STATION REFUSED TO CHECK LUGGAGE

[Ruth B. Boulware]

On March 13, 2009, I was awaiting the Crescent Northbound at the Birmingham, Alabama Station. I arrived an hour early to check my luggage. When I arrived, a note was on the window saying, "BE BACK SOON." At approximately 2:10, the agent arrived, and began selling tickets. We were lined up to get our luggage checked. The agent came on the intercom to inform everyone that no bags would be checked, and we would be responsible for getting our luggage on the train. It was a very pitiful scene-seeing the elderly people trying to get their luggage up two flights of steps where the train was awaiting. The conductor wanted to know why we had all of the luggage? We informed him that the agent would not check the luggage. I was in tears! When we got to the train, NO ONE would help us with the luggage. I did contact Amtrak's Customer Service of this incident, and would you believe, Amtrak sent me a measly voucher for $25.00 which was an insult and a slap in the fact for the trauma that I went through at the Birmingham Amtrak Station. I am sending the voucher back to Amtrak. Please, before you board any AMTRAK TRAIN, make sure you know whether or not you will be able to check your luggage. This was an experience that I will never forget.

 

[MrEd]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I have been to this station a few times and there have been two agents working, one doing tickets, the other bags. Maybe someone called in sick.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I've re-read your post 3 or 4 times because I know how hard it would have been for me to take luggage up two flight of stairs. Having bad lungs, I'd probably collapse if I got to the top. I sympathize with you and all the other passengers who experienced that. Sorry to hear that it happened to you.

 

[Upstate]

25 bucks is just blowing you off. Do airlines even offer travel vouchers that small? I could see 25 for problems on a regional, but not on a long distance train.

So either the elevator was broke or the guy running it was out. Do they not have contingency plans besides saying screw you? They can't have an agreement with the freight railroad to borrow a guy for a couple of hours or maybe just run down to the unemployment office and hire a guy for the day to be a redcap? Even if that elevator takes special training, if you have a couple of redcaps for the day running bags up the stairs for the elderly its still better than saying screw you.

 

[jackal]

So either the elevator was broke or the guy running it was out. Do they not have contingency plans besides saying screw you? They can't have an agreement with the freight railroad to borrow a guy for a couple of hours or maybe just run down to the unemployment office and hire a guy for the day to be a redcap? Even if that elevator takes special training, if you have a couple of redcaps for the day running bags up the stairs for the elderly its still better than saying screw you.

No, they don't have agreements with the freight railroads to borrow a guy for a couple of hours. McDonald's doesn't have agreements with Taco Bell to borrow a cashier for a couple of hours when the Mickey D's guy calls in sick, and neither can the Abercrombie & Fitch store in the mall borrow one of the mall's janitors to be a stock person. Expecting such is just silly.

And who would they borrow? A conductor? A yardmaster? A MOW guy? Those guys are all unionized and are restricted in the type of work they can do by union rules, anyway. If it's out of their job description, fuggedaboudit. Especially if it's a separate company.

Even running down to the unemployment office won't work. I'll bet you Red Caps are unionized, too, just as the ticket agents are, and you can't just throw an extra guy in to do a union employee's work.

Welcome to a unionized environment.

Even if Red Caps aren't unionized, more seriously, it's not like they can just run down to the unemployment office (or, more appropriately, a temp agency). First of all, it's possible the employee called in sick at the last minute, leaving no time to work on that issue. Second, the people on duty at that time may not have such authority--I don't even know if the station manager has hiring authority or the authorization to spend money not specifically budgeted (especially in a large, government-run corporation like Amtrak).

I agree that the way this was handled was (based on the information and perspective we were given) abysmal, and there are things the agent probably could have done to work both positions and/or worked with the conductor/LSA to ensure someone was available to assist with loading luggage on the train, but you can't expect such ludicrous solutions as borrowing a guy from another company or bringing a guy in from off the street who has no idea how to tag bags, doesn't know how to operate the computer system, doesn't know where the carts are stored, doesn't have keys to the necessary places to get things out of storage, etc. to be realistic.

 

[had8ley]

So either the elevator was broke or the guy running it was out. Do they not have contingency plans besides saying screw you? They can't have an agreement with the freight railroad to borrow a guy for a couple of hours or maybe just run down to the unemployment office and hire a guy for the day to be a redcap? Even if that elevator takes special training, if you have a couple of redcaps for the day running bags up the stairs for the elderly its still better than saying screw you.

No, they don't have agreements with the freight railroads to borrow a guy for a couple of hours. McDonald's doesn't have agreements with Taco Bell to borrow a cashier for a couple of hours when the Mickey D's guy calls in sick, and neither can the Abercrombie & Fitch store in the mall borrow one of the mall's janitors to be a stock person. Expecting such is just silly.

And who would they borrow? A conductor? A yardmaster? A MOW guy? Those guys are all unionized and are restricted in the type of work they can do by union rules, anyway. If it's out of their job description, fuggedaboudit. Especially if it's a separate company.

Even running down to the unemployment office won't work. I'll bet you Red Caps are unionized, too, just as the ticket agents are, and you can't just throw an extra guy in to do a union employee's work.

Welcome to a unionized environment.

Even if Red Caps aren't unionized, more seriously, it's not like they can just run down to the unemployment office (or, more appropriately, a temp agency). First of all, it's possible the employee called in sick at the last minute, leaving no time to work on that issue. Second, the people on duty at that time may not have such authority--I don't even know if the station manager has hiring authority or the authorization to spend money not specifically budgeted (especially in a large, government-run corporation like Amtrak).

I agree that the way this was handled was (based on the information and perspective we were given) abysmal, and there are things the agent probably could have done to work both positions and/or worked with the conductor/LSA to ensure someone was available to assist with loading luggage on the train, but you can't expect such ludicrous solutions as borrowing a guy from another company or bringing a guy in from off the street who has no idea how to tag bags, doesn't know how to operate the computer system, doesn't know where the carts are stored, doesn't have keys to the necessary places to get things out of storage, etc. to be realistic.

I am very sorry that this happened to this pax. One way around the baggage clerk laying off and/or the elevator being broken would be for the SA's in the coaches and sleepers to handle the bags up the stairs without breaking union rules. Birmingham is one of the dingiest stations on the Amtrak system and laziness and lack of innovation on the agent's part is very obvious. I'm told Memphis also is still not much better for customer service.

 

[Guest]

And who would they borrow? A conductor? A yardmaster? A MOW guy? Those guys are all unionized and are restricted in the type of work they can do by union rules, anyway. If it's out of their job description, fuggedaboudit. Especially if it's a separate company.

The station manager ?

At McD's (sticking one of our your examples), when the only cashier doesn't show up for work at lunch time, the manager him/herself runs the register.

 

[Upstate]

...bringing a guy in from off the street who has no idea how to tag bags, doesn't know how to operate the computer system, doesn't know where the carts are stored, doesn't have keys to the necessary places to get things out of storage, etc. to be realistic.

What I said was having a day laborer haul bags up the stairs, not do the full luggage deal. Last time I checked it doesn't take any special skills to carry bags up the stairs.
and as far as the union bs goes, hire the guy as a "concultant"

 

[Guest]

So either the elevator was broke or the guy running it was out.

There was an elevator, and it was broken too?

If true, maybe that is why the luggage guy didn't show up to work.

 

[jackal]

And who would they borrow? A conductor? A yardmaster? A MOW guy? Those guys are all unionized and are restricted in the type of work they can do by union rules, anyway. If it's out of their job description, fuggedaboudit. Especially if it's a separate company.

The station manager ?

At McD's (sticking one of our your examples), when the only cashier doesn't show up for work at lunch time, the manager him/herself runs the register.

Sorry, meant to add "if there even is a station manager there"--and perhaps the lone ticket agent was the station manager.

I know plenty about management having to do the job when the employees don't show up. Believe me.

 

[lepearso]

Birmingham is one of the dingiest stations on the Amtrak system and laziness and lack of innovation on the agent's part is very obvious. I'm told Memphis also is still not much better for customer service.

I agree with you that Birmingham is dingy. I wonder when and if they're going to move the Amtrak facility over to the new transit center next door? It would be a huge improvement and a step in the right direction for Birmingham.

I remember catching a train out of Memphis when Amtrak reduced station office hours in all locations to save money. The ticket office did not open until exactly one hour before train time. The ticket agents were overwhelmed by the crowd and obviously frustrated. They barely got everybody ticketed before the train arrived.

Ever since the station returned to normal hours, the service there has been very good in my experience. It's a clean and good-looking facility with free parking right beside the platform. It beats Birmingham and Atlanta both!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I could be all wrong here, and I am ready to stand corrected if need be,but I think two or three years ago BIrmingham became a one employee station. One poor guy has to sell tickets and check baggage both.

So far as I have noticed both jobs have always gotten done, somehow or another. But obviously not this time, which angers me also.

Since I always have my return tickets and never need to check baggage, maybe I have not always paid close enough attention.

 

[daveyb99]

It was a very pitiful sceneI was in tears!

Amtrak sent me a measly voucher for $25.00

which was an insult

and a slap in the fact for the trauma

Colorful Adjectives. But this does not a thing for me. "Oh the trauma of not being able to check a bag"? Please.

Now, what (other than a nice gesture of $25) would you have Customer Service do? Not being able to check a bag does not warrant a full-refund-red-carpet treatment.

Could the station done better? Maybe. Could more have been done trainside Maybe.

I agree you had an inconvenience, but "trauma".

I would take the voucher and enjoy the $25 off on your next trip. At least they made a gesture other than a verbal 'we're sorry'.

 

[daveyb99]

I could be all wrong here, and I am ready to stand corrected if need be,but I think two or three years ago BIrmingham became a one employee station. One poor guy has to sell tickets and check baggage both.So far as I have noticed both jobs have always gotten done, somehow or another. But obviously not this time, which angers me also.

A perfect response to the "union will not permit it" nonsense posted earlier. AMTRAK short-staffs a station, leaving customers and Union employees are being chastised for NOT helping out. Please.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

It was a very pitiful sceneI was in tears!

Amtrak sent me a measly voucher for $25.00

which was an insult

and a slap in the fact for the trauma

Colorful Adjectives. But this does not a thing for me. "Oh the trauma of not being able to check a bag"? Please.

Now, what (other than a nice gesture of $25) would you have Customer Service do? Not being able to check a bag does not warrant a full-refund-red-carpet treatment.

Could the station done better? Maybe. Could more have been done trainside Maybe.

I agree you had an inconvenience, but "trauma".

I would take the voucher and enjoy the $25 off on your next trip. At least they made a gesture other than a verbal 'we're sorry'.

Not to mention the OP is actually sending the voucher back! Of all the things in the world! Melodrama!

And then she finishes off with:

Please, before you board any AMTRAK TRAIN, make sure you know whether or not you will be able to check your luggage. This was an experience that I will never forget.

Is that a warning to us? Amtrak Unlimited, or any poor helpless soul that gets on a train in the US?

Oh and by the way, you'll forget... wait two weeks. People forget about having broken legs, you'll forget about carrying your own bags. Truuuuust me.

 

[Tim in Wisconsin]

As an occasional lurker, I'll step in with a small amount of defense for Amtrak here.

On the morning of March 13th, the main Amtrak computer system crashed. You may have noticed this if you were trying to get a train status report through web or phone that morning. For an hour or so, no Amtrak station was able to print out tickets. That meant that there were a number of people who came to their station expecting to get tickets for that day's train and were unable to do so. These people were allowed to board without tickets.

I was boarding the Empire Builder that day. By the time I got to my station to board, the system was back up and I was able to get my tickets no problem. However, my station agent was swamped because his was the first staffed station that the Empire Builder came to after the computers came back up. It was his responsibility to print out all the tickets for the people who had already boarded the train and didn't get their tickets yet. He needed to get that done before the train arrived, of course, so that those tickets could be distributed to the passengers on board the train.

Because of that, he was unable to check any bags. It just required too much additional time that he didn't have. Yes, Amtrak could stand to modernize its luggage ticketing system so that transfer tags don't need to be filled out by hand. And while my agent did a good job of communicating why this was the case, as always many Amtrak employees could stand to improve their communication when issues occur.

But it wasn't just because Amtrak didn't feel like checking bags. Birmingham wasn't the only station at which this happened on that day; it was going on system-wide. Never having ridden the Crescent, I don't know the level of staffing in Birmingham and if there was any assistance that could be done other than good-natured passengers helping other passengers up the steps.

A $25 voucher seems more than reasonable for an incident that, while an inconvenience, does not rise to the level of trauma. No, an airline wouldn't give you a voucher that small. They wouldn't give you anything.

 

[sky12065]

Excuse me, but who are we to judge what is or is not trauma to another! If what happened to Ruth had happened to me I would have all to do to make the stairs, if I in fact made them at all; and I'm not even talking about trying to get luggage up with me!

I'm pretty sure I would have also been in tears and popping my pain and anxiety medication. The same goes for getting onto the train if from ground level and into my H room. So yes, I would have considered my experience as traumatic too!

On the other hand I probably wouldn't have felt insulted over only being given an apology and $25 certificate! I'd just be thankful that I was at least given some consideration for my TRAUMA!

Let's try giving the benefit of the doubt and show a little compassion and not ass-u-me what we have no real understanding or knowledge about!

Ruth, you have my compassion but keep the voucher and enjoy your hopefully traumaless next trip!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

As an occasional lurker, I'll step in with a small amount of defense for Amtrak here.
On the morning of March 13th, the main Amtrak computer system crashed. You may have noticed this if you were trying to get a train status report through web or phone that morning. For an hour or so, no Amtrak station was able to print out tickets. That meant that there were a number of people who came to their station expecting to get tickets for that day's train and were unable to do so. These people were allowed to board without tickets.

I was boarding the Empire Builder that day. By the time I got to my station to board, the system was back up and I was able to get my tickets no problem. However, my station agent was swamped because his was the first staffed station that the Empire Builder came to after the computers came back up. It was his responsibility to print out all the tickets for the people who had already boarded the train and didn't get their tickets yet. He needed to get that done before the train arrived, of course, so that those tickets could be distributed to the passengers on board the train.

Because of that, he was unable to check any bags. It just required too much additional time that he didn't have. Yes, Amtrak could stand to modernize its luggage ticketing system so that transfer tags don't need to be filled out by hand. And while my agent did a good job of communicating why this was the case, as always many Amtrak employees could stand to improve their communication when issues occur.

But it wasn't just because Amtrak didn't feel like checking bags. Birmingham wasn't the only station at which this happened on that day; it was going on system-wide. Never having ridden the Crescent, I don't know the level of staffing in Birmingham and if there was any assistance that could be done other than good-natured passengers helping other passengers up the steps.

A $25 voucher seems more than reasonable for an incident that, while an inconvenience, does not rise to the level of trauma. No, an airline wouldn't give you a voucher that small. They wouldn't give you anything.

Guest Tim, thanks for clarifying this whole matter. We can use you here! Stop lurking so much and jump right in. This was a good professional interpretation of the whole thing.

You mention not knowing the staffing at BHM and that is cool. But in the meantime I was doubting my own senses that it is a one person operation which manages to work anyway. We now know that it was all srewed up that day-- staffing notwithstanding.

I am glad the original poster put in the date of the incident, that way you could speak for sure to the situation.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Trauma is when you get in a car accident and bang your head through the windshield.

Trauma is what a family goes through after somebody they love dies.

Annoyance is what you get when you carry your luggage up two flights of stairs.

Litigation sounds to me like the next step for Ruth. I'm sure there will be a lawyer to take the case if they haven't been offered legal counseling already!

 

[Tony]

I guess these are the subject stairs, going up from street/station level to platform level.

BTW, who owns this station? Of all the comments I have read, the lack of a working elevator seems to be the most serious.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I guess these are the subject stairs, going up from street/station level to platform level.
BTW, who owns this station? Of all the comments I have read, the lack of a working elevator seems to be the most serious.

TRAUMA WAITING TO HAPPEN! <_<

It looks like two ordinary flights of stairs to me. Sure carrying your luggage up wouldn't be fun, it would be awful. But it would not be a traumatizing experience.

 

[Tony]

But it wasn't just because Amtrak didn't feel like checking bags. Birmingham wasn't the only station at which this happened on that day; it was going on system-wide. Never having ridden the Crescent, I don't know the level of staffing in Birmingham and if there was any assistance that could be done other than good-natured passengers helping other passengers up the steps.
A $25 voucher seems more than reasonable for an incident that, while an inconvenience, does not rise to the level of trauma. No, an airline wouldn't give you a voucher that small. They wouldn't give you anything.

Good points.

Was there no "good-natured passenger" who would offer some help?

I remember one time an older woman came up and offered my grandson $10 to carry her bag. I had him do it, and not accept the money (a lesson in being simply a good person). I had a very pleasant chat with the woman as we all walked together.

Another time, on our Silver, there was another older woman with a walker. She was in the roomette across from ours. I noticed in the early morning that she keep peeking out her roomette, and up and own the hall. I asked if she needed some help. Apparently, she was looking for the SA, so that she would ask him for a cup of coffee. No problem; I got it for her.

I am more upset that no one at this station would offer help, than about Amtrak having a temp problem.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I am more upset that no one at this station would offer help, than about Amtrak having a temp problem.

This isn't New York of even King Street in Seattle... I believe there is only one, maybe two people, during active hours.

 

[Chris J.]

It looks like two ordinary flights of stairs to me. Sure carrying your luggage up wouldn't be fun, it would be awful. But it would not be a traumatizing experience.

Well, it's not just lugging your luggage around the station, but where do you put it when you get to the train. If you can't check it, I guess it won't go in the baggage car (as it won't have a label on it to tell them where to take it off) so you're limited to what space they can find in the train. If two people were sharing a roomette and had a big bag to check each, that's two big bags you now need to store somewhere, and you can't fit them and the passengers in the roomette!

As to if it's a trauma or an irritation - well it depends on the person.

It's also often the case that regular travelers usually just get on with it, and aren't as phased by whatever the situation is (having done it before, or something similar), but to the less regular travelers it's a bigger deal. This applies to all modes really. When a flight gets canceled, the regulars normally just do what they can with a reluctant acceptance; it's the the one who flys twice a year will be the one yelling, screaming and demanding 'something must be done'.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

It's also often the case that regular travelers usually just get on with it, and aren't as phased by whatever the situation is (having done it before, or something similar), but to the less regular travelers it's a bigger deal. This applies to all modes really. When a flight gets canceled, the regulars normally just do what they can with a reluctant acceptance; it's the the one who flys twice a year will be the one yelling, screaming and demanding 'something must be done'.

And *shock* nothing does get done.

When people start being more concerned with the well being of others and less self-centered then maybe we'll be able to have a nicer place to live. Seriously, I can't believe that EVERY pax at that station had to lug up 3 bags, surely somebody was able to help out.

And I am willing to bet my post count that, yes people did *actually* help and that the OP for histrionic purposes either forgot that there was some good nature on that day or just left it out to garner more pity.

Funny thing though on a side-note... it was Friday the 13th.