broken ticket scanner

[susan denzel]

I purchased a ticket for my son at amtrak on line services. They printed me out a reservation no. and a code bar to scan at the amtrak machine in bridgeport, ct.

when my son arrived at the station he proceeded to scan the reservation conformation . The machine was broken and would not

print the ticket I paid for.

Since all he had was the paper with the bar code, he proceeded to board the train and showed the paper to the conductor. He then told him to get off the train. My son told him the machine was not working and that the ticket was already paid for. He told him to get off the train or buy a ticket for cash, not even at the online price.

It was very important to catch this train, yet no one helped him.

He called me after the train left. I contacted amtrak and they told me

that he would have to purchase a new ticket at nearly double the price in order to board the next train. He did not have that amount in cash on him and holds no credit cards.

He was then forced to take a late train after I wired the money, and there was no metro connection that late at night, so I am forced to pick him up at the station when he arrives. I have recently had a heart attack and have no business out at 2 am. thanks to amtrak I have no choice. If anyone knows where to report this situation please let me know. I can never trust amtrak online again and would advise others

to be very careful purchasing any tickets from their website. They just don't care, they feel no responsibility to their customers.

 

[MrEd]

sorry to hear about your son's experience. Hope I don't run into this situation.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Normally this problem doesn't come up-- when it does a letter will get a voucher for future travel. Amtrak has a very good customer service team and will recompense for your trouble.

 

[Shanghai]

On two of my last three trips, the Quik-Trak machine did not work. Luckly, at NYP there are multiple machines, so I could go to a machine that was working.

I also always have my credit card which I can put into the machine to secure my tickets.

I'm sorry to young person was not treated better by Amtrak. I think their response was cold and should be changed. At least, they could have let him stay

on the train until the next station and allowed him to get his ticket there.

 

[DivMiler]

I do not know the answers to these questions:

1. Does the Bridgeport, CT station only have one Quik-Trak machine?
   
2. There were no agents working at the time of the incident?
   

If it was "very important to catch this train", I would have made sure that I had a ticket, especially since the document one gets from amtrak.com says in bold print

THIS IS NOT A TICKET. You must obtain your ticket(s) before boarding any train; this confirmation will not be accepted onboard.

Of course, I would not want to be in the situation outlined by the original poster, but from what little information is provided it I am skeptical.

I guess I would like a clarification from the original poster (such as, did the poster's son try to talk to anybody in the station and what time did this happen), or somebody else telling me how this could have happened.

I wonder if it really did.

I just noticed that I misread the amtrak.com information and that it says the station is open, but does not say it is staffed. I have edited above as needed. Perhaps it was bad luck when the original poster's son arrived that all the Quik-Trak machines were not working.

 

[RRrich]

I just keep thinking that there are two sides to every story and I just think that most of the conductors I have interacted with would have been willing to try to work something out.

 

[MrFSS]

I just keep thinking that there are two sides to every story and I just think that most of the conductors I have interacted with would have been willing to try to work something out.

I have to agree - we're not hearing all of the story from all the parties involved.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

I have sometimes wondered about the Un-staffed Stations with only QuickTrak machines. Or other Automated Ticket selling machines. How does one correctly deal with a malfunction. How can any Company take the position "Our equipment failed, It's your fault" One reason I prefer to deal with a real person.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Aloha
I have sometimes wondered about the Un-staffed Stations with only QuickTrak machines. Or other Automated Ticket selling machines. How does one correctly deal with a malfunction. How can any Company take the position "Our equipment failed, It's your fault" One reason I prefer to deal with a real person.

I thought all unstaffed stations required two kiosks in case one is offline... I have always seen them in pairs--

 

[transit54]

Bridgeport, CT does have two Quiktrak machines.

Also, if both were broken, it would have been impossible for him to purchase a ticket there as it is an unstaffed station (as others have pointed out).

This happened once before to me in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. There was only one QT machine there and it broke. I called Amtrak and they told me to board the train and explain the situation to the conductor, and that I would have to purchase a new ticket at that time, but could mail it in for a refund with a letter of explanation.

On board, the conductor told me in Albany I would have to run inside and purchase a new ticket (I was headed to Toronto on the Maple Leaf, which might have something to do with this). However, midway through the journey, he showed up with my ticket! He had a station down the line print it and ran in to get it (along with the tickets of other CRT pax) during a station stop. I was very pleased.

Now I'd really like to establish what went on in your situation, because something clearly went wrong. I know Bridgeport well, it's my second most frequented Amtrak station after Essex Jct, VT.

1. Did your son try the other QT machine, or were they both broken?

2. How did he ascertain they were broken? Was it an issue of scanning the barcode? Did he try entering the reservation number manually?

From what I understand, the conductor offered to sell him a new ticket on board, correct? As per my experience above, that's standard Amtrak procedure. Then your son would need to seek a refund on that ticket. Not the best policy, I know, but that's how it works. The paper is just that - absolutely worthless. There's no way the conductor can verify that the tickets weren't already used (or canceled) by looking at that piece of paper. Yet another reason to move to e-ticketing...

Also, not to fault you or your son here, but it's a never a good idea to travel without a decent cash reserve or some sort of credit or purchasing card. I usually don't carry much cash, but I always make sure I have a debit or credit card, whether I'm traveling within the state or around the world. Things do come up and whether you are at fault or not, it's best to be prepared.

 

[railiner]

Bridgeport, CT does have two Quiktrak machines.
Also, if both were broken, it would have been impossible for him to purchase a ticket there as it is an unstaffed station (as others have pointed out).

This happened once before to me in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. There was only one QT machine there and it broke. I called Amtrak and they told me to board the train and explain the situation to the conductor, and that I would have to purchase a new ticket at that time, but could mail it in for a refund with a letter of explanation.

On board, the conductor told me in Albany I would have to run inside and purchase a new ticket (I was headed to Toronto on the Maple Leaf, which might have something to do with this). However, midway through the journey, he showed up with my ticket! He had a station down the line print it and ran in to get it (along with the tickets of other CRT pax) during a station stop. I was very pleased.

Now I'd really like to establish what went on in your situation, because something clearly went wrong. I know Bridgeport well, it's my second most frequented Amtrak station after Essex Jct, VT.

1. Did your son try the other QT machine, or were they both broken?

2. How did he ascertain they were broken? Was it an issue of scanning the barcode? Did he try entering the reservation number manually?

From what I understand, the conductor offered to sell him a new ticket on board, correct? As per my experience above, that's standard Amtrak procedure. Then your son would need to seek a refund on that ticket. Not the best policy, I know, but that's how it works. The paper is just that - absolutely worthless. There's no way the conductor can verify that the tickets weren't already used (or canceled) by looking at that piece of paper. Yet another reason to move to e-ticketing...

Also, not to fault you or your son here, but it's a never a good idea to travel without a decent cash reserve or some sort of credit or purchasing card. I usually don't carry much cash, but I always make sure I have a debit or credit card, whether I'm traveling within the state or around the world. Things do come up and whether you are at fault or not, it's best to be prepared.

Well said!

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Amtrak handled that very poorly, I think, and I'm sorry you had to go through that. Having to pay for two seats for one person is unacceptable, especially when you ultimately paid the equivalent of three seats at the originally reserved price.

I would send a DETAILED letter to their customer relations, including the date, train number, reservation number, who you spoke with and when, and if your son remembers, who the conductor was, a narrative from your son of what was said and done, a photocopy of what you printed out that your son had, and a COMPLETE and DETAILED, but as unemotional as possible, objective, organized narrative of everything. I would also say that you expect, at a minimum, a refund of the difference if not of the entire amounts that you paid, an apology,, and a travel voucher in addition. A rational and reasoned letter generally gets a much more thorough reading and response than something that sounds like a hysterical rant, even if the latter is what you would much rather give them, and feel perfectly justified in doing so. You can indicate your degree of anger and outrage without using inflammatory language, if you get my point. Personally, I would also send it Certified Mail, return receipt, and say so in the letter, so that it is clear that you are building a paper trail. You might also include at the bottom after the signature something like cc: Sen. Smith, or Rep. Jones, whatever your elected representatives names are in Congress. Whether you actually send them cc's or not, the Amtrak folks are perhaps a little less likely to trash something that (1) you have proof that they received, and when they received it, and (2) that they might get a congressional inquiry about. And OF COURSE KEEP A COPY OF WHAT YOU SEND, AND the return receipt showing when they received it.

Having said all that, the point made by another poster that when you travel you need to be prepared for snafus by having some extra cash or a credit card or arriving where you need to be with enough advance time to fix things that have gone wrong (A "Plan B") is certainly valid. With Amtrak, or with an airline, bus line, car rental agency, hotel, or whatever, when you travel -- sometimes things just get fouled up through no fault of the traveler, and even sometimes through the fault of the traveler, and while I am NOT, absolutely NOT making any excuses for Amtrak's handling of this, I personally would have been prepared for something like that happening, Amtrak or otherwise. Maybe it's just from having been a boy scout, and having spent time in the military. Murphy's Law ALWAYS applies. Things go wrong, people foul up, and you have to be prepared to deal with it.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Aloha
I have sometimes wondered about the Un-staffed Stations with only QuickTrak machines. Or other Automated Ticket selling machines. How does one correctly deal with a malfunction. How can any Company take the position "Our equipment failed, It's your fault" One reason I prefer to deal with a real person.

its also the reason i like to get my tickets before the day of departure. the Royal oak station is unstaffed and has only 1 QT( if there is 2 its hidden). if i try to print my ticket 1 hour before the train arrives and the machine is down in out of luck as the next station is 30 minutes away or 1 hour round trip. not enough time to go to another station. i suppose i could call amtrak and see if they could change it to pick up on board. but if they refuse to do so then what. I just missed my train cause of a broken down machine.

 

[EB_OBS]

I've never used a Quick-Trak machine myself but when reading the information posted at amtrak.com on using Quick-Trak is states that the machine must be "activated" by swiping your credit card. If that's is indeed how the machines work then it's obvious from the OP's statements that his son didn't have a credit card and was unable to activate the Quick-Trak machine. If and I repeat if it is necessary to swipe a credit card as amtrak.com states, in at least three different places that I found in 5 minutes, then I would surmise that the machine was not actually broken. The information is provided in detail on amtrak.com. Just a few minutes perusing the site would have likely prevented this unfortunate situation. Can anyone confirm whether or not the Quick-Trak machines must be activated with a credit card?

Quick-Trak information @ amtrak.com

 

[AlanB]

Quik-Trak machines can be activated by any of the following methods:

Scanning the bar code.

Credit Card,

Debit Card.

AGR Card.

And while I'll admit that I've not tried it, I do believe that it is still possible to wake it up just by touching the screen, and then proceeding to enter your reservation number.

 

[jphjaxfl]

This points to the fact that Amtrak needs to implement e-ticketing like airlines have had for sometime. It is so nice to be able to print my boarding pass at home or at work before I leave on the trip with no hassles at ticket windows. If I have to check luggage, theres a quick stop at a kiosk, but there is always someone there to assist newbies. In this situation, you have a young man who had a bad experience from the beginning trying to use Amtrak. If he had a positive experience, he might have become a long time customer, but after such an experience, he may say "never again" . I have talked to numerous people especially younger who have tried Amtrak and had some sort of inconvenient hassle that they didn't experience on an airline or a driving trip and they too say "never again".

 

[Bob Dylan]

This points to the fact that Amtrak needs to implement e-ticketing like airlines have had for sometime. It is so nice to be able to print my boarding pass at home or at work before I leave on the trip with no hassles at ticket windows. If I have to check luggage, theres a quick stop at a kiosk, but there is always someone there to assist newbies. In this situation, you have a young man who had a bad experience from the beginning trying to use Amtrak. If he had a positive experience, he might have become a long time customer, but after such an experience, he may say "never again" . I have talked to numerous people especially younger who have tried Amtrak and had some sort of inconvenient hassle that they didn't experience on an airline or a driving trip and they too say "never again".

I would say that in SOME instances this may be true but generally,based on my travel experiences(on the road again!)

Amtrak and train stations are much easier,friendly and helpful than any airport,bus station,toll way or freeway!

The ticket thing is valid but per previous posts(ask Alan! :lol: )Amtrak will eventually join the 2oth if not 21st

century in their ticketing!I too am sorry the young man was so confused and had a bad experience, if I may perhaps

parental responsibility was lacking here, make a reservation,drop em off without $$ or a credit card,have

a good trip,bye!!!! :unsure: Ill take Amtrak anytime over the airlines,just call me traveler jr.!!!! :lol:

 

[acelafan]

This points to the fact that Amtrak needs to implement e-ticketing like airlines have had for sometime. It is so nice to be able to print my boarding pass at home or at work before I leave on the trip with no hassles at ticket windows. If I have to check luggage, theres a quick stop at a kiosk, but there is always someone there to assist newbies.

E-ticketing would be nice...but Amtrak please don't start nickel-and-diming us passengers for change fees, refunds, baggage, and all sort of other junk fees. I do hope the young man tries Amtrak again. I've been very happy with the travel experience as compared to the airlines.

 

[MrFSS]

This points to the fact that Amtrak needs to implement e-ticketing like airlines have had for sometime. It is so nice to be able to print my boarding pass at home or at work before I leave on the trip with no hassles at ticket windows. If I have to check luggage, theres a quick stop at a kiosk, but there is always someone there to assist newbies. In this situation, you have a young man who had a bad experience from the beginning trying to use Amtrak. If he had a positive experience, he might have become a long time customer, but after such an experience, he may say "never again" . I have talked to numerous people especially younger who have tried Amtrak and had some sort of inconvenient hassle that they didn't experience on an airline or a driving trip and they too say "never again".

We've had this discussion a number of times in the past and while I agree it would be great to be able to print tickets at home, office, hotel, etc, Amtrak has no way to verify the validity of that ticket when you board, especially from un-staffed stations. Airports validate just as you board the plane.

Can you image the hassle for the conductor staff if they had to call in for every ticket that was pre-printed and confirm it wasn't a fake/duplicate? When they can overcome that obstacle then it could become a reality.

 

[Neil_M]

We've had this discussion a number of times in the past and while I agree it would be great to be able to print tickets at home, office, hotel, etc, Amtrak has no way to verify the validity of that ticket when you board, especially from un-staffed stations. Airports validate just as you board the plane.
Can you image the hassle for the conductor staff if they had to call in for every ticket that was pre-printed and confirm it wasn't a fake/duplicate? When they can overcome that obstacle then it could become a reality.

Quite a few railways in Europe offer printing at home options, e-ticketing or even a ticket as phone text message sent in the form of a barcode.

It's obviously not that difficult to achieve if you want to.

 

[Ryan]

I don't understand the drive for e-ticketing - is it really that hard to maintain the responsibility for obtaining and keeping track of tickets?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I don't understand the drive for e-ticketing - is it really that hard to maintain the responsibility for obtaining and keeping track of tickets?

For some.

 

[Neil_M]

I don't understand the drive for e-ticketing - is it really that hard to maintain the responsibility for obtaining and keeping track of tickets?

It's all about customer/user friendliness and giving them the choice.

E- ticketing has made air travel a lot easier, those old paper tickets are a relic from the olden days.

If the passenger books the ticket on the internet, why can he not print out a ticket at home if he chooses and just turn up at the station and board, rather than queue up at a booking office window or hope the Quiktrak machine hasn't had an off day?

Amtrak's ticketing procedures seem to just suit Amtrak. Bit daft really, issuing a large paper ticket to you, then minutes later taking 90% of it off you again.

 

[MrFSS]

We've had this discussion a number of times in the past and while I agree it would be great to be able to print tickets at home, office, hotel, etc, Amtrak has no way to verify the validity of that ticket when you board, especially from un-staffed stations. Airports validate just as you board the plane.
Can you image the hassle for the conductor staff if they had to call in for every ticket that was pre-printed and confirm it wasn't a fake/duplicate? When they can overcome that obstacle then it could become a reality.

Quite a few railways in Europe offer printing at home options, e-ticketing or even a ticket as phone text message sent in the form of a barcode.

It's obviously not that difficult to achieve if you want to.

I don't disagree, Neil - but Amtrak simply doesn't have the equipment available on the trains to handle this other than as they now do.

When people print their own tickets in Europe and then board the train with that ticket what type of system is used to ensure it is a valid ticket (as airports do when you board and they scan the printed pass into the system)?

 

[Neil_M]

We've had this discussion a number of times in the past and while I agree it would be great to be able to print tickets at home, office, hotel, etc, Amtrak has no way to verify the validity of that ticket when you board, especially from un-staffed stations. Airports validate just as you board the plane.
Can you image the hassle for the conductor staff if they had to call in for every ticket that was pre-printed and confirm it wasn't a fake/duplicate? When they can overcome that obstacle then it could become a reality.

Quite a few railways in Europe offer printing at home options, e-ticketing or even a ticket as phone text message sent in the form of a barcode.

It's obviously not that difficult to achieve if you want to.

I don't disagree, Neil - but Amtrak simply doesn't have the equipment available on the trains to handle this other than as they now do.

When people print their own tickets in Europe and then board the train with that ticket what type of system is used to ensure it is a valid ticket (as airports do when you board and they scan the printed pass into the system)?

Normally it is a barcode type scanner fitted to the ticket inspectors machines.

Quite an interesting article here... http://www.insyl.unisa.edu.au/publications...ers/2006-08.pdf