vouchers, etc.

[northnorthwest]

Is there a time limit for when you can complain and get a voucher? I was on a 6 hour late train last January, as in January 2013, and at the time I received a call from someone at Amtrak saying sorry and for me to call them back. They gave some reference number, which I wrote down, subsequently lost, and then life continued without dealing with it. Can I still get something for this at this late stage?

Also can you get vouchers or some type of reimbursement for problems with travel during award travel trips?

 

[Ispolkom]

I don't know the answer to your first question, but yes, you can get a voucher for problems during award travel. What you can't get, in my experience, is a refund of some of the points.

 

[SarahZ]

1) It's worth a shot. You may as well call and see if they can do something. If you don't call, it's an automatic no, so you may as well try.

2) I don't have experience with this, myself. You'd want to call AGR instead of Amtrak Customer Relations.

 

[Ispolkom]

2) I don't have experience with this, myself. You'd want to call AGR instead of Amtrak Customer Relations.

No, you still have to call Customer Relations.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I called Customer Relations after my most recent epic on the Empire Builder (including a 6-hour bustitution and a wee-hours arrival into CHI). They gave me a voucher for future travel to be booked within 12 months of the conversation. And yes, it was a points award trip.

That said, they did have to look up the reports for trains I was on (to verify the problems). I'm not saying you wouldn't get a small voucher by calling them, but at this late date, unless you've found your reference number, would they still have that information available to them?

 

[roomette]

I know they don't do it anymore but I once got a one zone roomette reward immediately refunded right before my eyes on my computer screen. This was a SEA to LA trip. We were bustituted from Santa Barbra to LA due to tunnel work.

All I did was call AGR and say "The bus ride was very uncomfortable and hardly what I'd call 1st class." Then, mere seconds later. ALL my points reappeared. It was glorious.

 

[SarahZ]

2) I don't have experience with this, myself. You'd want to call AGR instead of Amtrak Customer Relations.

No, you still have to call Customer Relations.

For award travel issues? I figured AGR would be the one to call, since it has to do with points.

 

[Guinness835]

In September, 2012 I was on an empire Builder train that got delayed by a freight derailment in Montana resulting in a bustitution from Spokane to Seattle. I sent Amtrak an email expressing my disappointment (I got my wife on a train finally and did not want the experience to scare her off). I never received an email response, but a month later I got a $500 travel voucher in the mail. I had used AGR points on the trip. The voucher expired in one year. A year later I had not used it as we took the Zephyr on AGR points and my local Amtrak ticket agent issued an exchange voucher for the $500, extending the expiration by another year. My experience with Amtrak is they try to be very accommodating to get people to come back.

 

[Ispolkom]

2) I don't have experience with this, myself. You'd want to call AGR instead of Amtrak Customer Relations.

No, you still have to call Customer Relations.

For award travel issues? I figured AGR would be the one to call, since it has to do with points.

That would be logical, wouldn't it? It really doesn't make sense that I get a voucher for future travel when I complain about an award trip, rather than getting points back. After all, when I've complained about service on an airline, the best response I've gotten was to get some frequent-flyer miles. Nevertheless, when I've called AGR to complain, they transfered me to Customer Relations.

 

[Guest]

Is there a time limit for when you can complain and get a voucher? I was on a 6 hour late train last January, as in January 2013, and at the time I received a call from someone at Amtrak saying sorry and for me to call them back. They gave some reference number, which I wrote down, subsequently lost, and then life continued without dealing with it. Can I still get something for this at this late stage?

I would say no based on that if you got a voucher back in January 2013, it would have expired by now. Add to that, my gut feeling that the "reference number", night have been a voucher number so there was one already in the system.

 

[SarahZ]

That would be logical, wouldn't it? It really doesn't make sense that I get a voucher for future travel when I complain about an award trip, rather than getting points back. After all, when I've complained about service on an airline, the best response I've gotten was to get some frequent-flyer miles. Nevertheless, when I've called AGR to complain, they transfered me to Customer Relations.

Good to know. Thank you.

 

[the_traveler]

You do have to contact Customer Relations for any problems, no matter if it's a paid trip or an award trip. There is no real time limit, provided it's within a reasonable time. Maybe like 6 months or a year.

I doubt you could really complain about "the bad trip and bustitution I had on my trip in April 1987".

 

[amamba]

2) I don't have experience with this, myself. You'd want to call AGR instead of Amtrak Customer Relations.

No, you still have to call Customer Relations.

For award travel issues? I figured AGR would be the one to call, since it has to do with points.

Nope. After my 30 hour EB delay on an award trip I called AGR and they told me to call customer relations. Customer relations awarded me a generous voucher.