The Case of the Crazy Porter

[jsreeves]

The funny thing is that you think everyone that disagrees with you is pro-Amtrak.

 

[AlanB]

Yes, we can discuss Amtrak here, but if you don't tell Amtrak about one of their employees, how are they to know something is wrong?

Maybe they could do it the same way other businesses find out. Usually this involves monitoring, reviewing, and grading their employees' performance, including through the use of secret shoppers. There is little chance a secret shopper armed with the Amtrak service manual would grade most SCA's with high marks.

They do do that. Maybe not enough for all the bad workers you seem to magically find, but nonetheless Amtrak does do that.

However, they also rely on reports from the customers too in their efforts to weed out the bad ones.

 

[AlanB]

To me, Amtrak's perpetual threat was that they relied on a core group of fans who would pay to ride and hope for the best, rather than actual consumers, as other businesses must try to court.

Amtrak's "core group of fans" probably represents about 5% of their total business. Most people on an Amtrak train aren't railfans.

 

[AlanB]

Perhaps he was having a medical issue. Like low blood sugar. Once he got a good meal, and some sleep (don't they only get about 4 hours to sleep), he felt better in the morning. We don't know what "occurred" before the OPs train boarded.

I used to be one of those Amtrak passengers who loved trains so much, I would defend all of the shortcomings. I have gotten over that. I am not an employee. When I pay to ride on Amtrak, I don't really think I should feel like I am working for Amtrak and simply be grateful that things have gone normally--as in, an employee on duty is coherent, not intoxicated, and doing his job.

To me, Amtrak's perpetual threat was that they relied on a core group of fans who would pay to ride and hope for the best, rather than actual consumers, as other businesses must try to court.

I would have made the same comment if you were complaining about a hotel worker, a restaurant worker, etc. Sometimes things are going on that WE do not know about that can effect how a person behaves.

As the poster said above, you should be complaining to Amtrak, not here.

I guess for that matter, none of us should ever say anything about Amtrak here, even though my impression was that this is a discussion forum where people discuss--I don't know--Amtrak. I am not asking anyone to give me money or anything,

In this case Coach Slumber, you'll have to forgive the members a bit, as there are many who do come here thinking that is exactly what we can do for them, get them some compensation. Or at least fix the problem. So it's sort of become the canned response for many because of that.

But you are indeed correct, this is a place to discuss both the good & bad about Amtrak.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I just don't understand how employees can get away with behaving like this in this day and age.
Why aren't people left and right taping this when they see it, editing it down when they get home, and posting it to Amtrak's FB page?

Public outing of the same folks over and over and Amtrak would HAVE to take action.

There's a very good reason - it's just not worth it. Call it laziness, or being realistic, or whatever, but most people don't want to take the time to actually try to FIX things. They just want to vent & hope somebody else fixes things, because it's just not worth the effort to try to try and help fix it yourself.

As Alan recently said,

... you'll have to forgive the members a bit, as there are many who do come here thinking that is exactly what we can do for them, get them some compensation. Or at least fix the problem. So it's sort of become the canned response for many because of that.

How many times have we seen people come on here & post angry diatribes against Amtrak after having a bad trip? How many of them don't even know or care whether AU has any kind of official tie to Amtrak or not? Many of them don't even bother to follow up with their posts - they're angry and just want to express their frustration before going back to the airlines & never taking Amtrak again.

Personally, I'm extremely lazy. However, I'm also more of the realist, and it's also just not that important to me. I've never encountered an awful Amtrak employee, but I've never had a great one either. If I have any stories to tell, I'll tell them, but it's just not that important to me - especially SCAs. Personally, if my fellow passengers would refrain from trashing the restrooms, I would be fine without having an SCA at all.

 

[Nathanael]

The first SCA should be cut some slack. No, he should not have asked for a tip. But given that *ordinary* scheduling leaves SCAs somewhat sleep-deprived, and that he made a point of pointing out that he was extra sleep-deprived, I really would not criticize him for losing track of what was going on until he got some sleep. Have you ever tried to work after not having slept for 36 hours? I have, and your memory goes out the window pretty quick. And he was trying. (On the other hand, Amtrak should do something to avoid putting its employees in situations like that.)

The second SCA? The one who wasn't there at all? Please report that, with date, time, and train number, to Amtrak customer service. That sort of person isn't even trying and needs to be fired.

 

[Ryan]

I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people complaining want something to actually change and providing them the information that the only way to make that happen is to direct the comments to Amtrak.

Why must it be one or the other? Why can't they do both?

I never advocated that it must be. I agree that "don't complain here" comments aren't the most helpful. But I'm not a self-appointed "forum gatekeeper", so if other people want to express that sentiment, that's on them.

*Will someone please fix this horrible quoting system?

Use the "simple editor", it's much easier and actually works.

 

[crescent2]

We've personally, with one exception, had "OK" to "Great" service on Amtrak.

However, I have to agree with those who find both of the SCAs the OP referenced to be derelict in duty. I do have empathy, but any mom, and many workers, have had to function after losing much sleep, and a healthy adult should be able to do an acceptable job. It's not easy, but you can make yourself do it. The first SCA does seem totally "out of it" if unable to make a bed. ?!?

Yes, Amtrak customer relations would be the place to contact to hopefully contribute to remedying the problem, but this forum is for discussion of Amtrak, so the OP is not out of line.

In the months I've been here, the recent trend of some posters appears to be toward going into attack mode, especially with guests or newbies, and this bothers me. Yeah, I know I'm here by choice, please don't tell me I can go away. I'm just making an observation. I don't understand the excessive defensiveness of some toward legitimate posts.

Regardless, this forum is a gold mine of helpful information--and entertaining!

 

[June the Coach Rider]

I had what I call an invisible SCA when I was traveling the EB a few weeks ago, I wrote an email to amtrak even while still on the train. As I am disabled and have requested in seat service, when there was no contact with us in the lower level at all after he came thru with the conductor to collect tickets and put the seat check up. I had to go out at a stop around 9:30 and remind him that we ( all the people in the lower level) needed some food and drink. He came in after the stop and took care of us. Then the next morning we did not see him again until someone else in the car found him at a stop and told him the same thing. After that he came down around meal time until the end of the trip.

There are those attendants that are incredible, we had one on the TE that came down close to every hour to check on us and those that we were lucky if we saw the whole trip like this one.

When I got home, I received a call from the EB customer relations person and asked me to describe the SCA, his name was Kirk, I remembered that and he said yes, Kirk was the SCA on that train that trip. He said he would send a message to Kirk to remember to check in on his lower level passengers frequently during the trip. I hope that with my writing the email and talking with Amtrak that this will help future passengers that have Kirk will have better service, sometimes they just need a reminder to not slack off.

 

[Ryan]

SCA = Sleeping Car Attendant.

Since you're June the Coach Rider and talking about lower level seating, I presume you're talking about the Coach Attendant?

 

[June the Coach Rider]

SCA = Sleeping Car Attendant.
Since you're June the Coach Rider and talking about lower level seating, I presume you're talking about the Coach Attendant?

oh sorry, I thought it stood for Service Car Attendant. My bad. I do mean Coach Car Attendant.

 

[Ryan]

No worries - Technically we're all wrong, Amtrak calls them TACs and TASs (Train Attendant Coach/Sleeper).

 

[June the Coach Rider]

No worries - Technically we're all wrong, Amtrak calls them TACs and TASs (Train Attendant Coach/Sleeper).

Oh now that you say that, I remember hearing that when I was at Union Station in Chicago and they told the red cap to check with the TAC as to which car I was in. I had never heard that before.

 

[RRrich]

traveling in Amtrak sleepers is kind of like a cross between staying in a decent motel and camping. And eating at Denny's.

Wifey loved that line

 

[Nathanael]

I had what I call an invisible SCA when I was traveling the EB a few weeks ago,...

Thank you -- you explained very clearly exactly why I think "invisible attendants" are a much bigger problem than most other ways in which an attendant could "do a bad job". Disabled passengers can end up stuck, and missing all their meals, and so forth, *very* easily when an attendant becomes invisible. I've had to track down attendants on behalf of disabled travelling companions before, and that shouldn't have to happen; it leads to unacceptable trips if the disabled person does *not* have a companion.

He said he would send a message to Kirk to remember to check in on his lower level passengers frequently during the trip. I hope that with my writing the email and talking with Amtrak that this will help future passengers that have Kirk will have better service, sometimes they just need a reminder to not slack off.

I hope so too.

 

[SarahZ]

I have sympathy for the first one. I know some people can work just fine for 48 hours with no sleep, but multiple studies have shown that sleep deprivation has similar effects on the brain as being drunk. Personally, I don't think anyone should have to work for 24 hours straight with no more than four hours of sleep, especially for days on end, and especially if they're a first responder, nurse, doctor, driver, etc. When lives are on the line, you'd think they'd want to make sure people get enough rest.

Now, lives are not on the line as an SCA, which is why it's good the only thing that happened was trying to put sheets on cushions instead of a mattress. But, I still sympathize that they were off-schedule and probably just a zombie. I know I can't process effectively when I'm low on sleep, so I would never accept a position like that if I could help it. I get stupid AND cranky when I've been up for longer than 20 hours or so. (I miss being 18...)