Change in early drop-off of checked baggage policy?

[me_little_me]

Heading to Savannah from Ft. Lauderdale, we dropped off a bag to be checked the day before our trip. The agent said that this was no longer allowed. I told her I had just read it was permissible on the web page (well, AU IS a web page!) and she reluctantly let me do it. She told me it would go out on the next day's Meteor (my train).

In fact, it went out on the earlier Star so was at the station upon arrival.

I was worried that we would not get to the FTL station 45 minutes ahead to check the bag and that's the reason I wanted to do it a day early. As it turned out, the station opens at 8:20AM and the Meteor arrives a 8:50 so they don't even start to check bags in until 8:20. They accommodated everybody even though there was a line out the door.

So is there a new policy or was this the local agent's personal policy? I was the only one at the station at the time we checked the bag. Everyone had left already. It wasn't like she was overwhelmed by one bag but she was grumpy about it.

BTW: There is a shuttle to/from downtown that meets the trains. Didn't know about it (but didn't need it this time).

 

[niemi24s]

I see nothing here that prohibits what you did or that supports the agents position: https://www.amtrak.com/checked-baggage

 

[BCL]

I see nothing here that prohibits what you did or that supports the agents position: https://www.amtrak.com/checked-baggage

There's precious little that says what the rules are except the 45 minute time before the train departs. And I've personally experienced last call for baggage check-in made about 10 minutes before a train was going to leave.

I mean - they don't say how long the baggage can be left at the destination or how early the baggage can be dropped off at the origin station. Obviously there should be limits, but they don't say what they are.

 

[Lonestar648]

Ambiguity opens the door to personal rules by local agents.

 

[the_traveler]

The station hours (opening @ 8:20 for an 8:50 train) itself does not meet the 45 minute rule. Another example is TPA, where you can check baggage for the Ambus that connects to 98 in ORL. The Ambus departs @ 10:20 but the station does not open until 9:45! Each time I have taken it, there have been waiting outside on the steps.

Amtrak needs to make the rules consistent.

 

[sechs]

I don't think it possible to make consistent rules when different stations have different abilities in handling baggage.

I've always told folks to call the local station to see if they can check in advance. Every one has different rules.

 

[niemi24s]

I've always told folks to call the local station to see if they can check in advance.

How do you find the phone number for a station?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Google? YP.com?

 

[Palmetto]

I've always told folks to call the local station to see if they can check in advance.

How do you find the phone number for a station?

I've never had luck with that. They seem not to like answering the phone.

 

[niemi24s]

I've always told folks to call the local station to see if they can check in advance.

How do you find the phone number for a station?

I've never had luck with that. They seem not to like answering the phone.

But how did you find what number to call in the first place?

 

[Skyline]

I've always told folks to call the local station to see if they can check in advance.

How do you find the phone number for a station?

I've never had luck with that. They seem not to like answering the phone.

Some stations are so understaffed, they cannot always answer their local phone. If you're lucky, your call will be rerouted to a national desk where that capability exists.

 

[niemi24s]

Some stations are so understaffed, they cannot always answer their local phone

OK, so how do you go about finding out what number to dial?

 

[Acela150]

Some stations are so understaffed, they cannot always answer their local phone

OK, so how do you go about finding out what number to dial?

Google is your friend.

 

[PaulM]

OK, so how do you go about finding out what number to dial?

Google is your friend.

Not always. I googled "davis, ca amtrak station phone" and this is what I got. That telephone number seems familiar. I've come to the conclusion that Amtrak doesn't want potential customers to communicate with stations.

 

[StanJazz]

That number is 800-USA-RAIL

 

[niemi24s]

Google is your friend.

It is, but only occasionally, providing an up-front phone number that is a good one when "STA (both code and spelledmout) Amtrak Baggage Check Phone Number" is entered. Then, usually, a Google search leads to a series of links with no useful numbers or simply the (800)872-7245 general purpose number for Amtrak. Every so often a promising phone number shows up but a "Sorry, we're not available right now" message gives you no idea whether or not the number is really any good.

It's my humble and learned opinion that the probability of finding a good number where you can actually speak to somebody at an actual Amtrak station is about √ zero.squat. However, using an online phone book service such as... https://www.yellowpages.com/ ...appears to provide better results than a Google search. But I hesitate to try any of the numbers just found merely to see if they work. Others are encouraged to do the same - unless you've really got a question that needs an answer.

 

[Ryan]

Given that STA doesn’t offer checked baggage, there is a pretty good reason you can’t find a phone number.

Since the OP was asking about FTL, approximately 15 seconds with Google turned up a working phone number for that station.

 

[railiner]

I see nothing here that prohibits what you did or that supports the agents position: https://www.amtrak.com/checked-baggage

There's precious little that says what the rules are except the 45 minute time before the train departs. And I've personally experienced last call for baggage check-in made about 10 minutes before a train was going to leave.

I mean - they don't say how long the baggage can be left at the destination or how early the baggage can be dropped off at the origin station. Obviously there should be limits, but they don't say what they are.

This got me curious....so I found this number online for package express info.... 800-377-6914...(limited hours, for Amtrak Express Shipment info only)...

I first asked them how long I could leave boxes shipped at the destination station. She answered: you have two days from when you are notified of their arrival, after which there is a $4 per box per day storage charge.

I then asked what about checked bags...would they be treated the same? She said you must travel with your checked bags, and pick them up as soon as you arrive. I said what if I had a combination of shipped and checked items. (as sometimes occurs when people move)....she said you would still have to pick up the checked baggage immediately. I said what if I left them for the same two day period as the shipment....she said, then those would be "thrown out" (!).....

That soumds incredible, doesn't it?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Another example of "Making it up" by Amtrak Staff!

Baggage Rooms @ Stations that offer Checked Baggage hold you're arriving Bags Free of Charge for 2 days just like the packages and boxes.

 

[me_little_me]

Answers from Amtrak. I complained about the attitude of the agent as well as asking if there was a policy change on early check-in. So the bottom had their reply to my original complaint. Above it was my reply that said I was confused and the top had their last reply to me. Note that I blanked out my email address and replaced my name and agent name with "x"es.

LAST REPLY

Dear xxx

Thank you for your response.

No the policy has not changes, however since 911 the baggage department is complying
with local Police department. Asking not to handle too many overnight bags.

We apologize for any misunderstanding and look forward to having you back onboard
Amtrak soon.

Amtrak Customer Relations

MY RESPONSE TO ORIGINAL REPLY

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From:
Sent: 12/12/2017 4:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Amtrak follow up [ ]

Everybody has grumpy days. But you didn't answer the question: Can I check the bags early? she said it was not permitted to check it the day before (but still with 24 hours) and that was the new policy. Is that true?

xxx

THEIR ANSWER TO MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT

--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 12/12/17, Amtrak Customer Support <[email protected]> wrote:

Subject: Amtrak follow up [ ]
To:
Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 9:31 AM

Dear
xxx,Thank you for your recent email contact. Amtrak welcomes feedback from customers, as it helps us to focus our efforts to improve service. At Amtrak, we recognize that customer service is critical to
the Corporation's success as a transportation carrier. We expect every Amtrak employee to treat our customers with courtesy and respect and to perform their duties in a professional manner. We are sorry that your experience was different.
In spite of our best efforts, there are always those times when communication breaks down and misunderstandings result. Please accept our sincere apologies, and be assured that your concerns have been entered into our customer database and made a part of our permanent record. You can rest assured that information has been shared with the responsible managers for review and any necessary corrective action.
Once again, thank you for contacting us. We strive at Amtrak to deliver a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience for all of our customers. Our guiding principles are to provide a safer,
greener, healthier and better connected passenger rail system.
We look forward to serving you in the future aboard Amtrak.
Sincerely,

xxx

 

[niemi24s]

[Amtrak Reply, in part] No the policy has not changes, however since 911 the baggage department is complying

with local Police department. Asking not to handle too many overnight bags.

Aaaah. There's the catch-all phrase, ". . .too many overnight bags." How many is too many? Whatever the agent determines? Yours?

Excellent job of mealy-mouthing.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

[Amtrak Reply, in part] No the policy has not changes, however since 911 the baggage department is complying

with local Police department. Asking not to handle too many overnight bags.

Aaaah. There's the catch-all phrase, ". . .too many overnight bags." How many is too many? Whatever the agent determines? Yours? Excellent job of mealy-mouthing.

Too many is whatever that particular agent chooses to believe at that particular time on that particular day. It's sad to see that some staff still believe they only need to drop a vague reference of terrorism to instantly explain away virtually any travel related issue or problem.

 

[JRR]

Last August I checked two bags at the Deerfield Beach Station the day before catching the 98 Meteor the next day.

There was no problem except the Agent advised that the following week, DFB was ceasing to handle checked baggage and thus I would not be able to check my baggage through on the return trip.

They did agree that I would be able to check it to WPB and then pick it up the next day after returning to DFB.

As things worked out, I did not get to find out if that would be honored as the hurricane disrupted service so long that we had to fly back.

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