tricia
Conductor
I’ve delayed posting this trip report, from Greenville, SC, to Denver and back, in September, while waiting to hear from Amtrak Customer Relations. Perhaps the simplest way to report is to quote what I wrote to Amtrak (in its entirely, except for ticket number and my full name and address), and what they wrote me in response, followed by what I’ve learned from this experience.
First what I wrote to Amtrak’s Office of Customer Relations, on Sept. 30:
To Whom It Concerns:
I'm writing today about a multi-leg long-distance Amtrak trip I completed earlier this month, both to ask for compensation for trouble resulting from Amtrak service disruptions, and to inform Amtrak about both good and bad aspects of Amtrak service on this trip.
The trip was for a brief vacation, which we’d looked forward to spending mostly on trains, in roomettes all the way from GRV to DEN and back. Below is a chronology of that trip, with boldface marking problems for which I’m asking compensation.
On Sept. 10, my husband and I (on reservation #xxxx) boarded the northbound Crescent (20) at GRV, which left about 20 minutes late. On Sept. 11, our train (20) arrived WAS 35 minutes late; our next train, the westbound Capitol Limited (29) left WAS on time. The next day, Sept. 12, our train (29) arrived CHI nearly 3 ½ hours late; our next train, the westbound California Zephyr (5) left CHI on time. The next day, our train (5) arrived DEN about 1 ¼ hours later than its scheduled arrival time of 8:05AM, which even as scheduled was later than what we originally booked. The delays on 29 and 5 cut into our vacation plans a bit, but weren’t a big deal for us.
The return trip, however, went more seriously awry. On Sept. 15, my husband flew home from Denver, and I returned to DEN Union Station to return home by train, on reservation #xxxx, starting with the eastbound Zephyr (6), which was scheduled to depart DEN at 7:10PM. Actual departure time was three hours late, which of course meant that I missed dinner on the train, which should have been included in my roomette fare. Adding to the discomfort of the many passengers waiting to board 6 in DEN, the newly renovated station had been rented out for an extremely loud party that evening—most of the waiting room was roped off, so that only benches at one end of the room, behind the party’s bar and soundstage, were available for waiting passengers. I understand that Amtrak does not own the station building; however, if events like this are common, you really need to install more benches on the platforms, so that passengers driven from the station by extreme noise have a place to sit while waiting for delayed trains.
The next morning, Sept. 16, my train (6) was still running about three hours late. I began to worry about connecting with my next train, the eastbound Cardinal (50), and spoke with a conductor who told me it was very unlikely that 6 would connect with 50 in Chicago, and that I’d likely be bused to Indianapolis to make the connection there instead. (Please note that ALL of the Amtrak onboard and station staff I encountered on this trip were polite and helpful.) Around noon, an announcement was made that connecting information/changes would be announced east of Burlington, Iowa.
By the time we reached Burlington, 6 was running four hours late. I was directed to get off the train in Galesburg, to catch a bus to Indianapolis, to connect with 50 there. In addition to traveling on a bus instead of the roomettes I’d booked on both 6 and 50, I once again missed dinner on the train, and also missed any possibility of getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, since 50 is scheduled to depart IND at midnight.
After an hour and a half waiting in the station at IND, 50 arrived on time. I walked along the platform to board my sleeping car—where the conductor told me that the train was short a sleeping car, and that the roomette I’d booked on this train was not available for me. He was surprised that Amtrak hadn’t called me about this, and so was I. In addition, it’s still inexplicable to me that Amtrak put me on the bus to Indianapolis instead of having me stay on 6 to CHI to transfer there to a different train (30 or even 48 or 59, to connect with the Crescent) either that day or the next, on which I could have had the roomette I’d booked. I’m too old and creaky to sleep sitting up, and would never have booked an overnight in coach.
By this time, a trip that I’d thought would be a good way to relax and catch up on work-related reading and thinking, had instead become very stressful and strenuous indeed. I think I must have looked like I was about to cry, standing on the platform at IND. (I certainly felt that way.) The conductor, God bless him, walked me back to an empty coach car, told me to wait for him there, then after the train left the station came back with a pillow and arranged four seats into as near a sleeping berth as he could manage. I didn’t get his name, but he deserves special credit for kindness and resourcefulness. Still, I’d booked a roomette on this train, from Chicago to Charlottesville, and ended up traveling in coach, for which I was completely unprepared.
The next morning, Sept. 17, with my train (50) running on time, I was no longer feeling up to enjoying the long layover in Charlottesville, between 50 and the southbound Crescent (19). I’d missed dinner the previous two nights, and wanted a peaceful evening and early bedtime. So I asked a conductor if I might instead stay on 50 to Alexandria or Washington, and connect with 19 there. He said that was OK with him if it was OK with the Crescent, and told me I should call Amtrak when I could get a cellphone signal.
At about 11AM, I called AGR, since this whole DEN to GRV itinerary had been an AGR points redemption. The agent I spoke with was unwilling to book me through to Alexandria or WAS because a “guaranteed connection” required at least two hours of connecting time. I pointed out that the connection was for today, that 50 was running close enough to on time to easily make it, and that I’d take responsibility for hopping off the train at an earlier station (Manassas or even Culpeper) if need be. She put me on hold to speak with customer service—then the train entered a tunnel and I lost the connection. I’m sorry I didn’t get this agent’s name. She was the only Amtrak employee who was less than helpful during this whole long mess of a trip.
When we emerged from the tunnel, I called AGR back. A different agent answered; she had no problem adjusting my ticket to have me stay on 50 and transfer to19 north of Charlottesville. I did so in Alexandria, and enjoyed a blessedly uneventful trip to GRV, where we arrived on time the next morning.
So, that’s what happened. I am asking Amtrak to consider and compensate me appropriately for the downgrade from roomette to bus and coach on 6 and 50, and for the inconvenience, stress, and discomfort detailed in the chronology above. Although I’m perhaps being too optimistic about this, I’ve very much enjoyed long-distance Amtrak travel in the past, I'd like to give Amtrak another try for relaxing leisure travel with my husband again in the future, and I'd use any vouchers or reward points you might provide for that purpose.
Thanks for your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.
Today, nearly two months later, I received this reply from Amtrak, dated Nov. 17:
Thank you for your recent correspondence.
We apologize most sincerely for disappointing you with certain aspects of your travel when you traveled with us recently. We are working hard to improve the level of service we provide to our valued customers.
We are extremely sorry that we ran short of certain menu items during your trip. Please forgive us for disappointing you. Stocks of most items are based upon our experience, our onboard storage limitations, and upon scheduled trip lengths; but from time to time a lengthy delay can “skew” our predictions and cause us to run short of some items. We also generally provide the same menu choices for coach and First Class passengers. All of this notwithstanding, the fact remains that we let you down, and we again apologize.
Let me apologize on Amtrak’s behalf for the delays and service disruption that you experienced when you traveled with us. We certainly understand the frustration this caused you. The delays were beyond Amtrak’s immediate control. In spite of our best efforts, delays due to weather, mechanical difficulties, other rail traffic, or operational factors are an unwelcome but unavoidable part of the transportation business.
To underscore our apology, we will hold on file for you a Transportation Certificate in the amount of $300….
Sincerely,
Any typos here are mine, not the fault of the “customer relation specialist” who wrote the original which I’ve retyped here, in its entirety, leaving out only the business about how to redeem a voucher.
If it weren’t apparent that the “specialist” who wrote this response apparently didn’t read my letter with any comprehension, I’d be insulted at being offered $300 for this—given that just the difference between coach and high-bucket roomette fare CHI to CVS is currently $370, and nevermind the rest. (I'm assuming here that the cost of a roomette on a train with completely sold-out sleepers would be high-bucket if it somehow became available.)
As it is, I’m not sure what, if anything, to do. The “specialist” has responded with compensation for rather different circumstances (not having a full selection of menu items in the diner, and train delays) when I didn’t in fact complain about either of these, but did ask for compensation for being denied dinner altogether (twice) and being unexpected and involuntarily, at midnight, downgraded from roomette to coach overnight. Amtrak probably ought to know that their "customer relations specialists" don't reliably read customer complaints before responding to them--but perhaps they already do.
My lessons learned from this experience are two:
---In the past, I’ve been a big booster of long-distance travel on Amtrak being an especially good option for frail, elderly travelers. No longer. I certainly would never book my elderly dad, who has a bad back and other health problems, on a long-distance trip again. It simply had never occurred to me that Amtrak might compel him, in the middle of the night, to choose between a night sitting up and being abandoned at the Indianapolis train station. Now I know better.
---I’m a longtime fan of Amtrak. Despite its many inconveniences and shortcomings, I’ve very much enjoyed long-distance travel in a roomette as a vacation in itself—or an opportunity to catch up on work-related reading and writing, depending on circumstances. The disappointments of this last trip, together with Amtrak’s non sequitur response to what I think was a pretty clear account of failure to provide specific services they’d contracted for, make me leery of booking such a trip in the future.
Which makes me sad. Sorry if this report is a “downer.” Hope it’s useful info to some of you.
Finally: Thanks, AU, for all the good information I’ve gathered from you over the years.
First what I wrote to Amtrak’s Office of Customer Relations, on Sept. 30:
To Whom It Concerns:
I'm writing today about a multi-leg long-distance Amtrak trip I completed earlier this month, both to ask for compensation for trouble resulting from Amtrak service disruptions, and to inform Amtrak about both good and bad aspects of Amtrak service on this trip.
The trip was for a brief vacation, which we’d looked forward to spending mostly on trains, in roomettes all the way from GRV to DEN and back. Below is a chronology of that trip, with boldface marking problems for which I’m asking compensation.
On Sept. 10, my husband and I (on reservation #xxxx) boarded the northbound Crescent (20) at GRV, which left about 20 minutes late. On Sept. 11, our train (20) arrived WAS 35 minutes late; our next train, the westbound Capitol Limited (29) left WAS on time. The next day, Sept. 12, our train (29) arrived CHI nearly 3 ½ hours late; our next train, the westbound California Zephyr (5) left CHI on time. The next day, our train (5) arrived DEN about 1 ¼ hours later than its scheduled arrival time of 8:05AM, which even as scheduled was later than what we originally booked. The delays on 29 and 5 cut into our vacation plans a bit, but weren’t a big deal for us.
The return trip, however, went more seriously awry. On Sept. 15, my husband flew home from Denver, and I returned to DEN Union Station to return home by train, on reservation #xxxx, starting with the eastbound Zephyr (6), which was scheduled to depart DEN at 7:10PM. Actual departure time was three hours late, which of course meant that I missed dinner on the train, which should have been included in my roomette fare. Adding to the discomfort of the many passengers waiting to board 6 in DEN, the newly renovated station had been rented out for an extremely loud party that evening—most of the waiting room was roped off, so that only benches at one end of the room, behind the party’s bar and soundstage, were available for waiting passengers. I understand that Amtrak does not own the station building; however, if events like this are common, you really need to install more benches on the platforms, so that passengers driven from the station by extreme noise have a place to sit while waiting for delayed trains.
The next morning, Sept. 16, my train (6) was still running about three hours late. I began to worry about connecting with my next train, the eastbound Cardinal (50), and spoke with a conductor who told me it was very unlikely that 6 would connect with 50 in Chicago, and that I’d likely be bused to Indianapolis to make the connection there instead. (Please note that ALL of the Amtrak onboard and station staff I encountered on this trip were polite and helpful.) Around noon, an announcement was made that connecting information/changes would be announced east of Burlington, Iowa.
By the time we reached Burlington, 6 was running four hours late. I was directed to get off the train in Galesburg, to catch a bus to Indianapolis, to connect with 50 there. In addition to traveling on a bus instead of the roomettes I’d booked on both 6 and 50, I once again missed dinner on the train, and also missed any possibility of getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, since 50 is scheduled to depart IND at midnight.
After an hour and a half waiting in the station at IND, 50 arrived on time. I walked along the platform to board my sleeping car—where the conductor told me that the train was short a sleeping car, and that the roomette I’d booked on this train was not available for me. He was surprised that Amtrak hadn’t called me about this, and so was I. In addition, it’s still inexplicable to me that Amtrak put me on the bus to Indianapolis instead of having me stay on 6 to CHI to transfer there to a different train (30 or even 48 or 59, to connect with the Crescent) either that day or the next, on which I could have had the roomette I’d booked. I’m too old and creaky to sleep sitting up, and would never have booked an overnight in coach.
By this time, a trip that I’d thought would be a good way to relax and catch up on work-related reading and thinking, had instead become very stressful and strenuous indeed. I think I must have looked like I was about to cry, standing on the platform at IND. (I certainly felt that way.) The conductor, God bless him, walked me back to an empty coach car, told me to wait for him there, then after the train left the station came back with a pillow and arranged four seats into as near a sleeping berth as he could manage. I didn’t get his name, but he deserves special credit for kindness and resourcefulness. Still, I’d booked a roomette on this train, from Chicago to Charlottesville, and ended up traveling in coach, for which I was completely unprepared.
The next morning, Sept. 17, with my train (50) running on time, I was no longer feeling up to enjoying the long layover in Charlottesville, between 50 and the southbound Crescent (19). I’d missed dinner the previous two nights, and wanted a peaceful evening and early bedtime. So I asked a conductor if I might instead stay on 50 to Alexandria or Washington, and connect with 19 there. He said that was OK with him if it was OK with the Crescent, and told me I should call Amtrak when I could get a cellphone signal.
At about 11AM, I called AGR, since this whole DEN to GRV itinerary had been an AGR points redemption. The agent I spoke with was unwilling to book me through to Alexandria or WAS because a “guaranteed connection” required at least two hours of connecting time. I pointed out that the connection was for today, that 50 was running close enough to on time to easily make it, and that I’d take responsibility for hopping off the train at an earlier station (Manassas or even Culpeper) if need be. She put me on hold to speak with customer service—then the train entered a tunnel and I lost the connection. I’m sorry I didn’t get this agent’s name. She was the only Amtrak employee who was less than helpful during this whole long mess of a trip.
When we emerged from the tunnel, I called AGR back. A different agent answered; she had no problem adjusting my ticket to have me stay on 50 and transfer to19 north of Charlottesville. I did so in Alexandria, and enjoyed a blessedly uneventful trip to GRV, where we arrived on time the next morning.
So, that’s what happened. I am asking Amtrak to consider and compensate me appropriately for the downgrade from roomette to bus and coach on 6 and 50, and for the inconvenience, stress, and discomfort detailed in the chronology above. Although I’m perhaps being too optimistic about this, I’ve very much enjoyed long-distance Amtrak travel in the past, I'd like to give Amtrak another try for relaxing leisure travel with my husband again in the future, and I'd use any vouchers or reward points you might provide for that purpose.
Thanks for your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Today, nearly two months later, I received this reply from Amtrak, dated Nov. 17:
Thank you for your recent correspondence.
We apologize most sincerely for disappointing you with certain aspects of your travel when you traveled with us recently. We are working hard to improve the level of service we provide to our valued customers.
We are extremely sorry that we ran short of certain menu items during your trip. Please forgive us for disappointing you. Stocks of most items are based upon our experience, our onboard storage limitations, and upon scheduled trip lengths; but from time to time a lengthy delay can “skew” our predictions and cause us to run short of some items. We also generally provide the same menu choices for coach and First Class passengers. All of this notwithstanding, the fact remains that we let you down, and we again apologize.
Let me apologize on Amtrak’s behalf for the delays and service disruption that you experienced when you traveled with us. We certainly understand the frustration this caused you. The delays were beyond Amtrak’s immediate control. In spite of our best efforts, delays due to weather, mechanical difficulties, other rail traffic, or operational factors are an unwelcome but unavoidable part of the transportation business.
To underscore our apology, we will hold on file for you a Transportation Certificate in the amount of $300….
Sincerely,
Any typos here are mine, not the fault of the “customer relation specialist” who wrote the original which I’ve retyped here, in its entirety, leaving out only the business about how to redeem a voucher.
If it weren’t apparent that the “specialist” who wrote this response apparently didn’t read my letter with any comprehension, I’d be insulted at being offered $300 for this—given that just the difference between coach and high-bucket roomette fare CHI to CVS is currently $370, and nevermind the rest. (I'm assuming here that the cost of a roomette on a train with completely sold-out sleepers would be high-bucket if it somehow became available.)
As it is, I’m not sure what, if anything, to do. The “specialist” has responded with compensation for rather different circumstances (not having a full selection of menu items in the diner, and train delays) when I didn’t in fact complain about either of these, but did ask for compensation for being denied dinner altogether (twice) and being unexpected and involuntarily, at midnight, downgraded from roomette to coach overnight. Amtrak probably ought to know that their "customer relations specialists" don't reliably read customer complaints before responding to them--but perhaps they already do.
My lessons learned from this experience are two:
---In the past, I’ve been a big booster of long-distance travel on Amtrak being an especially good option for frail, elderly travelers. No longer. I certainly would never book my elderly dad, who has a bad back and other health problems, on a long-distance trip again. It simply had never occurred to me that Amtrak might compel him, in the middle of the night, to choose between a night sitting up and being abandoned at the Indianapolis train station. Now I know better.
---I’m a longtime fan of Amtrak. Despite its many inconveniences and shortcomings, I’ve very much enjoyed long-distance travel in a roomette as a vacation in itself—or an opportunity to catch up on work-related reading and writing, depending on circumstances. The disappointments of this last trip, together with Amtrak’s non sequitur response to what I think was a pretty clear account of failure to provide specific services they’d contracted for, make me leery of booking such a trip in the future.
Which makes me sad. Sorry if this report is a “downer.” Hope it’s useful info to some of you.
Finally: Thanks, AU, for all the good information I’ve gathered from you over the years.
