Smoking onboard and less than acceptable service

[RickIronton]

Someone detected a smoke odor and it created a major concern with all of the conductors and sleeping car attendants,..........accusations abrupted and certain passengers were accused in my viewliner sleeper car.

One conductor went from cabin to cabin spraying Febreze. All of the Amtrak personnel were greatly concerned.

The odor problem was never fully explained.

Yet, I had a problem with the shower door not closing and spilling water adjacent.

The conductor and sleeping car attendant thought my complaint was frivilous and said it happens all the time,...no problem.

The coffee machine didn't work,.... no problem,..... just go to the next sleeper,........no ice.in morning ,....no problem,......do without.

Of course, smoking is a concern but so are the little things that make a pleasant experience riding Amtrak.

Most of us on this discussion forum are accustomed to suffering through the problems and not addressing the issue and letting Amtrak know our concerns.

We'll never get better service until, we, the dedicated passengers, voice our concern whenever their is a problem.

I've sent a complaint letter to Amtrak, concerning my recent experience but how many of us just shrug bad service off and say nothing.

We are to blame for bad service continuing, so don't complain on this board without also complaining to Amtrak and letting your concerns heard.

Can you imagine your outrage if you were told by a airline flight attendant that the coffee machine wasn't working or that there was a leaking water problem in the lavatory,... and they said,.......no problem!

Or, if you alerted a restaurant employee that there was a water issue in the bathroom and they said,...no problem,.... it happens all the time.

I know I'm going to hear from board members with excuses for the employees of Amtrak,....so to those,.... I say,......no problem,...keep accepting "shitty" service and don't expect anything to change, You get what you deserve!

Thanks,....I'm now stepping down from my soapbox.

 

[PaulM]

I'm not commenting on the particular incidents, but there is no question that customers form Amtrak's quality control department. I used to think the transportation certificates you received when complaining about bad service were a good will, public relations gesture. But I've come to believe they are for services rendered.

That being said, I will be sending a complimentary comment to customer relations regarding a station agent who recently went above and beyond to help, something he was in no way required to do.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Someone detected a smoke odor and it created a major concern with all of the conductors and sleeping car attendants,..........accusations abrupted and certain passengers were accused in my viewliner sleeper car.

One conductor went from cabin to cabin spraying Febreze. All of the Amtrak personnel were greatly concerned.

The odor problem was never fully explained.

Yet, I had a problem with the shower door not closing and spilling water adjacent.

The conductor and sleeping car attendant thought my complaint was frivilous and said it happens all the time,...no problem.

The coffee machine didn't work,.... no problem,..... just go to the next sleeper,........no ice.in morning ,....no problem,......do without.

Of course, smoking is a concern but so are the little things that make a pleasant experience riding Amtrak.

Most of us on this discussion forum are accustomed to suffering through the problems and not addressing the issue and letting Amtrak know our concerns.

We'll never get better service until, we, the dedicated passengers, voice our concern whenever their is a problem.

I've sent a complaint letter to Amtrak, concerning my recent experience but how many of us just shrug bad service off and say nothing.

We are to blame for bad service continuing, so don't complain on this board without also complaining to Amtrak and letting your concerns heard.

Can you imagine your outrage if you were told by a airline flight attendant that the coffee machine wasn't working or that there was a leaking water problem in the lavatory,... and they said,.......no problem!

Or, if you alerted a restaurant employee that there was a water issue in the bathroom and they said,...no problem,.... it happens all the time.

I know I'm going to hear from board members with excuses for the employees of Amtrak,....so to those,.... I say,......no problem,...keep accepting "shitty" service and don't expect anything to change, You get what you deserve!

Thanks,....I'm now stepping down from my soapbox.

While I don't agree with you downplaying the potential of identifying reported smoke (If I'm reading that correctly), I do agree with everything else you typed (minus the airline comparison.) Whining on an internet forum doesn't accomplish anything unless you follow up with the company. This is particularly true when it comes to defective equipment.

Write in and make sure you include a car number!!!

 

[caravanman]

I agree that any percieved problems need to be reported to superior levels.

It may be that smoking is an actual offence, I have seen folk taken away by the sheriff.

Employees can only "fix" what they can fix... If the door won't close, they probably don't have the knowledge or authority to fix it.

Is it better to endure the leak, or better to fix an out of service sticker on it?

Same with the coffee and ice... I am not excusing bad employee service, but maybe there was little they could do at that point.

We should all complain to Amtrak about equipment or service failures, it is the only way to bring about change...

Ed

 

[Karl1459]

What are the safety issues? Ice=no. Coffee=no. Shower=maybe (mitigated by towels? seen it done). Smoking=YES.

What could the conductor/attendant correct? Ice-Coffee-Shower=no. Smoking=YES.

What could get the conductor/attendant FIRED? Allowing a passenger to smoke!

 

[me_little_me]

What are the safety issues? Ice=no. Coffee=no. Shower=maybe (mitigated by towels? seen it done). Smoking=YES.

What could the conductor/attendant correct? Ice-Coffee-Shower=no. Smoking=YES.

What could get the conductor/attendant FIRED? Allowing a passenger to smoke!

The fact is that it is the conductor's responsibility to take care of issues, small and large. Yes, the smoking issue comes first but the others should not be ignored. Nobody expects the conductor to fix the shower but looking at it, expressing sympathy, telling the customer that he/she would have been moved to another room if one was available and stating that the conductor would report the problem are all part of the job. As to the ice and coffee issue, the customer should not have been told to go to another car. The conductor should have explained to the customer why there was a problem and the SCA should have offered to get ice and/or coffee when requested.

THAT is customer service. Customer service is the responsibility of EVERY Amtrak employee working with customers. My experiences on many trips is that customer service is something MOST but not ALL train employees practice and even then, those that do practice it range from the outstanding ones to those practicing it but obviously not succeeding very well.

 

[Sauve850]

I haven't had a shower issue in any bedrooms Ive been in but I do ask if there will be coffee in the morning. If no then I request a cup of coffee be brought to me very nicely at such and such time. Same with ice. If no ice in car and I need some I ask for it to be brought to the bedroom. The SCA's Ive had always complied without complaint. Good customer service was provided.

I wont suffer thru problems. I ask for help. I am respectful and even helpful if I can be. Have only encountered one smoking issue on the CZ and folks were put off at the next stop.

 

[Steve4031]

Smoking us definitely an issue. The crew does need to address it. But in a professional manner that is respectful of all passengers. Once the smoker is clearly identified give that person a warning. But don't be rude to all passengers because of the action of one.

 

[Manny T]

My M.O. is always to seek an alternative when there is a problem, and it usually works. If there's no ice/juice/coffee in my Sleeper, I walk to the next one and get it there. If there's none there, I ask my sleeping car attendant to bring me some. 100% of the time he or she has done so. Good thing all around, because I'm pleased and he or she is auditioning for a larger tip at the end of the journey.

I'm not sure this type of thing warrants a call to Customer Service after the trip, but if others do call on service issues like this, I think that's great. Insufficient heat in the room or a non-functioning toilet or lights--that does warrant a call imo, and usually results in compensation of some sort.

 

[fillyjonk]

I have allergies to smoke so smoking in the car I am in would be a problem. But I'm not sure Febreze is a suitable fix! (I am also sensitive to some scents). Of course there's no way to open a window (what I would do, for example, if a rude guest in my home lit up)

The thing is, it's not really the conductor (or SCA or whoever)'s fault that some passenger decided their desire to smoke outweighed the rules of the train. But it is something they may feel they can fix, whereas something broken on the car, they may not be able/be empowered to.

 

[StriderGDM]

BTW, if the shower was a viewliner, my experience is all the doors leak a bit and often pop open. It's a real issue. But Amtrak never seems to do much about it.

 

[willem]

I have allergies to smoke so smoking in the car I am in would be a problem. But I'm not sure Febreze is a suitable fix!

I doubt that Fabreze does anything to negate allergens. If anyone knows better, please correct me. I would be interested in how it would neutralize an allergen rather than mask the smell of the smoke.

There probably isn't anything the conductor or SCA can do to alleviate the unhealthy effect of someone having smoked, unless the ventilation fan has a purge setting, which would be nice.

 

[seat38a]

Smoking us definitely an issue. The crew does need to address it. But in a professional manner that is respectful of all passengers. Once the smoker is clearly identified give that person a warning. But don't be rude to all passengers because of the action of one.

The last couple of trips, they throw the culprit off at the next station. They don't go easy on the person when they catch them smoking from my experience.

 

[Asher]

Searching for smokers,no ice, coffee to far from room, all this adding up to crappy service not up to airlines std. I'm afraid it would take far more for me to file a complaint.

 

[benjibear]

It sometimes is difficult to catch smokers. Rude people is not Amtrak's fault. We were just in a very nice non-smoking hotel but smelled smoke all night. Not much can be done. In my opinion, smokers are the rudest of them all. Just look at intersections on roads and the amount of buts being thrown from windows.

What about vaping? I know those are suppose to have good odors, but some of the menthol ones do stink. Many people think they can go anywhere and vape because it isn't smoking.

 

[andersone]

As a former smoker I understand full well the dependence on nicotine. I have been sober for more than 20 years but the nicotine addiction was never broken, until that is I had two radical head and neck cancer surgeries, rad and chemo and a trachea. It has been more than 6 years since I have had one but still crave it. Where I work vaping is classified as smoking and not allowed. Having said that I support the rules and the removal of smokers from the train.

I would however, as suggested above, contact Amtrak and describe the issues. Poor service is poor service, and the only tip that SCA would have seen from me is "Have A Nice Day"

 

[Hal]

It sometimes is difficult to catch smokers. Rude people is not Amtrak's fault. We were just in a very nice non-smoking hotel but smelled smoke all night. Not much can be done. In my opinion, smokers are the rudest of them all. Just look at intersections on roads and the amount of buts being thrown from windows.

What about vaping? I know those are suppose to have good odors, but some of the menthol ones do stink. Many people think they can go anywhere and vape because it isn't smoking.

Electronic Cigarettes are not allowed on Amtrak.

The problem in the sleepers is you can smell the smoke but not see the smoker. So figuring out who is not always easy. First though it is best to make a local announcement in the car about the smoking policy before accusing people of smoking. Hopefully that announcement will prevent further smoking in the car.

As for the shower and coffee maker all the conductor can do is request maintenance. They usually can't fix those things. So none will be done enroute unless there is a stop enroute like Washington for example where they have workers who could take a look. Even then it might have to wait until the train is yarded. The conductor should explain that.

 

[willem]

Some years ago, there was a study (since discredited) that reported that living on a near-starvation diet would result in a longer life. The actual investigation, if I recall correctly, was performed by feeding mice 60% of what was thought to be a healthy number of calories per day. A few years later, I read of a woman who followed this regime. "But aren't you hungry after your meal?" the interviewer asked. The woman replied that hunger let her know that she was attaining her goal.

I used to think that smokers were astoundingly stupid for choosing a behavior that was detrimental to their health. After the study came out (and before it was discredited), I asked myself if I wanted to live another 40 years, where I was hungry every single day, or another 30 years, where I had full meals and ice cream for dessert regularly. I chose the behavior that was allegedly detrimental to my lifespan.

Since then, I have a lot more sympathy for smokers and their addiction. Nonetheless, I don't want to breath their smoke and I am glad that Amtrak policy is that smokers be removed from the train.

 

[tonys96]

IMHO.....what qualifies to contact Amtrak about as far as service goes, is in the eye of the beholder. What concerns me may not be a problem to the person next to me. And vice versa.

YMMV.

 

[Ryan]

^^^Concur^^^

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

The coffee machine didn't work,.... no problem,..... just go to the next sleeper,

My Viewliner experiences include several trips with the coffee maker not working. Yea, my SA mentions I could go to the next Sleeper, but once had that other Sleeper's SA yell at me that his coffee is only for his passengers. That's not an option, IMHO, since.

Now, when the Viewliner coffee machine isn't working, I just wander to the Dining Car and help myself. There is always a pot of coffee, "to go" cups with lids, cream, sugars, and stirrers. Yea, I am not sure us mere passengers are suppose to, but no one ever questions me.

Basically, a trip is what you make of it.

 

[fillyjonk]

Could the SCA have thought you were a coach passenger? I've been on a few trips where coach passengers figured out there was a coffee maker in the sleeper and went in there and got coffee.

I dunno. I'm not a coffee drinker so a non working coffee pot isn't even a little deal to me. I'd rather reliably know there was bottled/decent on-tap water. I usually carry my own bottle just in case but wish I didn't have to haul that extra weight.