caravanman
Engineer
There is an old saying to the effect that if one is always looking to find problems, one can often find some...
I don't think that I was looking, but feel more that I have taken off my rose tinted specs recently.
We are all aware that timekeeping is pretty much out of Amtrak's hands, so I will leave that aside, and just pretend that I am a first time passenger.
1) I try to buy a ticket from a station agent and get offered stupid connections and more expensive routes than the one I know exists and which I have to argue is available.
2) The station agent emails me a ticket in the wrong format, so I have to phone customer service to get the correct format emailed. (The Amtrak ticket system was down while I was at the station).
3) Different station... Agent sells me a ticket for travel dated for travel the day before I purchased it! Thankfully, I did spot it in time to make another trip to the booking office.
4) Same agent, I ask for a return travel ticket and find that on my return train I have only a one way...
5) The Zephyr in sleeper. I am at the first table to be seated at the "first come first served" lunch, yet the server takes orders from two other tables before taking ours.
6) Dinner, the same server as at lunchtime gives my order to someone else, and then acts all surprised when I send back their food which I did not order.
7) Different server, no salad sent despite my order.
8) Dinning car steward does not take my order while "walking the train" on either day... possibly him being such an overweight person he did not trouble himself to make it down to the lower levels.
9) Looking forward to lunch on the last day, only to hear a sudden loud announcement at 11.30am that the dinning car is now closed for lunch! No previous announcement, no warning, no explanation.
10) At the end of my trip I have accumulated a lot of change, the cafe car assistant refuses to take all my silver (no coppers) to purchase one small beer.
11) Cold sleeper temperature, no way to provide any heat, travel date at end of October.
Because I enjoy train travel I shrug off these minor irritations, but looking back, all except one of these complaints is something that the employees could do something about...
The return ticket issue worked out ok in the end, although I could have been made to pay a conductor supplement, instead I got a free ride. My Zephyr sleeper attendant was good, the toilets and shower were clean and in good order, and we were early into Chicago. I am typing this aboard the Lakeshore Ltd, heading to NYP, straining to hear the whispery cafe and restaurant announcements once again... The good news today is that we have a good coach car attendant who keeps us informed, and also that overnight, I was one of the lucky few to have a whole 2 person seat to myself to sleep on! Bliss!
Trip report will follow.
Ed
I don't think that I was looking, but feel more that I have taken off my rose tinted specs recently.
We are all aware that timekeeping is pretty much out of Amtrak's hands, so I will leave that aside, and just pretend that I am a first time passenger.
1) I try to buy a ticket from a station agent and get offered stupid connections and more expensive routes than the one I know exists and which I have to argue is available.
2) The station agent emails me a ticket in the wrong format, so I have to phone customer service to get the correct format emailed. (The Amtrak ticket system was down while I was at the station).
3) Different station... Agent sells me a ticket for travel dated for travel the day before I purchased it! Thankfully, I did spot it in time to make another trip to the booking office.
4) Same agent, I ask for a return travel ticket and find that on my return train I have only a one way...
5) The Zephyr in sleeper. I am at the first table to be seated at the "first come first served" lunch, yet the server takes orders from two other tables before taking ours.
6) Dinner, the same server as at lunchtime gives my order to someone else, and then acts all surprised when I send back their food which I did not order.
7) Different server, no salad sent despite my order.
8) Dinning car steward does not take my order while "walking the train" on either day... possibly him being such an overweight person he did not trouble himself to make it down to the lower levels.
9) Looking forward to lunch on the last day, only to hear a sudden loud announcement at 11.30am that the dinning car is now closed for lunch! No previous announcement, no warning, no explanation.
10) At the end of my trip I have accumulated a lot of change, the cafe car assistant refuses to take all my silver (no coppers) to purchase one small beer.
11) Cold sleeper temperature, no way to provide any heat, travel date at end of October.
Because I enjoy train travel I shrug off these minor irritations, but looking back, all except one of these complaints is something that the employees could do something about...
The return ticket issue worked out ok in the end, although I could have been made to pay a conductor supplement, instead I got a free ride. My Zephyr sleeper attendant was good, the toilets and shower were clean and in good order, and we were early into Chicago. I am typing this aboard the Lakeshore Ltd, heading to NYP, straining to hear the whispery cafe and restaurant announcements once again... The good news today is that we have a good coach car attendant who keeps us informed, and also that overnight, I was one of the lucky few to have a whole 2 person seat to myself to sleep on! Bliss!
Trip report will follow.
Ed