Meals To Ticketed Passengers In Sleeper?

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D.P. Roberts said:
Dan O said:
Tight fit I'd think. I can see that arrangement for sleeping but if the beds are not made, 3 people seems very crowded.
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rrdude said:
Can you say PPC? Even if bad-ordered, can u then say, SSL? I see no reason to waste time in the roomette, when one or both are options......
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OP, I agree with both of these posters. If you're not going to stay overnight & don't need beds, I really don't think you'll want a roomette for 3 people, especially if 2 of them are 13 year olds. I don't know how big the two 13 year olds are, but they're going to have to share a seat in the roomette. You can go to the SSL, but you could do that from coach too. There are only TWO reasons for having the sleeper: 1) meals are included, and 2) access to the PPC. As for the meals, you might want to consider whether the upgraded cost of the sleeper makes up for the cost of the meals. It probably doesn't (especially if you teenagers would be content eating snacks from the cafe car). Secondly, you do have access to the PPC, but will the teens care much about that? Other than access to the PPC, you're really just paying more money for less room.Secondly, about that bedroom the next day - I assume that you're planning on sleeping in the lower bunk, and putting the two teens together on the lower bunk? Well, no matter how you arrange it, you might want to make sure that everyone involved understands how small the beds really are, & that the 2 people who will be sharing one can actually do so.
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Lemmie see if I can make this a bit clearer, forgive me for not stating in my original post that I have NO PLAN WHATSOVER of turning down the beds in the roomette. Thee reason I chose a roomette, and booked myself n two kids in it, is to have access to the PPC, and have six meals included. (Lunch & dinner)

On my last trip on the CS frm LAX to EMY, i didn't spend more than five minutes in the roomette. I "parked my arse" in the PPC, moving to the SSL when I noticed others looking for a seat in the PPC. (Surprisingly, infrequent) I had both meals in the PPC, and a bottle of wine.......or two

I speculate that when the kids get tired of the PPC, they'll go back to the roomette, and "love it" that they are alone. (Not to worry, I'll read the "riot Act" prior to departure....)

The remainder of the trip East is in Bedrooms C, on Zephyr and Cap.

DP, getting six meals, and most importantly to me, having access to the PPC, are WAY WORTH the difference vs. traveling coach, in terms of comfort, boarding, and amenities. The PPC is the only train on Amtrak where "First Class" really feels like first class....IMHO
 
I have had this problem before. I traveled in a roomette with my 2 little girls (there was plenty of room for all three of us) and when it came to meal time I was only allowed to have two meals. The first meal they let us have three and then when we came back for breakfast the next morning I was informed quite loudly and rudely that that would not be happening again. I contacted CS and later received a voucher for the cost of meals I had to pay for. CS said as long as you are listed on the manifest you should receive the meals. When we went on another trip I was prepared to pay and even explaining what I had been told the Conductor said that I would have to pay for the third meal, which I did. I figured having the bed was worth paying for one kids meal at each setting (though there were times they just shared). So go prepared to pay and if you don't just be surprised.
 
That's terrible advice. Enabling OBS personnel to continue making up and enforcing whatever rules they care to dream up only further emboldens them.

Now if it comes down to "Pay for the meal or I'm putting you off the train", I'll pay, but not after I've put the relevant page of the blue book under their face and make sure that they understand that a complaint to HQ with their name attached was headed off as soon as I was off the train (if not sooner).
 
I would rather be prepared to pay then not have the money. And while you may be bold enough to put said page in their face, most are not. My advice still stands...go prepared to pay for the extra meal and if you don't have to then you have extra cash in your pocket.
 
I agree with momof5. Be armed with the rules, be prepared to pay. Heck, pay with your AGR Mastercard and then get a voucher refund! :D
 
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Ryan said:
momof5 said:
And while you may be bold enough to put said page in their face, most are not.
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And that's why conductors and LSAs like the ones you encountered are allowed to get away with it.
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And herein lies the problem. Momof5 and Ryan, you are both absolutely right!

As long as Amtrak personnel get away with ignorance of the rules, they have no reason to change. But, I'd probably only be brave enough to nicely tell them that the rules say everyone booked in the sleeper receives meals, and if that didn't work, I'd be on the phone with Customer Relations later. But that doesn't help during the trip, and could be an unpleasant surprise for the passengers. I'm just not usually a confrontational type, but that isn't always a good thing.

While occasional mistakes are inevitable, I don't understand why Amtrak employees aren't required to understand their jobs better. Who gets meals seems like a very basic thing to know if you are an LSA.
 
Well, I "am" the confronting-type, having been an LSA many, many, moons ago. I have already printed out the page from the manual, 7th edition, section 8, pg 69. First I will try to reason with the LSA "ex-employee to employee". If that doesn't work, I'll call Amtrak CS, while on the train. Lastly, I'll get the conductor involved, if they seem like they would care.

But as wise-young-Ryan stated, ".........I'm not gonna get thrown off the train over 'a burger'......."

And if forced to pay, and given a chance to sign my name on either guest check or CC check, I'll write a book on the receipt that the LSA has to turn in......
 
I'm shy and non-confrontational, but if I don't owe money, I'm not going to just cow away and say, "Okay." Screw that.

I see it as a training opportunity, not being mean to an employee. And I wouldn't be a jerk about it either. Sometimes, and I know this from experience, there are a gazillion rules and special situations to remember, and some employees don't remember them all. They're only human. So, if they were to tell me I owed money and got insistent about it, I'd show them the page, just like I'd show a co-worker a page in our auto insurance policy if they weren't sure if some weird situation is covered.

If they still argued, I'd ask for a supervisor, but again, not in a mean way. I'd just want to make sure I got my meal covered, and then maybe the supervisor could have a "teachable moment" with the employee. I'm not going to pay $20-40 if I don't owe it; furthermore, if they aren't taught, they'll never learn, and more people will be charged when they shouldn't.

So really, it's not a bad thing as long as your approach is calm. We aren't saying you have to start swearing and shrieking at them. A simple, "From what I understand, three people in a roomette is fine. I have the blue book if you want to see the paragraph," is fine.
 
Well like I said I did explain to the Conductor, who said I would have to pay for the third meal. Who was I supposed to go to next on the train?
 
If you actually talk to the "Skipper" (conductor) on board, and he says, in his finest Soup N-a-z-i impression, "No you must pay"', then you are done. Just documnent it all, and place a call to Amtrak Customer Service.

EDIT: To spell out N-a-z-i
 
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If I were ripped off in that manner, I'd have no qualms whatsoever with posting my experience on Amtrak's Facebook page. Has anyone taken these complaints to the social media route, has it provoked a response?
 
FriskyFL said:
If I were ripped off in that manner, I'd have no qualms whatsoever with posting my experience on Amtrak's Facebook page. Has anyone taken these complaints to the social media route, has it provoked a response?
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I've no personal experience in posting complaints on FB regarding Amtrak, but I've sure read a lot of flamers postings. Dunno if that buys them any redress tho.....
 
With all this discussion of "policy" on free meals to people in roomettes, it makes me wonder about something.

A. If Railfare is paid for Amtrak to haul your butt from point A to point B

and

B. If roomette charge is for the privacy, sleeping quarters, shower room and meals included

(yet the same roomette charge is only charged once for 2 adults to receive all in B.)

C Why can't a single person receive 2 meals at each serving ? ( afterall, the rail and roomette are 2 seperate charges and roomette is the same whether it's one or two adults )

Bonus Question:

I'm ready to board the train, I advertise in the terminal that I have a roomette and will sell a set of meals for $30, and have THAT person listed as being in my roomette with the agreement that will not visit it. for $40 they can also use the shower room.

Yea yea yea I know, but thinking like an outhouse lawyer, as much as people on here like to pick flea crap out of the black pepper, why not ?
 
The Service Manual states, "As long as passengers have a ticket indicating Sleeping Car accommodations, they are to be provided complimentary meals." But I don't see where it says that one passenger can get two meals, but I don't see where it doesn't either..........
 
the Other Mike said:
Bonus Question:
I'm ready to board the train, I advertise in the terminal that I have a roomette and will sell a set of meals for $30, and have THAT person listed as being in my roomette with the agreement that will not visit it. for $40 they can also use the shower room.

Yea yea yea I know, but thinking like an outhouse lawyer, as much as people on here like to pick flea crap out of the black pepper, why not ?
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If your companion has a ticket in the roomette, he/she will not be entitled to a coach seat.
 
I would pay to watch someone attempt to eat two meals at once. :)

The social media moderators are usually just that - sales/marketing team members tapping into the market base, pumping promotions, etc. They pass on actual customer service issues to the customer service team, training issues to the training teams, technical feedback to the appropriate web/app/whatever teams, and so on. That's pretty common with most companies, including mine.
 
Sorcha said:
I would pay to watch someone attempt to eat two meals at once. :)
The social media moderators are usually just that - sales/marketing team members tapping into the market base, pumping promotions, etc. They pass on actual customer service issues to the customer service team, training issues to the training teams, technical feedback to the appropriate web/app/whatever teams, and so on. That's pretty common with most companies, including mine.
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I'll be alone on a roomette this week, maybe I should ask for 2 desserts!
 
I think notifying Customer Relations will result in your getting a refund or voucher for the value of the meals you had to pay for. We received a nice voucher for the only real problem we've ever had on Amtrak, and the purpose of my call to CR was more to compliment the way the problem was handled than a complaint about the problem itself. So based on that, I think Customer Relations is quick to make things right (or at least used to be.)
 
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