Chi to WAS to Orlando

[BillVas]

I recently took the L shaped tour if you will from Chicago to Washington DC and then to Orlando Florida to see Mickey Mouse. I ride Amtrak only and never fly. I have started to notice that some sleeping car attendants I have do not help with luggage up the stairs on Superliner sleepers nor do they help with luggage when we are at the end of the journey. Thier attitude is rather poor. One thing I do not understand in the dinning cars is when our table is the first or second one fully seated we are the 4th or 5th table to get the salad, even though our order has been taken????

What is your thoughts?

Bill

 

[MrFSS]

I recently took the L shaped tour if you will from Chicago to Washington DC and then to Orlando Florida to see Mickey Mouse. I ride Amtrak only and never fly. I have started to notice that some sleeping car attendants I have do not help with luggage up the stairs on Superliner sleepers nor do they help with luggage when we are at the end of the journey. Their attitude is rather poor. One thing I do not understand in the dinning cars is when our table is the first or second one fully seated we are the 4th or 5th table to get the salad, even though our order has been taken???? What is your thoughts?

Bill

Bill - some good questions that need answers so I'm moving this over to the main forum where more will see and respond.

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

I recently took the L shaped tour if you will from Chicago to Washington DC and then to Orlando Florida to see Mickey Mouse. I ride Amtrak only and never fly. I have started to notice that some sleeping car attendants I have do not help with luggage up the stairs on Superliner sleepers nor do they help with luggage when we are at the end of the journey. Thier attitude is rather poor. One thing I do not understand in the dinning cars is when our table is the first or second one fully seated we are the 4th or 5th table to get the salad, even though our order has been taken???? What is your thoughts?

Bill

Please answer a couple of questions for me, however, I'll still offer some thoughts going on your info here (being I am a former OBS employee at Amtrak).

1) Please be a little more specific here. What kind of "help" are you requesting with your luggage as far as up and down the stairs. The attendant should "assist" you with "carry on" luggage. But that doesn't mean that he/she takes care of it for you completely. However, on the other hand, when I would work a sleeper car, I would offer complete baggage service from the door to the room and from the room back to door in order to provide a service in hopes of a generous tip (which I excelled at personally).

2) There is no question at all about attitude. It can make or break a trip if you let it do so. That is something customer service or a manager would have to resolve should you desire to make a complaint.

3) I take it you are speaking of an "evening dinner sitting" or for that particular time period dinner reservation. In such a case there is no first come, first served basis when you are brought into the diner at the same time or for a specific dinner call time. You are considered to be there for "dinner call time" and you are served according to how the dinning car crew has their diner set up. If they are smart, they are operating in a manner to where they can keep the operation fluid, but not overstep each other and fall over themselves. That is what most of the crews I worked with did when we started the session. We usually started at one end of the diner, took all the orders, and dropped the salads in order of how we come out of the pantry. So with that said, it may just appear to you that you are not being served in order you feel you should be (which I am not arguing your point as you could still be served out of order exactly as you state as I wasn't there on that crew or the train to observe).

OBS gone freight...

 

[BillVas]

I recently took the L shaped tour if you will from Chicago to Washington DC and then to Orlando Florida to see Mickey Mouse. I ride Amtrak only and never fly. I have started to notice that some sleeping car attendants I have do not help with luggage up the stairs on Superliner sleepers nor do they help with luggage when we are at the end of the journey. Thier attitude is rather poor. One thing I do not understand in the dinning cars is when our table is the first or second one fully seated we are the 4th or 5th table to get the salad, even though our order has been taken???? What is your thoughts?

Bill

Please answer a couple of questions for me, however, I'll still offer some thoughts going on your info here (being I am a former OBS employee at Amtrak).

1) Please be a little more specific here. What kind of "help" are you requesting with your luggage as far as up and down the stairs. The attendant should "assist" you with "carry on" luggage. But that doesn't mean that he/she takes care of it for you completely. However, on the other hand, when I would work a sleeper car, I would offer complete baggage service from the door to the room and from the room back to door in order to provide a service in hopes of a generous tip (which I excelled at personally).

2) There is no question at all about attitude. It can make or break a trip if you let it do so. That is something customer service or a manager would have to resolve should you desire to make a complaint.

3) I take it you are speaking of an "evening dinner sitting" or for that particular time period dinner reservation. In such a case there is no first come, first served basis when you are brought into the diner at the same time or for a specific dinner call time. You are considered to be there for "dinner call time" and you are served according to how the dinning car crew has their diner set up. If they are smart, they are operating in a manner to where they can keep the operation fluid, but not overstep each other and fall over themselves. That is what most of the crews I worked with did when we started the session. We usually started at one end of the diner, took all the orders, and dropped the salads in order of how we come out of the pantry. So with that said, it may just appear to you that you are not being served in order you feel you should be (which I am not arguing your point as you could still be served out of order exactly as you state as I wasn't there on that crew or the train to observe).

OBS gone freight...

Yes I mean from the car door up to the room. So many other attendants have done that. I still tip the 10.00 dollar per person per day to the attendant but I feel I better start writing amtrak about bad attitudes or else they may spread thier bad attitudes to other attendants. I am can understand now what the dinning crew is trying to do. Thanks for explaining that to me.

Bill

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Yes I mean from the car door up to the room. So many other attendants have done that. I still tip the 10.00 dollar per person per day to the attendant but I feel I better start writing amtrak about bad attitudes or else they may spread thier bad attitudes to other attendants. I am can understand now what the dinning crew is trying to do. Thanks for explaining that to me. Bill

Well, it appears I pretty much had all of your points on target here. But in regard to "baggage service" from the door to the room, it is not really the attendant's responsibility to do that. Carry on luggage is actually your (the passenger's) responsibility, however, the attendant is supposed to offer you some "assistance" with it in regard to getting the luggage up and/or down the stairs (door stairs and stairs to upper level on Superliners). Keep in mind that the key word here is "assistance." That means he/she helps you with maybe one of your carry ons or as a team effort on the stairs or at the door, but not do it for you. They are not required to handle your carry on luggage. Those attendants who provided the "complete door to room/room to door" baggage service were only doing so in order to further their hopes for a more generous tip. IMO, about all you can do in that respect is to simply take a little off of their tip at the end of the trip.

But as far as surely attitudes (or other similar negative customer service), it needs to brought to management's attention when it occurs, or otherwise it goes on unnoticed.

And your very welcome. I am always happy to oblige if I can do so.

OBS gone freight...

 

[Everydaymatters]

I also thank you, OBS. I didn't know that "assistance" was all that was required, but it does make sense. Luggage can be extremely heavy and if the pax packs that much into it, he or she should be ready to take it onboard without help.