New Amtrak Cancellation/Refund Policy

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I asked for the confirmed source and she told me that SHE is the source.

I guess one could turn it around, and ask you to confirm what YOUR source is for thinking she was wrong?

If she instead told you what you wanted to hear, I am sure if later a different CS agent tried to withhold the 10%, you would have no problem saying "Mrs Smith" told me I would get a full refund, gladly making she the source. No?

 

[Anderson]

You know, IF this is true, unless Amtrak sends out an email or otherwise seeks to contact the (probably several tens of thousands of) people potentially affected by this, I think a good lawyer could make a class action suit here on the grounds that Amtrak changed the terms of transportation after a purchase was made and didn't inform folks properly.

One thing that might be worth doing is sending an email and/or trying to get written confirmation of the policy one way or the other. Especially if multiple "logical trips" are involved, you would presumably at least have a strong appeal to a supervisor and a reasonable threat of a claim against them if you were misinformed in writing.

Edit: I am not a lawyer nor do I claim to be one.

 

[RRUserious]

I have to believe that somewhere in that clever little disclaimer is language that allows them to do whatever they bloody feel like.

 

[Anderson]

I have to believe that somewhere in that clever little disclaimer is language that allows them to do whatever they bloody feel like.

On the one hand it wouldn't surprise me; on the other hand, I can't find such an exemption on the website (at least, not on the policies pages), and I suspect that if somebody booked well in advance of this, they would at the very least have an argument that Amtrak should have sent out a mass email to anyone with reservations, and tried to contact those folks with affected reservations but no email via phone or otherwise. The last bit is particularly important considering the decent number of older customers Amtrak has who, to put it politely, may not be the most internet savvy.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

I have to believe that somewhere in that clever little disclaimer is language that allows them to do whatever they bloody feel like.

On the one hand it wouldn't surprise me; on the other hand, I can't find such an exemption on the website (at least, not on the policies pages), and I suspect that if somebody booked well in advance of this, they would at the very least have an argument that Amtrak should have sent out a mass email to anyone with reservations, and tried to contact those folks with affected reservations but no email via phone or otherwise. The last bit is particularly important considering the decent number of older customers Amtrak has who, to put it politely, may not be the most internet savvy.

I agree that it is important for Amtrak contact to remain good with especially the older travelers, because as my grandma in San Jose puts it, she's technologically impaired! Not saying all are, but many certainly aren't afraid to admit it!

 

[PRR 60]

One problem is that Amtrak's posted cancellation policy always stated that refunds were subject to a 10% penalty. In practice they did not enforce that unless tickets were printed, but that was not posted anywhere in Amtrak's T&C's. Enforcing a 10% refund penalty now could simply be construed as adhering to the published but unenforced policy.

Having said that, I agree that moving to enforce that policy now with the only notice being on a deeply embedded web page is pretty sleazy. My guess that Amtrak's computer system has no means of differentiating between reservations based on booking date for application of the refund penalty, but, if true, that is a pretty poor reason to put the screws to your customers.

 

[Amtrak George]

SLEEPER REFUNDS CONCERN ME: I haven't been able to tell from the new policy, but here are a couple of questions I'm concerned about:

1. If I have a trip planned on a sleeper and have to cancel (due to work schedule changes, illness, whatever) fourteen days out, do I still get a voucher for future sleeper travel?

2. If I cancel 14 days or less before travel, and either can't travel within a year or they won't give a voucher, and I have paid $3,000.00 in room charges, do I just have to eat that?

 

[Joel]

How long do vouchers last? In order to use those vouchers, you have to be physically at the station? Or may I use them thru the internet?

 

[printman2000]

I warned years ago that you should not count on Amtrak not enforcing their refund policy. They had a right to start doing it at any time. And that now SEEMS to be what they are doing.

However, we could find out that they will still not enforce the penalty even after this date. Time will tell.

 

[amamba]

How long do vouchers last? In order to use those vouchers, you have to be physically at the station? Or may I use them thru the internet?

As of this point, I don't believe any vouchers can be redeemed online. You can redeem them via phone - I think. But I am 99.9% sure you cannot use the website to book tickets with a voucher.

 

[GoldenSpike]

Edit: I am not a lawyer nor do I claim to be one.

I was waiting for the rest of it..."...but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night"

 

[Gingee]

I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

 

[Shortline]

I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

Does not currently apply to you-You have your reservation, booked prior to the new rules. Current policies are in effect. If you book AFTER August 12th, the new policy will apply.

 

[Anderson]

I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

Does not currently apply to you-You have your reservation, booked prior to the new rules. Current policies are in effect. If you book AFTER August 12th, the new policy will apply.

Well, it doesn't apply this year...what about next year, for those of us who take a trip (or several) more than once per year? For example, I take an annual trip out to Iowa. It's generally the same trip at the same time of the year (the only differences being, on occasion, origination location and whether I connect west via the LSL or Cap), and it usually involves the same general (weather-related) concerns.

The other issue that comes up: What about "returns" on a round trip (i.e. not part of the same "logical trip")? For a good example here, if I'm planning to go to Florida and a hurricane triggers a cancellation of my trip there, what about the trip back?

 

[Anderson]

Edit: I am not a lawyer nor do I claim to be one.

I was waiting for the rest of it..."...but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night"

lol...I'll try to remember that. Preferably some time when I did just get stuck staying at one the night before

 

[printman2000]

I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

Does not currently apply to you-You have your reservation, booked prior to the new rules. Current policies are in effect. If you book AFTER August 12th, the new policy will apply.

You might not want to be so quick to say that. You could be right, but as I said, there has always been a refund fee (read the current policy right below the new one). Therefore, I see no reason why they would not charge refund fees for everyone if they are going to start actually collecting them.

Gingee, I would assume you would be able to cancel and get an evoucher for future travel as long as you cancel before departure.

 

[colobok]

I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

Does not currently apply to you-You have your reservation, booked prior to the new rules. Current policies are in effect. If you book AFTER August 12th, the new policy will apply.

Please read OP. According to the agent new rules apply to everybody after 08/12/12 regardless of the purchase date!

I also sent email to Amtrak with this question, but no response so far...

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Maybe for this policy change management has decided to follow the tried and true, but unwritten, onboard policy of 'Let's make the rules up as we go along...'

 

[alanh]

As for the "what if I can't get to the station" question, if the weather is really bad the train is probably running late too (heck, they often run late in good weather). I'm going to assume they're still going to waive the fee if the train is more than 2 hours late.

And yes, the "full refund if ticket isn't printed" is not a published policy. So don't count on that applying, and "ticket printed" in most cases now is meaningless. So if you do have any unprinted tickets you're thinking about refunding, you should do it soon.

 

[Shortline]

1344182472[/url]' post='385192']

1344142451[/url]' post='385165']

1344139555[/url]' post='385163']I am totally confused. I have a sleeper round trip for the Christmas holidays. So say we have a snowstorm on Christmas (we leave the day after) and we can't get to the train station (forty miles away), what do we loose? Ten percent of the whole thing or what?

Does not currently apply to you-You have your reservation, booked prior to the new rules. Current policies are in effect. If you book AFTER August 12th, the new policy will apply.

Please read OP. According to the agent new rules apply to everybody after 08/12/12 regardless of the purchase date!

I also sent email to Amtrak with this question, but no response so far...

Just going by what I was told a few days ago when I booked. Agent said reservations booked before Aug 12 will be under the existing policy, those booked after the new policy goes in effect, will be under it. As with all things Amtrak, it seems to depend on which agent you talk to, but they would play hell trying to enforce a new policy not n effect at the time of booking.

 

[Gingee]

I wish I could book our train trip for next July but it is too early. No bookings that far out.

 

[Anderson]

So...I've had a couple of nightmares lately. For the most part, the gist is that I'm having to go through one of those "nightmare trip" situations where I'm having to re-schedule my trip repeatedly and getting slapped with a 10% penalty...and then going back and forth about how ridiculous the whole thing is, yadda yadda yadda, with the agent.

How lame is it that my nightmares are dealing with the arcana of Amtrak policies?

 

[amamba]

I was told today that there is a 48 hour cancellation policy for an acela express first class ticket. ???

Seems the ticket agents have not been well trained at all.

 

[jis]

I was told today that there is a 48 hour cancellation policy for an acela express first class ticket. ???

Seems the ticket agents have not been well trained at all.

The announced policy is 0 hour. But of course why should anyone follow that? They should go about as usual inventing their own policies. Afterall it is Amtrak! :lol:

 

[Martha Healy]

I am totally confused. I have previously purchased tickets coach HFD to WAS return in August which were paid for. Then Chi to Orlando/return in September on points. If I have to change or cancel either of these what happens? If I plan my February 2013 trip now (on points) and have to change it what happens?