Another customer service vignette
When we bought the new car, one of the things we needed to do was transfer the EZ-Pass from my old car to the new. For those of you outside the NY Metro area, an EZ-Pass is a little transponder you attach to your car's windshield. It allows you to drive through toll booths without having to stop and give money to the tollbooth attendant, making toll stops much quicker. Well, the EZ-Pass attaches to your car's windshield with some industrial-strength velcro, except it's not really velcro, it's these hard plastic interlocking mushrooms that, unlike hook-and-loop Velcro, are the same on both faces of the tape. They have to be aligned before they'll go together, and when they do, they click together in a very solid, satisfying way.
Well, I needed new EZ-Pass MegaMushroomVelcro for the new car, as the old MMV had gone away with the windshield of the 89 Golf when it was towed by the ADA (Donation.) Thinking that the MTA was the place to go, I went. And found no mention anywhere on that site of where or how to get new Velcro. There was an account area, but you needed to know your account number in order to get access. Not your name, not your zip. Your account number. Which is either on your bill, or on your EZ-Pass, neither of which most people have readily to hand. You'd think that they'd let you log in by name.
I ended up buying it on eBay for 7 bucks.
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