Acela First Class - Underwhelmed?

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ExtonFlyer

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
91
Location
Exton, PA
Hey folks - question for you all.

I am a frequent traveler on Amtrak and overall a very vocal supporter. I ride the Keystone Service 2-3 days a week, make 8-10 NE corridor trips per year on either Regional or Acela and take one trip per year on the Silver Star in Sleeper class accommodations from Philadelphia to Tampa. Every year I earn a place as either a Select or Select Plus member within AGR. I'm a constant critic of the airline industry (although I am forced to fly fairly often) and always looking for opportunities to convert friends and business colleagues to rail travel. So, I guess what I am trying to say here is that I'm not some first time rider whose expectations are way out of whack.

Anyway, I took a trip yesterday from WAS to NYP on Acela 2164 to get a 500 point AGR bonus - as I am a bit behind this year in my AGR points and needed to catch up. As an early Christmas present to myself, I decided to upgrade to First Class - giving myself what I thought would be a nice treat as well as an extra 250 points! I have traveled first class on a number of occasions in the past, and have always been thrilled with the service. I always felt it was somewhat of a "window" to what train travel used to be back in my grandfather's day (only with some tilting technology added ;-)).

The trip started out great with a nice relaxing wait in Club Acela. We were granted pre-boarding directly to the platform and I proceeded directly to the first class car. I was one of only 3 people in the car at departure - very surprising given that this is a busy travel week (and an Amtrak "blackout" day for vouchers). Due to an early meeting that morning, I had on my best suit and the 3 other pax were similarly dressed. I was feeling good and excited for the trip.

The attendant (forgive me if I am getting the titles wrong here) stopped by my chair just before departure and asked if I would like a drink. I smiled and said good morning and asked for a moment to review the menu. He did not respond and just walked away (no good morning, no smile). A good 15 minutes later he walked by and I had to flag him down to make my drink order. He seemed very disinterested and acted as if I was bothering him. The drink came on time - no issue there - but as he sat it down - I said thank you and he walked away without saying anything or even acknowledging my thank you. At this point, I still wasn't really paying attention as I was too busy enjoying the 125mph travel up the corridor.

The trip itself continued on without a hitch. The ride was great, the seats were extremely comfortable, the windows clean and the bathrooms were immaculate. Mr. Friendly (as he shall call him from this point forward) stopped by again to take my lunch order which I gave to him and he walked away again without any acknowledgement. This was when I really started to pay attention to the grumpy attitude. The food came quickly - however it was delivered by a different attendant. This gentleman was much more gracious and more fitting of a first class attendant in my mind. He asked me if I needed anything else, smiled, and said "enjoy the meal". Simple, courteous, friendly. I was hoping at this point that maybe MR. unfriendly was just filling in until this guy took over. No such luck.

Mr. Unfriendly continued to walk the the train, but never once stopped to see if I needed anything. I had to flag him down to refresh my drink - and once again - he gave me a look like I was interrupting/bothering him.

This continued on for the remainder of the trip. Overall, I felt rather let down by the experience. Upon disembarking, I saw the attendant who delivered my lunch and gave him a rather sizable tip - even though it was only the second time I saw him and all he did was deliver my lunch. I smiled at Mr. Unfriendly and wished him a nice day and proceeded into NYP. I'm guessing they probably share tips - but I wanted to send the message.

My question to you all - should I write to Customer Service about this? Everything about the operational aspect of the trip was fantastic - it was the service that was truly lacking. I felt that my $135 rail fare was well worth it - by my $102 upgrade to first class was not fulfilled. This experience will certainly make me pause before upgrading to first class again - especially if it is on my own dime.

I appreciate your input folks. Thank you.
 
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The attendant (forgive me if I am getting the titles wrong here) stopped by my chair just before arrival and asked if I would like a drink. I smiled and said good morning and asked for a moment to review the menu. He did not respond and just walked away (no good morning, no smile). A good 15 minutes later he walked by and I had to flag him down to make my drink order. He seemed very disinterested and acted as if I was bothering him.
I find that to be generally true at restaurants. Pass up a chance to place your order, for any reason, and it can be quite a while until you get another chance. Basically, if you are at the top of their "attention queue", and forfeit, you don't go into second place, but instead get placed at the very, very bottom.
 
I'd say it's worth a phone call to customer service, especially if you know Mr. Unfriendly's name. The only way that Amtrak can weed out the bad apples is if people actually let them know about the bad apples.
 
Does not seem worth $102. Write to customer service.
Concur.

It isn't the end of the world, but Amtrak can't do anything to fix a problem that they don't know about.
Definately agree that you should contact customer service. I assume they can track down the culprit by your train number and that you were in FC. Maybe he had a bad day but, then again, maybe the problem is chronic and needs to be addressed.
 
Thanks everyone. Appreciate the insights and advice. I will make the call. Will follow with post about Amtrak's response. I'm hoping that this will help them keep their focus on the high level of service that has made Acela FC so great over the past 10 years.
 
To me, the fare you paid for that short trip should command the kind of customer service one would expect from say a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. It sounds like what you received was more like one would expect on Aeroflot. Since you fly frequently, I think you will understand my analogy.

Definetly agree you should express your very reasonable disapointment to Amtrak customer service.

Am curious as to their response.
 
To me, the fare you paid for that short trip should command the kind of customer service one would expect from say a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. It sounds like what you received was more like one would expect on Aeroflot. Since you fly frequently, I think you will understand my analogy.

Definetly agree you should express your very reasonable disapointment to Amtrak customer service.

Am curious as to their response.
While I mostly ride in the West, my experience is that unfortunately, while a lot of OBS people are really, really, great, I would absolutely agree the minimum standard at Amtrak is indeed at Aeroflot circa 1988 levels.
 
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First of all... I see your point. But you got everything you paid for correct? Lunch, Drinks, etc.? It sounds like the attendant did the job, just not with the attitude you wanted? So your honestly paying for someone to smile at you and treat you with a fake personality? If the attendant brought everything you asked for they did there job, in my opinion.
 
First of all... I see your point. But you got everything you paid for correct? Lunch, Drinks, etc.? It sounds like the attendant did the job, just not with the attitude you wanted?
He paid for a first class ticket. He did not receive first class service. The right attitude is part of first class service. Always has been, still is now, always will be. This is true on all forms of transportation. It's part of what you're paying the premium for. He certainly did not receive $102 worth of food and drinks.

If the attendant can't provide first class service to first class passengers, then he should be working a different part of the train... or better yet, a different train altogether. (I don't think an attitude like that is suited to business class either, although maybe he could get away with it in coach, assuming he wasn't outright surly.)
 
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To me, the fare you paid for that short trip should command the kind of customer service one would expect from say a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. It sounds like what you received was more like one would expect on Aeroflot.
That is a great analogy - sums up my feelings on all of this quite well.
 
First of all... I see your point. But you got everything you paid for correct? Lunch, Drinks, etc.? It sounds like the attendant did the job, just not with the attitude you wanted?
I did consider this. As I stated in my OP - I did get all of my food and refreshments and there were no issues with quality of product. My issues were with attitude and approach during the 2:45 minute trip. I had to flag down the attendant (when we could find him) the few times I needed him. In FC, I would expect the attendants to check in on me at least twice for a trip of this length (especially when there were less than 10 people in the entire car at its busiest).

So your honestly paying for someone to smile at you and treat you with a fake personality? If the attendant brought everything you asked for they did there job, in my opinion.
I have to respectfully disagree here. Here is my perspective.....I don't just ride around in FC accommodations all the time, I also work in the service industry in order to earn the money to afford me these rare treats. Part of my role in my consulting firm is to, at times, work in a customer service role catering to high-level executives (with high-level expectations). They aren't looking for a fake personality - they expect genuine interest in delivering quality service. I work very hard to ensure that they are getting the real or perceived value of the service. If they don't get it - they take their business elsewhere. Simple as that.

I am expecting the same thing. I'm not looking for an attendant to gush or be over-enthusiastic (or be my friend) - I'm just looking for someone to exhibit pride in their work.

Had I wanted to spend $102 on dinner and drinks for 1 person, I could have stopped in at the 21 Club in Manhattan and then truly have been surrounded by fake personalities :lol: (I speak not of the staff, of course. Some of the most talented bartenders in the city work there).

This all said, thank for you for providing an alternate viewpoint on the situation.
 
While I don't consider this off topic it is tangential. That is I'd like to discuss the tip our author gave to Mr. Friendly. I've ridden Acela first class between Boston/Washington and return on a number of occasions. I especially like the trip to Boston, my "home" station as it gets me "home" in the best time. But I digress. I have experienced good (expected) service and on occasions excellent (unanticipated) service. For over 30 years between the '60's and the turn of the century I worked for and flew one of our premier flag air carriers. Most of my travel was in first class. In ALL my years (please note the period) I never knew of a Hostess/Cabin Attendant who would solicit let alone accept a tip on a regularly scheduled flight, save the Sunday night return flights Las Vegas/New York when the winners noisily jingling their silver cartwheels and pretty well "oiled" would "force" gratuities on the C/As. It is with this in mind I am of two thoughts when I receive excellent service. The attendants seem to expect a tip where as airline attendants never did. But that may have all changed and this opinion may be moot.

Best regards,

Rodger
 
First of all... I see your point. But you got everything you paid for correct? Lunch, Drinks, etc.? It sounds like the attendant did the job, just not with the attitude you wanted? So your honestly paying for someone to smile at you and treat you with a fake personality? If the attendant brought everything you asked for they did there job, in my opinion.
I don't believe the OP wanted this. Rather, he wanted the attendant to make him feel welcome, and show that he was interested in providing for his comfort and fullfill his needs while in his charge, with a little bit of enthusiasm, perhaps. Not like he was being served by a 'robot', or someone that clearly would rather be somewhere else, doing something else.

To me, the fare you paid for that short trip should command the kind of customer service one would expect from say a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. It sounds like what you received was more like one would expect on Aeroflot.
That is a great analogy - sums up my feelings on all of this quite well.
Thankyou.
 
In my experience, you should always make the complaint in written form, making copies of your tickets as proof of travel. And as a rule of thumb, do mention that you will think twice about using their services again. Every time I have included this (even though I may not have actually meant it), I have recieved compensation of some kind.

As for the miserable train staff, I did experience this to some degree on the Lake Shore Limited. We've all had bad days at work, and we've all been to work feeling tired, unwell or stressed out. I'm sure this has contributed to our own prolonged grumpyness. But when its more than half of the crew who are acting this way, then I don't think its personal circumstances which have contributed to this. Had this been in my own country, I'd have probably made a deal of it there and then, pointing out that we are in fact in recession, and there are probably a queue of people who would gladly do their job for less money and a more positive attitude. But as I was on holiday and not out to cause a scene, I decided just to sit back and enjoy the ride.
 
If the attendant brought everything you asked for they did there job, in my opinion.
I agree with you.

As already mentioned, the attendant promptly ask if the OP wanted a drink. The OP passed (as put above, he forfeited his place in line).

It seems the attendant then moved onto the other passengers. Correct? Isn't that their job?

Later, the OP "had to flag him down to make my drink order".

Well, duh.

First class does not mean you get a personal, private servant. I am sure the attendant had many, many other passengers who he was equally responsible for, who were ready with a drink request, and the attendant focused his attention on them.

Sticking with the airline analogy offered, if a flight attendant comes by with their cart, asks you if you want a drink, you say "no", the flight attendant will not stand there and wait until you are ready. The flight attendant will continue down the isle, handling the other passenger's needs. If you then have to wait until they are done, and return back, that isn't their fault.

I think contacting Customer Service would be very inappropriate.
 
When I ride Acela FC, except for breakfast, I'm usually drinking white wine. My measure of a good attendant is, does my glass of wine run dry. I've had a majority of attendants that typically either ask if I might want a refill or simply come by with the bottle and offer me a refill. And I've had attendants do that when FC is sold out.

If I have to track one down, as in wave frantically at them or worse actually walk up to where they are hiding out, that isn't my definition of a good attendant. If most can at least ask if I need anything, and some even anticipate it, then all should be able to do that.

While I agree that passing initially moved the OP to the back of the line, needing to chase the attendant down later on for a refill, doesn't in my humble opinion qualify that attendant as a good one. Add in the lack of comments from the attendant and you IMHO either have an attendant having a bad day or one who just doesn't care.

If it's a bad day situation, then that attendant’s personnel jacket won't be full of similar complaints. If it's just a bad attendant, then his jacket should be filling up with similar complaints.
 
In my opinion I think anytime a customer hasn't received service that the customer(i.e. the one who is forking out the cash) feels is below the standard he feels he should receive, he has an obligation to complain. I myself would not want Mr. Frowny to think this is an appropiate attitude to express first class service. I worked several years for an employee owned company that regulary makes Forbes top 10 companies to work for in America. My motto was "the job I do tomorrow or next week, Depends on the way I do my job today" so I always wanted me and my fellow employees to go above and beyond the call of duty.Unfortunatly in the case of Amtrak there is no competition, but I still think if an employee doesn't like his job, he should go find a job he does like. YES call customer service! I don't want this guy to be my car attendant!Or to think his attitude is ok, cause it is not! When you have a job that requires you to deal with people, you better like dealing with people!
 
Just asking: did you happen to have a dollar or two in your hand when your attendant returned with your drink? Smiles aren't necessarily free. And the other conditions noted onboard all sound absolutely first class.
 
I'd make a point of fetching a drink myself if the attendant made no attempt to convey any warmth or show the correct attitude needed for customer service!!

Absolutely NO chance of a tip then. Not that you should give one unless they really go our of their way to be helpful.
 
Just asking: did you happen to have a dollar or two in your hand when your attendant returned with your drink? Smiles aren't necessarily free. And the other conditions noted onboard all sound absolutely first class.
Why should good service be based on a tip?Or how many dollars you wave around? Sad state of affairs if you ask me!!!
 
I am sure the attendant had many, many other passengers who he was equally responsible for, who were ready with a drink request, and the attendant focused his attention on them.
As I stated in my OP and subsequent posts - the first class car was practically empty. There were 3 people in the car as we departed WAS and there were no more than 10 between PHL and NYP - which was the busiest it got. This gentleman was not busy - I can assure you.
 
Just asking: did you happen to have a dollar or two in your hand when your attendant returned with your drink? Smiles aren't necessarily free.
I admit that I did not. Perhaps I am wrong...but I have learned (by observing other riders on multiple trips) that upon exit the attendant is always there to meet you at the door and that seems to be the customary time to provide a gratuity. In my observations...most FC patrons in line to exit the train tend to slip the attendant something. I have never witnessed someone tip on a per-drink basis at seat....although obviously line of sight is limited when seated.

And the other conditions noted onboard all sound absolutely first class.
They most certainly were...great trip otherwise.
 
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