Worst EB SA ever

[Meat Puppet]

So I am on the EB west and this guy has attitude from the start. Ice, Juice, Cups are all in his stash and you have to notify him you need them. Everytime he leaves the train he padlocks his room even for 10 minutes. At night the room is padlocked and he sleeps in the A bedroom. Last night I was in the lounge until 11 and he made up my bed at 10:30 without even mentioning it to me. Wine tasting announcement over the intercom was this is a wine tasting not a wine drinking, if you are expecting a cocktail please dont attend. Then to top it off he notices I have an aircard for wireless internet so he asked me what time I am getting up because he needs to use his ipad to check email..??? ***

 

[amamba]

I would write to customer relations or call them to complain.

 

[Ryan]

Agreed.

 

[TraneMan]

This page is not run/owned by Amtrak, you will need to call Amtrak Customer Service.

 

[Shortline]

So I am on the EB west and this guy has attitude from the start. Ice, Juice, Cups are all in his stash and you have to notify him you need them. Everytime he leaves the train he padlocks his room even for 10 minutes. At night the room is padlocked and he sleeps in the A bedroom. Last night I was in the lounge until 11 and he made up my bed at 10:30 without even mentioning it to me. Wine tasting announcement over the intercom was this is a wine tasting not a wine drinking, if you are expecting a cocktail please dont attend. Then to top it off he notices I have an aircard for wireless internet so he asked me what time I am getting up because he needs to use his ipad to check email..??? ***

Just playing devils advocate here-I see some things, that might be bothersome, but a whole lot that isn't....

1. Locked up ice and juice-The juice is normally out, sure, but ice is normally put away-They are not supposed to leave it out, for you to grab when ever, due to sanitary issues-Want ice? Ask for ice. (Cups and juice should probably be out though...)

2. Padlocked room.....so? Hell, I'd lock MY room when I was gone if I could. Maybe he's had a bad experience, and had something disapear? No reason why he shouldn't lock his stuff up if he so desires.

3. Sleeping in the A room. So? How does that affect your trip in the least?

4. You were in the lounge until 11, and came back to find the bed made up? Ok....Most here would complain loudly if it WEREN'T made up.....Again, sounds like SOP to me.

5. Wine announcement-What's the issue with that? I've seen peope show up to those things, expecting a boozefest. Sounds to me like he's just preparing those who expect more, to have realistic expectations about what this is...

6. They still make air cards? Wow, who knew, kinda thought the world all went to the iphone/Droid hotspot route 4 years ago? in any event, was he simply making a joke? Might have been playing with you trying to make conversation. I can't imagine he really travels like that without having a way to check his email on his own, without having to connect to an aircard.

All in all, I wasn't there-But, a whole lot of what you're complaining about is seemingly stuff that a good SCA usually does. Have some fun with his passengers, make up the beds while people are out, follow the rules regarding ice, etc.....Doesn't sound like the worst SCA ever. Sounds like he did ok to me. Anything there really worth complaining about?

 

[AKA]

Can you please explain how he pad locked the room door. What kind of lock ? I just want to try and understand what sort of mechanism he had to do this. It always looked to me like it would be very hard to fit any kind of lock on the door from the outside.

Has anyone else been able to do this . Just curious about the physical application of the lock.

 

[Ryan]

3. Sleeping in the A room. So? How does that affect your trip in the least?

When you push the call button in your room, a bell goes off and a light lights up in the attendant's room.

Pretty hard for him to see that if he's spread out in a revenue room down the hall.

The rest of it just sounds like poor attitude and customer service. Not traits I would look for in a customer facing position.

 

[the_traveler]

I see nothing at all to complain about! The ice (per health regulations) is not to be left out for passengers to put their grimy hands all over. (Not every one uses the scoop! ) As far as locking the room, why not? I bet you lock your house door at home. Room 1 is the attendant's home. And so they slept in room A, so what? :blush: Did you rent room A? So what are you complaining about?

And as far as the bed being made up when you came back at 11 pm, I would be glad. On one trip, the SCA introduced himself when we left CHI. The next time I saw him was when we got off at PDX - looking for a tip! We had to make and reset our own beds each day!

 

[TVRM610]

I totally see your point of view. The juice and ice should be left out in my opinion (this is how I always see it done, maybe once have I seen the Ice not available deal. No matter what the regulations are... I almost always see it left out and that's how I like it).

The attendant in room A deal shows that he would rather stretch out and relax then do his job and know when he is needed. (since call buttons go off in his room)

His room being locked is weird, and the wine tasting announcement shows his attitude is not proper... That's not "joking around" when you are talking to passengers who just paid $2-900 for a sleeping car.

Making up your bed at 10:30 pm seems pretty reasonable though, i personally would have liked that.

 

[Ryan]

And as far as the bed being made up when you came back at 11 pm, I would be glad.

From the Blue Book:

Night Service• Turning Down Beds

• Turn beds down when requested by the passenger.

Note that it doesn't say "Turn beds down whenever it's convenient for you".

It also says:

g) Amenities and Amenities Station Set-Up• Coffee, hot tea, orange and apple juice constitute the complimentary service available within the Sleeping Car.

• Coffee service is to be made available throughout the day.

• Bottled water, plastic cups and ice are available upon request.

You shouldn't have to ask for juice - it should be available.

Edit: rtaburn (I'm pretty sure it was him, and I'm fairly sure I spelled his name wrong) also told a story here about a Car Attendant working with a buddy to have a bedroom blocked so that they would be assured of being able to sleep in the larger room, so there's also the potential for Amtrak to be deprived of some revenue if the SCA has set up camp in a revenue room.

 

[Carolyn Jane]

I've had an aircard for years, just traded it for a Tmobile hotspot in Oct. But it's password protected, and no way would I give anyone (but my sister) the password. I have unlimited data, but after 5GB they slow it down to 2G and it drags. CJ

 

[Steve4031]

Asking for aircard password is enough for me to rate this guy as incompetent. The wine tasting announcement is not acceptable. Period.

 

[E Runs]

Can you please explain how he pad locked the room door. What kind of lock ? I just want to try and understand what sort of mechanism he had to do this. It always looked to me like it would be very hard to fit any kind of lock on the door from the outside.

Has anyone else been able to do this . Just curious about the physical application of the lock.

I've seen staff use them before, it looks like some type of two piece latch mechanism.

 

[Guest]

If I were a betting man, I would have to say that this TA sounds an awful lot like a gent named Charles from the Portland sleeper.

 

[Bob Dylan]

This guys name wasnt Courtney from the Portland Section of the EB was it? I'll take a Lawyers stance here and say I can see some of Both Sides of this Issue! :giggle: No problem with the SCA locking his Room, it's his home and Ive seen many do this! But Locking up Everything is NOT OK (as Ryan quoted), the Ice isnt supposed to be left out since there are Strict Health Regulations but the Attitude about the Wine Tasteing and making up Beds for his convience, not the Rider, is Unacceptable! Not sure about the e-mail request but as was said it could have been a Weak Attempt @ Humour? Sleeping in the A Room, as was said, is also NOT Acceptable, it's Illegal!

I'd call Customer Relations on this Guy as was said, this guy needs Re-training or Another Job!

 

[amamba]

I have a huge problem with the SCA sleeping in a revenue room. If they are in the revenue room, how are pax supposed to find them when they need something? They also won't be able to hear the call buttons. What if there was some sort of emergency?

I was once on the SWC where the SCA slept in bedroom C the entire time. It was annoying when I couldn't find him and I wanted my bed put down. This was on my first LD trip so I had to figure out how to put the bed down by myself. I mean, it was fine and it worked out, but that is not what is supposed to happen.

 

[Rail Freak]

If I were a betting man, I would have to say that this TA sounds an awful lot like a gent named Charles from the Portland sleeper.

DITTO!!!! Had him as a SCA last trip!!!

I wouldnt call him a bad SCA, actually he was pretty good! But, it's his way or the Highway & he thought the ice was GOLD!!!

 

[amtrakwolverine]

I see nothing at all to complain about! The ice (per health regulations) is not to be left out for passengers to put their grimy hands all over. (Not every one uses the scoop! ) As far as locking the room, why not? I bet you lock your house door at home. Room 1 is the attendant's home. And so they slept in room A, so what? :blush: Did you rent room A? So what are you complaining about?

The attendants room is where they belong as it's the only one with the panel that lights up to let them know which room is calling them. hogging a revenue room is against the rules plus they can't see the call panel from there. They are assigned a room for a reason. it's not a normal room.

 

[gn2276]

You could also write a letter to John Kukec at 187 South Holgate Street Seattle WA 98134. He is the manager of the Empire Builder.

 

[VentureForth]

Taking up a revenue room is a moot point. He can't call and block out that room (unless he illegally bad-orders it, which could be detected if a pattern existed). He has a manifest, so he knows that no one was in the room, so he chose to use it.

That being said, he deprived his customers of being able to access him because the call panel isn't in Bedroom A, it's behind a padlocked door.

This guy should be retrained then fired.

 

[amamba]

Taking up a revenue room is a moot point. He can't call and block out that room (unless he illegally bad-orders it, which could be detected if a pattern existed). He has a manifest, so he knows that no one was in the room, so he chose to use it.

That being said, he deprived his customers of being able to access him because the call panel isn't in Bedroom A, it's behind a padlocked door.

This guy should be retrained then fired.

My point in saying it was a revenue room was to indicate that he can't hear the call panel and it is tough for passengers to find him. The fact that he is any room other than his own is the issue. I would have a problem if he was sleeping in a room in the transdorm with a coworker that he was amorous with because of the same issue. The fact that he is sleeping anywhere other than his own room is the problem.

I would also have the same issue if he was hanging out with colleagues in the lounge or the diner for hours upon hours at a time.

 

[EB_OBS]

I'll just mention this because, although there have been some good responses, this hasn't been talked about yet.

The sleeping car attendants are not available 24 hours a day. They have downtime, also know as unpaid rest. On most LD trains their time is automatically cut at 9:30PM. Only by turning in a hand-written form, which must be signed and punched by the conductor, do SCAs get paid for any extra time or interupted downtime. That being said, of course many sleeping car attendants are up at night time stops, especially when detraining passengers. However, in most cases on LD trains they are not required to be.

When assistance is needed during the nighttime hours, the conductors are supposed to be and usually are sitting in the dining car. If you need assistance you'll have to go get one of the conductors.

As for the ice, as mentioned already by other posters, the ice is not to be left out in the common areas like the hallway. When the sleeping car attendant is on his downtime, you'll need to have planned ahead and taken an ice bucket with enough ice to get you through the night. A good SCA though would ensure that you knew this ahead of time.

The announcement regarding the wine and cheese tasting, to me, just sounds unprofessional and unnecessary. In my experience it's an uncommon enough thing so as to not be necessary to preemptively condemn it. Same goes for the aircard/wi-fi comments. I beleive this to be unprofessional and even if he was only joking, what's important is your perception of the situation and this attendant acted unprofessional.

I do encourage you to contact Customer Service to express your concerns. All phone or email conversations are transcribed and disseminated to the appropriate managers and supervisors.

Hope to see you again on the Empire Builder real soon.

EB_OBS

 

[BigRedEO]

I had almost the same problem on the EB from PDX to CHI last New Year's Day. We had to be bussed from Klamath Falls because the CS was delayed so long the day before. Our bus driver turned and crossed over the Willamette when he was only 1/2 a mile from PDX Union Station and then got so lost, we had to direct him with our smart phones through all the one-way streets to get back to Union Station. Luckily they held the EB for us. Bedroom was all set with dinner for us, including a small bottle of champagne for New Year's Day, and the attendant put down our beds when we asked, but we almost never saw her again. We had asked if she could put the beds up while we were at breakfast. Not done and she was nowhere to be found. She too had moved into a Bedroom in the car. Finally found her there, asked her to put up the beds and she acted very put out and said she would "get to it" as soon as she finished another room. Disappeared nowhere to be found again. Had to get the conductor to find her and he got an attendant from another car to make them up for us. We never really saw her again and had to put down the beds and put them up again the next day.

I called Amtrak Customer Service and not only got a credit for the Bedroom lost on the CS, but got almost double the credit for the attendant's lack of service. It's paying for my trip this year going home - same route because the Texas Eagle was not available on the dates I needed.

Now I'm worried I'll get your infamous SCA on my PDX - CHI portion of my trip once again. *sigh*

 

[Ryan]

Taking up a revenue room is a moot point. He can't call and block out that room (unless he illegally bad-orders it, which could be detected if a pattern existed). He has a manifest, so he knows that no one was in the room, so he chose to use it.

It can and has happened.

[not relevant part of the story omitted]

Anyway, our SCA's true motive was discovered when I overheard a conversation between her and someone on her cell phone... SHE wanted "C" for herself... and made a comment that she refuses to stay in the Room #1 which attendants traditionally get... she will 'only stay in a big bedroom with my private bathroom'. Nice, huh?

This was further proven when we overhead a conversation she was having with the ticket agent in La Junta, CO... where she and the other SCA had the agent block off "A" and "B" for themselves all night on the second night of the trip so the rooms couldn't be sold in the middle of the night between La Junta and Chicago.

What crap... I mean I can see wanting the bigger bedroom and your own bathroom... but it's also cheating Amtrak out of potential revenue. I mean maybe someone wanted to upgrade along the line to a larger bedroom... that's $200+ in revenue stolen from Amtrak potentially.

And yes, we did call and complain and report her for doing that.

 

[Meat Puppet]

So I am on the EB west and this guy has attitude from the start. Ice, Juice, Cups are all in his stash and you have to notify him you need them. Everytime he leaves the train he padlocks his room even for 10 minutes. At night the room is padlocked and he sleeps in the A bedroom. Last night I was in the lounge until 11 and he made up my bed at 10:30 without even mentioning it to me. Wine tasting announcement over the intercom was this is a wine tasting not a wine drinking, if you are expecting a cocktail please dont attend. Then to top it off he notices I have an aircard for wireless internet so he asked me what time I am getting up because he needs to use his ipad to check email..??? ***

Just playing devils advocate here-I see some things, that might be bothersome, but a whole lot that isn't....

1. Locked up ice and juice-The juice is normally out, sure, but ice is normally put away-They are not supposed to leave it out, for you to grab when ever, due to sanitary issues-Want ice? Ask for ice. (Cups and juice should probably be out though...)

2. Padlocked room.....so? Hell, I'd lock MY room when I was gone if I could. Maybe he's had a bad experience, and had something disapear? No reason why he shouldn't lock his stuff up if he so desires.

3. Sleeping in the A room. So? How does that affect your trip in the least?

4. You were in the lounge until 11, and came back to find the bed made up? Ok....Most here would complain loudly if it WEREN'T made up.....Again, sounds like SOP to me.

5. Wine announcement-What's the issue with that? I've seen peope show up to those things, expecting a boozefest. Sounds to me like he's just preparing those who expect more, to have realistic expectations about what this is...

6. They still make air cards? Wow, who knew, kinda thought the world all went to the iphone/Droid hotspot route 4 years ago? in any event, was he simply making a joke? Might have been playing with you trying to make conversation. I can't imagine he really travels like that without having a way to check his email on his own, without having to connect to an aircard.

All in all, I wasn't there-But, a whole lot of what you're complaining about is seemingly stuff that a good SCA usually does. Have some fun with his passengers, make up the beds while people are out, follow the rules regarding ice, etc.....Doesn't sound like the worst SCA ever. Sounds like he did ok to me. Anything there really worth complaining about?

1. Locked up ice & juice in the day so no one can find it I dont get.

3. As far as sleeping in the A room I dont care where he sleeps just how about letting someone know so we can find him to open Fort Knox and get ice & juice.

4. I was in the lounge til 11, he never asked what time I want my bed down or even tried to find me. Some of us stay up late so I had to undo my bed.

5. Wine announcement was just unprofessional. i bet the people dropping a grand or two on the first class trip loved it.

6. I use my aircard with a large external antenna because I actually work from the train and need a dependable signal. The people with Iphones and Droids in the lounge loved the middle of Montana with no signal I guess they couldnt email their grandkids. He wasn't making a joke about asking to use it, he was the most stoic, miserable attendant ever. Time to get out of the business.

You actually sound like you are this attendant.