Technology can be annoying.  Just ask anyone who's dealt with a Blue Screen of Death on their PC, or had to take the car to the mechanic 86 times because the wrench light won't turn off, and they'll tell you just how annoying it is.  I'm thinking that the folks running the DC Metro systems would take those problems over their own situation any day:

"The Washington, DC transit authority contracted with a proprietary company for their RFID-based fare card system,SmarTrip. Now, just six years after getting the system fully installed, the DC Metro system says that their contractor Cubic will no longer sell them the farecards, and they only have enough stockpile to last until 2012. The best solution they've got is replacing every fare box and farecard… again. Kicker: they're paying more than $3 each for bog-standard 13.56MHz RFIDs, which can be purchased singly by normal folks for $.25."

Apparently this is all coming to light because the Metro Board recently passed the largest fare hike ever and at that time promised significant discounts for SmarTrip users, but those discounts are not likely doable because the SmarTrip system can be gamed by riders and it could end up costing the system $1 million a month.  It was during the discussion of this matter that the whole "we're not making the cards anymore" situation came to light.