SANSR
Train Attendant
Well stated.
A gratuity in advance is tantamount to a bribe in my view. If Amtrak want's to charge more for a seat selection that's fine and I'd probably pay for it, but in my view coach attendants shouldn't be abusing their position in this manner. Otherwise we might as well condone bribes to the SCA for allowing a passenger to move into a larger compartment.A coach pax that offers a CCA a gratuity in advance of an anticipated service should stand out in a CCA's mind when the CCA is making decisions regarding seat assignments.
It surely can't hurt to "advance tip" the TA-C (Train Attendant-Coach) a Lincoln or so. After all, if they do NOTHING, what are you our? Five bucks? Big whoop. Live and learn. But when I worked as an LSA, and Waiter, those that tipped early and generously were ABSOLUTELY rewarded with service "above an beyond". I had a an LSA on the CZ two years ago who would see (or hear me coming down the steps) and had my beer ready, open, and waiting for me. Trust me, he went home with about $20 bucks that trip. EXCELLENT service, AND he kept the SSL upper level pretty clean, and even brought me a couple of beers upstairs!OK. :hi:
I am planning to bribe the coach attendant as a way to increase my chances of a getting a good coach seat and to increase my chances of not having the second seat occupied by a stranger during my trip.
Would you show me anywhere I was complaining? Or that I thought my post was of a serious enough nature to merit a complaint?Why?No.Might I suggest contacting Amtrak customer service the next time you see it so that a paperwork trail can be created for corrective action?
Is it easier to simply complain than to do anything about it?
I bribed, er "tipped in advance" a coach attendent once. But it wasn't meant as a bribe, but rather as a plan to make the people behind me shut up. When we got on in Oxnard, Roman greeted us (an all the other passengers) like family. He checked on everyone after the train left the station to be sure we were comfortable. He made some announcements which were both professional and funny regarding our responsibility to keep our car clean as if "it is our home away from home while we are traveling together". Then two couples got on in Santa Barbara and started pushing Roman around, insisting on sitting in an area he had reserved for a large group getting on further down the track. He was so polite and they were so rude.OK. :hi:
I am planning to bribe the coach attendant as a way to increase my chances of a getting a good coach seat and to increase my chances of not having the second seat occupied by a stranger during my trip.
Did you ever see a large group directed toward those reserved seats? In my experience the "big group boarding later" explanation is little more than generic boilerplate that probably has little if anything to do with the actual manifest. On multiple occasions I've watched those "reserved" seats sit completely empty day and night until the very last station.Then two couples got on in Santa Barbara and started pushing Roman around, insisting on sitting in an area he had reserved for a large group getting on further down the track. He was so polite and they were so rude.
We spent lots of time in the SSL, so I didn't actually see one large group board and fill these seats, but when we went back to our seats, the car was pretty full.Did you ever see a large group directed toward those reserved seats? In my experience the "big group boarding later" explanation is little more than generic boilerplate that probably has little if anything to do with the actual manifest. On multiple occasions I've watched those "reserved" seats sit completely empty day and night until the very last station.Then two couples got on in Santa Barbara and started pushing Roman around, insisting on sitting in an area he had reserved for a large group getting on further down the track. He was so polite and they were so rude.
I can't believe we can't tip the reservationsists or AGR or the locomotive engineer or Joe Boardman...During my years of working for Amtrak in the Engineering department I would ride LD trains on vacation or business. I took it on myself to tidy up the restroom when I used it because it was apparent no one else in the company's employment was going to. I'm not talking about a thorough scrub-down but just 2 minutes of work.
It used to really p### me off. It's really a shame because Amtrak's Car Cleaners at the terminals do a really good job getting the equipment ready for the road. They never get enough credit (or tips)!
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