Discourtesy at the ticket booth

[MiniMax]

I’m in my 70s now and more grateful than ever to take an Amtrak long-distance train. It’s an exciting occasion for me. My wife and I are soon to board the Coast Starlight for a trip from Los Angeles to Portland in a bedroom. I booked the trip online and printed an electronic ticket, but I still like the feel of an old-fashioned cardboard ticket. It’s stated plainly on the ticket that any Amtrak ticket window will issue an official ticket. Since we live in Sherman Oaks I drove to the close-by Van Nuys station and requested a ticket. I showed the person behind the window my electronic ticket and with only a glance at it she promptly said, “That IS your ticket.” I explained that just for old time sake, I like to have an Amtrak-issued ticket.

She became argumentative and insisted that I don’t NEED another ticket. I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never run into such snippiness at Amtrak. After a pause and a long stink-eye, she raised her voice for others to hear in the waiting room that I was WASTING her paper, but that she would print it anyway.

I don’t often get the opportunity to take a long distance trip in an Amtrak bedroom. In all my years of travel on trains, the ticket window people and, indeed, most all Amtrak employees are happy to help me and are always courteous. They are the face of Amtrak. Corporate can spend money on advertising and PR, but the real face of Amtrak is the actual face of an Amtrak employee. I can understand frustration and she may have been having a bad day, but she had been laughing and courteous with the younger couple who was there just before me, so, no, I think that she was just being purposely discourteous. What a shame.

This is just a vent dear friends. I’m still looking forward to our trip on the beautiful Coast Starlight and the adventure ahead.

 

[niemi24s]

Please report this to Amtrak Customer Service - with the name of the agent and all other details. None of us here can do anything constructive about it except offer our condolences for your treatment.

 

[Willie1946]

Something I found out the hard way ... if you lose that real ticket it can't be replaced except by buying another one. Just saying she might have been doing you a favor in an unpleasant way.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Sounds like she's a candidate for transfer to Chicago or else she came from there originally!

Please do let CR know about your unfortunate experience and share the joy of your trip with us,it's a fantastic trip!

 

[niemi24s]

Would it be better to discuss this matter with the Van Nuys station manager? I've always felt the best results can be obtained by not going all the way to the very top of the management chain.

 

[AlanB]

Something I found out the hard way ... if you lose that real ticket it can't be replaced except by buying another one. Just saying she might have been doing you a favor in an unpleasant way.

No, that couldn't be it as the ticket she printed is still an eTicket just printed on Amtrak ticket stock. You could print 20 copies of that ticket if you really wanted. What you can't do is have the conductor scan it 20 times. Well, technically he could, but his iPhone would just show that the ticket was already lifted.

Only in cases with Thruway buses or the Maple Leaf into Canada are the older, value tickets issued by the agents or QuikTrak machines.

Like MiniMax, I still prefer having the Amtrak ticket stock for my collection. So even though I arrive at the station with my computer printed eTicket as well as being able to access the ticket on my iPhone, I still stop by a QuikTrak and printout the eTicket on Amtrak ticket stock.

 

[the_traveler]

Something I found out the hard way ... if you lose that real ticket it can't be replaced except by buying another one. Just saying she might have been doing you a favor in an unpleasant way.

That would be true if she printed out a real ticket that included the fare. However, e-tickets that are printed just show the stations (say KCY and ABQ) but the fare shows "$0.00"! They have no value and thus could not get refunded.

 

[Dakota 400]

Another unfortunate illustration of inconsistent customer service by Amtrak employees. Many meet the expectations of their guests.. Others don't.

But, for those of us who travel frequently, is there a cruise line, an airline, a railroad, etc. that fully meets our expectations anymore?

 

[Hal]

I’m in my 70s now and more grateful than ever to take an Amtrak long-distance train. It’s an exciting occasion for me. My wife and I are soon to board the Coast Starlight for a trip from Los Angeles to Portland in a bedroom. I booked the trip online and printed an electronic ticket, but I still like the feel of an old-fashioned cardboard ticket. It’s stated plainly on the ticket that any Amtrak ticket window will issue an official ticket. Since we live in Sherman Oaks I drove to the close-by Van Nuys station and requested a ticket. I showed the person behind the window my electronic ticket and with only a glance at it she promptly said, “That IS your ticket.” I explained that just for old time sake, I like to have an Amtrak-issued ticket.

She became argumentative and insisted that I don’t NEED another ticket. I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never run into such snippiness at Amtrak. After a pause and a long stink-eye, she raised her voice for others to hear in the waiting room that I was WASTING her paper, but that she would print it anyway.

I don’t often get the opportunity to take a long distance trip in an Amtrak bedroom. In all my years of travel on trains, the ticket window people and, indeed, most all Amtrak employees are happy to help me and are always courteous. They are the face of Amtrak. Corporate can spend money on advertising and PR, but the real face of Amtrak is the actual face of an Amtrak employee. I can understand frustration and she may have been having a bad day, but she had been laughing and courteous with the younger couple who was there just before me, so, no, I think that she was just being purposely discourteous. What a shame.

This is just a vent dear friends. I’m still looking forward to our trip on the beautiful Coast Starlight and the adventure ahead.

What you got at the ticket office is not an "official" ticket. It was just an Amtrak printed version of the electronic ticket. I think It would be okay to explain that you didn't need another ticket document. But after you told her you still wanted one that should have been it. It is really wrong what the ticket agent did. A ticket agent should never embarrass a customer.

 

[Lonestar648]

Management can only address problems or issues they are aware have happened, so please contact CS to report the situation. I am sure Amtrak tracks all issues, those addressed and resolved, those that need additional action. In my business, we had weekly meetings to review customer issues, numbers and percentage resolved, and action items to get others resolved. Our overall goal was continuous customer satisfaction improvement.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Something I found out the hard way ... if you lose that real ticket it can't be replaced except by buying another one. Just saying she might have been doing you a favor in an unpleasant way.

Alan already explained why your assumption is false but even if it were true it wouldn't explain this kind of attitude.

Sounds like she's a candidate for transfer to Chicago or else she came from there originally!

That's what I was thinking too if I'm honest.

Another unfortunate illustration of inconsistent customer service by Amtrak employees. Many meet the expectations of their guests.. Others don't. But, for those of us who travel frequently, is there a cruise line, an airline, a railroad, etc. that fully meets our expectations anymore?

Fair point. I was born a naive optimist but after forty years of missed expectations I finally reached the point where I became an unapologetic cynic. A couple of the older Asian airlines remain service oriented but for every Singapore or Cathay Pacific there are a dozen newer Asian airlines that couldn't care less what you or anyone else thought of your experience.

 

[AlanB]

Something I found out the hard way ... if you lose that real ticket it can't be replaced except by buying another one. Just saying she might have been doing you a favor in an unpleasant way.

Alan already explained why your assumption is false but even if it were true it wouldn't explain this kind of attitude.

Alas, the only explanation is quite simply that this employee didn't want to be bothered to spend 30 seconds out of her day to comply with a simple customer request. It's not like this was some complex problem that would have taken her a half an hour to straighten out. And from the sounds of it, she wasn't even particularly nice about it.

Yes, MiniMax already had a valid eTicket in his hand. But still, there is no excuse for how the agent treated MiniMax.

She is there to serve the customer and even though she eventually complied with the request, IMHO she failed miserably at her job; something that I'm sure you'd agree with me on Chris.

 

[peconicstation]

Please report this to Amtrak Customer Service - with the name of the agent and all other details. None of us here can do anything constructive about it except offer our condolences for your treatment.

More important, file a complaint with the union that represents the workers of that particular station.

Ken

 

[Hal]

Please report this to Amtrak Customer Service - with the name of the agent and all other details. None of us here can do anything constructive about it except offer our condolences for your treatment.

More important, file a complaint with the union that represents the workers of that particular station.

Ken

Unions don't handle customer complaints.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Please report this to Amtrak Customer Service - with the name of the agent and all other details. None of us here can do anything constructive about it except offer our condolences for your treatment.

More important, file a complaint with the union that represents the workers of that particular station.
Ken

Unions don't handle customer complaints.

Maybe if they did handle customer complaints we'd end up with fewer bad apples over time. It's something I never thought of before but the prospect sounds interesting enough that I'm not wiling to dismiss it out of hand. In a sense the Union does handle customer complaints; they just wait until a complaint is deep into the bureaucratic process before they begin. We've already discussed how under current law the Union is required to protect bad apples as much as they protect good employees. That sounds like a system which is predisposed to failure and has little if any chance to achieve the desired outcome.

 

[Hal]

Please report this to Amtrak Customer Service - with the name of the agent and all other details. None of us here can do anything constructive about it except offer our condolences for your treatment.

More important, file a complaint with the union that represents the workers of that particular station.
Ken

Unions don't handle customer complaints.

Maybe if they did handle customer complaints we'd end up with fewer bad apples over time. It's something I never thought of before but the prospect sounds interesting enough that I'm not wiling to dismiss it out of hand. In a sense the Union does handle customer complaints; they just wait until a complaint is deep into the bureaucratic process before they begin. We've already discussed how under current law the Union is required to protect bad apples as much as they protect good employees. That sounds like a system which is predisposed to failure and has little if any chance to achieve the desired outcome.

The unions don't have full time employees. The reps are working their jobs. So they are not in a position to handle customer complaints. But they often intervene before the complaint is deep into the process. Counsel the employee. Some depends on the rapport between managers and union reps. The past record of the employee. Anyone could have a bad day. But some might be in the wrong job and have a "history".

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've traveled Amtrak for for a long time and I've seen employees that have had nothing but bad days for several years in a row. What the worst that could happen if I relay my experiences to the union? I suppose they could ignore me or they could try to dissuade me from reporting anything to Amtrak. On the other hand maybe if enough folks made similar complaints over time they'd begin to understand that this particular employee probably belongs somewhere else.

 

[VentureForth]

Because they cannot print a real paper "ticket" only a "confirmation" that has essentially the same barcode that you print at home or have on your smart phone, anyone can get a paper copy printed on Amtrak stock by using the QuikTrax machines locate at most stations. It'll be identical to what you get from the agent.

 

[seat38a]

Because they cannot print a real paper "ticket" only a "confirmation" that has essentially the same barcode that you print at home or have on your smart phone, anyone can get a paper copy printed on Amtrak stock by using the QuikTrax machines locate at most stations. It'll be identical to what you get from the agent.

Wasn't true for me, unless its changed, it depends on how you booked your e-ticket. I have tried to get a paper one out of the machine for one that I bought online because Amtrak's app was being goofy, but it would not work unless I had a special "QuickTrax" code or something like that.

 

[seat38a]

I’m in my 70s now and more grateful than ever to take an Amtrak long-distance train. It’s an exciting occasion for me. My wife and I are soon to board the Coast Starlight for a trip from Los Angeles to Portland in a bedroom. I booked the trip online and printed an electronic ticket, but I still like the feel of an old-fashioned cardboard ticket. It’s stated plainly on the ticket that any Amtrak ticket window will issue an official ticket. Since we live in Sherman Oaks I drove to the close-by Van Nuys station and requested a ticket. I showed the person behind the window my electronic ticket and with only a glance at it she promptly said, “That IS your ticket.” I explained that just for old time sake, I like to have an Amtrak-issued ticket.

She became argumentative and insisted that I don’t NEED another ticket. I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never run into such snippiness at Amtrak. After a pause and a long stink-eye, she raised her voice for others to hear in the waiting room that I was WASTING her paper, but that she would print it anyway.

I don’t often get the opportunity to take a long distance trip in an Amtrak bedroom. In all my years of travel on trains, the ticket window people and, indeed, most all Amtrak employees are happy to help me and are always courteous. They are the face of Amtrak. Corporate can spend money on advertising and PR, but the real face of Amtrak is the actual face of an Amtrak employee. I can understand frustration and she may have been having a bad day, but she had been laughing and courteous with the younger couple who was there just before me, so, no, I think that she was just being purposely discourteous. What a shame.

This is just a vent dear friends. I’m still looking forward to our trip on the beautiful Coast Starlight and the adventure ahead.

Ask the agent in the Metropolitan Lounge to do it for you when you get to Union Station. At my station, I see people get in line not knowing that their e-ticket is an actual ticket and many don't understand that until 5 min of explaining. So, I would not doubt it if the agent in question, had to deal with this kind of situation where she thought you were not understanding that you don't need a paper ticket. Since I was not there I don't know what you exactly told him or her, but people going up to the window for a "ticket" with their printout is not a uncommon thing. When you get to Union Station, I would make sure that you explicitly state that you want a paper ticket printout as a souvenir. Especially the lounge agent, who deals with a lot less passengers than a general ticket agent will find that more amusing and accomodating.

 

[NW cannonball]

Because they cannot print a real paper "ticket" only a "confirmation" that has essentially the same barcode that you print at home or have on your smart phone, anyone can get a paper copy printed on Amtrak stock by using the QuikTrax machines locate at most stations. It'll be identical to what you get from the agent.

Wasn't true for me, unless its changed, it depends on how you booked your e-ticket. I have tried to get a paper one out of the machine for one that I bought online because Amtrak's app was being goofy, but it would not work unless I had a special "QuickTrax" code or something like that.

Curious about that situation, I've (in the last 5 years or so had an e-ticket printout, got printed quick-trak ticket, and never no problem) had no problem getting an e-ticket duplicate from the quick-trak machine or from the ticket agent.

I'm thinking it works like the the airlines - the e-ticket is an access code to whatever they know about you, your credit card, and if the funds to pay transacted OK . Or something like that.

But no ticket agent has refused, or even cavilled at, giving me a worthless paper copy of my e-ticket. -

Yeah, I keep most of those tickets as souvenirs - so what.

 

[Lonestar648]

I think the union does have full time employees because back away I rode the CL to WAS, my DC companion was the Union Legal/legislative Coordinator. He said he rode the train frequently for meetings in WAS and CHI, but also to chat with the workers on the trains. Our SCA was the "Invisible Man", so when three of us got into a discussion at breakfast, the Union guy asked some detailed questions. Later I saw the SCA being lead to the Transition Sleeper and maybe 30 minutes later falling over himself to be helpful and always present for the few remaining hours to WAS. Don't know who did what except there was a definite change of attitude and the Union guy was extremely interested in the fact we were all very unhappy.

 

[tp49]

A large number of union have paid staff it's not uncommon. Reps are from my experience usually paid it's stewards that are volunteer.

 

[andersone]

In the Soprano's I believe they called them "no show" jobs

 

[Hal]

A large number of union have paid staff it's not uncommon. Reps are from my experience usually paid it's stewards that are volunteer.

Yes, the rail unions have paid staff on the national level. They manage the union though. Or lobby congress or state legislatures. The local reps that deal with the union employees and their grievances with management, at least at Amtrak, all that I ever met from about 14 craft unions are not paid union employees. They work regular full time jobs at Amtrak. Conductor, Engineer, LSA, Track Worker, Customer Service Rep. etc. The local president or the local chairman ( person who deals with grievances) are not paid union staff.