ralfp
Service Attendant
My signature could belong to Kang or Kodos; the conductor really has no way of knowing w/o checking ID. So no.
Signing tickets
- Thread starter PetalumaLoco
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Actually the printed ticket does not insist on a signature. In fact I should have mentioned this earlier, the ticket machines be it an agents or a Quik-Trak actually do make it quite clear if your ticket needs to be signed. The base ticket stock does have the blurb posted by Sky with the signature line and the words "sign here". However, if the ticket actually requires a signature, then the computer will print a second time the words "sign here", or something to that effect.
Anyone who happens to currently have both an AGR ticket and a ticket purchased by credit card will quickly be able to see the difference. Although again a ticket requiring a signature basically has two "sign here's" printed on it, one by computer and one by the printing company that makes Amtrak's ticket stock.
As for the conductors, personally I've never had a conductor that insisted on a signed ticket, but I have had onboard staff that insists on it. I always politely point out that it says "I acknowledged billing to my credit card and the zero dollar amount" and most seem to then understand. I'd do the same if the conductor told me to do so, but if he were insistent, then I'd take down his name and report him and then proceed to sign the ticket for him.
The problem of course comes back to some people not paying attention to their training and others who think that they get to make their own rules. I'm not sure just how or when employees are told about signing tickets, but it would appear that many need a refresher course.
sky12065
Conductor
The base ticket stock does not have "sign here" preprinted on my tickets. It only has the X where one signs. So there is only one "SIGN HERE" on the ticket that was printed by the computer upon ticket issue.
Next time I get tickets, I'll sign Mickey Mouse like happened in Florida upon registering to vote! :lol:
M-I-C.... C ya real soon.... K-E-Y..... Y? Because we like you... M-O-U-S-E.........
(Sorry if you're too young to remember the original Mickey Mouse Club)
Mickey
Ok, sorry didn't have a ticket available to look at. I'm positive that the computer does print "Sign here" though when one needs to sign because of a credit card purchase. Just couldn't remember what the ticket stock had on it.
Nope, I remember that.
amtrakwolverine
Engineer
ok so lets say my mom signs the ticket in her name sense she paid for it. the conductor asks for id. the ticket is in my name. what happends sense its not my signature. i get tossed off.
The conductor should be comparing the printed name on the ticket to your id, not the signatures. Again, the signature on the ticket is to authorize the charge to the credit card. It has nothing to do with anything else, and most if not all conductors should know that. The signature is not for ID purposes.
sky12065
Conductor
Alan, I just thought of something that doesn't make sense to me. After signing the tickets, the charge is for all practical purposes processed immediately and in most cases any fraudlent situation would in all likely have been discovered prior to the date of the trip! But where are the tickets and signature? Not in the hands of Amtrak; it's in the hands of the purchaser! So how does the signature for the charge serve a purpose? There is nothing else that requires signing!
T
Tony
Guest
OK, I read thru this, and I don't understand.
If one does not have to sign the ticket, when why is there still a place to sign?
And does signing the ticket mean anything other than simply being a credit card receipt? Does the signature mean anything to Amtrak itself, like agreeing to a contract for transportation between Amtrak and the passenger?
T
Tony
Guest
Isn't it kind-of late for that? I mean, Amtrak charges my CC when I make my reservations, which for me, is usually many many months earlier. Matter of fact, my CC's own window-to-dispute has already long passed by the time I step onto an Amtrak train.
Well if it was theft, then the fact that your signature isn't on the used ticket would be proof that you didn't buy the ticket. Then it would be up to the credit card company to deal with the fraud issue. If you really did buy the ticket, but then decided not to travel, then Amtrak really looses nothing except perhaps it's 10% penalty should you initiate a chargeback prior to traveling.
However if you did take the trip and then tried to pull a fast one and pretend that you didn't, now Amtrak has your signature to prove that you took the trip and that you authorized the charge. Odds are that Amtrak will win that chargeback attempt. Without your signature, they might loose and now be out the dollars for your transportation.
Perhaps "authorize" was the wrong word to use there, instead I should have used either "agree" or "acknowledge". Bottom line is that you are confirming that you are agreeing to the purchase of those tickets. Just like a store hands you a receipt to sign in most cases, Amtrak is handing you a receipt to sign as proof that you agree to pay those charges on your credit card.
As for the window of dispute, it may have passed for you based upon your buying habits, but for many it probably hasn't.
Because it's just easier to have one printed ticket stock, rather than have two ticket stocks one for credit card purchases and one for AGR and other non-credit purchases. The difference instead is that the ticket machine prints "Sign here" when you actually need to sign the ticket.
As noted in the post above by Joe (sky12065), printed on the ticket is verbiage that indicates that you are agreeing to pay your credit card company for that ticket, and they in turn pay Amtrak. It means nothing more than your signing the receipt put in front of you at a restaurant or any store where you used your credit card. You are acknowledging your obligation to pay the charge, that’s it.
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Not to belabor the point (even though I am about to belabor the point), but signing the ticket means nothing to the credit card processor unless the signature is obtained at the time of purchase and the credit card is presented and scanned. Restaurant and retail receipts are examples of that. Amtrak internet and phone purchases made weeks or months prior to printing the tickets are closed out long before the signature is applied and the document is collected. Years ago, when almost all tickets were bought over the counter, maybe the signature mattered. Today, it's very doubtful that signature means anything to the banks.
My impression is that the signature is primarily used to prove use of the ticket by the named passenger to prevent fraudulent lost ticket claims. But, in reality, I haven't a clue why a signature on the ticket is required by Amtrak and no other transportation carrier. In an era of no pretzels and paying for water, if there was money to be made having passengers sign tickets or boarding passes, I really think we would be signing tickets and boarding passes for everyone. My guess is that this is one of those Amtrak "we always did it this way" practices that may have been important once but has no meaning today.
My two cents.
the_traveler
Engineer
On my recent trip, I had some tickets "paid" with AGR points, some bought with a credit card (AGR MC of course ) and some bought using a voucher. I forget which ones, but some indicated "sign here" and some said "check ID", but neither was enforced! (I never signed and was never ID'ed. The conductor just took the ticket.)
) and some bought using a voucher. I forget which ones, but some indicated "sign here" and some said "check ID", but neither was enforced! (I never signed and was never ID'ed. The conductor just took the ticket.)I, too, don't understand the reasoning behind the ticket signature having anything meaningful to do with the credit card, for that exact reason. Signing for a purchase made weeks or months ago doesn't make sense.
If one purchases a ticket in person they day of travel, at a ticket window, does Amtrak have you sign any kind of credit card receipt right there and then? Or do they just hand you the tickets and still expect you to sign sometime later?
The agent will make you sign immediately, most won't even give you your credit card back until you sign the tickets.
ralfp
Service Attendant
That only works if the ticket is issued to the CC holder. Otherwise the signature is meaningless, though it might be useful in going after the person who used the ticket (unlikely).
Some airlines do make the CC holder sign for the purchase on the day of travel (Singapore comes to mind). This seems like a real PITA; I often buy tickets for other people living thousands of miles away. Airline tickets seem like a bad way to fraudulently use a credit card, as the airline has time to process and investigate the charge (between purchase and use), and the thief has to present him/herself to the airline and present photo ID, all in the presence of many law enforcement officers.
A sensible policy for Amtrak would be to verify ID for all tickets issued to someone other than the CC holder (print a big "CHECK ID" on the ticket). This ensures that the traveler's identity is correctly recorded, making it easier to catch the thief.
Which is why Amtrak is supposed to be getting the signature of the person whose name is on the credit card on the ticket. Unfortunately many at Amtrak don't seem to realize why the tickets need to be signed, so they'll allow anyone to sign.
I think having to sign the ticket is ridiculous. How am I supposed to buy train tickets for people in NYC when I'm in DC??
The reality is, I do it all of the time, and the person receiving the ticket just scribbles something on that line.
Waste of time and ink.
The reality is, I do it all of the time, and the person receiving the ticket just scribbles something on that line.
Waste of time and ink.
access bob
Lead Service Attendant
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Well again, tickets purchased with cash don't need to be signed.
But Alan Do you think the guy on the PA of our Surhliner north to LA on Saturday could understand that. :lol:
Aloha
I always get my tickets from the agent at the Van Nuys station.
They seem to uniformly misunderstand the AGR ticketing procedures.
However, they always require that I sign all the ticket copies regardless of
how they are paid for or if they are AGR tickets. On one occasion they
told me my wife would have to come in and get a new ticket with her own
points because the fare was zero on the ticket. They still made me sign it
and the conduction didn't seem to have any problems.
They seem to uniformly misunderstand the AGR ticketing procedures.
However, they always require that I sign all the ticket copies regardless of
how they are paid for or if they are AGR tickets. On one occasion they
told me my wife would have to come in and get a new ticket with her own
points because the fare was zero on the ticket. They still made me sign it
and the conduction didn't seem to have any problems.
George Harris
Engineer
Who cares? This whole thing strikes me as much ado about nothing. If they ask me for a signature, they get one. If not they don't. Again, who cares? On the scale of life's top 1,000,000 real issues, this one would probably not even appear.
ralfp
Service Attendant
If this forum were stripped of all such topics, it would be a lot less interesting, and have a lot less traffic.
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