tim49424
Engineer
Most people are respectful by cleaning up after themselves...a few aren’t and they are the ones who are going to ruin it for everyone.
Amtrak employees need an attitude adjustment
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Most people are respectful by cleaning up after themselves...a few aren’t and they are the ones who are going to ruin it for everyone.
Qapla
Engineer
How does this apply?
In the form that, many people who ARE the problem, when they leave a comment or tell others do not accept the blame for the trouble they caused. Instead, they blame it on the attitude of the poor worker that had to deal with them - just like these two guys did.
After all, they had already said that Amtrak and the employees were "unprofessional" instead of acknowledging the issue was of their own making.
I was attempting to illustrate by an actual example that I witnessed how the ones that needed the attitude adjustment were NOT the Amtrak employees - but those two guys who got off the train did not see it that way and blamed Amtrak and the employees for their removal from the train.
I've ridden Amtrak extensively since it started in 1971.
YMMV is the best description of customer service.
Generally, in my experience, Amtrak onboard service follows a bell curve, a few really excellent, a few really terrible, most okay somewhete in between, some a bit worse than others, some a bit better. There appear to be regional/crew base variations as well.
I don't blame the unions for any of it. Ensuring consistency in service quality is clearly a management responsibility. Even with union workforce, there are mechanisms to enforce things and contract language can be negotiated. This is a management responsibility that Amtrak has consistently abdicated over the years. Otherwise, service would be more consistent and good, and the bell curve would be shifted higher, so the lower end is more at "okay" than today's awful/absent.
YMMV is the best description of customer service.
Generally, in my experience, Amtrak onboard service follows a bell curve, a few really excellent, a few really terrible, most okay somewhete in between, some a bit worse than others, some a bit better. There appear to be regional/crew base variations as well.
I don't blame the unions for any of it. Ensuring consistency in service quality is clearly a management responsibility. Even with union workforce, there are mechanisms to enforce things and contract language can be negotiated. This is a management responsibility that Amtrak has consistently abdicated over the years. Otherwise, service would be more consistent and good, and the bell curve would be shifted higher, so the lower end is more at "okay" than today's awful/absent.
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We have traveled long distance on Amtrak for many years and most of our experiences with the onboard staff have been pleasant. Looking forward at what is happening to the dining crews; it may be that some of the staff is very disappointed at the cuts made and those still coming. This terrible situation may be expressed in their attitudes about work but I can't say that I blame them. This kill the diner plan needs to be addressed with congress but few are speaking up and we have an Amtrak CEO, and an RPA that gives little vocal support.
No denying whatsoever that employee behavior is a management issue. But IMHO, this management is just looking for a reason to cut staff. I think the employees should not hand them the ammunition for their own demise.
PaulM
Engineer
(responding to spinnaker. I can't seem to get the quote thing to work)
The last two times I had a bike and tried to use the ML I was told to take it to the baggage check area where they would hold it for me. But the problem is you never know when to leave the lounge to retrieve it. The baggage people have been very accommodating; but it does take time to get it out of storage. If you wait until the boarding announcement in the lounge, you've lost the advantage over the general boarding population.
Same deal for me last year. For longer term / unattended (by me) it was the baggage area. Once closer to departure time I was permitted to bring the bike into the outer ML vestibule and lean it against the wall. Both the ML and baggage people could not have been nicer on that afternoon.
On that same trip and memory is a bit fuzzy if it happened the day before or that same morning but I was given a difficult time by a different employee over the bike. I was not permitted to have it anywhere near the ML. It was my point that how the rules can change in a day.
Edit:
Now I am thinking about it, it was the same day. As mentioned I had missed my connection do to Amtrak. The lady in the ML told me I could store my bike for free at the baggage overnight. Next morning I picked it up to ride to the lake. Later realizing I needed to use the restroom, I proceeded to the ML where I figured I could use the ML restroom and have my bike somewhat safe for just a few minutes. The ML employee would have none of it. She did not want the bike anywhere in the ML. They were not busy and there was no one there. Instead of arguing (plus I figured I should have thought of it before I picked up the bike), I headed off to the lake and took care of nature's call down there.
As mentioned got a completely different treatment in the afternoon. I returned from my ride. I wanted to take a shower and grab something to eat for the train ride home. I was told I could not leave my bike in the ML for that time but was once again given the option to use baggage. I was told that I could then later pick it up, leave it against the wall in the ML and wait for boarding time.
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Ok a week into the mission here. Have you made a detailed list and discussed it with anyone at Amtrak? If you climb high enough up the ladder they will be receptive.
The Commissioner
Train Attendant
- Joined
- May 4, 2010
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- 32
The occasional disreputable employee on Amtrak is nothing new. I can remember surly Penn Central employees. My late mother could tell you a story about a power-tripping Pennsylvania Railroad conductor that had her in tears.
I am consistently surprised by the cheerfulness and helpfulness of the vast majority of staff. Not at all what I would expect given the conditions and politics. Sure, I have seen a couple dining/snack staff meltdowns, and a few indifferent or overly cynical attendants over the years. But statistically speaking, those are the exception.
That said, I am sensing growing sense of resignation, and a sort of loss of interest in urgency. This is an intended and deliberate part of the program when management is trying to destroy their own company. The deteriorating environment and conditions lead to self-fulfilling cycles of decline in staff attitudes/service and customer experiences. You see this a lot in retail and consumer product companies that are being disassembled by private equity owners: as they slash costs brutally and make it clear to employees that this is a one-way trip into a steep ravine, a cacade of morale failures ensues.
That said, I am sensing growing sense of resignation, and a sort of loss of interest in urgency. This is an intended and deliberate part of the program when management is trying to destroy their own company. The deteriorating environment and conditions lead to self-fulfilling cycles of decline in staff attitudes/service and customer experiences. You see this a lot in retail and consumer product companies that are being disassembled by private equity owners: as they slash costs brutally and make it clear to employees that this is a one-way trip into a steep ravine, a cacade of morale failures ensues.
Right out of the 60s " Run 'em Off" Playbook.
MikefromCrete
Engineer
Isn't it about time the moderators changed the title of this thread to "Amtrak employees need an attitude adjustment"? The use of the word "and" throws me off every time I view it.
Done. Sorry we missed it for quite a while.
Amtrak does have several bad apples, unfortunately. What we and the rest of the passengers need to do is REPORT those experiences. How can Amtrak be expected to improve when they don't know who or where the problems exist? Call 1-800-USA-RAIL and ask the automated Julie for Customer Relations (not Service). They are the ones authorized to give out vouchers/refunds/deal with complaints or praise.
I had to retrain an idiot on 6 last week. I used the employee praise/complaints link from the website. I now have it book marked so I can do it right away. My focus is really on recognizing good employees. But I will report bad ones.
This incident occurred on the last day of the trip. I went to the lounge car to purchase a snack and beverage. The attendant was not very friendly to begin with because I was apparently interrupting his conversation with the conductor when I entered the lower level of the lounge car. I purchased 2 bags of Doritos and 2 root beers. I sat down at one of the tables and began reading.
He started playing music in on his phone. I asked him to turn it off. He told me that’s my phone ringing. He never accepted a call. He did turn the music off. A minute later he comes over and says you can read up stairs, not here. I told him the announcements for the duration of my trip stated that those tables were for eating. I explained I was eating and reading. He repeated his statement in an intimidating tone. I told him I would leave when I was done eating. This individual needs to understand where his priorities should be. They should be waiting on passengers rather than conversations about our her passengers with other employees. He should follow Amtrak’s policy of no music without head phones.
This incident occurred on the last day of the trip. I went to the lounge car to purchase a snack and beverage. The attendant was not very friendly to begin with because I was apparently interrupting his conversation with the conductor when I entered the lower level of the lounge car. I purchased 2 bags of Doritos and 2 root beers. I sat down at one of the tables and began reading.
He started playing music in on his phone. I asked him to turn it off. He told me that’s my phone ringing. He never accepted a call. He did turn the music off. A minute later he comes over and says you can read up stairs, not here. I told him the announcements for the duration of my trip stated that those tables were for eating. I explained I was eating and reading. He repeated his statement in an intimidating tone. I told him I would leave when I was done eating. This individual needs to understand where his priorities should be. They should be waiting on passengers rather than conversations about our her passengers with other employees. He should follow Amtrak’s policy of no music without head phones.
This thread seems right on point. The majority of AMTRAK employees are great, helpful, and nice to know.
However, comma, invariably it is the food service people who can be just plain awful. Mostly the dining car people, sometimes the snack bar attendants.
Case in point -
15 August Eagle Northbound DAL-CHI. Great bunch. Pleasant to deal with, they got great tips.
17 August Eagle Southbound CHI-DAL. Dining car - Worst bunch of horse's ***** I have encountered in ages. Slow, inattentive, argumentative, no salad, no bread, wrong food/drinks, und so weiter. And the car wasn't even 3/4 full! Oh yeah - no tip, and I went to the snack bar the next morning and paid for nuked breakfast in order to avoid said horse's *****.
The snack bar attendant was a little stuffy at first, but he had just been mobbed as we left Chicago. He warmed up after that, when I joked about trying to herd people is worse than trying to turn stampeding cattle.
Bottom line, Some of the Dining Car people just become bad at their jobs, surly, inattentive, just plain awful. Why them?
ISTR being told at one time they were really employees of the food service contractor - at one time a chain of roadside diners. Don't remember which one, probly changed now.
It's too bad, as the vast majority of the rest of the Long Distance AMTRAKers are just plain great folks.
And that burning odor is coming from the customer Comments page of the website...
Daughter and I already planning our next voyage, this was her first, my umptyleventh. "Gee, Dad, it really IS as much fun as you have told us for years!"
Sigh...
However, comma, invariably it is the food service people who can be just plain awful. Mostly the dining car people, sometimes the snack bar attendants.
Case in point -
15 August Eagle Northbound DAL-CHI. Great bunch. Pleasant to deal with, they got great tips.
17 August Eagle Southbound CHI-DAL. Dining car - Worst bunch of horse's ***** I have encountered in ages. Slow, inattentive, argumentative, no salad, no bread, wrong food/drinks, und so weiter. And the car wasn't even 3/4 full! Oh yeah - no tip, and I went to the snack bar the next morning and paid for nuked breakfast in order to avoid said horse's *****.
The snack bar attendant was a little stuffy at first, but he had just been mobbed as we left Chicago. He warmed up after that, when I joked about trying to herd people is worse than trying to turn stampeding cattle.
Bottom line, Some of the Dining Car people just become bad at their jobs, surly, inattentive, just plain awful. Why them?
ISTR being told at one time they were really employees of the food service contractor - at one time a chain of roadside diners. Don't remember which one, probly changed now.
It's too bad, as the vast majority of the rest of the Long Distance AMTRAKers are just plain great folks.
And that burning odor is coming from the customer Comments page of the website...
Daughter and I already planning our next voyage, this was her first, my umptyleventh. "Gee, Dad, it really IS as much fun as you have told us for years!"
Sigh...
Sounds like the same woman we had last summer when we went to Chicago. She was terrible, barking orders at people who were just trying to find out what they were supposed to do. She sounded like a drill Sargent at best. I did indeed report her to Amtrak. I am surprised they still have her in that position but then it probably has something to do with Unions and seniority.
tricia
Conductor
Or with management not caring enough about quality of customer service.
If I may be permitted to add another comment. In life there are only two types of people, good people and bad people. Its really that simple. While most of the people that we have met have been good, you are going to come across a "bad apple" once in a while. Amtrak is no exception to the rule. Lately we have come across some angry Amtrak employees but they are angry at Amtrak for the cut's and not at the passengers. When Amtrak people are good lets praise them, if they act bad then lets report them. I would say 95% of Amtrak employees have been nice.
fillyjonk
OBS Chief
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 598
In general (maybe one or two exceptions in the 20 years I've ridden), the sleeping car attendants have been good to excellent. The dining car staff tend to be more variable - I've run into people who were short or even bordering on rude with people. I try very hard to be polite even if I'm getting rudeness back and that *usually* softens the reaction I get from the dining car attendants. (It's also possible that a greater proportion of people tip the sleeping car attendants than the dining car staff? I don't know. I tip both unless service is really abysmal)
I write it off as "dining car attendants have to deal with more people, and probably have a more tiring job than sleeping car attendants" but I will admit it's a little off-putting to be "barked" at or - as happened once - I came in, indicated I was a solo traveler (so, expected to sit with strangers), was seated, and then was abruptly told to MOVE to a different place because that seat was needed for someone else. Oh, I got up and moved but....yeah. (I guess the case was, two people came down to be seated, and then the third traveler, who had been asleep, sloped in, and they didn't want to not-sit with the rest of their party). Maybe I let myself be pushed around, I don't know, but it seemed easier to just pick up and move than protest.
I have seen conductors who seemed a little powertrippy. Many of them tend to be a bit "short" with people but I figure that's because they have a lot to do and a lot they have to pay attention to.
I write it off as "dining car attendants have to deal with more people, and probably have a more tiring job than sleeping car attendants" but I will admit it's a little off-putting to be "barked" at or - as happened once - I came in, indicated I was a solo traveler (so, expected to sit with strangers), was seated, and then was abruptly told to MOVE to a different place because that seat was needed for someone else. Oh, I got up and moved but....yeah. (I guess the case was, two people came down to be seated, and then the third traveler, who had been asleep, sloped in, and they didn't want to not-sit with the rest of their party). Maybe I let myself be pushed around, I don't know, but it seemed easier to just pick up and move than protest.
I have seen conductors who seemed a little powertrippy. Many of them tend to be a bit "short" with people but I figure that's because they have a lot to do and a lot they have to pay attention to.
Well, here it is, 4 days later and no response from AMTRAK after I left comments on the website in the space provided. If I have a light day today I may call and ask for Customer Relations. I'm not really looking for a rebate or anything, I just want to ensure management is aware of the behavior of these rectus equu.i
I have a different outlook. I think very few people are actually all good, or all bad. Most people are some type of mix on the scale from good to bad. I do agree that the vast majority of Amtrak employees are pleasant people, and depending on their job function may be more or less willing to engage in conversation. Conductors typically, in my experience anyway, seem to have their minds focused elsewhere and rarely are willing to stop and chat, and I would never characterize that as rudeness. In fact I appreciate it. if that makes sense.
Devil's Advocate
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Agreed. I've always felt the idea of most people being "good" or "bad" was a silly concept based on lazy reasoning and binary logic.
I complain as much as anyone but I've never had anything bad to say about Amtrak conductors. I've also had good experiences with the vast majority of lounge car attendants. It's mainly sleeper attendants and dining car staff that cause most of my dissatisfaction. In theory the conductor is above everyone else, but they're usually too busy to spend a lot of time discussing staff failures. As a result Amtrak OBS operate more like a fast food restaurant where the highest ranking employee is an assistant manager with minimal training in conflict resolution and little incentive or authority to actually fix anything.
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TiBike
OBS Chief
Are conductors really "above everyone else"? Maybe they have ultimate authority of a sort, but I haven't seen them exercise any supervisory responsibility for service staff. I have seen examples to the contrary, e.g. stopping to chat with the three (sometimes four) coach attendants who were hanging out in the business class car on the Starlight for most of a trip south from Salinas. Or holding an already late train for an extra ten minutes to load a bike herself, instead of asking one of the several service staff members standing around doing nothing to do it. I know there's an artificial union issue involved with that, but that's my point: service staff don't functionally report to conductors. There's no effective supervision out in the field.
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