At 3:30 p.m. today, Friday, September 6, 2013, I left my house at 20th and Market and drove downtown to get a photo I.D. from the San Diego Transit Store so I could qualify for a discount for being over 60 years old. I found a parking spot four block away and fed the parking meter six quarters. Thus I had 72 minutes to complete my task. Once I arrived at the store there were three windows open with only one that had signage describing what task it was for. The other two had no signage whatsoever, however one had some information posted on the wall behind the window about senior and disabled photo I.D.s. This window had a line of about six or seven people waiting to be served. The time when I got into this line was 4:10 p.m. That would give me 20 minutes to reach the head of the line, fill out a one page form, pay the $7.00 fee and have my picture snapped. Plenty of time, I thought. WRONG! I reached the head of the line at 4:31 and was told I'd have to return on another weekday before 4:30 p.m. in order to get a photo I.D.

Having to return will be an inconvenience that I think could have been avoided if The Transit Store showed a small amount of concern for its customers.  The first thing that I suggest they do is have one of their staff at the entrance when customers first enter the store to direct them to the correct line they should wait in, at the minimum, they should have electric signage giving this information for everyone to read.  If I had stood in the short line when I first arrived, chances are I would have gotten through the entire process within 15 minutes.  The next suggestion that I have is that they have each customer take a number when they first enter the store. That way one wouldn't have to wait so long in a line and it would also balance the work load amongst their staff.  I saw one clerk do twice to three times the amount of processing work that the other two clerks handled.  If they took customers in the order that they arrived at the Store, I'm sure I would have been able to complete my task. Another thing that would benefit their customers is to flash a warning message when the time nears 4:30 p.m.



I'm going to make these suggestions known to San Diego Transit management once I find a way to send my comments in on their web site. I think that every business that has a web site should provide a way for their customers to contact them with their ideas or complaints that can be easily found.  I hate it when you have to keep going to link after link, in order to find a place where you can communicate with someone who will act on customer feedback.  I've been on some company web sites where I never did find a link to send them my ideas or my concerns.  When that has happened, it makes you question how interested that company is in providing their customers with the best possible service they can.

A case in point: most wireless telephone companies either have no link to contact them through, or they make it nearly impossible to find.

http://www.sdmts.com/fares_discounted.asp

Take the completed short form to The Transit Store on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to have your photograph taken and to receive your Reduced Fare Photo ID. The Transit Store is located at 102 Broadway, San Diego, 92101.



I made the mistake of  taking a short taxi ride to the Social Security office upon leaving the Transit Store.  I left the store at 4:35 p.m. quickly hailed a cab and arrived at the Social Security office by 4:45, only to learn that their office hours were from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 8 a.m to 12 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m to 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.  I was unable to find this information online and wonder if these shortened hours were caused by Congress's sequestration mandate. One would think that the Social Security web site would provide some information about their office hours, but I couldn't find anything.

Another complaint I have about the Social Security web site site is that you must have a credit card in order to use their "My Social Security" pages.  A debit card won't work!  If you ask me this is nothing but discrimination against people who are unable to secure a credit card or others, like myself, who refuse to buy into the paying by credit card that the big banks are so eager to issue you in the hopes of charging you huge interest fees should you miss a payment. The same banks that caused the housing bubble to burst and who have continually found ways to legally rip off their customers thanks to a spineless Congress that will not stand up to them!

Tomorrow I will be attending the San Diego Blues Festival http://sdbluesfest.com/ and I'm positive I'll have a great time!