# We have booked a bedroom but due to floods now a bus..



## Emma (Sep 22, 2019)

We are booked in a bedroom from Houston to San Antonio (3 passengers). Due to the floods our train has been cancelled and buses are now in place instead.

Obviously we understand these things happen. However, the only reason why we were getting the Amtrak was to experience it (we are visiting from the UK).

Could anyone advise: 

If Amtrak moves you to a bus can you cancel (it would be cheaper and quicker for us to get the Greyhound if we have to get a bus anyway).

If we can't cancel will Amtrak refund the difference in fare between coach and our sleeper tickets?

I have looked online but I can only find information about refunds if the passenger cancels which states a full refund before departure except with bedrooms. However if they cannot provide a bedroom do we still have a bedroom booking?

Such a shame as we all so excited about the train.

Many thanks
Emma


----------



## Brian Battuello (Sep 22, 2019)

I'm sure others here know the answer, but you could try calling Amtrak at 1-800-872-7245 or from out of the country +1-215-856-7924. For some reason the answers you get may depend on the agent, so if you don't like the answer, don't commit to anything and call back later. 

I hope you get a chance to experience a bedroom another time!


----------



## greatwestern (Sep 22, 2019)

I can only relate my experience when I was bussed from Seattle to Spokane (incoming service had been terminated at Spokane) from where I continued my journey by rail to Chicago in my booked sleeper.

I was refunded the sleeper element of my fare for the bussed portion of the journey and was provided with cold food to eat on the bus journey in compensation for the dinner that I would have had on the rail journey to Spokane. This happened automatically without my having to approach Amtrak personally.


----------



## Rasputin (Sep 22, 2019)

Please let us know how this works out as the information would be helpful to others.

The trend seems to be that you might get a refund of $125.


----------



## Barb Stout (Sep 22, 2019)

I have taken the "Amtrak" bus from Bakersfield CA to LA CA and the "regular" Greyhound buses in Ohio. I don't know if it's just a coincidence, but the "Amtrak" bus was significantly better than the Greyhound bus in Ohio. There was more room in the "Amtrak" bus. Also the Greyhound in Ohio had these fake pockets in the back of the seat in front of you that made it look like you could put reading material in there, but no, it was just a design, not a pocket. But wait, there appeared to be a lower pocket near our feet. Oh no, that's another fake out; it was just bungee-like cords across the bottom of the seat with nothing on the bottom to hold anything from falling onto the floor. So you had to either put items on the shelf above you which was too high up for my 4 foot 11 inch body or hold them on your lap which is what I did. So I would go with the Amtrak bus rather than the Greyhound based on my experience. However, the Greyhound bus was nice and quiet probably due to the bus driver reading the riot act before setting off which is good if you want to read, but not so good if you want to visit loudly. I don't remember the noise level in the Amtrak bus, but it was probably ok otherwise I would remember as I'm the peace and quiet type.

I have read from other people on this site that if you don't get satisfaction with Amtrak's customer service, to try customer relations. Perhaps others will comment on that.


----------



## Asher (Sep 22, 2019)

It's a bummer trading a Bedroom for a single seat, hope it works out for you.


----------



## zephyr17 (Sep 22, 2019)

Amtrak should refund your sleeper accommodation charge. The Toronto-Niagara Falls portion of my upcoming trip was recently bustituted due to bridge work and Amtrak automatically refunded the Business Class charge TWO-CBN (only a $1 placeholder, since VIA does not consider it as their business class, but it was still done automatically). You may be able to cancel the whole thing with no penalty if you decide you don't want to go, given the circumstances.

Stay the heck away from Greyhound.


----------



## me_little_me (Sep 22, 2019)

I'd call Customer Relations (ask a regular agent to transfer you) and ask about a 100% refund. If they won't go along, then ask for a supervisor.


----------



## Emma Turner (Sep 23, 2019)

Emma said:


> We are booked in a bedroom from Houston to San Antonio (3 passengers). Due to the floods our train has been cancelled and buses are now in place instead.
> 
> Obviously we understand these things happen. However, the only reason why we were getting the Amtrak was to experience it (we are visiting from the UK).
> 
> ...



Update: Amtrak have refunded the sleeper part of the journey and we are paying just for the train ticket. Because we booked in February it is cheaper than the Greyhound once you factor in paying for baggage on the Greyhound.

It was worrying though to receive an email from Amtrak saying “some or all of your journey will be provided by alternative means”. I’m assuming it can only be a bus but the phrase “some” caused concerned. When I called Amtrak the CSA told me there was no replacement at all and when I read her the email she double checked and there is, although there are no updates on the Amtrak site itself under Train Status.

The CSA was also not able to provide any assurance on how long the journey will take or if we will be seated together - the bus seems to be coming from New Orleans - and I’m travelling with my disabled son and his support worker. 

I’m going to try calling the Houston Amtrak direct to see if I can get more specific information. Should be going to NASA today but will have to spend last remaining hours in the hotel trying to sort this out. I do have sympathy for the Amtrak situation but their customer service so far has been lacking.


----------



## zephyr17 (Sep 23, 2019)

The "some or all" is standard boilerplate and the phrasing doesn't change for individual service disruptions. In your case it is all because Amtrak doesn't have the staff or facilities to "turn" (physically turn, clean, inspect, restock) the train anywhere east of San Antonio. There isn't any status since the train is in "service disruption" and that is what Amtrak usually does in such cases.

Yes, the bus or buses will be coming from New Orleans as that is the origination point of the train they replacing. They will have chatered enough buses to accommodate all ticketed passengers. There will be quite a few folks getting off at Houston, so quite a few seats will free up.

The seating on bus(es) will be first come, first serve. They will not be assigned. They will be charter buses contracted by Amtrak, not operated by Amtrak. All operational aspects will be under the control of the bus operator. Amtrak reservations agents will know little except they've got buses, if even that. Amtrak station agents will not know a lot more. In most emergency bustitutions I have been on, as opposed to scheduled Amtrak Thruway bus services, it can be a bit of a free for all.

I am sorry to say that my experience suggests that you have gotten about all the information that is available to Amtrak personnel either in the reservation center or in the field. I am really sorry you missed NASA.

Amtrak customer service and lacking can sometimes be synonymous. In this case, there really is probably not any more information to be had, though. Many of us frequent riders have learned to roll with the punches when it comes to Amtrak, otherwise we would not keep riding. Inconsistent customer service is Amtrak's biggest single problem that is wholly within its control.


----------



## Qapla (Sep 23, 2019)

An additional problem is that I-10 may still be closed and the bus from NO will have to take a longer route ... many of the other roads are closed or congested,making travel through that area difficult.


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Sep 23, 2019)

Emma Turner said:


> Should be going to NASA today but will have to spend last remaining hours in the hotel trying to sort this out. I do have sympathy for the Amtrak situation but their customer service so far has been lacking.


Sorry to hear that. Hope the rest of your trip goes better.



zephyr17 said:


> In this case, there really is probably not any more information to be had, though.


Terminating the SL at SAS has already happened on many other occasions. Somebody probably knows how this is going to go down to within a few minor variables. How hard would it be to have that person (or an assistant) write up a quick primer on what is most likely to happen to folks between NOL and SAS? If Amtrak is unwilling to send it out to everyone that's fine but at least have this information available for people who call in asking for details. I could understand if it was something that Amtrak had never had to deal with before, but terminating the SL at SAS isn't uncommon in the slightest.


----------



## zephyr17 (Sep 23, 2019)

Yes, but emergency bustitutions always seem to have a large Charlie Foxtrot factor even when done many times before. A couple of years ago I was on an Empire Builder that was being bustitited due to mudslides between Everett and Seattle. That happened frequently, so they should have had the process down. It is also a short distance with only one intermediate stop (Edmonds). The instructions given onboard did not square with what people were being told on the ground. There were multiple buses, some stopping in Edmonds, some not. There was a lot of confusion. I got to watch, Everett was my stop, so I was able to jump in my truck and drive away when I tired of the spectacle.

At that point in time that bustitution was one they were having to do a couple times a month at least and they still didn't have it down. Maybe because they had to use different charter companies, whoever has buses available at the last minute, I don't know. But no one was following a handbook for something that should have been routine at that point, that's for sure.


----------



## AFS1970 (Oct 20, 2019)

A few years ago we had this happen between Seattle & Emeryville. I got a phone call from Amtrak abut a week before we left with two options. 100% refund and I could get myself to SF or 50% refund and I would get a reserved seat to the transfer point, bussed up and over the mudslides, then my sleeper from Klamath Falls. We took the bus options and the conductors made sure we got a bus with two seats together.


----------

