees that could give out the transit pass. I along with several other people were told that even though our passes were just a foot away from us at the front desk, we couldn’t have them. So now, I gotta pay my own way to work tomorrow morning.
The names are already in the computer. How hard is it to craft an e-mail one day a month that simply says “pick up your transit pass”? When we were about to move to Burnaby I was warned that EA Canada and Black Box do things quite differently in certain areas. I guess this is one of these things. Maybe I’ll walk to work tomorrow.