hello
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2007
- Messages
- 302
Well, we should have realized that something was wrong when our CS (LAX-EUG) was ON TIME. (We have done the CS over 12 times, and it has NEVER been on time!) What a great start to our long journey!
Two days later, at dinner in EUG, we received a call from Julie saying there was a “service disruption” for the EB the next day. We went back to the hotel and called Julie, and an agent said we would be bussed from SEA-SPK. Ok. …but were assured we would make the connection in CHI to the CL for the trip to WAS. We asked about canceling the EB/CL and just flying to WAS … as we had appointments arranged for 26 hours AFTER our scheduled arrival … but was told we would need to pay hefty cancellation penalties and.”no problem” (Amtrak’s mantra from each and every employee) we’ll get you to CHI in time to make your connection.
The bus ride was terrible. (Complete chaos in SEA, as we had to inform some of the employees that the train portion was cancelled … there was a kind man behind the ticket counter who took the time to explain – in detail – everything that would happen. We really appreciated that … unfortunately, everything he said was incorrect … oh well, at least he was pleasant.) They called for everyone to get on the bus (yes 1 bus) at the same time … so shoving and pushing and running people over with luggage seemed to be the theme for the day. The bus was completely full and hot. How hot was it … well the bathroom was so warm that the packages of wipes were so warm to the touch, that the inside wipes were completely dried out. The ride was almost 5 hours, with only 1 stop. That stop was only for the bus driver and Amtrak representative to get out and walk around for 5 minutes … the passengers had to stay in the bus … no explanation once they reboarded the bus … just on we continued.
We arrived in Spokane after 9 PM … NOW the Amtrak rep spoke: the train would be ready for boarding immediately and there was a restaurant inside in case anyone was hungry. Off the bus we go … into the station … where we are informed the train was being vacuumed and there was no restaurant. Back and forth the Amtrak people walk … heads down … hoping they would not have to speak to any passengers and no one would bother/ask questions of them. Two hours later the Amtrak train crew leaves with their “luggage” as their time has now died … of course we are still sitting in the lobby waiting for the train to be done being vacuumed! A little before 1130PM they start letting people on the train … but only if their car has been vacuumed!! Good luck with that ….
The next day EVERYONE knows the train is behind schedule … but every single Amtrak person says “no problem” …. we’re concerned about our room in WAS the next day – we want to be able to cancel it if we are not going to make the connection – but “NO PROBLEM”. We asked … everyone we saw … all day long … about the connection … you guessed it – NO PROBLEM. Well, 6 PM comes and the conductor makes an announcement: everyone is spending the night in Chicago! Just great, now it’s too late to cancel our hotel in WAS for the arrival night … @$210 down the drain … all because Amtrak could not be bothered to tell everyone the truth. The entire journey (yes, there is more to come) the same problem was repeated over and over again (as well as their same mantra) … absolutely NO COMMUNICATION! They seemed to feel that if they lied to you all day long, then the next employee would have to take the complaints! A very unacceptable trait … but again, unfortunately, it was the same on every train!
Crowd control in CHI was ridiculous at their customer service office … the only smiling person all night … was handing out numbered tickets on when you would be waited on. The only problem is that only 2 of the 3 clerks were calling numbers. The other clerk had “her own system” … which in reality was she kept calling peoples names that were not let into the office yet, and when they weren’t there --- she would wait until more people were came into the room … and call the same names again. We were number 18, and it took over 1 ½ hours to be called …. I felt really bad for the people with numbers in the 50’s!! They sent us to a hotel that had a lovely lobby … and a broken down room. We entered the room … no lights plugged in AT ALL. They bathroom light was the only light; we had to leave the door open to find the lamp cords and plug them in. The heating unit would not go below 84 degrees (and it’s May folks), the curtains were torn and the hems were all out, the ceiling had a large water bubble – which we prayed would not burst – and when we went to lie on the bed (it’s now 2 AM) the mattress sunk to the floor. Needless to say, as soon as woke up --- water bubble intact – we checked out, and went back to Union Station to wait for the CL later that afternoon. One good thing --- we were able to try Giordano’s --- loved it!!
We get to WAS 26 hours late … have missed a meeting with our Congressman and 2 tours that he had set up for us. We had scheduled them for 24 hours after we were due to arrive … but obviously an extra 24 hours is not enough time for Amtrak to arrive at its destination.
We loved WAS --- the Hampton Inn was great, Union Station was beautiful, and a destination in itself – the Acela Lounge was nice … just nothing special … not like BOS, PDX or CHI – of course maybe it was just the front desk people.
We took the CL to CLE --- where there were NO TAXI’s --- it was almost funny. We waited outside about 15 minutes and nothing …. there had been no people in front of us, nor others waiting for a taxi --- we were just about ready to call the hotel and ask for a cab – when we can see this lone taxi making its way down the long entranceway. The driver was very kind and cheerful. He said he never comes to Amtrak, but he was driving by and saw the train and saw that there were no taxis --- he couldn’t believe it – we could .. it was us! We stayed at the Residence Inn and it was wonderful --- beautiful building, gracious employees .. 2 days we walked to the RR Hall of Fame … we walked to the nearby Center City … and did Lolly the Trolley (love that name) … great location!!
We took the LSL from CLE to CHI – almost on time – nice ride. I do have to say that in CLE, when we checked in at 230AM --- the clerk asked for our last names --- and there were our tickets --- maybe it was just the early time --- but I was amazed! We arrived in CHI a few minutes late … ok, great … now there will be no more problems!!
Oh no, here comes fiasco number 2. We caught the CZ from CHI to SFC (via EMY). I was woken up about 1 AM – someone kept pushing his or her call button every 2 minutes – what was up with that – I looked outside – nothing but prairie ….. woke up at 5 AM – THE SAME PRAIRIE – we hadn’t moved. Turned out that BOTH of our engines had died and we had been at a standstill from before 1 AM --- and would not move until almost 1PM …. 11-12 hours later. That wasn’t someone’s call button being rung … it was the systems going on and off and on and off. Once we woke up, they informed everyone of the bad news …. we were stuck and they couldn’t say for how long, but help was on its way (does this sound familiar … ). Well help did come … after 11 AM, and then the engine (to pull us to Elko) arrived a little after 12. So, we are stuck on the prairie for over 11 hours with no food – they did pass out a wrapped Sara Lee pastry – no bathrooms, and of course no electricity. Did I tell you that it was a snowing outside … no … well just add it to the “experience” …? They finally drag the train to Elko and say they will make 3 stops: 1 for baggage, 1 for coach passengers, and then 1 for sleeper passengers – this takes about 1 hour --- finally our turn to get off --- we are to get straight on the buses – Red Cross is there handing out blankets – unfortunately by the time the sleeper passengers get off the train, they are out of blankets --- we should have just “borrowed” Amtrak’s! They bus us from Elk to Reno – 5-hour bus ride – but they did stop once for a bathroom/stretch break. We arrive in Reno expecting to get off the bus for the night … but no, they have decided to bus us to EMY (SFC) a 3 ½ hour ride --- which ends up over 5 ½ hrs. because we have to travel through a SNOWSTORM OVER DONNER PASS! The ride was frightening … I have no idea how the driver could even see anything … he did have to stop repeatedly to put on/adjust/take off the snow chains. The driver was very good --- only he didn’t know how to get to Martinez or Richmond (I believe that was the other city), so the passengers gave him directions … but it was strange to keep going by the same buildings over and over and over again … as everyone seemed to have a hard time getting their bearings (see how nice I can be!!).
We finally arrive in EMY … ok, we’re almost to SFC … and an Amtrak employee comes on and says they did not put our baggage on the bus. Excuse me, what was that 1st stop for in Elko if they didn’t take our baggage off …. So everyone has to get off the bus, go into the station and fill out papers …. it is now 2 AM. The bus driver did know where we were to get off – the Ferry Building – but did not know where the other stops were – so I think the other passengers convinced him to drop them off at their hotels … I certainly hope so!!
The end!
Will we take Amtrak again …. only up and down the West Coast … definitely no connecting long distance trains. We love Amtrak, and try to schedule a journey every year/or 2 years when we come to the mainland … but Amtrak is too expensive if we need to factor in a nights stay just to be SURE to make a connection.
Two days later, at dinner in EUG, we received a call from Julie saying there was a “service disruption” for the EB the next day. We went back to the hotel and called Julie, and an agent said we would be bussed from SEA-SPK. Ok. …but were assured we would make the connection in CHI to the CL for the trip to WAS. We asked about canceling the EB/CL and just flying to WAS … as we had appointments arranged for 26 hours AFTER our scheduled arrival … but was told we would need to pay hefty cancellation penalties and.”no problem” (Amtrak’s mantra from each and every employee) we’ll get you to CHI in time to make your connection.
The bus ride was terrible. (Complete chaos in SEA, as we had to inform some of the employees that the train portion was cancelled … there was a kind man behind the ticket counter who took the time to explain – in detail – everything that would happen. We really appreciated that … unfortunately, everything he said was incorrect … oh well, at least he was pleasant.) They called for everyone to get on the bus (yes 1 bus) at the same time … so shoving and pushing and running people over with luggage seemed to be the theme for the day. The bus was completely full and hot. How hot was it … well the bathroom was so warm that the packages of wipes were so warm to the touch, that the inside wipes were completely dried out. The ride was almost 5 hours, with only 1 stop. That stop was only for the bus driver and Amtrak representative to get out and walk around for 5 minutes … the passengers had to stay in the bus … no explanation once they reboarded the bus … just on we continued.
We arrived in Spokane after 9 PM … NOW the Amtrak rep spoke: the train would be ready for boarding immediately and there was a restaurant inside in case anyone was hungry. Off the bus we go … into the station … where we are informed the train was being vacuumed and there was no restaurant. Back and forth the Amtrak people walk … heads down … hoping they would not have to speak to any passengers and no one would bother/ask questions of them. Two hours later the Amtrak train crew leaves with their “luggage” as their time has now died … of course we are still sitting in the lobby waiting for the train to be done being vacuumed! A little before 1130PM they start letting people on the train … but only if their car has been vacuumed!! Good luck with that ….
The next day EVERYONE knows the train is behind schedule … but every single Amtrak person says “no problem” …. we’re concerned about our room in WAS the next day – we want to be able to cancel it if we are not going to make the connection – but “NO PROBLEM”. We asked … everyone we saw … all day long … about the connection … you guessed it – NO PROBLEM. Well, 6 PM comes and the conductor makes an announcement: everyone is spending the night in Chicago! Just great, now it’s too late to cancel our hotel in WAS for the arrival night … @$210 down the drain … all because Amtrak could not be bothered to tell everyone the truth. The entire journey (yes, there is more to come) the same problem was repeated over and over again (as well as their same mantra) … absolutely NO COMMUNICATION! They seemed to feel that if they lied to you all day long, then the next employee would have to take the complaints! A very unacceptable trait … but again, unfortunately, it was the same on every train!
Crowd control in CHI was ridiculous at their customer service office … the only smiling person all night … was handing out numbered tickets on when you would be waited on. The only problem is that only 2 of the 3 clerks were calling numbers. The other clerk had “her own system” … which in reality was she kept calling peoples names that were not let into the office yet, and when they weren’t there --- she would wait until more people were came into the room … and call the same names again. We were number 18, and it took over 1 ½ hours to be called …. I felt really bad for the people with numbers in the 50’s!! They sent us to a hotel that had a lovely lobby … and a broken down room. We entered the room … no lights plugged in AT ALL. They bathroom light was the only light; we had to leave the door open to find the lamp cords and plug them in. The heating unit would not go below 84 degrees (and it’s May folks), the curtains were torn and the hems were all out, the ceiling had a large water bubble – which we prayed would not burst – and when we went to lie on the bed (it’s now 2 AM) the mattress sunk to the floor. Needless to say, as soon as woke up --- water bubble intact – we checked out, and went back to Union Station to wait for the CL later that afternoon. One good thing --- we were able to try Giordano’s --- loved it!!
We get to WAS 26 hours late … have missed a meeting with our Congressman and 2 tours that he had set up for us. We had scheduled them for 24 hours after we were due to arrive … but obviously an extra 24 hours is not enough time for Amtrak to arrive at its destination.
We loved WAS --- the Hampton Inn was great, Union Station was beautiful, and a destination in itself – the Acela Lounge was nice … just nothing special … not like BOS, PDX or CHI – of course maybe it was just the front desk people.
We took the CL to CLE --- where there were NO TAXI’s --- it was almost funny. We waited outside about 15 minutes and nothing …. there had been no people in front of us, nor others waiting for a taxi --- we were just about ready to call the hotel and ask for a cab – when we can see this lone taxi making its way down the long entranceway. The driver was very kind and cheerful. He said he never comes to Amtrak, but he was driving by and saw the train and saw that there were no taxis --- he couldn’t believe it – we could .. it was us! We stayed at the Residence Inn and it was wonderful --- beautiful building, gracious employees .. 2 days we walked to the RR Hall of Fame … we walked to the nearby Center City … and did Lolly the Trolley (love that name) … great location!!
We took the LSL from CLE to CHI – almost on time – nice ride. I do have to say that in CLE, when we checked in at 230AM --- the clerk asked for our last names --- and there were our tickets --- maybe it was just the early time --- but I was amazed! We arrived in CHI a few minutes late … ok, great … now there will be no more problems!!
Oh no, here comes fiasco number 2. We caught the CZ from CHI to SFC (via EMY). I was woken up about 1 AM – someone kept pushing his or her call button every 2 minutes – what was up with that – I looked outside – nothing but prairie ….. woke up at 5 AM – THE SAME PRAIRIE – we hadn’t moved. Turned out that BOTH of our engines had died and we had been at a standstill from before 1 AM --- and would not move until almost 1PM …. 11-12 hours later. That wasn’t someone’s call button being rung … it was the systems going on and off and on and off. Once we woke up, they informed everyone of the bad news …. we were stuck and they couldn’t say for how long, but help was on its way (does this sound familiar … ). Well help did come … after 11 AM, and then the engine (to pull us to Elko) arrived a little after 12. So, we are stuck on the prairie for over 11 hours with no food – they did pass out a wrapped Sara Lee pastry – no bathrooms, and of course no electricity. Did I tell you that it was a snowing outside … no … well just add it to the “experience” …? They finally drag the train to Elko and say they will make 3 stops: 1 for baggage, 1 for coach passengers, and then 1 for sleeper passengers – this takes about 1 hour --- finally our turn to get off --- we are to get straight on the buses – Red Cross is there handing out blankets – unfortunately by the time the sleeper passengers get off the train, they are out of blankets --- we should have just “borrowed” Amtrak’s! They bus us from Elk to Reno – 5-hour bus ride – but they did stop once for a bathroom/stretch break. We arrive in Reno expecting to get off the bus for the night … but no, they have decided to bus us to EMY (SFC) a 3 ½ hour ride --- which ends up over 5 ½ hrs. because we have to travel through a SNOWSTORM OVER DONNER PASS! The ride was frightening … I have no idea how the driver could even see anything … he did have to stop repeatedly to put on/adjust/take off the snow chains. The driver was very good --- only he didn’t know how to get to Martinez or Richmond (I believe that was the other city), so the passengers gave him directions … but it was strange to keep going by the same buildings over and over and over again … as everyone seemed to have a hard time getting their bearings (see how nice I can be!!).
We finally arrive in EMY … ok, we’re almost to SFC … and an Amtrak employee comes on and says they did not put our baggage on the bus. Excuse me, what was that 1st stop for in Elko if they didn’t take our baggage off …. So everyone has to get off the bus, go into the station and fill out papers …. it is now 2 AM. The bus driver did know where we were to get off – the Ferry Building – but did not know where the other stops were – so I think the other passengers convinced him to drop them off at their hotels … I certainly hope so!!
The end!
Will we take Amtrak again …. only up and down the West Coast … definitely no connecting long distance trains. We love Amtrak, and try to schedule a journey every year/or 2 years when we come to the mainland … but Amtrak is too expensive if we need to factor in a nights stay just to be SURE to make a connection.
Hopefully the Trip From Hell will Result in a Call to Amtrak Customer Relations! :help: :help: :help: You have an Excellent Case for Being Compensated with a Very Nice Voucher for Future Travel! As the other Posters have said, the Weather and Mechanical Problems happen but No Excuse for the Lies and Lack of Communication by Amtrak Staff! :angry2:
