The horrible service on the Ca. Zephyr

[cwhutch]

The crew on the CZ west bound and in particular car steward Diane was horrible and made the trip unbearable . I as well as others made complaints to the conductor , customer service and I have written a letter to my Senator telling her that if this was what service is about the CZ route was not needed. We had to make our own beds because she would not answer the call button , She refused to bring any meal to a room - Stating she was'nt getting that started . We never had juice or ice and she could never be found . I honestly could not support Amtrak just for the experiance on the California Zephyr even though the Sunset limited was great even if 5 hours late the staff on the SL really treated you well and the dining car was a must do pleasure every day, A total opposite from the CZ. The CZ is the flagship route and had a horrible crew . The lounge car was full of people refering to the diner car crew as the food ****s for there rude attitude. It was a SHAME . I traveled on car 532 rm 12 on 5/28 to 5/30 Hutch

 

[AlanB]

I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience on the California Zephyr. Sadly like any industry, be it hotel, airline, bus, or Amtrak one bad employee can give everyone a bad name. Thanks to union contracts it can often be hard to get rid of the bad apples. In fact, I think that I recall someone else complaining about a Diane on a recent trip. Don't know if it was the same person or even on the same route.

However, one small correction. The California Zephyr is not Amtrak's flagship route. It may be one of Amtrak's most scenic routes, yes. But the Coast Starlight is Amtrak's flagship route, west of Chicago. It gets the best crews and the best equipment. East of Chicago, the flagship route is the Auto Train. They get the best crews and the best equipment.

I would highly recommend writing a letter to David Gunn, Amtrak's president, detailing your experience on this train. Make sure that you include the dates of travel and Diane's name, so that it goes into her record. This will make it easier for Amtrak to get rid of her or at least retrain her. David may not answer you personally, although he does answer many letters, but you can rest assured that either he or someone very senior will see and read your letter. Most importantly, it will end up in Diane's employee file giving her one bad mark. The more bad marks, the easier it will be for Amtrak to justify firing her.

 

[Midland Valley]

I don't know what the particulars were on your train, but I have usually found Amtrak car attendants to be quite professional (usually) and often under severe duress with a train load of unhappy people when things are going badly, and they are trying to do the best they can. My hat is off to them. However, there is no excuse for a sleeping car attendant to be any where near as you have described Diane. I agree that you should write Mr. Gunn, and also call customer relations again. You can probably get a travel certificate for one hundred dollars or so, good for your next trip, for your negative experience.

 

[Steve4031]

If we could just open the door and . . . That would solve a few problems.

 

[capltd29]

If you're gonna write a letter to your senator it should be a letter requesting more funding to improve service not to cut service.

Just my 2 cents.....

 

[frank]

While I agree that this type of behavior should not be accepted on any terms, I'll also venture that this stuff goes both ways. Don't hang Diane without a trial.

I, just a few hours ago, got off of a lengthy trip, I'll write about it later. Suffice it to say that a large family from the Twin Cities kept complaining to the very professional (in my opinion) sleeper car attendant that he hadn't put their beds down, even though they had pushed the button 10 minutes ago...this was during a smoke stop, the cussing was horrific towards this Amtrak employee. They were shouting very loudly about the incompetance exibited by this employee. Not to mention that it was only around 6:00 pm.

I happen to know that this man was getting dinners for several people in my sleeper who just assumed that dinner in the room was a given.

My point would be....., take these ridicules with a grain of salt. I'm not promoting bad behavior here at all, but I also know how the American public can demand perfection without knowing the infrastructure.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I once accidentally wore an outfit that looked almost exactly like Amtrak issue garb. I couldn't believe the crap that I was asked.....like....why the Hell are we 15 minutes late? Or...can't Amtrak at least have sodas brought to the rooms? Come on folks! I just flew back east, the 4 hour plane ride didn't offer me anything other than a few ounces of sesame sticks, and I was in first class!

I wish the American public could understand that dollars are tight, and that there are many more helpful Amtrak employees out there than there are bad ones. I know this to be a fact, and no one could convince me otherwise. I ride the rails often.

Just today, I was in Chicago only an hour before my train departed, having arrived late from another train, and I needed something to take on board from a drug store. I told this to an Amtrak employee who motioned to me to get in, and he whisked me through the the crowds in one of those golf cart like things to a street side, and told me where to go to get what I needed. I made it back just in time. I wouldn't have without his help.

Again, I'm not making excuses for bad service, but it makes sense to try and figure out who's pointing the finger before shaking your own.

Frank

 

[sutton]

Frank, your words are wise, and I'm glad you wrote. Yet I can sympathize with Cwutch. I've ridden the CZ twice, and both times encountered the same dining car steward. A tall, grim looking fellow who, even at times when things were slow, was surly, rude. Others noticed, as well.

I do agree wholeheartedly that the American public is spoiled and demanding, but at the same time, there seems to be a higher percentage of rude employees on Amtrak as compared to those working in other areas of the travel industry. I think it's because of the 'job security'. I would like to see Amtrak employees treated the same as employees in ANY private industry: the bad ones would be weeded out, not hang on.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Last september I rode the CZ. We had lots of problems, ultimatly 6 hours late to Chicago, but the crew service was impecable...better this time than the night before on the Coast Starlight.

See report "Honolulu to New Orleans"

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

Letters to David Gunn have a beneficial effect; letters to senators only add fuel to the fires to stop funding Amtrak. Amtrak took hours of grilling last week in a congressional committee (seen on C-SPAN) in which committee members referred to complaints from passengers as good reasons to close down the system. Committee members also dwelled on employee corruption (some kind of food-stealing scam), reports of criminal violence on passengers, and reports of employees on the payroll who had “not been seen for months” as more good reasons to dump the system. The unions and certain work rules were viewed as insurmountable problems for Amtrak.

 

[AMTRAK Lover]

This is absurd. First of all, if you ride the Zeypher, or any long haul for that matter, you are a moron to complain about being a few hours late here and there. It's an experience to enjoy, not to complain about.

Also, tipping Diane $10 would hurt either. She'd treat you like gold.

 

[Trogdor]

This is absurd. First of all, if you ride the Zeypher, or any long haul for that matter, you are a moron to complain about being a few hours late here and there. It's an experience to enjoy, not to complain about.
Also, tipping Diane $10 would hurt either. She'd treat you like gold.

Calling someone a "moron" is uncalled for.

If you had actually read the complaint, the only mention of being late was in regards to the Sunset Limited, and the poster wasn't even complaining about the Sunset. He/she was complaining about the absolutely inexcusable service that this passenger (and evidently many others, as noted in the lounge car) experienced on the Zephyr.

As to your comment about tipping someone, tips are generally given *after* the trip as a reward for good service. I would never use a tip as a bribe to get service. If I experienced a trip as cwhutch apparently did, I wouldn't give the car attendant (or the dining car staff, for that matter) a penny.

 

[lepearso]

Fortunately, all of my sleeping car experiences have been top notch! In July I will riding in a sleeper on the Lake Shore Ltd and I hope it is no exception.

I agree with one previous poster that Amtrak has more than its fair share of bad apples. In my opinion, when you combine harsh working conditions (due to equipment failures, chronic lateness, etc.) with limited resources and the recurring threat of a system shutdown, you can see why Amtrak can have issues with employees at times, but they are making very good strides to correct this.

 

[Midland Valley]

Yes! And combine this with a traveling public that doesn't always understand the reasons for lateness etc. and the resultant frustration and anger, especially when connections are missed, it is understandable there might be some personality disorders occasionally.

Personally, I have always gotten along real well with everyone, but I try to put myself in their shoes and have a little knowledge of what they have to put up with.

We left Chicago last July 5 1/2 hours late on the SWC. The EB was several hours late also. The Amtrak waiting area was a crowded, hot, stinking mess. When we got on board the attendant asked this guy across from me to sign his ticket. He made some smart remark. and she gave him a look. I said to him, "You know, she is as frustrated as we are, but you make another remark like that and she is going to be all over you." He calmed down and we all got along fine.

I will back them up when its frustration. But when its attitude, laziness, and I don't care about you, like Diane seems to be, I say there should be an open door for these people to exit.

 

[saxman]

I've run into alot more rude airline employees then Amtrak. And I ride the rails often. I just got off the Texas Eagle today, and found service to be above average for the Eagle. Dining car staff was run by a young lady who was friendly and made good anouncments. Our server was prompt and refilled my water glass at least 5 or 6 times. (boy I had to pee alot). It was alot better then my outbound trip. Food took quite a while and my water was not filled as much. (not that i'm complaining) He was still a nice fellow.

Chris

 

[AmtrakFan]

I can't believe she was that bad. I would write to Gunn it is unfair that Amtrak is reciving a bad name because of people complaning and our Congressional Puppets.

 

[Midland Valley]

People complain all the time about Amtrak; have you ever tried to get customer service? But! the US department of Transportation,under the guidence of our dear friend Mr. Mineta, has a whole website to deal with airline complaints. We should tell our gongresspersons to look that one up.

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

I have to agree with saxman66’s observation on the relative number of service problems among the various transportation options open to us. I ride Amtrak, the airlines and the inter-city buses a lot. Clearly, in my experience, the interstate buses have the highest proportion of some really awful passengers (some are mere animals), and the drivers don’t handle them well. The airlines have the lowest proportion of difficult passengers, but flight attendants and the whole security apparatus is, by far, the least tolerant of misbehavior often over reacting to simple mistakes or misunderstandings. Given the relatively large number of obnoxious and rude passengers on Amtrak, I feel the service staff is the most tolerant and the most professional of the three options. I remember a time, 40 or more years ago, when people seemed more polite than today. For instance, before Amtrak, the railroads used to have some kind of dress code for the diner, which seemed to subconsciously elevate the behavior. Today, people come to the diner as if they were cleaning a pool. Though disappointed, I am not surprised to see passengers treating the service crew like ruffians. I believe the best way to get good service is to treat those who provide it with common care and respect.

Bad service will always get a symbolic tip from me: one cent or a dime, so that there is no question that I may have simply forgotten the tip.

 

[railfangns]

Best way to get an attendant who didnt do his or her job well attention is to give them no tips at all when you leave the train. My sleeping car attendant on the crescent did a super job last week so i gave her a nice tip.

No Service = No Tips

Good Service = Good Tips

 

[cwhutch]

Let me say that I love riding Amtrak . I have been on the City of New Orleans , California Zephyr ,Coast Starlight , Sunset Limited and the San Joaquins all part of my first trip last month . I have no problem with delays thats why I took the train to start with . But the service on CZ was inexcusible . I stand by that no matter how hard a day Diane had or whatever reason she may have .For 56 hours she was non-existant to the paying passengers on car 532. And the very few times she showed herself it was to say what she would not do . Thats just horrible. Every other train I took was great , Very nice staff . I tipped very well every train except CZ . I would never try to buy good service up front . And should not have to . I am going to take my wife on the run from NOLA to Washington DC in the fall . I can only hope it comes no where near the CZ trip . I have written A letter to customer service about my trip and followed it up with a phone call . I hope it gets better . Time will tell . Hutch

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Best way to get an attendant who didnt do his or her job well attention is to give them no tips at all when you leave the train. My sleeping car attendant on the crescent did a super job last week so i gave her a nice tip.
No Service = No Tips

Good Service = Good Tips

That is exactly how the hospitality industry works! My tips are always good! OBS...

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Let me say that I love riding Amtrak . I have been on the City of New Orleans , California Zephyr ,Coast Starlight , Sunset Limited and the San Joaquins all part of my first trip last month . I have no problem with delays thats why I took the train to start with . But the service on CZ was inexcusible . I stand by that no matter how hard a day Diane had or whatever reason she may have .For 56 hours she was non-existant to the paying passengers on car 532. And the very few times she showed herself it was to say what she would not do . Thats just horrible. Every other train I took was great , Very nice staff . I tipped very well every train except CZ . I would never try to buy good service up front . And should not have to . I am going to take my wife on the run from NOLA to Washington DC in the fall . I can only hope it comes no where near the CZ trip . I have written A letter to customer service about my trip and followed it up with a phone call . I hope it gets better . Time will tell . Hutch

Some of my fellow crew members here on the FL trains are similar to this one in question. These folks are out here! You need to follow up on your complaint until you get some sort of satisfaction! Good luck. Continue to ride the trains while you can! OBS...

 

[Midland Valley]

Absolutely! I would not let an attendant spoil my time on the train. They may make it less enjoyable, but I can ignore them just as much as they can ignore me. Fortunately I have never had cause to. I 've always had persons who may not go the EXTRA mile but certainly do their best to do what they are required to.