attendant nowhere to be found and I had to make my own bed

[CoachSlumber]

Only on a government operation would it be not all that unusual to hear of a well-paid employee not to be performing a primary function of his job.

Drink service is not considered a primary function of a flight attendant. In theory their main focus is safety. Although I struggle to imagine how the elderly grandmothers who handle long haul intercontinental service would be physically capable of actually saving anyone. Even saving a child or unaccompanied minor seems like it would be completely beyond their abilities.

Can you imagine what would happen if a flight attendant was reported not to have run the drink service because she didn't feel like it or was sleeping on her seat?

I've seen a lot of lousy flight attendants who didn't seem to care about their jobs but I've never seen one that seemed the slightest bit concerned about being reported by a customer. Americans are taught from a young age that we're not responsible for the well being of strangers. That it's basically every man, woman, and child for themselves. It's no surprise that a society that worships the individual struggles to train anyone to perform a service oriented job with pride and purpose.

People are misunderstanding my comment. I am not saying U.S. flight attendants are paragons of cheerful service. I am saying that they do perform their basic job functions and one of those is drink service. No it's not their "primary" job. (I know the spiel that their primary responsibiltiy is for your safety). It is, however, one of their job requirements, unless safety, schedule, or captain's orders supersede it. If they were reported not to have done it, they would face discipline. We know SCAs face no consequences because we constantly read here about them not making beds, which apart from manning station stops, is their fundamental duty in service to passengers.

 

[William]

I do not think this situation is all that rare.

On my last trip on the Texas Eagle, from Chicago to Longview, the SCA greeted us as we boarded, then came around a bit later to take dinner reservations.

After that, I never saw the guy again for the whole remainder of the trip. He didn't come around at night to make the beds, and in the morning, there no coffee or bottled water at the little beverage

station in the car. He just disappeared. So, he got no tip.....

 

[FormerOBS]

"We constantly read here about them not making beds".

????????????????

No, it isn't constant. Any regular follower of the Forum knows it's not constant. It happens sometimes, and it has been discussed, but the idea that it is constant, is an alternative fact, or at best a gross exaggeration. Let's stick with the real facts.

Tom

PS ---Tricia, thanks for the support.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

This has been beaten to death already, so I'll be as brief as I can. (I'm never brief) :hi:

1. Passengers should never be required to make up their own beds. Some insisted on doing it, and I would reluctantly agree, but I was always afraid they would hurt themselves. There are many potential pinch points.

2. Sometimes (rarely) the SCA is unable to complete the tasks due to illness or other problems. If that happens, the Conductor or Chief (if there is one) should assign somebody to fill the gap. If the Conductor couldn't find the SCA, it was that Conductor's job to find out why and get an accounting. It sounds like the SCA and Conductor both failed. SOMEBODY OTHER THAN YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE THAT BED. You paid for and deserve proper service; and since you didn't get it, you deserve an explanation and an apology. When you make the complaint to Customer Service, as I hope you will do, tell them you also deserve a refund. You just might get it. The notion that this SCA deserves a tip is preposterous, and if he doesn't know why he didn't get one, he's too stupid to qualify for the job.

Why isn't this explained separately during the booking and boarding process so that new customers know what to expect? If you create a situation where the SCA is both the explainer and provider of the services to be received then you're also creating a single point of failure that depends on that particular SCA's morals and ethics. The sooner the SPF is removed the sooner people will receive what they're actually purchasing rather than whatever that specific SCA is willing to provide.

 

[CoachSlumber]

"We constantly read here about them not making beds".

????????????????

No, it isn't constant. Any regular follower of the Forum knows it's not constant. It happens sometimes, and it has been discussed, but the idea that it is constant, is an alternative fact, or at best a gross exaggeration. Let's stick with the real facts.

Tom

PS ---Tricia, thanks for the support.

We can have a semantic argument about "constant" and try to meet your definition of "fact." It should, however, be rare, and I don't think you can argue that it is. Well, you will, since "rare" will mean one in a billion.

 

[Ryan]

That discussion aside, how do you know that they face no consequences?

 

[Lonestar648]

Amtrak has a "book" of current procedures for each job description. The question may be how often is quality control performed by the different product lines? Another may be does Amtrak measure actual defects against opportunities, and what is the acceptable ratio? 1 defect per 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000 opportunities (former employer minimum was 1 in 5,000,000). These type metrics are generally not public information. Of the 10 SCA's I experienced last year, all made themselves available for night bed make down, made the bed up during breakfast, kept bathrooms clean, kept water and snacks stocked, Coffee was always available during the morning starting by or before 6:00 AM. Most asked at least once if there was anything they could do for me and/or how was I enjoying my trip. Only issue I found was that the attendants never asked about luggage assistance like used to do years ago. Now these were all western trains (EB, TE, SL, CS). So, if there are regular occurrences of no one available in the Sleeper to make down the beds, I would expect the OBS monthly quality reviews would show this defect and the responsible manager having enacted a corrective action plan.

 

[nferr]

I've done a lot of overnight trips and never had that happen.

 

[Triley]

"We constantly read here about them not making beds".

????????????????

No, it isn't constant. Any regular follower of the Forum knows it's not constant. It happens sometimes, and it has been discussed, but the idea that it is constant, is an alternative fact, or at best a gross exaggeration. Let's stick with the real facts.

Tom

PS ---Tricia, thanks for the support.

We can have a semantic argument about "constant" and try to meet your definition of "fact." It should, however, be rare, and I don't think you can argue that it is. Well, you will, since "rare" will mean one in a billion.

How many issues with SCAs being MIA have you heard about here the four years you've been a member of this website? Is it enough to even fill one single Viewliner sleeper? I highly doubt it. Now, imagine how many sleeper passengers there are riding company wide just in one day.

Do you really think these SCAs would still have a job if everyone did it? No. I'm an LSA on the corridor and even with being one of the good guys, I'm still worried about the day that I make a minor mistake, and a passenger doesn't like something I tell them, and I get a letter from management. Customer complaints are taken very seriously in Boston, and we're one of the most relaxed OBS crew bases around. Chicago and DC are two of those most strict, there is no chance someone would be able to get away with any funny business like that in either of those crew bases, if passengers would complain about them. The company can't fix a problem it doesn't know about.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've done a lot of overnight trips and never had that happen.

Ever ridden in the transdorm? That's where the majority of my sleeper MIA experiences have been.

How many issues with SCAs being MIA have you heard about here the four years you've been a member of this website? Is it enough to even fill one single Viewliner sleeper?

Does coach count? Because I could fill an entire train with coach attendants that were MIA.

Do you really think these SCAs would still have a job if everyone did it? No. I'm an LSA on the corridor and even with being one of the good guys, I'm still worried about the day that I make a minor mistake, and a passenger doesn't like something I tell them, and I get a letter from management.

How many letters does it take to get fired?

 

[Steve4031]

There was one infamous LSA on the Texas eagle. She was mentioned on here several times. I described the behavior of the dining car crew without mentioning names and received PMs encouraging me to write letters. They told me the names of the crew members. When I went try back to the diner, the names matched what I was given in the PM.

I wrote a scathing letter about my experience and received a canned response. I don't know if they got spoken to, but I heard the person was working on the cz later on.

I think it takes more than one letter. I really try to avoid writing negative letters. I've written more positive than negative.

 

[Palmland]

Is it in the SCA job description to help with luggage?

We travel with only one carry on (ok for planes) each and maybe a backpack. While we are definitely senior, the only time help would be appreciated is boarding with the stairs in a Superliner. We do leave one of the two bags in the rack downstairs.

The only time in recent years I can recall an SCA proactively taking our bag to the room was on the Star when boarding in SC. Usually the attendant just stays on platform until all have boarded. Occasionally an attendent will ask if anyone needs luggage help when reaching the train's destination.

I'm sure there is a policy but have no idea what we should realistically expect.

 

[niemi24s]

Is it in the SCA job description to help with luggage?

If so, you might find it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jcjrpsigw8tnrtv/ServiceStandardsManualVersion08R.pdf?dl=0

 

[FormerOBS]

Luggage:

If several passengers are boarding and time is limited, the SCA's priority is to get everybody aboard. Many passengers travel light and don't need help with bags. Those that need help are entitled to get it, but the SCA can only be one place at a time doing only one thing at a time safely. Any bags that need to be taken to the rooms can be set aside and taken after the door is closed and the attendant can do it. After the door has been closed and passengers directed to their rooms, the attendant may spend several minutes getting the bags to the proper rooms.

The Trans Dorm:

As I understand it, the person assigned to the Trans Dorm has responsibilities in at least one other car, and can't be expected to be there are your beck and call 24/7. Again, there may be some people who can be more than one place at a time, doing more than one job safely, but I've always found it to be a challenge I couldn't overcome. Trans Dorm rooms were fully occupied by crew on my train, so I didn't have to deal with this. So maybe there's something I don't know about it.

Tom

 

[Bob Dylan]

In my 40+ years of riding Amtrak, I can count on one hand the MIA SCAs I've encountered.

One Chicago based SCA was perhaps the worst one I've ever had. HE was a No Show on the Portland Section of the Empire Builder and the Texas Eagle.

The worst Customer Service I've experienced has occurred in Union Station in Chicago and in the Diners from lousy LSAs and Servers. This has been most frequent on the Texas Eagle ( my "Home Train")and the California Zephyr.

The worst LSA I have had was, unbelievably,in the PPC on the Coast Starlight!

Generally 90% of the OBS and Amtrak employees I've encountered have done their job adequately with probably 10% being memorable for their Outstanding Attitude and Customer Service. (Some are AU members!)

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The Trans Dorm:

As I understand it, the person assigned to the Trans Dorm has responsibilities in at least one other car, and can't be expected to be there are your beck and call 24/7. Again, there may be some people who can be more than one place at a time, doing more than one job safely, but I've always found it to be a challenge I couldn't overcome. Trans Dorm rooms were fully occupied by crew on my train, so I didn't have to deal with this. So maybe there's something I don't know about it.

Tom

If the SCA can not provide the basic functions of being an SCA in the assigned cars, than he or she needs to quit. That's a poor excuse. I've had great service in the Trans-Dorm several times so I know it's possible. But it's also the only times I've had truly missing in action SCA's. (Since some are keeping a tally... 2 in the past 6 years.. and I ride alot of trains and usually book pretty late and end up in the Trans-dorm for whatever reason.)

 

[Lonestar648]

I understand that the SCA can not help with your bags during the boarding process until after the door has been closed. Many passengers don't realize that the SCA is required to man the door as long as it is open, checking boarding passengers to the manifest and directing them to their rooms. I will put my roller bag on the shelf and take my back to my room. Prior to 2016 I wouldn't think of bothering the SCA with a request to bring that bag to my room. Once I could travel again, I found I didn't have the strength I used to have, so I asked the SCA to do this, but they said they didn't handle baggage, that Amtrak didn't want back injuries. After that I try to have what I need in my backpack, though on a two night run, I do have to get into that bag. When the bag was in my room, I asked about taking the bag down stairs when I was getting off, but the SCA never came back to the room before the train stopped. It is the stairs on the Superliners that I have issues with some these days. This is a change of the proactive baggage assistance the SCA used to offer, taking bags upstairs after the train departed, and collecting bags down stairs before the train arrived.

 

[Triley]

I've done a lot of overnight trips and never had that happen.

Ever ridden in the transdorm? That's where the majority of my sleeper MIA experiences have been.

How many issues with SCAs being MIA have you heard about here the four years you've been a member of this website? Is it enough to even fill one single Viewliner sleeper?

Does coach count? Because I could fill an entire train with coach attendants that were MIA.

Do you really think these SCAs would still have a job if everyone did it? No. I'm an LSA on the corridor and even with being one of the good guys, I'm still worried about the day that I make a minor mistake, and a passenger doesn't like something I tell them, and I get a letter from management.

How many letters does it take to get fired?

My only trip in the transdorm I rode in a BT room, so I should have had no attendant and I got lucky because the attendant in the sleeper behind us made the beds up for us, as we just had to strip them (usually it's a free for all, especially when the car isn't open to passengers). That's a good thing, because I know nooothing about sleepers, where the linens are, where they go, etc.

Coach I can't speak on because I've never ridden in coach on a long haul, but unfortunately I could see attendants disappearing...

And how many letters does it take to get fired? Hopefully I never find that out! Lol

Letters are placed in your file and can hinder your opportunities to change crafts or crew bases. They can also get you put on the street for however many days, depending on the severity of the complaint, and any past issues. They're really not something to be taken lightly.

 

[FormerOBS]

The Trans Dorm:

As I understand it, the person assigned to the Trans Dorm has responsibilities in at least one other car, and can't be expected to be there are your beck and call 24/7. Again, there may be some people who can be more than one place at a time, doing more than one job safely, but I've always found it to be a challenge I couldn't overcome. Trans Dorm rooms were fully occupied by crew on my train, so I didn't have to deal with this. So maybe there's something I don't know about it.

Tom

If the SCA can not provide the basic functions of being an SCA in the assigned cars, than he or she needs to quit. That's a poor excuse. I've had great service in the Trans-Dorm several times so I know it's possible. But it's also the only times I've had truly missing in action SCA's. (Since some are keeping a tally... 2 in the past 6 years.. and I ride alot of trains and usually book pretty late and end up in the Trans-dorm for whatever reason.)

We have established that an SCA working the Trans Dorm also has duties elsewhere. I am glad you have been served by SCA's who were able to balance the demands to give you good service. Just because they could do it, does not mean it can always be done that well. This thread has been pretty vague. "MIA" implies the SCA is gone for an unjustifiably long time, but I wonder whether some posters are interpreting this as meaning the SCA was MIA when he was actually busy doing something else and couldn't be there at the exact time the poster wanted. That's not MIA. That's a human inability to be two places at once. You not have told us enough to get me to agree that this SCA "needs to quit".

Tom

 

[FormerOBS]

Lonestar, we always helped with bags when I was an SCA. If that has changed due personnel injuries, I'm not aware of it. There have always been weight limits. Ironically, we were never supplied with scales to enforce those weight limits.

Triley, what's a BT room? Probably something that should be obvious to me, but I don't think I've ever heard one mentioned before.

Tom

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Triley, what's a BT room? Probably something that should be obvious to me, but I don't think I've ever heard one mentioned before.

"BT" refers to non-revenue "Business Travel" compartments which includes rooms 21, 22, 23 and 24 in a Superliner transition dormitory.

 

[Triley]

Lonestar, we always helped with bags when I was an SCA. If that has changed due personnel injuries, I'm not aware of it. There have always been weight limits. Ironically, we were never supplied with scales to enforce those weight limits.

Triley, what's a BT room? Probably something that should be obvious to me, but I don't think I've ever heard one mentioned before.

Tom

What DA said. Basically guaranteed free travel in a roomette, no meals or service provided (if the rooms aren't occupied by employees traveling on company business 24 hours prior to departure, or sold to passengers). Don't have to worry about the whole red/white/blue scheme.

 

[Lonestar648]

Tom you are correct that the SCA used to always help with bags, but today that seems to have changed. Reviewing the link to the handbook, it states that the SCA is suppose to assist passengers with their luggage on and off the train, so the not allowed to touch response is opposite the Handbook. I know the airlines do not want the flight attendants lifting heavy bags into the overhead bins due to injuries experienced. Again, it is only recently, that I have seen and had the baggage situation. I remember many, many times the SCA asking passengers as we got close to Chicago to put bags in the doorway to their rooms. They would all be taken downstairs and then carefully lined up on the platform when we stepped off the train. That's the way I remember it. I also remember a SCA braving an uncleared platform in Syracuse to put my bag near the down ramp, without my ever asking, he just said to watch where I walked so I didn't fall. In my up coming travels, I will see what happens this Spring and Summer. Many of the SCA used to know me on the CL in the 1990's, they were all top notch like most were until I was forced to slow down starting in 2010.

 

[CoachSlumber]

The Trans Dorm:

As I understand it, the person assigned to the Trans Dorm has responsibilities in at least one other car, and can't be expected to be there are your beck and call 24/7. Again, there may be some people who can be more than one place at a time, doing more than one job safely, but I've always found it to be a challenge I couldn't overcome. Trans Dorm rooms were fully occupied by crew on my train, so I didn't have to deal with this. So maybe there's something I don't know about it.

Tom

If the SCA can not provide the basic functions of being an SCA in the assigned cars, than he or she needs to quit. That's a poor excuse. I've had great service in the Trans-Dorm several times so I know it's possible. But it's also the only times I've had truly missing in action SCA's. (Since some are keeping a tally... 2 in the past 6 years.. and I ride alot of trains and usually book pretty late and end up in the Trans-dorm for whatever reason.)

We have established that an SCA working the Trans Dorm also has duties elsewhere. I am glad you have been served by SCA's who were able to balance the demands to give you good service. Just because they could do it, does not mean it can always be done that well. This thread has been pretty vague. "MIA" implies the SCA is gone for an unjustifiably long time, but I wonder whether some posters are interpreting this as meaning the SCA was MIA when he was actually busy doing something else and couldn't be there at the exact time the poster wanted. That's not MIA. That's a human inability to be two places at once. You not have told us enough to get me to agree that this SCA "needs to quit".

Tom

The excuses you make for shoddy service are amazing. We all know what good SCA service is and what bad or indifferent service is. Somehow the good ones manage provide bed service for everyone, assist with luggage in most cases, and otherwise be present and available. The bad ones make themselves deliberately scarce, and I know everyone on this site who has taken multiple overnight trips is familiar with these because they are not extremely rare species.

 

[tommylicious]

how dare you ask for such things!!!???