# Don't lose your return ticket - lesson learned



## shytown (Jan 9, 2010)

My son did not have his issued ticket for the return portion of his trip (Chi to NOLA). What he had was his bar code reservation summary. He knew he still needed to check in and thought he would be issued his return ticket.

The Amtrak clerk at Union Station was not very pleasant and said he couldn't board until we purchased the one way ticket at $180. So, that's what we did. Even though she pulled him up on the computer & saw that he was booked. She said she was just following the rules. He was even "rebooked" into the same sleeper that he was originally booked in.

Man o man. What a bummer. He said he had NO CLUE that "the other" ticket was in the paper sleeve. We try not to be hovering parents and he's not a goof up kind of kid & is no stranger to travel. (Even tho I did explain that for flights, you STILL have to keep your tickets for the return portion.  )

But, wow... what an expensive mistake. Lesson definitely learned. DON'T LOSE THAT RETURN PORTION OF YOUR TICKET!


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## GAT (Jan 9, 2010)

I sure don't know how Amtrak handles these things and what the rules are, but from a purely logical point of view, it seems to me that if he was reserved in a sleeper and had a room assignment AND had proper identification, all Amtrak had to do was re-issue the ticket. If someone else showed up with the same ticket wanting to use the same room, surely they would be refused boarding.

I would firmly and politely take this one up the chain of command and get a refund for the lost portion. Collect all your facts, documentation, and other evidence and go for it, I say.


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## BeckysBarn (Jan 9, 2010)

I misplaced a ticket for the last leg of my trip last year (found it later). I checked with the agent to see if they could just reprint it. I had printed the e-mail with the reservation number, which I showed the agent. She looked it up on the computer & reprinted it. No problem. (This also happened at CUS)

So, I agree, take it up the chain of command & try to get that $180 back.


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## the_traveler (Jan 10, 2010)

George said:


> I sure don't know how Amtrak handles these things and what the rules are, but from a purely logical point of view, it seems to me that if he was reserved in a sleeper and had a room assignment AND had proper identification, all Amtrak had to do was re-issue the ticket. *If someone else showed up with the same ticket wanting to use the same room, surely they would be refused boarding.*
> I would firmly and politely take this one up the chain of command and get a refund for the lost portion. Collect all your facts, documentation, and other evidence and go for it, I say.


If someone did show up (not necessarily at CHI, but at another - even unstaffed - station down the line), who is going to refuse them boarding? :huh: (Even at CHI, they only check to see if you have a ticket, before you go out to the platform.) Unlike an airport, where all passengers go thru 1 gate and they run your boarding pass thru a machine, your Amtrak ticket may not even be pulled until the train is 20 miles out of town! And I hardly think the train will turn around and go back!

There is a procedure where you can file for a refund. But they need to wait for a year before they can issue the refund - to see if the unused ticket had not been used or refunded. (The ticket is valid for 1 year.)


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## AlanB (Jan 10, 2010)

Shytown,

You say he had no idea that the ticket was in that sleve. What happened to that sleve? Did he throw it away? Or is it someplace that you can still get it? If you can recover that lost ticket, your life will be much easier and you'll get more of your money back. In fact, if you can find the ticket, you have up to 1 year to either refund it minus a 10% penalty or trade it in for either another ticket or a voucher, which will give you 100% of its value.

Without the ticket however, life is far less rosy. You'll have to follow the lost ticket procedures and that will require waiting and only getting about $94.50 back, as Amtrak will charge a $75 fee and a 10% penalty. If you request a voucher good for future travel, then you can avoid the 10% penalty, but not the $75 fee.

The ticket is considered cash by Amtrak, and therefore if lost it's like standing on the street corner handing out $10 bills. The agent did indeed follow Amtrak procedures, as outlined here. Note: The form to report a lost ticket can be linked to from that page. But first, make sure that there is no chance of ever finding that ticket.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2010)

shytown said:


> But, wow... what an expensive mistake. Lesson definitely learned. DON'T LOSE THAT RETURN PORTION OF YOUR TICKET!


DON'T LOOSE YOUR CASH EITHER.

Even if you know the serial numbers off the $20 bills you lost, and have the ATM receipt to prove the withdrawal, you will find that the Treasury Dept doesn't re-issue lost currency.


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## shytown (Jan 10, 2010)

Yeah, the return ticket in the sleeve was accidentally thrown away by my husband. He was picking up around the basement and unknowingly tossed it. (Yes, he is a clean freak.) But, my son also should have placed it somewhere safe instead of tossing it on the floor.

Like I said, lesson learned the hard way. We were all 3 standing in the terminal arguing about who did what, why, and when. It was not the departure I would've liked before he went back to school. And we're still out $180.

I will call Amtrak and I printed out the Lost Ticket Refund form.

Thanks to all for your helpful advice as always!


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## PRR 60 (Jan 10, 2010)

But Amtrak tickets are not cash. Tickets are for a specific individual, for a specific train, and, in this case, a specific accommodation. They are not transferrable, and cannot be refunded if the reservation was used. With a room involved, the agent could just void the old ticket, then issue a new ticket at the original rate. Amtrak is whole, and the customer is whole.

In 2010, having a system like that is just dumb. It simply punishes the passenger for no good reason. People who infrequently ride Amtrak and are used to airline policies may not know that Amtrak is, in this regard, so firmly stuck in the 1960's.


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## printman2000 (Jan 10, 2010)

PRR 60 said:


> But Amtrak tickets are not cash. Tickets are for a specific individual, for a specific train, and, in this case, a specific accommodation. They are not transferrable, and cannot be refunded if the reservation was used. With a room involved, the agent could just void the old ticket, then issue a new ticket at the original rate. Amtrak is whole, and the customer is whole.
> In 2010, having a system like that is just dumb. It simply punishes the passenger for no good reason. People who infrequently ride Amtrak and are used to airline policies may not know that Amtrak is, in this regard, so firmly stuck in the 1960's.


I know Southwest Airlines does the exact same thing. You lose the ticket, you have to buy another one. How many times I saw that come up when they had that TV series.


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## BlueJeanGirl (Jan 10, 2010)

Antiquated though it may be, policy stands.

Just yesterday morning, I went through this with a passenger. She had just purchased round-trip tickets from the machine, and had lost her ticket. She had the return-trip ticket, but not the one we needed for the direction we were traveling. I allowed her plenty of time to search her belongings for it (4 station stops) before she finally decided she'd lost it. I explained the policy, offered the phone numbers she'd need to report it, but still had to sell her a new ticket on board. She understood, was very pleasant about it, but still not happy - more with herself for losing the ticket, than with me for selling her a new one.

Having worked ticketing, I can tell you that to "just void the old ticket" isn't that easy - ticket agents are accountable for everything that passes through that little window. Ticket stock is accounted for, and losses (oops, I voided a ticket, but don't have that ticket to turn in) are payable by the ticket agent. Every exchange, void, return, sale, or refund, must have something paper to back it up. Yes, old school, but that's the way it is.

I'm sorry you feel having to be responsible for your train ticket is dumb. Please do not board my train with that attitude. We will both be happier that way.

Travel light!

~BJG



printman2000 said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> > But Amtrak tickets are not cash. Tickets are for a specific individual, for a specific train, and, in this case, a specific accommodation. They are not transferrable, and cannot be refunded if the reservation was used. With a room involved, the agent could just void the old ticket, then issue a new ticket at the original rate. Amtrak is whole, and the customer is whole.
> ...


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## the_traveler (Jan 10, 2010)

This is a perfect example that when you are boarding the return portion from a staffed station, you should make 2 *SEPARATE* reservations (it doesn't cost extra) - and print the return ticket upon your return's departure! It is far less likely to "lose" your ticket in the 15-30 minutes (or even 1 hour) before departure than during your 2 week stay!


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## Joel N. Weber II (Jan 10, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> This is a perfect example that when you are boarding the return portion from a staffed station, you should make 2 *SEPARATE* reservations (it doesn't cost extra)


Except when it does cost extra. For example, Boston North Station to Portland Maine is $24 each way on separate reservations. If you book the round trip on a single reservation the right number of days in advance (3?), it's only $39 for the round trip.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 10, 2010)

if staffed yes but if it only has a QT machine i would not chance it to print my ticket 1 hour before departure in-case the machine is not working.sure you can call but what are they going to do over the phone. would 1 hour be enough time for the phone agent to change the revvy to pick up on board. if staffed and the counter is open during departure then by all means get your ticket then.


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## Joel N. Weber II (Jan 10, 2010)

AlanB said:


> Without the ticket however, life is far less rosy. You'll have to follow the lost ticket procedures and that will require waiting and only getting about $94.50 back, as Amtrak will charge a $75 fee and a 10% penalty. If you request a voucher good for future travel, then you can avoid the 10% penalty, but not the $75 fee.


That $75 seems a little steep. I don't think it would be unreasonable for people to write to their Congresspeople asking Congress to mandate a much lower fee.


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## Cascadia (Jan 10, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> This is a perfect example that when you are boarding the return portion from a staffed station, you should make 2 *SEPARATE* reservations (it doesn't cost extra) - and print the return ticket upon your return's departure! It is far less likely to "lose" your ticket in the 15-30 minutes (or even 1 hour) before departure than during your 2 week stay!


I should remember this if I ever get off my beaten path of Bellingham to Vancouver BC and back. The normal reservations I always make involve crossing the US/Canada border and there are a bunch of extra steps when you fill out the passenger identification fields before payment - not too big of a hassle but enough to make it worthwhile to always book it round trip and only fill out all that stuff once. (plus they're cheap tickets and I am not traveling around while I am there)

Recently I made a reservation for a trip to Portland in March, and it was so refreshing not to have to provide every detail of my passport information, DOB, etc, just punch and go.

When it is simple like that it really does make sense to book the two trips separately for the reason you cited. That would be a good habit to always remember that.


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## Trogdor (Jan 10, 2010)

Joel N. Weber II said:


> That $75 seems a little steep. I don't think it would be unreasonable for people to write to their Congresspeople asking Congress to mandate a much lower fee.


Kidding, right?


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## the_traveler (Jan 10, 2010)

True, there are some cases where it may be easier to pick up both tickets at once. But there are many others where it doesn't matter.

As you know, I take *L O N G* AGR award trips. On one of my recent KIN-PDX trips, here is where I picked up my tickets:

KIN-NYP = in KIN

NYP-BUF = in KIN

BUF-CHI = in KIN

CHI-LAX = in CHI

LAX-PDX = in CHI

(2 week stay)

PDX-SAC = in PDX

SAC-MTZ = in PDX

MTZ-SAC = in PDX

SAC-CHI = in PDX

CHI-CVS = in PDX

CVS-NOL = in PDX

NOL-SAS = in NOL

SAS-CHI = in SAS

CHI-WAS = in SAS

WAS-KIN = in SAS

This way, there were only a few tickets for the next "short"  portion that I had to worry about losing.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jan 10, 2010)

Since I start most my trips from Norman OK, an unmanned station, I usually have no other option but to get my packet in the mail. But like airline tickets, cash or credit cards, just keep them all in a safe place on your person and you should be fine. Of course I get to enjoy the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding a nice packet of train tickets waiting inside!


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## GAT (Jan 10, 2010)

AlanB and Blue Jean Girl: I understand what you are staying and realize these are Amtrak's rules. So how would Amtrak handle the following scenario: The son's ticket was pick-pocketed. Parents buy a new ticket and he gets his same roomette. He boards and occupies the roomette. The thief boards and tries to occupy the same roomette. There is no other sleeping accomodation available. Who gets to stay in the roomette? And is the thief ever held accountable?


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## BlueJeanGirl (Jan 10, 2010)

The simplest solution is to check IDs on both passengers. He whose ID matches, stays on board. The other ticket is confiscated, the person presenting it is dealt with accordingly (anywhere from tossed off to handed over to local law enforcement), life goes on.

Re: confiscated ticket...if the pickpocket is handed over to law enforcement, the ticket would have to be held as evidence. I'm sure eventually it'd be given back to its rightful owner, but until charges, trial, etc, it's evidence.

If the pickpocket throws the ticket at the challenging conductor and runs away, I expect that after a few phone calls, the ticket would be given back to the rightful owner.

(I've dealt with a similar situation - college kid dropped his ticket on the platform, another kid pockets it, I sell a ticket to kid 1, notice the name on the ticket presented by kid 2 is eerily similar, check ID...read kid 2 the riot act, make kid 2 apologize to kid 1, return original ticket to kid 1 with much lecturing, void out on-board ticket sale, life goes on.)

Travel light!

~

BJG



George said:


> AlanB and Blue Jean Girl: I understand what you are staying and realize these are Amtrak's rules. So how would Amtrak handle the following scenario: The son's ticket was pick-pocketed. Parents buy a new ticket and he gets his same roomette. He boards and occupies the roomette. The thief boards and tries to occupy the same roomette. There is no other sleeping accomodation available. Who gets to stay in the roomette? And is the thief ever held accountable?


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## printman2000 (Jan 10, 2010)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> Since I start most my trips from Norman OK, an unmanned station, I usually have no other option but to get my packet in the mail. But like airline tickets, cash or credit cards, just keep them all in a safe place on your person and you should be fine. Of course I get to enjoy the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding a nice packet of train tickets waiting inside!


You can still book your return trip separately and, assuming your return trip starts at a manned station and/or has a QuickTrac pick up your return tickets there and not have to keep up with them while you are away.


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## GAT (Jan 10, 2010)

BlueJeanGirl said:


> The simplest solution is to check IDs on both passengers. He whose ID matches, stays on board. The other ticket is confiscated, the person presenting it is dealt with accordingly (anywhere from tossed off to handed over to local law enforcement), life goes on.
> Re: confiscated ticket...if the pickpocket is handed over to law enforcement, the ticket would have to be held as evidence. I'm sure eventually it'd be given back to its rightful owner, but until charges, trial, etc, it's evidence.
> 
> If the pickpocket throws the ticket at the challenging conductor and runs away, I expect that after a few phone calls, the ticket would be given back to the rightful owner.
> ...


Thanks, BJG. That's sort of the way I thought it would happen. Which leads me to ask, do train tickets have a unique number like air tickets do? I'm looking at my confirmation for my upcoming NYP - EMY trip and there is no ticket number there. I don't have an actual ticket to look at. I suspect they don't, and that's why you have to treat a ticket like cash. Otherwise, it seems it would be relatively simple to cancel a lost ticket so that it cannot be used sometime later.


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## shytown (Jan 10, 2010)

Well, 2 separate tickets sounds like the thing to do next time. Again, live and learn...

OK, my next statement has nothing to do with the lost ticket... but I advised my son beforehand to tip the sleeping car attendant at the end of the trip. Also, tip for meals, etc.

He told me this a.m. that there wasn't what he would consider a SCA at all (he acted as if it was odd that I had even told him about this to begin with). He said after he boarded in CHI he was basically pointed in the right direction, he found his rm # and that was it. No one gave him any info or offered their services if needed, no one asked for his dinner preference, no one "turned down" his bed (he figured it out on his own - ha!). Trust me, he was not concerned about this at all & didn't care. But I had read on this & other boards and on Amtrak's website, that these services were standard practice.

He's enjoyed his trip immensely, his meals were delicious, he met some nice people, he slept well, staff was cordial. There were no problems and that's really all that's important.

I'm not thinking he got gypped in any way. But I find it odd that there seems to be a huge discrepancy in the way passengers are treated in the different locales. Where is that "extra" attention I always read about? Maybe this an age thing, where the older ticket holders are taken into consideration more so than the youth, maybe staff cuts don't allow for them to tend to every whim.

.


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## Long Train Runnin' (Jan 10, 2010)

He was in a sleeper he is supposed to have an attendant to do things for him. Putting down the beds is the attendants most basic role. Some attendants are great and give you personal attention, and will have a conversation with you. Others will simply take care of your bed and keep the coffee machine stocked, and spend the rest of their day in the dining car. Then there are attendants like your son encountered, or didn't encounter. The attendant who shouldn't be an Amtrak employee. Who provide 0 service, and manage to stay hidden the entire trip. You should contact Amtrak about this attendant, even though he doesn't have a name the train and date of travel and car number are enough for Amtrak to track them down. Regardless of who you are if your in a sleeper your attendant is supposed to fulfill some tasks. Some go above and beyond, and those are the great attendants that are tipped well and praised here on the board. Your son obviously didn't encounter one of those.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2010)

It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.


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## shytown (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.


yep, that's probably it. Too bad tho, someone could've made a little extra $$. I gave him a $20 bill & a $10 bill to tip the attendant accordingly.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.


shouldn't matter and that's discrimination.


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## leemell (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.


That was not what I expected or experienced when I was young (don't ask  ). The default should be at least the contracted service, not to disappear. Tipping is for service rendered and shouldn't be anticipated without knowing the person and hasn't been like that. I have never had that happen, but did have an SCA on the CZ who did the very minimum and vanished into his cabin. He said he was quitting and didn't care.


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## GAT (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.



No offense, but that's not how the tipping system works. The tipping system works thusly: The employee provides service. If the service is good, I tip him/her. If it's excellent, I tip him/her more, and I tell him/her how pleased I am. If the service is bad, I don't tip. If it's non-existent, I report it. I never leave the gratuitous penny or nickle; that's in poor taste, as Miss manners would say.

My point is, service providers doesn't control the tipping system, but they can definitely affect the results. The good ones know that.

The kid was probably too nice to make a fuss, but he might have benefited by seeking out some Amtrak official on the train and asking what service he was entitled to as a sleeper passenger. And, after receiving the $10 or $20, the employee might have thought twice about ignoring young passengers the next time.

Now, just to be fair, it's possible that the train was understaffed and the attendant was holding down two cars and maybe the other car was full of nanogenerians who needed a lot of attention. But even so, (s)he should have sought out the kid and explained the situation.


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## leemell (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> Now, just to be fair, it's possible that the train was understaffed and the attendant was holding down two cars and maybe the other car was full of nanogenerians who needed a lot of attention. But even so, (s)he should have sought out the kid and explained the situation.



Just how small are "nanogenerians"? By my reckoning I'd guess about 0.000000006 inches. :lol:


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## AlanB (Jan 10, 2010)

George said:


> Thanks, BJG. That's sort of the way I thought it would happen. Which leads me to ask, do train tickets have a unique number like air tickets do? I'm looking at my confirmation for my upcoming NYP - EMY trip and there is no ticket number there. I don't have an actual ticket to look at. I suspect they don't, and that's why you have to treat a ticket like cash. Otherwise, it seems it would be relatively simple to cancel a lost ticket so that it cannot be used sometime later.


George,

There is a unique ticket number for every ticket issued, it's printed by the company that produces Amtrak's ticket stock, not by the ticket printer that puts your info on the ticket.

And while you're correct that it's not a big deal to void that ticket number in the computer system, the problem is that a conductor on the train would have no way of knowing that the ticket has been voided. He/she has no computer to scan that barcoded number to see if the ticket got cancelled. By the time Amtrak realized that the ticket got used, despite being voided, the person using the ticket will have been at their destination for at least 2 days and perhaps as long as a week.

Now personally Amtrak probably could alter its policy towards sleeping car passengers, where it's easy to know if someone tries to use that lost ticket. But then you'd probably have someone complaining that it's unfair to those in coach. So I'm guessing that why things remain as they are.

Once Amtrak finally gets E-ticketing and automated ticket collections off the ground, this problem would go away or at least be greatly reduced.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2010)

George said:


> Guest said:
> 
> 
> > It is because the kid is a kid. Service employees judge every single customer as to how much tip they think they can get out of them no matter if they are waiting tables at a restaurant or putting down beds in a sleeping car. Younger folks typically don't tip good or tip at all so they are neglected frequently. It is just how the tipping system works.
> ...


Don't care if you are offended, you are out of touch. I have worked commission jobs in the past and every salesperson I worked with myself included would size up customers and pay more attention to those that we thought would give us larger sales. It is all about the Benjamens and giving some customers more or less attention based on stereotypes is part of good time management.


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## Trogdor (Jan 10, 2010)

AlanB said:


> There is a unique ticket number for every ticket issued, it's printed by the company that produces Amtrak's ticket stock, not by the ticket printer that puts your info on the ticket.


Actually, there are two unique numbers on each ticket. One is the ticket stock number, which is preprinted. The other is a ticket number, which is printed by the ticket printer at time of issue. The ticket number also appears on your ticket stub, in the lower left hand corner (in fact, if the printer isn't aligned properly, sometimes the first digit or two of the ticket number can get cut off after the ticket is lifted).


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jan 10, 2010)

It would be nice if Amtrak could switch over to bar coded computerized ticketing that would allow you to print tickets at home, much like many concert and sports venues allow. Then the Conductor simply hits your ticket, be it "hard" or instant with a handheld scanner and that records all the information. At the end of the run, the scanner is downloaded into the central computer for accounting. In my case, as I do not have a manned station within 200 miles, it would make life much easier. And those who prefer hard tickets would still have the option to pick those up in person or get them via mail, and they would carry the scan codes.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 10, 2010)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> It would be nice if Amtrak could switch over to bar coded computerized ticketing that would allow you to print tickets at home, much like many concert and sports venues allow. Then the Conductor simply hits your ticket, be it "hard" or instant with a handheld scanner and that records all the information. At the end of the run, the scanner is downloaded into the central computer for accounting. In my case, as I do not have a manned station within 200 miles, it would make life much easier. And those who prefer hard tickets would still have the option to pick those up in person or get them via mail, and they would carry the scan codes.


we've been through this before. there are working on it.


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## the_traveler (Jan 10, 2010)

Guest said:


> Don't care if you are offended, you are out of touch. I have worked commission jobs in the past and every salesperson I worked with myself included would size up customers and pay more attention to those that we thought would give us larger sales. It is all about the Benjamens and giving some customers more or less attention based on stereotypes is part of good time management.


As they say, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." 

Back in the 1980's I was a desk clerk at a hotel. The wrestlers of the WWE (then called WWF) stayed there. One wrestler was *George the Animal Steele*. If you remember him, in the ring he was one of the meanest people! I got to know him one day - and he is probably the nicest person I ever met!

If I didn't know what they looked like, I would not think Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Sam Walton are (or were) among the richest men on earth!


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## GAT (Jan 11, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> Guest said:
> 
> 
> > Don't care if you are offended, you are out of touch. I have worked commission jobs in the past and every salesperson I worked with myself included would size up customers and pay more attention to those that we thought would give us larger sales. It is all about the Benjamens and giving some customers more or less attention based on stereotypes is part of good time management.
> ...


I agree with The Traveler, and don't worry, I'm not offended. I don't even know who's trying to offend me ("guest_guest"). :lol: My point was, the passenger controls the tipping system, not the servicer. I too have seen the behavior you describe, particularly in restaurants where I'm dining alone or with one other, and I see all the service going to the party of eight. All I'm trying to say is, the tipping system works only because and if we, the paying passengers, make it work.


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## sweet tea (Jan 11, 2010)

shytown said:


> I'm not thinking he got gypped in any way.
> .


he did get gypped, and so did my wife and i on one of the three sleeper legs of our christmas trip. same story -- never same an attendant at all, put up our own beds, nearly missed breakfast because the intercom didn't work in our car, etc. i've had better and worse service from attendants in the past, but no service at all means your son did not get the full value of the ticket he (you) paid for.

i am sending amtrak a letter about our experience today and hope i'll get at least a voucher of some kind. i recommend you do the same.


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## alanh (Jan 11, 2010)

It's not just a matter of genuinely lost tickets being used, but of people falsely claiming to have lost a ticket. For example, you could get a ticket reissued, then later have it refunded. You then use the "lost" ticket onboard. If Amtrak questions you later about the ticket being used, you'd just say it must have been someone who stole it.

Any sort of replacement of paper tickets will require the conductor or whomever takes the tickets to have real-time access to the reservation system, just like an airline gate agent does.


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## wayman (Jan 11, 2010)

rmadisonwi said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > There is a unique ticket number for every ticket issued, it's printed by the company that produces Amtrak's ticket stock, not by the ticket printer that puts your info on the ticket.
> ...


Are there _any_ QuikTrak machines out there that _are_ aligned correctly? I don't think I've ever encountered one that didn't print such that the first two letters of my last name, first two characters of the ticket/reservation number, etc, are ripped off when the ticket is lifted!


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 11, 2010)

Guest said:


> George said:
> 
> 
> > Guest said:
> ...


remind me never to tip you


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## the_traveler (Jan 11, 2010)

wayman said:


> rmadisonwi said:
> 
> 
> > AlanB said:
> ...


If there is, it has eluded me too!


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## leemell (Jan 11, 2010)

Guest said:


> George said:
> 
> 
> > Guest said:
> ...


Well sir, I am NOT out of touch. It does not offend me either and here is why --- if a business or its employees every treats me this way, my business just goes elsewhere. I addition, management is made aware of the reason. I live in the Los Angeles area and there are a significant number of places that try this as a business model, it just comes with the territory. Inevitability they are mostly gone in a year or less, a few hang on for a couple of years. Thus, the customer controls the tipping system.


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## shytown (Jan 11, 2010)

Well, it's a no go on a refund. I talked with Amtrak. If you lose your ticket, it is the same as losing cash. I COULD fill out the Lost Ticket Refund form, minus the $75 and also 10% of the cost of the original ticket. Plus the agent said it would take a minimum of 6 - 8 months to receive my portion of the refund. (she even said it's probably not even worth it - hahaha!)

I even spoke with the supervisor.

It does, however, give me a bad taste, this being our first experience with Amtrak. But then again, it would be the same with an airline too. If you lose a ticket, you wouldn't get a refund. In all probability with an airline, you wouldn't even get re-booked. Or you would have to pay an exorbitant amount for the last minute re-booking.

I could just smack my kid upside the head for losing this. Plus I'm ticked at myself letting it happen!

Thanks to all ~


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## AlanB (Jan 11, 2010)

I'd still suggest that you fill out the form and get some of your money back. And if you and/or your son are going to be taking Amtrak in the future, then request the voucher so that you don't loose the 10%.


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## Big Iron (Jan 12, 2010)

Long Train Runnin said:


> He was in a sleeper he is supposed to have an attendant to do things for him. Putting down the beds is the attendants most basic role. Some attendants are great and give you personal attention, and will have a conversation with you. Others will simply take care of your bed and keep the coffee machine stocked, and spend the rest of their day in the dining car. Then there are attendants like your son encountered, or didn't encounter. The attendant who shouldn't be an Amtrak employee. Who provide 0 service, and manage to stay hidden the entire trip. You should contact Amtrak about this attendant, even though he doesn't have a name the train and date of travel and car number are enough for Amtrak to track them down. Regardless of who you are if your in a sleeper your attendant is supposed to fulfill some tasks. Some go above and beyond, and those are the great attendants that are tipped well and praised here on the board. Your son obviously didn't encounter one of those.


Below is the e-mail I sent to Amtrak after my recent trip. A tale of two trips.

Please forward this e-mail to Customer Service. I travelled on Train #29 from Washington to Chicago on January 8, 2010. I want to compliment the sleeping car attendant, Brenda. I've had her on other trips I've taken on the Capitol Limited and she is the most wonderful Amtrak employee that I have encountered. She is professional, hard working and friendly. She did a wonderful job taking care of me and the other passengers. She kept the car (2900) in pristine condition throughout the trip. The bathrooms were flawlessly clean, as if no one had used them. There were numerous passengers in the car who were transferring to trains in Chicago that had been cancelled because of weather. She was peppered with questions about connections and was able to handle them effectively and in such a manner to allay the fears of those passengers and allow them to enjoy their trip to Chicago. Please accept my thanks for a most enjoyable trip on Amtrak due to the efforts and abilities of Brenda.

I encountered the almost complete opposite on my return trip on the Cardinal on 1/9/2010, car 5000, room 8. Rasheed was the car attendant that trip. He was missing in action for 90% of the trip from Chicago to Charlottesville. The toliets stopped working about 2 hours out of Chicago. No announcement was made and when I asked Rasheed at the Indianapolis stop about the toilets he blamed it on "maintenance" in Chicago. He offered no suggestions of where sleeping car passengers should use restrooms nor offered any insight as to if/when the problem would be resolved other than saying they would probably thaw out somehwere in Virginia. The interior of the car was filthy and a greenish pool of slimy water was in the sink next to the coffe urn and ice bag. Again he blamed maintenance for not fixing the sink in Chicago. He announced breakfast at 7:30 when the diner opened at 6:00 and never made a lunch announcement. I certainly understand that weather creates difficulties with trains and plumbing so my complaint isn't about a late train or no toilet. It's about how problems are handled. Brenda handled problems of a more significant nature to Amtrak's advantage while Rasheed allowed issues to go unresolved cultivating a negative perception of Amtrak's ability to properly serve passengers.


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## shytown (Jan 12, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> Long Train Runnin said:
> 
> 
> > He was in a sleeper he is supposed to have an attendant to do things for him. Putting down the beds is the attendants most basic role. Some attendants are great and give you personal attention, and will have a conversation with you. Others will simply take care of your bed and keep the coffee machine stocked, and spend the rest of their day in the dining car. Then there are attendants like your son encountered, or didn't encounter. The attendant who shouldn't be an Amtrak employee. Who provide 0 service, and manage to stay hidden the entire trip. You should contact Amtrak about this attendant, even though he doesn't have a name the train and date of travel and car number are enough for Amtrak to track them down. Regardless of who you are if your in a sleeper your attendant is supposed to fulfill some tasks. Some go above and beyond, and those are the great attendants that are tipped well and praised here on the board. Your son obviously didn't encounter one of those.
> ...


Please let us know if you receive a response.

.


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## DivMiler (Jan 13, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> I travelled on Train #29 from Washington to Chicago on January 8, 2010. I want to compliment the sleeping car attendant, Brenda. I've had her on other trips I've taken on the Capitol Limited and she is the most wonderful Amtrak employee that I have encountered. She is professional, hard working and friendly. She did a wonderful job taking care of me and the other passengers. She kept the car (2900) in pristine condition throughout the trip. The bathrooms were flawlessly clean, as if no one had used them. There were numerous passengers in the car who were transferring to trains in Chicago that had been cancelled because of weather. She was peppered with questions about connections and was able to handle them effectively and in such a manner to allay the fears of those passengers and allow them to enjoy their trip to Chicago. Please accept my thanks for a most enjoyable trip on Amtrak due to the efforts and abilities of Brenda.


This is off topic, but Brenda was my sleeping car attendant in March 2009 on the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington. I had never traveled in a sleeping car, and Brenda's work was a great introduction to the service one can expect. It made the trip a memorable one.


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## Big Iron (Jan 13, 2010)

shytown said:


> Big Iron said:
> 
> 
> > Long Train Runnin said:
> ...


Will do, Amtrak's e-mail response was that it could take up to seven weeks.


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## shytown (Jan 13, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> shytown said:
> 
> 
> > Big Iron said:
> ...



good grief...

.


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## jmbgeg (Jan 13, 2010)

AlanB said:


> Shytown,
> You say he had no idea that the ticket was in that sleve. What happened to that sleve? Did he throw it away? Or is it someplace that you can still get it? If you can recover that lost ticket, your life will be much easier and you'll get more of your money back. In fact, if you can find the ticket, you have up to 1 year to either refund it minus a 10% penalty or trade it in for either another ticket or a voucher, which will give you 100% of its value.
> 
> Without the ticket however, life is far less rosy. You'll have to follow the lost ticket procedures and that will require waiting and only getting about $94.50 back, as Amtrak will charge a $75 fee and a 10% penalty. If you request a voucher good for future travel, then you can avoid the 10% penalty, but not the $75 fee.
> ...


This really begs the question (which has probably been asked before) as to why Amtrak has not followed the airlines into a system with printed confirmations (to be available on line or at the station) that include bar codes that are scanned as you board the train, since the new confirmation format for Amtrak already has barcodes on it. Purchasing the scanners sounds like a good use for stimulus funds to me. Not only would this eliminate the lost tickets treated as cash problem, if linked to AGR, Amtrak miles would be posted more quickly and accurately.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 13, 2010)

jmbgeg said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > Shytown,
> ...


see post 35.


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## jmbgeg (Jan 13, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> George said:
> 
> 
> > I sure don't know how Amtrak handles these things and what the rules are, but from a purely logical point of view, it seems to me that if he was reserved in a sleeper and had a room assignment AND had proper identification, all Amtrak had to do was re-issue the ticket. *If someone else showed up with the same ticket wanting to use the same room, surely they would be refused boarding.*
> ...


I wonder what they would tell poor souls who don't have a credit card to cover the second fare for the replacement ticket or insufficient cash on them. Walk home cross country? Stick around for the year waiting period and get a refund?


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## jmbgeg (Jan 13, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> jmbgeg said:
> 
> 
> > AlanB said:
> ...


A good reminder to read all the posts before posing a follow-up question or comment.


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## TVRM610 (Jan 14, 2010)

As for the sleeping car attendant... you all are jumping to alot of conclusions. Now first of all, I agree with everyone that there are good and bad sleeper attendants, I have been fortunate to have almost all decent ones while only have one real loser but that is not my point.

But let's just say this attendant saw a young man board the train, assumed he had travelled before in a sleeper (amtrak doesn't really have THAT many first-time sleeper passengers probably) and figured "If he needs something he'll let me know." Lets not forget that younger college age adults sometimes give out that "no-need to bother me, I'm cool" vibe. Perhaps the sleeper attendant thought he was doing him a favor....

Another thing to consider is that someone who is not familiar with things like we are will not be able to tell the difference between the Conductor and the Sleeper Attendant.

I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here... I of course have no idea what really happened.


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## the_traveler (Jan 14, 2010)

jmbgeg said:


> I wonder what they would tell poor souls who don't have a credit card to cover the second fare for the replacement ticket or insufficient cash on them. Walk home cross country?


What did airlines do way back in the dark ages when they had paper tickets (remember those days :huh: ) and you "forgot them at home"?


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## AlanB (Jan 14, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> jmbgeg said:
> 
> 
> > AlanB said:
> ...


To further elaborate on this however jmbgeg, the biggest reason that Amtrak hasn't followed the airlines more quickly is money. Or lack thereof actually. It takes money to impliment such a system.

Additional reasons include lack of vision as Larry has mentioned in some of his posts and the complexities of electronic ticket collection. It's far easier to deal with electronic ticketing when you have a stable, constant power supply and constant internet/hard wire access to your central computer. Airlines don't need to worry about easily portable ticket collection equipment; Amtrak does. Airlines also don't have to worry about onboard ticket sales and upgrades.

But Amtrak is at long last working on it, although I suspect that it may well be next year before we see it roll out. They did a test recently in California that I understand found some problems and issues that will probably delay things for a bit.


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## shytown (Jan 14, 2010)

TVRM610 said:


> As for the sleeping car attendant... you all are jumping to alot of conclusions. Now first of all, I agree with everyone that there are good and bad sleeper attendants, I have been fortunate to have almost all decent ones while only have one real loser but that is not my point.
> But let's just say this attendant saw a young man board the train, assumed he had travelled before in a sleeper (amtrak doesn't really have THAT many first-time sleeper passengers probably) and figured "If he needs something he'll let me know." *Lets not forget that younger college age adults sometimes give out that "no-need to bother me*, I'm cool" vibe. Perhaps the sleeper attendant thought he was doing him a favor....
> 
> Another thing to consider is that someone who is not familiar with things like we are will not be able to tell the difference between the Conductor and the Sleeper Attendant.
> ...


I'm sure this is exactly the case for my son. He really is very self-sufficient & does take pride in figuring new things out on his own. But on the other hand, he enjoys meeting new people and enjoys what would be considered "different" experiences. He would've welcomed the SCA experience that I had told him to expect. But all in all, he didn't feel slighted in the least. In fact, he didn't even mention it until I asked.


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## TVRM610 (Jan 14, 2010)

shytown said:


> TVRM610 said:
> 
> 
> > As for the sleeping car attendant... you all are jumping to alot of conclusions. Now first of all, I agree with everyone that there are good and bad sleeper attendants, I have been fortunate to have almost all decent ones while only have one real loser but that is not my point.
> ...


I'm glad he enjoyed the trip. I'm sure if he travels again he'll run into some more outgoing attendants as well. Sorry about your ticketing issue as well, even though I understand Amtrak's policies I think it's a shame you were out so much money.

As for the e-ticketing... I would just assume Amtrak keeps things the way they are. What is the advantage of printing your tickets out at home vs. picking them up at the station? Now to be fair, I always pick the "Will Call" option on Ticketmaster or any other online service when ordering tickets so maybe I'm just in the dark on this. Personally I don't want to worry about losing the tickets.... if I have a confirmation e-mail, I'd rather just pick em up when I get there.


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## the_traveler (Jan 14, 2010)

TVRM610 said:


> What is the advantage of printing your tickets out at home vs. picking them up at the station?


The main advantage is when you're boarding at an un-staffed station and the nearest staffed station is 300 miles away. But you can also request to pick the tickets up at some other station that you will be near.

I am doing just that later this year. I am boarding at an un-staffed station, but I said that I would pick the tickets up at a staffed station. So they do not have to mail them, and I do not have to hold them for months and months!


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## GAT (Jan 14, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> jmbgeg said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder what they would tell poor souls who don't have a credit card to cover the second fare for the replacement ticket or insufficient cash on them. Walk home cross country?
> ...



Off topic, but maybe I'll be excused because of the humor in the following......

This question reminds me of Victor Borge's conversation with his wife in the Airport, "Gee I wish I'd brought the piano with me!" "Why? The concert hall in Pittsburgh has a great Steinway." "I know, but our piano is where our plane tickets are!"


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## Ryan (Jan 14, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> wayman said:
> 
> 
> > rmadisonwi said:
> ...


I've got a handful of ticket stubs here on my desk that all seem to be properly aligned from WAS, NCR and BWI.


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## AlanB (Jan 14, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> I am doing just that later this year. I am boarding at an un-staffed station, but I said that I would pick the tickets up at a staffed station. So they do not have to mail them, and I do not have to hold them for months and months!


You do know that you don't actually have to hold them? You can put them down in a safe place and leave them there until it's close to your trip.

:lol:


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## the_traveler (Jan 14, 2010)

AlanB said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > I am doing just that later this year. I am boarding at an un-staffed station, but I said that I would pick the tickets up at a staffed station. So they do not have to mail them, and I do not have to hold them for months and months!
> ...


Around me, there is no safe place - I don't trust myself. I trust computers more! (  Now that's scary!) So I just keep them in my hand! (If it were in my mind, it would probably get lost or broken bouncing around in all that empty space!)

:lol:


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## printman2000 (Jan 14, 2010)

Safety deposit box. When I HAVE to get my tickets early, that is where I put them. My box cost me something like $20 a year.


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## sweet tea (Jan 14, 2010)

my trouble is keeping track of the return tickets while traveling. nothing dire has happened yet, but i do wish amtrak would change its policy. except for onboard upgrades, i don't see why this has to be so different from airplanes -- someone in the station could scan the ticket before letting you aboard, just as in an airport.


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## JayPea (Jan 14, 2010)

For return trip tickets, I have a zippered compartment in my camera bag in which the tickets fit perfectly. Of course, should I lose the bag (it's hard to lose something like that on a trip but my organizational skills are next to zero  ) or it gets stolen, I'm up a creek. As an alternative, I also make sure to wear shirts with a pocket so that I know the ticket is with me at all times.


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## Bigval109 (Jan 14, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> This is a perfect example that when you are boarding the return portion from a staffed station, you should make 2 *SEPARATE* reservations (it doesn't cost extra) - and print the return ticket upon your return's departure! It is far less likely to "lose" your ticket in the 15-30 minutes (or even 1 hour) before departure than during your 2 week stay!


It's funny you should mention that. I put all my tickets going together and in another folder I put all my return tickets there. I also keep my return tickets in my backpack until I start home. I also wear cargo pants with the big pocket on the leg just for my train tickets. They are easy to get at that way and less likely to come out of my pocket by mistake. I once saw a person collecting tickets from two people traveling together take both going and the return ticket of one of the parties. They did catch it in time and corrected their mistake.


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## AlanB (Jan 14, 2010)

sweet tea said:


> my trouble is keeping track of the return tickets while traveling. nothing dire has happened yet, but i do wish amtrak would change its policy. except for onboard upgrades, i don't see why this has to be so different from airplanes -- someone in the station could scan the ticket before letting you aboard, just as in an airport.


In some stations there is no one to scan the tickets, and in a few cases where Amtrak stops, there isn't even a physical station, much less someone working at that stop.

And then there are places like NY's Penn Station where you reach the tracks from about 4 different places and only one of those entry points is actually controlled by staff. Or Boston's Back Bay where Amtrak shares tracks with the commuter trains and there is no way to control access to the tracks as someone could by a ticket for the T and then board Amtrak's Acela to DC.


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## printman2000 (Jan 15, 2010)

When I had to last travel with my return tickets, I put them in the hotel's safety deposit box while we were there.


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## J-1 3235 (Jan 15, 2010)

printman2000 said:


> When I had to last travel with my return tickets, I put them in the hotel's safety deposit box while we were there.


I've used the hotel safety deposit box many times, also. There was one time when the clerk couldn't get the box to open, and I was close to missing my train. Learned my lesson with that trip; empty the box before it's time to checkout


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## the_traveler (Jan 15, 2010)

printman2000 said:


> When I had to last travel with my return tickets, I put them in the hotel's safety deposit box while we were there.


That would work if you were staying at the same hotel for the length of your stay. However, if I'm not staying with friends, I have stayed at 13 different hotels in numerous cities during a 14 day trip!


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## Chris J. (Jan 15, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> TVRM610 said:
> 
> 
> > What is the advantage of printing your tickets out at home vs. picking them up at the station?
> ...


Can you do that online? I think I tried to do something like this and couldn't do it on the website (this was before the recent update).


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## the_traveler (Jan 15, 2010)

Chris J. said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > TVRM610 said:
> ...


No, you can't do that online, but you can do that when you make reservations by phone.


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## lthanlon (Jan 21, 2010)

Last year on the California Zephyr, the guy in the roomette next to mine got his travel times mixed up and had arrived the day before the date printed on his ticket. Since the roomette apparently was available all the way through his destination, they let him travel anyway. I was surprised they allowed this -- but at least he hadn't lost the ticket.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jan 21, 2010)

lthanlon said:


> Last year on the California Zephyr, the guy in the roomette next to mine got his travel times mixed up and had arrived the day before the date printed on his ticket. Since the roomette apparently was available all the way through his destination, they let him travel anyway. I was surprised they allowed this -- but at least he hadn't lost the ticket.


that conductor or sleeper attendant must not be too worried about his/her job.


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## AlanB (Jan 21, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> lthanlon said:
> 
> 
> > Last year on the California Zephyr, the guy in the roomette next to mine got his travel times mixed up and had arrived the day before the date printed on his ticket. Since the roomette apparently was available all the way through his destination, they let him travel anyway. I was surprised they allowed this -- but at least he hadn't lost the ticket.
> ...


I highly doubt that the conductor would be fired for something like that. Perhaps if the room had indeed been booked and there were no other rooms available and he turned away the person with the correct ticket, maybe Amtrak would discipline him a bit.

But if the room isn't already sold and/or there is another room available on the train, then the conductor is simply providing good customer service. He's helping someone out who screwed things up and made an honest mistake, but still did pay his/her fare. Maybe they caught a break on the buckets, but otherwise Amtrak did get paid for that room and rail fare.

So no, I can't imagine that Amtrak would fire him or discipline him over something like this.


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## printman2000 (Jan 21, 2010)

AlanB said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> > lthanlon said:
> ...


It would seem to me that the conductor must have called it in. Otherwise, that room could have been sold down the line.


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## lthanlon (Jan 21, 2010)

It turned out that the guy who was a day early had a ticket for a roomette that had been sold. However, they put him in another one that apparently was free. I don't know who made the decision, but a couple of personnel were involved and they consulted with someone on the radio.


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## Big Iron (Feb 5, 2010)

shytown said:


> Big Iron said:
> 
> 
> > Long Train Runnin said:
> ...


I received a response from Amtrak Customer Service. They sent me an e-mail today (2/5) in response to my e-mail to them on 1/12 asking me to call which I did. The woman was polite and informed and summarized my e-mail exactly. She said that there are good service attendants and bad ones and that my e-mail would be forwarded to their respective managers and placed in their personnel files. She offered a discount coupon which I politiely refused as I did not think that a personnel issue warranted some sort of discount. My point was made as I wanted to praise good service and alert them to poor service.


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## AAARGH! (Feb 5, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> I received a response from Amtrak Customer Service. They sent me an e-mail today (2/5) in response to my e-mail to them on 1/12 asking me to call which I did. The woman was polite and informed and summarized my e-mail exactly. She said that there are good service attendants and bad ones and that my e-mail would be forwarded to their respective managers and placed in their personnel files. She offered a discount coupon which I politiely refused as I did not think that a personnel issue warranted some sort of discount. My point was made as I wanted to praise good service and alert them to poor service.


Good for you!

I'm curious though, how much did they offer?


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## Bob Dylan (Feb 5, 2010)

AAARGH! said:


> Big Iron said:
> 
> 
> > I received a response from Amtrak Customer Service. They sent me an e-mail today (2/5) in response to my e-mail to them on 1/12 asking me to call which I did. The woman was polite and informed and summarized my e-mail exactly. She said that there are good service attendants and bad ones and that my e-mail would be forwarded to their respective managers and placed in their personnel files. She offered a discount coupon which I politiely refused as I did not think that a personnel issue warranted some sort of discount. My point was made as I wanted to praise good service and alert them to poor service.
> ...


Im glad you heard back also! If everyone reported the outstanding and the invisible staff Amtrak would be better for everyone! The way I read your post though it was not just a human service deficiency but also equipment! IMO you should have taken the travel voucher, Im also curious what they offered, and knowing this bunch bet someone (ie me! :lol: ) would take any vouchers off your hands if you didnt want them! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Big Iron (Feb 5, 2010)

jimhudson said:


> AAARGH! said:
> 
> 
> > Big Iron said:
> ...


I'm sorry to report that I did not ask, sorry folks. The equipment issue (toilets not working in sleeper) was satisfactorily mitigated by the fact there was an empty Horizon coach behind the sleeper that I used. It was a farther walk than in a Superliner but BOY what space was had in the accessible restroom. In the "for what its worth category", my son and I were bustituted from PGH to WAS a few years back and we had bedroom E. I felt a bit cheated by the change in accommodations so I asked for, and got, a refund of $68.00. The refund was, almost to the mile, pro rated by the number of miles travelled versus the cost of the bedroom though we did not get the lunch we were entitled to. There was 2 dozen doughnuts and bottled water on the bus!!!


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## Big Iron (Feb 5, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > AAARGH! said:
> ...


I'd be interested in hearing from other forum members/guests what sort of compensation they received for a similar situation. Or dis-similar situation. Trying to learn of the path not taken when I refused the coupon.


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## the_traveler (Feb 5, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> I'd be interested in hearing from other forum members/guests what sort of compensation they received for a similar situation. Or dis-similar situation. Trying to learn of the path not taken when I refused the coupon.


On a trip from KIN-NYP-ATL round trip, where 2 of us had a sleeper and w had problems on 3 of the 4 trains, I received a voucher worth $300.

And on a cross country trip where many things went wrong, including a bustitution that that was messed up so bad that I arrived at my connection point 12 hours late, and I was not offered a hotel at all, so I cancelled the rest of my trip and headed home. I wrote to the President of Amtrak, and I received a voucher for $500!

However, most vouchers may be in the $25-$100 range.


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## Dovecote (Feb 5, 2010)

Big Iron said:


> I'd be interested in hearing from other forum members/guests what sort of compensation they received for a similar situation. Or dis-similar situation. Trying to learn of the path not taken when I refused the coupon.


I received a $75 voucher after discussing details with a Customer Relations representative on the substandard services received on a December Acela trip in the first class section.


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