Train cancelled and rebooked

[amamba]

Loyalty should count for something, but not at the cost of another customer. Could you imagine being the customer on the SWC who just got booted because the CS was canceled?

I know this is not going to happen so I am not worried. I just cannot see how this would be a good way to handle this situation.

I'm with you on this one. I can't imagine being the employee having to call and/or tell someone when they show up at the station that they've jsut been downgraded to coach because someone else from a cancelled train now has their room. That wouldn't go over well at all.

Now, I do agree that Amtrak should be offering consideration to those who are in AGR. As in, if a train gets cancelled or a connection is missed, they should start filling rooms/seats that are still available on other trains based upon AGR status working their way down until they reach non-agr passengers and everything is now sold out out.

I agree with AlanB. While I respect the opinion of Mr.Jimhudson, I think its absurd to suggest that any pax should be booted from a room on their train because someone else's train got cancelled.

And I agree with Cristobal - I never book nonrefundable hotel reservations unless I know for a fact that I will be there. Which means that I do not use priceline/hotwire/whatever when traveling by train.

Back to the situation of the OP, my opinion about compensation does change slightly if they are in the middle of a roundtrip. I will say that it absolutely sucks to be stranded like that - if anyone remember the ill-fated Skybus airline, I actually flew to Columbus, OH on that line the day before they ceased operations and got stuck there, as my return ticket on Skybus for two days later was clearly invalid. It cost me a lot of money to buy a one way ticket home and I still missed one day of work because of the fiasco. When one is in the middle of a trip like that and has to find an alternate routing home - possibly buying expensive one way plane tickets because amtrak is delayed for days - it is a different situation to me than not having yet started a trip and being able to cancel the trip entirely.

 

[Rider]

Well as posted in another thread, this trip too was cancelled. I have re-booked for Wednesday, on the CZ. If it is cancelled again, but the EB does run, I lose my gamble. I guess right now it could go any way at all.

And although I am now back in a roomette, I am missing an entire week of work back home (in Maine) which definitely costs me money (not to mention annoying the boss). So I'm still going to request compensation in some form. And no, there is no way I can afford to fly home - this is a points trip and if I cancelled, there would be no cash refund to get home with.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Something that I've seen mentioned several times in threads like this one is 'non-refundable hotel reservations'. That, to me, is a recipe for disaster especially when train travel is involved. I shy away from all those 3rd party hotel reservation sites (and even the in-house 'deals' for advance paid reservations) just to have the freedom to make last-minute changes/cancellations. I'll gladly pay a few more $$/night just for the peace-of-mind. All it takes is one trip gone awry on a non-refundable reservation to burn through all of the assumed savings by booking that way.

Could not agree with you more on this point. I do not do third party res. or the lowest cost nonrefundable room. Just asking to eat the cost going that route!

What you apparently consider "a few more $$" has already saved me around ten thousand dollars simply by agreeing to enter into prepaid non-refundable contracts over the last several years. I honestly cannot envision any likely scenario where a single trip "gone awry" could cause me to "burn through" that much money. No, I do not buy every room through a prepaid contract (maybe 50%) and yes there may come a time when I lose a few hundred here or there thanks to a trip that gets canceled or re-routed. However, that's still not anywhere near enough of a hit to tip the scales the other way. To be perfectly frank I've had much better luck with Priceline and Hotwire than I have with Amtrak.

When one is in the middle of a trip like that and has to find an alternate routing home - possibly buying expensive one way plane tickets because amtrak is delayed for days - it is a different situation to me than not having yet started a trip and being able to cancel the trip entirely.

Agreed. What many retirees seem to forget is that when you're still of working age and stranded in the middle of a long distance trip your options are generally few and far between. You can fly at walk-up prices that generally start around $500 and can reach several times that amount depending on the market. Or you can sometimes hire a car and drive for many more hours or even days as the case may be. Several folks have made it clear that Amtrak doesn't owe anybody anything and can reroute or reschedule or refund the customer as they alone deem fit. This is all very true. But that doesn't change the fact that it's in no way the customer's fault either.

 

[Trogdor]

Well as posted in another thread, this trip too was cancelled. I have re-booked for Wednesday, on the CZ. If it is cancelled again, but the EB does run, I lose my gamble. I guess right now it could go any way at all.

And although I am now back in a roomette, I am missing an entire week of work back home (in Maine) which definitely costs me money (not to mention annoying the boss). So I'm still going to request compensation in some form. And no, there is no way I can afford to fly home - this is a points trip and if I cancelled, there would be no cash refund to get home with.

It's not specifically clear where you're coming from/going to. Given that you're trying to ride the Zephyr and are going home to Maine, I just took a random guess, and checked Southwest Airlines from Oakland to Boston over the next couple of days. They have a couple of flights with web-only fares of $341. Now, I know you say you can't afford to buy a plane ticket to get home, but how much are you going to lose by missing a week of work? (I'm not actually expecting you to answer that question on here, but really, it is something you should consider.

If someone is an hourly employee (or even if they're not, but they have to take an unpaid leave to cover for time they miss), then you're either going to wind up paying extra to get home quickly now, or taking a pay cut in your next check that could very easily exceed the cost of a plane ticket.

 

[me_little_me]

Also, if you are booked on the EB in the next week, don't be too surprised if your train is canceled. The EB has not run since May 30 due to flooding in North Dakota. Service is currently expected to resume either on the 10th or 11th, depending on who you ask. However the service restoration date has already pushed back twice, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is pushed back again.

Mark

Some people are hopeful that service will be restored this month:

http://www.amtrakvacations.com/journeys/glacier-park-escorted#journeys_pricing

 

[Cristobal]

Something that I've seen mentioned several times in threads like this one is 'non-refundable hotel reservations'. That, to me, is a recipe for disaster especially when train travel is involved. I shy away from all those 3rd party hotel reservation sites (and even the in-house 'deals' for advance paid reservations) just to have the freedom to make last-minute changes/cancellations. I'll gladly pay a few more $$/night just for the peace-of-mind. All it takes is one trip gone awry on a non-refundable reservation to burn through all of the assumed savings by booking that way.

Could not agree with you more on this point. I do not do third party res. or the lowest cost nonrefundable room. Just asking to eat the cost going that route!

What you apparently consider "a few more $$" has already saved me around ten thousand dollars simply by agreeing to enter into prepaid non-refundable contracts over the last several years. I honestly cannot envision any likely scenario where a single trip "gone awry" could cause me to "burn through" that much money. No, I do not buy every room through a prepaid contract (maybe 50%) and yes there may come a time when I lose a few hundred here or there thanks to a trip that gets canceled or re-routed. However, that's still not anywhere near enough of a hit to tip the scales the other way. To be perfectly frank I've had much better luck with Priceline and Hotwire than I have with Amtrak.

The site antagonist comes through once again. Thanks Dax... err... Texas Sunset for not disappointing.

Just for clarification, in my trip "gone awry" scenario I was actually referring to burning through the money saved for that particular trip and not the "ten thousand dollars" one might have saved from trips past.

This is also just my own opinion of the risk/reward of using 3rd party reservation sites. I'm sure that those that travel frequently can indeed benefit by using those services. I was merely stating that I prefer to have more control of the reservations that I may make for one or two trips a year especially if there is any hint of uncertainty involved.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The site antagonist comes through once again. Thanks Dax... err... Texas Sunset for not disappointing.

You're welcome. :hi:

Here's a more positive minded spin on the discussion. I'm not joking about how much I've saved compared to the refundable and postpaid rates. If you love to travel and prefer mid and upper range hotels, mid range or better cars, and/or last minute flights then prepaying for a non-refundable purchase is a great way to get more for your money. In my experience it's the best deal you can get without knowing someone on the inside and I strongly recommend it for people who are willing to learn how it works and when it doesn't. I've had dozens of good experiences and only a couple bad experiences. Think about that for a moment. I don't exactly have a reputation for overlooking substandard service or questionable business practices. A little effort in the early going and a few refresher courses now and then and you can easily save hundreds on your next trip. It's true that you can't pick out every detail of your trip and you don't accrue any points but I'd rather have a nicer hotel a few blocks away and a few hundred extra dollars in my pocket than a few thousand more points to feed into yet another loyalty program.

 

[amamba]

Well as posted in another thread, this trip too was cancelled. I have re-booked for Wednesday, on the CZ. If it is cancelled again, but the EB does run, I lose my gamble. I guess right now it could go any way at all.

And although I am now back in a roomette, I am missing an entire week of work back home (in Maine) which definitely costs me money (not to mention annoying the boss). So I'm still going to request compensation in some form. And no, there is no way I can afford to fly home - this is a points trip and if I cancelled, there would be no cash refund to get home with.

GuestRider, sorry I didn't realize that other thread was also you. You should consider registering as a poster - it is free!

I am sorry that you are missing work - that really stinks. Have you considered trying to take the CS down to LA and then taking the SWC to Chicago? That should be allowed for an AGR connection, although I do believe that you have to transfer via a bus (CA thruway) at some point rather than taking the CS all the way to LAX. I am sure another poster can speak to the process. The other thing you could push for, and maybe AGR will allow it since the EB and the CZ are such a cluster right now, is to take the CS tomorrow morning (june 10th), overnight in LA (at your own expense on Saturday) and head out the SWC to CHI on Sunday the 12th. At least you would get back east faster.

Good luck.

EDIT: If your goal is to just get back to Maine as soon as possible, what about considering other routes like the CS south, then maybe the Sunset Limited to NOL and then the Crescent up to NYP and a regional and then the downeaster back to Maine? I am just throwing out random stuff at this point because I have to believe that there is a way for you to get on a train before 6/15.

 

[EB_OBS]

If you were booked in a sleeper and involuntarily downgraded to coach, your meals are still included, free of additional charge. I'd suggest that you keep some paper form of the communication from Amtrak so that you can verify, on the train, that you were downgraded. The LSA in the diner is the one to talk to about this.

That's very interesting. I wonder if that applies since as part of downgrading to coach they refunded some of my AGR points. I am on hold right now with AGR to ask about it, won't be surprised if I don't get it. But it NEVER hurts to ask, does it.

I'm not sure AGR could give you a definite answer on this topic. The policy is however in Amtrak's Employee Standards manual. Every LSA should be aware of it.

I'm sure that AGR wouldn't know.

I'm also not sure that having a sleeper reservation canceled on the CZ and then being rebooked on the EB in coach counts as a downgrade. Amtrak didn't bad order his sleeper; they cancelled his entire train. His choice was to find his own way home or take another routing. So again, I'm not sure that would actually fall under the realm of being downgraded.

I'll pass it along to the train manager of the EB, whom I directly report to, to cover this policy in job briefings with the first crews that go out. Undoubtedly, there are going to be a lot of passengers whose original accommodations were changed and/or downgraded. I'm sure Amtrak will honor the policy no matter what train someone may have been originally booked on.

 

[CNW]

I talked to a lady once who had been downgraded to coach who because of age had refused to do it. They kept her in a motel in Chicago I believe for a couple of days or more. She said there had been an NFL football player on her train who Had to get to a game whom Amtrak had flown to LA.

 

[TransitGeek]

The site antagonist comes through once again. Thanks Dax... err... Texas Sunset for not disappointing.

You're welcome. :hi:

Here's a more positive minded spin on the discussion. I'm not joking about how much I've saved compared to the refundable and postpaid rates. If you love to travel and prefer mid and upper range hotels, mid range or better cars, and/or last minute flights then prepaying for a non-refundable purchase is a great way to get more for your money. In my experience it's the best deal you can get without knowing someone on the inside and I strongly recommend it for people who are willing to learn how it works and when it doesn't. I've had dozens of good experiences and only a couple bad experiences. Think about that for a moment. I don't exactly have a reputation for overlooking substandard service or questionable business practices. A little effort in the early going and a few refresher courses now and then and you can easily save hundreds on your next trip. It's true that you can't pick out every detail of your trip and you don't accrue any points but I'd rather have a nicer hotel a few blocks away and a few hundred extra dollars in my pocket than a few thousand more points to feed into yet another loyalty program.

I'm with Sunset on this one. I wouldn't be going on my trip this summer without Hotwire. My wife won't stay in hostel dorms (and, to be honest, if she's along I would rather not as well...), and in most cases even the cheapest hostel private room is more expensive than a 3-star hotel on Hotwire. I'm not 100% happy with the locations of some of my hotel purchases- I'm thinking about Toronto in particular- but overall I would have probably spent half again what I did on accommodations AND gotten less for it if I hadn't gone with Hotwire.