Hmmm

[telophase]

Normally, when people complain about having to show ID at times such as when paying by credit card, I just roll my eyes.

Today, however, I would like to know just why it is that I have to show my driver's license when paying a $2.25 library fine IN CASH? Wow, maybe I stole someone's library card and am viciously paying their fine! The horror!

Mind you, it's been on my record for about a year. Being a librarian myself, I tend to get most of my library materials at work. I'd tried to pay the fine online a few times, but their online credit card payment system consistently failed to work. But they've recently (for values of "since the last time I looked") instituted an ebook-borrowing thing, and I couldn't try it out without paying the fine and clearing the blocks on my account.


Sent from my iPhone

Comments

[kintail.livejournal.com]

The Toronto Public Library annoyingly requires me to show a librarian an ID or a recent piece of mail with my name and address on it every single year, or it puts an automatic block on my account saying it has "expired" and when it gets close to that time of year I can't even check out books that would be due after my account is set to expire without showing ID so my expiry date can be set to next year-- maybe your library system has a similar automatic block and it had to be cleared before the fine could be marked as paid?

I try not to be too annoyed; it's one of the best public library systems in North America and the city-proper is surrounded by dense suburbs that don't pay municipal taxes to Toronto. I'm sure many people who move from Toronto to the suburbs would love to keep using our system for free if they could (and many who do move away but still work here are willing to pay the non-resident fee).

[catseye2001.livejournal.com]

My library does the same thing. It's harder to get a library card than it is to get a driver's license, and you have to show ID to pay late fees. What really got me was the time they refused to let me pay my father's late fees when I returned a book for him (I live 2 blocks from the library). They told me that he would have to come in and pay the late fee himself the next time he wanted to check out a book. And then they wonder why people don't visit the library or attend their events anymore...

And I get very annoyed when I use my VISA check card and the clerk asks me for ID. There was a huge ad campaign that no-one seems to remember about how if you used a VISA check card you wouldn't have to dig around for your ID anymore--just swipe and go. My favourite commercial was this one with Kevin Bacon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afJRKbBEr2Q but the Bob Dole one was just as much to the point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZdsMJskCOg

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

That's odd, to say the least. Unless they really were checking to make sure the card was yours? Like, you'd stolen it, tried to use it and discovered the holds, and are paying the small fine before checking out a bunch of other stuff you never intend to return?

[emtigereyes.livejournal.com]

Perhaps autopilot took over? Kind of like when I deal with customer care folks over the phone, and no matter what you have said (even if it's "well, that answers all of my questions"), they start into their scripted responses.. "did I answer all of your questions to your satisfaction?"

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, in those cases it may not be so much autopilot as that phone reps are frequently *required* to go through everything in their script, are often subject to random call-monitoring by higher-ups, and can get written up if they failed to say every stupid little thing they're supposed to. This sometimes comes up in somewhat similar ways in face-to-face retail transactions -- some stores insist that their employees go through some particular set spiel when they're ringing you up, and even if they know it's stupid and most of the customers hate it, well, if they get overheard by management or caught by a mystery shopper, it's bad news for them. :/