The Case of the Crazy Porter

[TVRM610]

Next time I ride Amtrak I'm gonna tip my porter, and my dining car steward if they do a good job.

And when the Trainman comes to collect my ticket, I'll ask him to compliment the fireman on a clean stack.

 

[CoachSlumber]

Perhaps he was having a medical issue. Like low blood sugar. Once he got a good meal, and some sleep (don't they only get about 4 hours to sleep), he felt better in the morning. We don't know what "occurred" before the OPs train boarded.

I used to be one of those Amtrak passengers who loved trains so much, I would defend all of the shortcomings. I have gotten over that. I am not an employee. When I pay to ride on Amtrak, I don't really think I should feel like I am working for Amtrak and simply be grateful that things have gone normally--as in, an employee on duty is coherent, not intoxicated, and doing his job.

To me, Amtrak's perpetual threat was that they relied on a core group of fans who would pay to ride and hope for the best, rather than actual consumers, as other businesses must try to court.

I would have made the same comment if you were complaining about a hotel worker, a restaurant worker, etc. Sometimes things are going on that WE do not know about that can effect how a person behaves.

As the poster said above, you should be complaining to Amtrak, not here.

I guess for that matter, none of us should ever say anything about Amtrak here, even though my impression was that this is a discussion forum where people discuss--I don't know--Amtrak. I am not asking anyone to give me money or anything,

 

[the_traveler]

Yes, we can discuss Amtrak here, but if you don't tell Amtrak about one of their employees, how are they to know something is wrong? :blush:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

My fellow travelers: What would you do now?

Ok, I'll answer your question rather than give you my "take" on what might have been the problem. Sorry that I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt.

I'd continue riding trains if I enjoyed the ride. I would not judge Amtrak (or any other organization) on one or two "bad" employees. If I continued to receive bad service, then I probalby would consideer alternative transportation. I really don't care if anyone likes or doesn't like to ride trains, planes, automobiles, ships, etc. We are each individuals and we each make our own decisions based on our own likes & experiences.

 

[Train Rider]

Perhaps he was having a medical issue. Like low blood sugar. Once he got a good meal, and some sleep (don't they only get about 4 hours to sleep), he felt better in the morning. We don't know what "occurred" before the OPs train boarded.

I used to be one of those Amtrak passengers who loved trains so much, I would defend all of the shortcomings. I have gotten over that. I am not an employee. When I pay to ride on Amtrak, I don't really think I should feel like I am working for Amtrak and simply be grateful that things have gone normally--as in, an employee on duty is coherent, not intoxicated, and doing his job.

To me, Amtrak's perpetual threat was that they relied on a core group of fans who would pay to ride and hope for the best, rather than actual consumers, as other businesses must try to court.

Overly ardent defenders often do one's cause more harm than good.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Perhaps he was having a medical issue. Like low blood sugar. Once he got a good meal, and some sleep (don't they only get about 4 hours to sleep), he felt better in the morning. We don't know what "occurred" before the OPs train boarded.

I used to be one of those Amtrak passengers who loved trains so much, I would defend all of the shortcomings. I have gotten over that. I am not an employee. When I pay to ride on Amtrak, I don't really think I should feel like I am working for Amtrak and simply be grateful that things have gone normally--as in, an employee on duty is coherent, not intoxicated, and doing his job.To me, Amtrak's perpetual threat was that they relied on a core group of fans who would pay to ride and hope for the best, rather than actual consumers, as other businesses must try to court.

I would have made the same comment if you were complaining about a hotel worker, a restaurant worker, etc. Sometimes things are going on that WE do not know about that can effect how a person behaves.
As the poster said above, you should be complaining to Amtrak, not here.

Why can't he do both? Whoever elected you as the forum gatekeeper anyway?

Yes, we can discuss Amtrak here, but if you don't tell Amtrak about one of their employees, how are they to know something is wrong?

Maybe they could do it the same way other businesses find out. Usually this involves monitoring, reviewing, and grading their employees' performance, including through the use of secret shoppers. There is little chance a secret shopper armed with the Amtrak service manual would grade most SCA's with high marks.

 

[rrdude]

@ CoachSlumber, please don't be swayed by the "Amtrak Apologists" that you find in this forum, and there are many. Complaining here, while it won't get you any results, may indeed provide you with a "why" something happened, or didn't.

Amtrak could fix 75% of the customer complaints about service, over a bit of time mind you, IF, and that is the BIG variable, IF, mgmt at the very top said, "No More. From this day fwd, we will take hospitality seriously, like Disney (insert your favorite service-oriented company here) does."

But alas, there are few trains, and people lining up to ride them, so why spend money on something (hospitality service training) when the "trains are gonna be full anyway".

What they SHOULD do is, nah, I'm going down that rabbit hole again.

Welcome to the forum! Post, and post often. About the Good, the bad, and the really ugly.

 

[CoachSlumber]

@ CoachSlumber, please don't be swayed by the "Amtrak Apologists" that you find in this forum, and there are many. Complaining here, while it won't get you any results, may indeed provide you with a "why" something happened, or didn't.
Amtrak could fix 75% of the customer complaints about service, over a bit of time mind you, IF, and that is the BIG variable, IF, mgmt at the very top said, "No More. From this day fwd, we will take hospitality seriously, like Disney (insert your favorite service-oriented company here) does."

But alas, there are few trains, and people lining up to ride them, so why spend money on something (hospitality service training) when the "trains are gonna be full anyway".

What they SHOULD do is, nah, I'm going down that rabbit hole again.

Welcome to the forum! Post, and post often. About the Good, the bad, and the really ugly.

Thank you. I have no idea why negative observations about Amtrak should be scowled at here. We are all on here because we are interested in Amtrak. Obviously I was not hoping I would get some resolution from Amtrak with my original comment; I was just amazed that somebody so out of it could be in uniform and working.

The odd thing is that even though this latest round trip involved one SCA who was zonked and one who just didn't like to work very hard, my rough estimate is that about 80 percent of my trips the SCAs have been high-quality. I do find it amazing that someone can work around the clock, doing a number of unpleasant chores like maintaining the rest rooms, and be cheerful and helpful.

PS: At one point when I was on the train that ended up being five hours late, I sent a tweet to Amtrak noting that while previous conductors were very careful and nice about explaining why were were delayed, at this time the conductor said nothing and snorted at me when I simply asked him why we had not moved in 45 minutes. Amtrak did tweet back and let me know it was a disabled freight ahead, which was more than Mr. Grumpy could do for the train of which he is by rule the captain.

 

[TVRM610]

Guest slumber coach..,

I thought your post was interesting and certainly your experience falls in line with mine. I've had good to great experiences with SCA's (a position that was once called Pullman Porter when Pullman operated the sleeping cars prior to Amtrak), and with dining car staff.

On my round the continent trip this winter, I encountered a truly poor Coast Starlight diner crew. I posted about it on the forum. And I also emailed details to Amtrak. I of course got a canned response but hopefully the names of those 2 employees will be noted and it will add up when additional customers complain.

I hope you got the names of both SCA's and report them.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

@ CoachSlumber, please don't be swayed by the "Amtrak Apologists" that you find in this forum, and there are many.

Indeed. There is a surprisingly motivated group of shills who go around sweeping the forum looking for any negative comments they can stamp out or gloss over. If you're not willing to drink the Kool-Aid then they'll do their best to wear you down with inconsequential noise built on purely imaginary explanations they concoct out of thin air. Don't let them sway your opinion or your participation.

 

[jsreeves]

Frankly, I love the whole "apologist" vs "critic" dynamic of this forum.

It's one of the main things that keeps me coming back.

 

[roomette]

Motivated Group of Shills is the opening act for Thin Skinned Nannies this weekend!

 

[zephyr17]

I don't consider myself an apologist. Some complaints can be nit-pickey (not this one, though) and I do defend Amtrak on occasion. But, while most of my experience on Amtrak has been fine, I have experienced some truly awful customer service more than a few times, so I readily believe incidents such as this one, and make no excuse for it. Consistent customer service is one of Amtrak's biggest problems and I am one of the first to say so.

By the way, I usually tell people who haven't done an overnight trip that traveling in Amtrak sleepers is kind of like a cross between staying in a decent motel and camping. And eating at Denny's. I want to dispel the "Orient Express/20th Century Limited" kinds of expectations, which we all know Amtrak doesn't meet.

 

[MiRider]

What is it with some members here jumping on people for their opinions or questions?

It seems to me that CoachSlumber came here to vent, more so than complain, to fellow Amtrak customers, there is nothing controversial at all in their post, imo.

I've seen numerous Amtrak employees from SCAs to cafe attendants treat the very people - us, the customers - that make their well-paid jobs possible like impositions in their day.

Lack of sleep, a long day, yadda yadda yadda - that's really not any of our problems.

None of us should be made to feel guilty because we expect someone to do their well-paid job no matter what kind of day they're having.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I want to dispel the "Orient Express/20th Century Limited" kinds of expectations, which we all know Amtrak doesn't meet.

Who has been comparing Amtrak to the Orient Express? :blink:

 

[roomette]

Lack of sleep, a long day, yadda yadda yadda - that's really not any of our problems.

Amen! That one is so tired and unimportant to me.

 

[Ryan]

Lack of sleep, a long day, yadda yadda yadda - that's really not any of our problems.None of us should be made to feel guilty because we expect someone to do their well-paid job no matter what kind of day they're having.

Is it really all that difficult to work up just a little empathy for someone doing a difficult job under difficult conditions?

Are all Amtrak employees perfect? Absolutely not, and I don't see anyone here claiming they are.

Can and should Amtrak do better? Absolutely, and I don't see anyone here claiming that Amtrak is perfect.

The only people I see getting jumped on are the ones saying "Hey, dude had a bad day - everyone has one from time to time." and "Hey, if you want Amtrak to actually do something about the problem, you have to let customer service know". The "Amtrak Apologist" strawman's getting pretty old and tiresome at this point.

 

[zephyr17]

I want to dispel the "Orient Express/20th Century Limited" kinds of expectations, which we all know Amtrak doesn't meet.

Who has been comparing Amtrak to the Orient Express? :blink:

Certainly not in this thread or even here in this forum. A lot of folks who've never ridden a train before have starry-eyed visions of sleeper trains from movies. I get asked about Amtrak, particularly at work, by people considering a trip and they ask me because they know I ride it regularly. I want to ensure that they have reasonble expectations for the food and the service. A polite and reasonably available SCA is a reasonable expectation. A five star dinner is not today.

Most folks have no idea what train travel is like, and they form their own ideas about it from movies and TV. Most of the time that has little basis in current reality.

I did put that comment in context in the post with "By the way, I usually tell people who haven't done an overnight trip.." It was an aside.

 

[JoeBas]

I just don't understand how employees can get away with behaving like this in this day and age.

Why aren't people left and right taping this when they see it, editing it down when they get home, and posting it to Amtrak's FB page?

Public outing of the same folks over and over and Amtrak would HAVE to take action.

 

[the Other Mike]

Frankly, I love the whole "apologist" vs "critic" dynamic of this forum.It's one of the main things that keeps me coming back.

I agree. Along with the people don't bother to read a post FULLY before responding, this place is fun.

I just wish this forum had the "+/-" buttons to rate posts.

No matter how much griping and complaining people do, I still get alot of valued info.

 

[MiRider]

Lack of sleep, a long day, yadda yadda yadda - that's really not any of our problems.None of us should be made to feel guilty because we expect someone to do their well-paid job no matter what kind of day they're having.

Is it really all that difficult to work up just a little empathy for someone doing a difficult job under difficult conditions?

Are all Amtrak employees perfect? Absolutely not, and I don't see anyone here claiming they are.

Can and should Amtrak do better? Absolutely, and I don't see anyone here claiming that Amtrak is perfect.

The only people I see getting jumped on are the ones saying "Hey, dude had a bad day - everyone has one from time to time." and "Hey, if you want Amtrak to actually do something about the problem, you have to let customer service know". The "Amtrak Apologist" strawman's getting pretty old and tiresome at this point.

I'm empathetic but not sympathetic at all, these are adults and it's not too much to expect them to do their job whether or not they had a bad day.

I don't expect anyone to be perfect and have never claimed such but I, like most people, expect what I paid for and without any attitude too, thank you very much.

For the record, I know that working on a train has its own set of trying conditions but I don't consider any of the jobs on the train difficult.

Working with the public in a service position requires a skill set that a lot of Amtrak employees don't possess.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Is it really all that difficult to work up just a little empathy for someone doing a difficult job under difficult conditions?

By the same token how difficult is it to work up just a little empathy for the customer?

 

[Ryan]

I don't really see a lack of empathy for the customer.

Is it really your contention that complaining here will actually solve something? I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people complaining want something to actually change and providing them the information that the only way to make that happen is to direct the comments to Amtrak.

I do note the delicious irony in you attacking people for "dictate[ing] for everyone else what is allowed and what is not" while trying to dictate that people not express those opinions.

I've been here nearly twice as long as you have, and have to say that my observations don't match yours. There's plenty of room here for reasoned complaints about Amtrak. There's also plenty of room here for reasoned defense of Amtrak.

But the key word in both of those is "reasoned" - as is usual, the truth lies somewhere in between the black and white extremes that you seem to be painting.

 

[the_traveler]

[Moderators Note]

Please let's refrain from any personal attacks, name calling and such in any posts.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Is it really your contention that complaining here will actually solve something?

Seems to serve as much purpose as praising Amtrak does.

I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people complaining want something to actually change and providing them the information that the only way to make that happen is to direct the comments to Amtrak.

Why must it be one or the other? Why can't they do both?

I do note the delicious irony in you attacking people for "dictate[ing] for everyone else what is allowed and what is not" while trying to dictate that people not express those opinions.
I don't want people to self-censor their praise. I want people to stop bashing criticism from others.

I've been here nearly twice as long as you have, and have to say that my observations don't match yours. There's plenty of room here for reasoned complaints about Amtrak. There's also plenty of room here for reasoned defense of Amtrak.

Only the apologists are telling people to take their comments to Amtrak instead of posting them here. There's a group trying to silence other views and it's certainly not the critics.

But the key word in both of those is "reasoned" - as is usual, the truth lies somewhere in between the black and white extremes that you seem to be painting.

The funny thing is that I probably would never have stuck around if the pro-Amtrak side wasn't so blind in their praise and so judgmental toward competing views.



*Will someone please fix this horrible quoting system?