Complaint about poor service on Amtrak train 29

[Green Maned Lion]

I take umbrage with the concept of being an adult.

Seriously, why can't someone be allowed to enjoy themselves downstairs in the SSL? It's a lounge car. People's desire to misuse it as a slumber party room should not be a reason to have a bar lounge not be used as one. Children should not be awake past midnight- adults are capable of removing themselves from the party room downstairs of they don't like it.

 

[guest]

I'll stick with attack mode. sure you can scroll down to the very bottom of the page and read the very faint and fine print but considering its got the words Amtrak and dot com in the address then when people get criticized and put down for thinking it is amtrak-if you search on Amtrak this address often comes up before the actual Amtrak site does-that is attack mode . There are a lot of mean spirited regulars here. Thick skins are required especially for newcomers.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

"And I thought I was lazy!" "...I just don't care"

Rather rude and insulting, and totally unnecessary and unrelated to providing any answer. To a brand new poster, no less. What happened to common courtesy?

And DP, your comment about the title was a little disrespectful, although I had the above statements from Acela in mind, not yours. Perhaps a better way would have been something like "It's helpful to us if your thread title is more descriptive" or whatever.

On another note, "discussion" generally includes pro and cons of an experience. I didn't find the OP's post that much out of line. It was quickly and appropriately pointed out to him that this forum is not Amtrak's, if Amtrak was the OP's intended audience.

To basically call a new poster "lazy," when you have no way of knowing his or her condition or circumstances, just for the heck of it, is pathetic. I still stand by my characterization of "attack mode." And no, I'm not the other guest who agreed with me. Perhaps it's more apparent to occasional visitors than to regulars, simply because it does happen so much that you no longer notice it.

That said, this forum can be very informative and helpful, but almost every time I return, I'm quickly turned off by rude and unnecessarily snarky comments. It takes no more effort to be polite that it does to be rude. It's certainly not everyone (Sarah comes to mind), but it does happen far too much and seems to be A-OK with most here. I usually just quietly go away, but I guess I'd eaten my Wheaties or something.

Well, I agree with you to some extent. However, look at what the poster (in his/her own words) came here to do:

... I posted here just for a slap at a once proud rail system ... and if you don't like posts whether it be the tittle which I didn't write you don't like my posts don't read them I don't read all the posts on here because they are silly

This is that part I disagree with. If someone comes on this forum - which again is full of Amtrak fans - just to "slap" Amtrak and make fun of this forum's "silly" posts, then I think you're a troll.

Let me use another analogy. It's okay to hate the Yankees. In fact, I hate the Yankees. But I'm not going to go to Yankees Stadium with a Red Sox jersey on, and start screaming about how Derek Jeter sucks. That's just inviting a problem - you're tying to make people angry on purpose. I think to come onto a forum of Amtrak fans just to "slap" Amtrak and call people "silly" is exactly the same thing. The OP, in my opinion, was being discourteous on purpose, so it doesn't surprise me or bother me that some people's responses were less than courteous.

 

[jis]

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and soon we will all be blind and toothless.......

 

[steve smith]

Alas, we now have a popular "culture" in which kids grow up watching films, listening to "music," reading magazines, and watching cable TV in which seemingly every other word is profane, or just plain vulgar, and filled with hostility. So, of course, this unpleasantness carries over into all public settings. Amtrak generally tries to maintain a "fa

mily" atmoshere,,as does professional baseball. Definitely a complaint should be lodged with Amtrak if crew fails to control a group of thugs who are making things unpleasant for families and kids, and for ladies and gentlemen...

 

[trainaddict]

Hi Joe, welcome to the amtrak blog!

Sorry you had a bad experience with amtrak. Stats show that some amtrak experiences are negative.

I have long advocated for a direct complaint system to amtrak through this blog, but my efforts have been rezoned. It seems the truth hurts more than the consequences.

Therefore, if you want to get anything done, contract Congress or your Senators directly (each state has 2). As with all things it's the politicos who make change happen. Until Obama gives transit the funding it deserves experiences like yours will be more and more the case.

 

[the_traveler]

*** MODERATOR'S NOTE ***

I'm not taking sides, but once both sides start naming names, I see the "other side" in "attack mode" also. Please let's agree to disagree.

I'll stick with attack mode. sure you can scroll down to the very bottom of the page and read the very faint and fine print but considering its got the words Amtrak and dot com in the address then when people get criticized and put down for thinking it is amtrak-if you search on Amtrak this address often comes up before the actual Amtrak site does-that is attack mode.

While what you say is true, a name of a delivery service was FEDERAL Express (now known as FedEx) but very few thought of it as a US GOVERNMENT FEDERAL agency - even though it had the word federal in it's name.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

*** MODERATOR'S NOTE ***

I'm not taking sides, but once both sides start naming names, I see the "other side" in "attack mode" also. Please let's agree to disagree.

I'll stick with attack mode. sure you can scroll down to the very bottom of the page and read the very faint and fine print but considering its got the words Amtrak and dot com in the address then when people get criticized and put down for thinking it is amtrak-if you search on Amtrak this address often comes up before the actual Amtrak site does-that is attack mode.

While what you say is true, a name of a delivery service was FEDERAL Express (now known as FedEx) but very few thought of it as a US GOVERNMENT FEDERAL agency - even though it had the word federal in it's name.

I'm not sure that's true at all, or at least it's not true for everyone. When I google "Amtrak", the official Amtrak site comes up first. This site isn't even on the first page. Even if I google "Amtrak Unlimited", it comes up with an address and the first line of the official description: "Amtrak Unlimited is a free, unofficial Web resource for Amtrak® train and service information." I really don't think there's any excuse for anyone to think that this is the official Amtrak site.

 

[guest]

Yet they keep coming. As such idiots, they are apparently considered fair game for hostility. Keep up the good work, smart folks.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hi Joe, please ignore trainaddict as he has been told numerous times that this FORUM (not Blog) is NOT affiliated with Amtrak. We are just people who enjoy riding trains.

 

[SarahZ]

Hi Joe, welcome to the amtrak blog!

This is not Amtrak's blog, as has been explained to you several million times.

I have long advocated for a direct complaint system to amtrak through this blog, but my efforts have been rezoned. It seems the truth hurts more than the consequences.

No, it's because this forum is not run by Amtrak. Official complaints to Amtrak can be made via Amtrak's official website, their toll-free number, their email address, Twitter, and Facebook.

Until Obama gives transit the funding it deserves experiences like yours will be more and more the case.

You mean Congress.

 

[jebr]

Hi Joe, welcome to the amtrak blog!

Sorry you had a bad experience with amtrak. Stats show that some amtrak experiences are negative.

I have long advocated for a direct complaint system to amtrak through this blog, but my efforts have been rezoned. It seems the truth hurts more than the consequences.

Therefore, if you want to get anything done, contract Congress or your Senators directly (each state has 2). As with all things it's the politicos who make change happen. Until Obama gives transit the funding it deserves experiences like yours will be more and more the case.

Let me fix this for you so that it's more accurate.

Hi Joe, welcome to an Amtrak enthusiast's forum!

Sorry you had a bad experience with Amtrak. Stats show that some Amtrak experiences, like life in general, are negative.

I have long advocated for a direct complaint system to Amtrak through this forum, but instead I have been sent to Amtrak directly so that my complaints actually get addressed. That way the Amtrak system is actually improved, instead of just having it be a rant online.

If you want Amtrak to have the funding to substantially improve services, contact Congress or your Senators directly (each state has 2). As with all things it's the politicos who make change happen. Until Congress gives transit the funding it deserves experiences like yours will be more and more the case.

 

[Acela150]

Can we just lock this?

 

[Joe65]

I want to thank all of you for your responses some were in support some thought I should write Amtrak and state my problem, some ppl think I am a troll, sorry you think that I should read every post and comment on it or what every you think, I came on here and got good information for my trip, thanks for this, but when we pay for a service in this case I expect what I pay for some ppl like quite after a certain hour I expect facilities to work and Amtrak didn't tell me they didn't want my business because I was disabled, but a few seem to infer that by calling me lazy and the other ppl whiners remember you perfect ones what goes around comes around thanks for your time

 

[user 1215]

Hi Joe, welcome to the amtrak blog!

Sorry you had a bad experience with amtrak. Stats show that some amtrak experiences are negative.

I have long advocated for a direct complaint system to amtrak through this blog, but my efforts have been rezoned. It seems the truth hurts more than the consequences.

Therefore, if you want to get anything done, contract Congress or your Senators directly (each state has 2). As with all things it's the politicos who make change happen. Until Obama gives transit the funding it deserves experiences like yours will be more and more the case.

ROFLMAO

 

[Larry H.]

I rarely post any longer here also because at first people did discuss things in an respectful way.. But like so much of the internet this site has a hard core group that dislikes any opinion but their own and are all too ready to put down anyone who has a different view. Being rude has become a way of life for some who live though the internet.

On the topic, I have lost much of my desire to take amtrak due to the same kind of issues the OP found onboard. Things that should never have been allowed out of the yard is normal business for amtrak. Who is to blame is a good question. No doubt the congress who refuse to support it properly but management always sets the tone for a company and Amtrak is no different. If poor service is considered normal that is what your going to get.