Complaint with Amtrak Conductor

[Devil's Advocate]

So I can't expect good service in the future because I didn't tip well enough for bad service in the past? That's good to know.

Tipping really is only a piece of this. Want good repeat service? Be nice to the help. That applies everywhere. Does it ensure good service? No. But it sure increases the odds.

I do make it a point to be polite. I do not make demands. I simply request what I need as a question that they are free to accept or decline. However, I do not kiss-up to the staff. If they are having a bad day I will not coddle them or wipe their tears away or tell them it's going to be alright. I am not their father and they are not my children. They are adults who are being paid to do an adult's job. If they can't handle that then maybe they should look for another career that doesn't involve any front line duties. Sounds simple enough to me. Personally I think Amtrak could be twice as popular as it is now if only more of their staff treated customers like they are truly welcome and appreciated. Some Amtrak staff obviously care about the experience they're providing, but a surprising number really don't seem to give a damn one way or another and a few seem to go out of their way to cause as much trouble as possible.

Ironically, much of the bad behavior I witness by the staff is not actually directed toward me personally. More often than not it's directed toward passengers who are new to the Amtrak experience and don't know how to avoid the irritation and admonition of the less tolerant staff.

That is not what you seem to imply when you talk about repeat service.

Over the years I've learned what I can and what I cannot expect of the staff. For the most part I tend to keep to myself and do not give the staff much of a reason to get grouchy or angry with me. However, if the staff treats my friends or family rudely then yeah that really bothers me. At this point most of my friends and family won't even consider Amtrak anymore, mostly due to the lousy schedule and the bad attitudes of the staff. Maybe I didn't do enough to warn them what to expect or fully impress upon them how careful they should be to avoid being bossed around and argued with by the people we're supposedly paying to take care of us. But it seems odd that we really need to go through that much trouble just to avoid any friction with the staff. I must admit that I'm always amazed how people on AU never seem to notice any of the patronizing talk-downs some of the newer riders receive for nothing worse than asking a question or making a request without knowing the official protocol. I see it far too often and really bothers me.

 

[leemell]

I should find out where AGR is based. That could be a fun job too.

Beyond the small contingent at Headquarters in DC, I believe that the bulk of AGR workers are in Philly and some place in California.

Los Angeles

Riverside, CA

 

[slimchipley]

But most of my trips have been on Superliners and mostly those buttons are straightforward switches. The touch panel in Viewliners may be more prone to failure and I've only ridden Viewliners 3 times and those times were back in the 90s when the cars were newer.

Back when they had TVs in those rooms! I've never had to use the call button, but will vouch for their existence. I'm guessing they are at least as reliable as the PA sytsem.

 

[crescent2]

I know this is not a current thread, but to the OP, no, you are definitely NOT expecting too much. My mobility-impaired husband and I traveled on Amtrak many times (Crescent), and never experienced anything close to the rude behavior you received. I hope you reported this to Amtrak customer service, and if you didn't, it's still not too late. A letter would be even better. Amtrak cannot address what they do not know about. And yes, it is part of the attendant's job to help passengers who need help with their luggage. We were always cheerfully offered help even though I could manage our luggage. As for the other issues, they also show totally unacceptable behavior on the attendant's part. Best wishes on any future travels.

 

[Nathanael]

If it's any help, apparently until recently Amtrak management had no formal system which could track comments and complaints regarding particular crew members, unless the customer had made the effort to get the crew member's name.

Soon, according to what I've been reading in various Amtrak publications, Amtrak will have such a system. Any complaint or compliment will be tied to the time, location, and reservation -- which will be used to figure out which engineer and conductors were working, and which car the passengers were in, and therefore which OBS people were inovlved.

This may make it more possible for Amtrak management to identify, document the behavior of, and remove the "bad 'uns".

 

[zephyr17]

If it's any help, apparently until recently Amtrak management had no formal system which could track comments and complaints regarding particular crew members, unless the customer had made the effort to get the crew member's name.

Soon, according to what I've been reading in various Amtrak publications, Amtrak will have such a system. Any complaint or compliment will be tied to the time, location, and reservation -- which will be used to figure out which engineer and conductors were working, and which car the passengers were in, and therefore which OBS people were inovlved.

This may make it more possible for Amtrak management to identify, document the behavior of, and remove the "bad 'uns".

It's about time. That is the necessary very first step to improving customer service across the board. Hopefully, this means Amtrak is finally starting down a long road of putting enforced customer service standards in place.

 

[AlanB]

If it's any help, apparently until recently Amtrak management had no formal system which could track comments and complaints regarding particular crew members, unless the customer had made the effort to get the crew member's name.

Soon, according to what I've been reading in various Amtrak publications, Amtrak will have such a system. Any complaint or compliment will be tied to the time, location, and reservation -- which will be used to figure out which engineer and conductors were working, and which car the passengers were in, and therefore which OBS people were inovlved.

This may make it more possible for Amtrak management to identify, document the behavior of, and remove the "bad 'uns".

No, AFAIK, as long as one didn't wait too long and could provide enough other information, Amtrak could always figure out who the attendant was. Tracking a SA in the diner or a conductor was much harder and it remains so, since there is always more than one, so without a name there often is no way to figure out who it was unless for example one conductor was male & the other female or one was 60 and the other 25.