Quality of Service lacking . . .

[ALC Rail Writer]

I'm not completely sure why you insist these announcements were made.

Because they have to be made. If they weren't made then the diner would be unable to function.

 

[PRR 60]

And a rather large percentage of the time, the Amtrak employee's PA announcement CANNOT be heard, or is garbled, (didn't key the mike properly, loose connection, it HAPPENS)

Well since the OP says they heard the announcements at stops... I don't deny Amtrak's PAs are flighty at best, it is just clear that this is a case of selective memory.

I have a feeling the OP just tuned it all out. You can deny it all you want, but reservations are made for lunch and dinner-- and they walk through the coaches to get said reservations. You had your headphones on, you were in the bathroom, maybe you were in the lounge car or simply not paying attention.

Announcements made by café listing some of their selection every few hours

Announcements made by café when they were going on break

Announcements made by café when they were coming back from break

Announcements made by café when they had to unload trash and close at a stop

Announcements made by café when they were open in the morning

Announcements made by café when they were closed in the night

Announcements made by the diner that breakfast was open

Announcements made by the diner that breakfast is communal seating

Announcements made by the diner that they were ready to begin waitlisting

Announcements made by the diner that they were closed for breakfast

Announcements made by the diner that they were taking reservations for lunch

Announcements made by the diner that lunch reservations for 11 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that lunch reservations for 11:30 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that lunch reservations for noon were ready

Announcements made by the diner that lunch reservations for 12:30 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that lunch reservations for 1 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that lunch was closed

Announcements made by the diner that they were taking reservations for dinner

Announcements made by the diner that dinner reservations for 5 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that dinner reservations for 5:30 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that dinner reservations for 6 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that dinner reservations for 6:30 were ready

Announcements made by the diner that dinner reservations for 7 were ready

Of course the times are just examples. But here's the point: without those announcements meal service is a complete disaster. These announcements and the reservation system is required, they happened whether you heard them or not. They aren't required just by rules, they're required if the crew wants to avoid utter chaos.

Now assuming that the PA in your car wasn't playing nice with the PA in the diner then you must have missed the LSA walking through your car, AND not have had the common assertiveness to walk to the diner and ask what happened. I'm guessing the later is the case, in which case I'm sorry-- but it falls on your to find out information if a technical failure prevents the crew from communicating with you.

Moral of this story: overcoming Amtrak failures is the passenger's responsibility, and failure to do so makes the entire event the passenger's fault. Very interesting customer service philosophy.

Yes, I have been on trains where PA announcements were either not made or the PA did not work. It happens, and just walking into the diner and asking if they are seating a specific time can get some not so friendly responses.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

On the wolverine they don't announce every hour what they have on most of the wolverine trains is the conductor makes the announcement that the cafe is open and serving and is located either at the front or rear etc. some cafe attendants will give a long speech about what they have. on 354 the conductor did that. also they may forget to turn the PA back on as happened on swc #4 back in 08

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Moral of this story: overcoming Amtrak failures is the passenger's responsibility, and failure to do so makes the entire event the passenger's fault. Very interesting customer service philosophy.

I'm glad you read what I said.

Passengers have the responsibility to obtain information when there is a failure in communication.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I would just say, go with your instinct on what makes for good or bad service and don't listen too much to the folks who always blame the customer, for they know not of what they speak.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Moral of this story: overcoming Amtrak failures is the passenger's responsibility, and failure to do so makes the entire event the passenger's fault.

Amtrak is always right, the customer is always wrong. You people really make me wonder where you get your morals from. Seriously.

Morals are a construction of society and actually don't exist, but that's a matter for Frederich.

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right. I worked in union butcher shop inside a large grocery shop for awhile, and we always operated under that assumption. For instance one day while I was helping the fish clerk out somebody asked me for a very small amount of very cheap salmon and an expensive tuna, a tenth of a pound.

Operating under the assumption that the customer is always right, I should have given them the amount and moved on with my day. It wasn't even my station...

Instead I asked "What are you using this for?" they replied that they intended to use it for sushi. I refused sale, explaining that the fish sold here wasn't sushi grade and that it could make them sick. They complained to the store manager, and I told the manager that while it isn't against store policy to sell them food, it would make them very ill. Not only was the fish not sushi-grade, but it wasn't kept separated from other products in the counter. It is our responsibility to serve them, but also to know about the preparation of our product and educate the customer when required.

The manager agreed and refused them sale.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right.

And yet you seem to have bought into the idea that the customer is always wrong. Both concepts are equally flawed.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right.

And yet you seem to have bought into the idea that the customer is always wrong. Both concepts are equally flawed.

You don't know me enough to make that assumption. Your observations are of a handful of posts I made on a message board, you're expanding it beyond the contexts.

At the very least you could limit it to saying I assume the customer is always wrong... on Amtrak. I haven't discussed any other business on here.

 

[rrdude]

Moral of this story: overcoming Amtrak failures is the passenger's responsibility, and failure to do so makes the entire event the passenger's fault. Very interesting customer service philosophy.

I'm glad you read what I said.

Passengers have the responsibility to obtain information when there is a failure in communication.

Holy Moly, I sincerely hope you never run a company doing business with the public.............

 

[boxcar479]

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right.

And yet you seem to have bought into the idea that the customer is always wrong. Both concepts are equally flawed.

You don't know me enough to make that assumption. Your observations are of a handful of posts I made on a message board, you're expanding it beyond the contexts.

At the very least you could limit it to saying I assume the customer is always wrong... on Amtrak. I haven't discussed any other business on here.

sure you did. You discussed your days as a butcher. and you proved Dax's point. That is, at least in

these two instances, that in your opinion the customer is most always wrong. I tend to agree with RRdude, and hope your job takes way away from the public. Customer service is and always should be top top priority.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Try reading, not glossing over. I will quote what I actually said...

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right.

You're twisting that into an agreement with the converse statement. Negation of a premise is NOT affirmation of a second. All it means is that the philosophy of "the customer is always right" is not something I agree with. The customer is human and therefore wrong with the same probability of the rest of the population.

Good customer service is mindlessly smiling and serving. GREAT customer service is doing what is right for the customer, whether they like it or not. Employees should always put safety, the concerns of other customers, the quality of their product, and the end result of action above a customer's needs. Of course not all of the above apply to Amtrak or to any given situation.

The employee is in a more informed position and has the responsibility to exercise the authority that comes with increased knowledge, this inevitably leads to problems when some people (like railfans) know their jobs, sometimes better than they do.

Holy Moly, I sincerely hope you never run a company doing business with the public.............

Seriously? You think that if the PA goes out (which isn't usually the crew's fault) the customer should sit in their seat and expect that somebody will come to them and explain everything to them even when they have other duties?

 

[rrdude]

Try reading, not glossing over. I will quote what I actually said...

I, for one, have never bought the idea that the customer was always right.

You're twisting that into an agreement with the converse statement. Negation of a premise is NOT affirmation of a second. All it means is that the philosophy of "the customer is always right" is not something I agree with. The customer is human and therefore wrong with the same probability of the rest of the population.

Good customer service is mindlessly smiling and serving. GREAT customer service is doing what is right for the customer, whether they like it or not. Employees should always put safety, the concerns of other customers, the quality of their product, and the end result of action above a customer's needs. Of course not all of the above apply to Amtrak or to any given situation.

The employee is in a more informed position and has the responsibility to exercise the authority that comes with increased knowledge, this inevitably leads to problems when some people (like railfans) know their jobs, sometimes better than they do.

Holy Moly, I sincerely hope you never run a company doing business with the public.............

Seriously? You think that if the PA goes out (which isn't usually the crew's fault) the customer should sit in their seat and expect that somebody will come to them and explain everything to them even when they have other duties?

Believe it or not, there were days when trains DIDN'T have PA's. We used to have to walk the train, and in the summer, we walked it several times a day announcing "first call" and "last call" for each meal period.
Of course you can't coddle to every passenger about every topic, but in general, announcements as to the opening and closing of the train's diner are important, and every possible effort should be made to get that information to every car on the train, regardless of "what it takes". It's got to be harder now though, with the reduced crew sizes.

 

[boxcar479]

Good customer service is not going through the motions with a mindless smile. Good customer service is giving the customer what is advertised, and doing it with a positive attitude to make your experience the best it can possibly be. Excellent customer service is the employ going above and beyond what is outlined as "duty" and doing it with a positive attitude and a smile.I have done my homework, and I know what service is supposed to be provided when I step onto a train. Do I always receive that level of service? Hardly. If Amtrak wasn't the only game in town I would surely give their competition a try! In the meantime I will have to keep putting up with mediocre to good service on average, and hope my next experience lives up to the expectations I am told I will get when I board the train. Even if the PA system is old and garbled I don't know how it could possibly be the passengers fault or responsibility to to make up for the providers shortcomings

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Because if you are confused about something, the crew can't read your mind. You have to voice your concerns.

During meal service I see every OBS on the train as busy, I don't see anybody not doing something. Where do you propose we find somebody to make walks through the train?

Of course this assumes they actually know there's been a malfunction, and know what that malfunction is... In this case it seems likely that one car went receiving messages, if somebody had informed the crew that the system was haywire then yes, it would be prudent of them to make announcements in that car in person, of course thats assuming they could find the malfunctioning car. That's assuming several things that are beyond the crews control, especially during meal service.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Because if you are confused about something, the crew can't read your mind.

So the staff can't read the minds of passengers, fair enough, but neither can passengers read the minds of the staff. Yet you assign blame exclusively to those who are paying to be there and never to those who are supposedly being paid for their service. Also, not all jobs are equal. We expect skilled employees like doctors and lawyers to do what is in our best interest, even when it may conflict with our preconceptions. However, for unskilled service staff the whole point is to meet (or exceed) our preconceived expectations, which are already extremely low here in America. I received exceptional service on Japan's airlines and railways even though I can't speak any Japanese. Now imagine an American Amtrak worker encountering a passenger who only speaks Japanese. How much effort do you think they'd put toward taking care of that customer?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I have seen three incidences between Amtrak employees and people who didn't speak English. One spoke Spanish, and the SA called one of the TASs who was bilingual, you can chalk that up to luck if you want... I don't.

The second time was somebody who spoke an Asian language, never found out which one. The crew took turns dealing with them, in the diner they showed the family the dishes being served as they were going out to other tables. Eventually both sides were able to build some sort of body language, pointing and wildly gesturing.

The third was with a deaf man who only used ASL. No interpreter was available, so he was provided with a pad or paper and pen by the crew... I would have thought he would have had the foresight to bring it himself, but whatever. Point is they found him a pen and paper and they took the time to read and write messages.

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

I ride the Crescent frequently and there is a Dining Car crew from hell.... They never do reservations, never announce anything, seat the whole diner slap full with a line running down into the cafe and take their dearly beloved time serving the 48 pax they decide to serve with 2 servers. So I don't doubt that there are times when there are no reservations or announcements for the dining car on the Crescent. I have experienced this crew 3 times. The worst Amtrak food I have ever had has been with this crew, the chef insists on cooking all the food prior to the meal starting and popping it in the microwave when it is ordered. Once he's out of a particular item he won't make anymore of it, so even if they have it in stock you won't get it unless he pre-cooked it before the meal started. This is also the chef that decided to attempt to turn baked chicken into fried chicken with inedible results.

Now there is an extremely good dining car crew on the Crescent that does everything to a T and the diner runs smoother than I have ever seen when they are working. The food is cooked to order, they limit seating to what the crew can handle in a reasonable amount of time, and they extend meal times longer than the other crews do.

On the Crescent I always go to the diner to see who is working before I decide to eat when I'm in coach, in sleeper I just take my luck since its free anyway.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Have you complained to Amtrak?

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

Have you complained to Amtrak?

Yes, got a voucher. But that crew is still there doing the same thing every time their working the diner.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Have you complained to Amtrak?

Yes, got a voucher. But that crew is still there doing the same thing every time their working the diner.

Keep doing it--

 

[had8ley]

I ride the Crescent frequently and there is a Dining Car crew from hell.... They never do reservations, never announce anything, seat the whole diner slap full with a line running down into the cafe and take their dearly beloved time serving the 48 pax they decide to serve with 2 servers. So I don't doubt that there are times when there are no reservations or announcements for the dining car on the Crescent. I have experienced this crew 3 times. The worst Amtrak food I have ever had has been with this crew, the chef insists on cooking all the food prior to the meal starting and popping it in the microwave when it is ordered. Once he's out of a particular item he won't make anymore of it, so even if they have it in stock you won't get it unless he pre-cooked it before the meal started. This is also the chef that decided to attempt to turn baked chicken into fried chicken with inedible results.

Now there is an extremely good dining car crew on the Crescent that does everything to a T and the diner runs smoother than I have ever seen when they are working. The food is cooked to order, they limit seating to what the crew can handle in a reasonable amount of time, and they extend meal times longer than the other crews do.

On the Crescent I always go to the diner to see who is working before I decide to eat when I'm in coach, in sleeper I just take my luck since its free anyway.

I was beginning to think that I was the only one who noticed the way the NYP based diner crew behaved...or should I say mis-behaves ??? Every time I order a rare steak from this infamous cook (chef would be fibbing) it comes out the same way as every other steak~ well,well done. Bottom line~ management is scared to death to do anything or they just don't care; or maybe all of the above ??? They sure don't show their faces often enough to get anything rectified.All Amtrak has to do is re-bulletin the diner jobs to be based in NOL~ there is already a commissary in place.

 

[haolerider]

I ride the Crescent frequently and there is a Dining Car crew from hell.... They never do reservations, never announce anything, seat the whole diner slap full with a line running down into the cafe and take their dearly beloved time serving the 48 pax they decide to serve with 2 servers. So I don't doubt that there are times when there are no reservations or announcements for the dining car on the Crescent. I have experienced this crew 3 times. The worst Amtrak food I have ever had has been with this crew, the chef insists on cooking all the food prior to the meal starting and popping it in the microwave when it is ordered. Once he's out of a particular item he won't make anymore of it, so even if they have it in stock you won't get it unless he pre-cooked it before the meal started. This is also the chef that decided to attempt to turn baked chicken into fried chicken with inedible results.

Now there is an extremely good dining car crew on the Crescent that does everything to a T and the diner runs smoother than I have ever seen when they are working. The food is cooked to order, they limit seating to what the crew can handle in a reasonable amount of time, and they extend meal times longer than the other crews do.

On the Crescent I always go to the diner to see who is working before I decide to eat when I'm in coach, in sleeper I just take my luck since its free anyway.

I was beginning to think that I was the only one who noticed the way the NYP based diner crew behaved...or should I say mis-behaves ??? Every time I order a rare steak from this infamous cook (chef would be fibbing) it comes out the same way as every other steak~ well,well done. Bottom line~ management is scared to death to do anything or they just don't care; or maybe all of the above ??? They sure don't show their faces often enough to get anything rectified.All Amtrak has to do is re-bulletin the diner jobs to be based in NOL~ there is already a commissary in place.

That change in the dining car staffing has been talked about for the past several years. I understand that the Crescent will be a PRIIA train this fiscal year and I am sure that will be on the agenda. John Long continues to be the best chef on the Crescent and his crew delivers first class service, because he cares about this food - the presentation, the taste and the way it is served. He is the only chef I have seen actually walk through the entire train in his full uniform to encourage passengers to dine with him. He has his own supplies, such as garnish and spices and will not let something that is not proper go out of his kitchen.

 

[had8ley]

I ride the Crescent frequently and there is a Dining Car crew from hell.... They never do reservations, never announce anything, seat the whole diner slap full with a line running down into the cafe and take their dearly beloved time serving the 48 pax they decide to serve with 2 servers. So I don't doubt that there are times when there are no reservations or announcements for the dining car on the Crescent. I have experienced this crew 3 times. The worst Amtrak food I have ever had has been with this crew, the chef insists on cooking all the food prior to the meal starting and popping it in the microwave when it is ordered. Once he's out of a particular item he won't make anymore of it, so even if they have it in stock you won't get it unless he pre-cooked it before the meal started. This is also the chef that decided to attempt to turn baked chicken into fried chicken with inedible results.

Now there is an extremely good dining car crew on the Crescent that does everything to a T and the diner runs smoother than I have ever seen when they are working. The food is cooked to order, they limit seating to what the crew can handle in a reasonable amount of time, and they extend meal times longer than the other crews do.

On the Crescent I always go to the diner to see who is working before I decide to eat when I'm in coach, in sleeper I just take my luck since its free anyway.

I was beginning to think that I was the only one who noticed the way the NYP based diner crew behaved...or should I say mis-behaves ??? Every time I order a rare steak from this infamous cook (chef would be fibbing) it comes out the same way as every other steak~ well,well done. Bottom line~ management is scared to death to do anything or they just don't care; or maybe all of the above ??? They sure don't show their faces often enough to get anything rectified.All Amtrak has to do is re-bulletin the diner jobs to be based in NOL~ there is already a commissary in place.

That change in the dining car staffing has been talked about for the past several years. I understand that the Crescent will be a PRIIA train this fiscal year and I am sure that will be on the agenda. John Long continues to be the best chef on the Crescent and his crew delivers first class service, because he cares about this food - the presentation, the taste and the way it is served. He is the only chef I have seen actually walk through the entire train in his full uniform to encourage passengers to dine with him. He has his own supplies, such as garnish and spices and will not let something that is not proper go out of his kitchen.

Unfortunately, the John Longs and Lewis Prices (killed in in his kitchen in a pre-dawn derailment on the Southern Crescent) are few and far between. My only question to 60 Mass. Ave. would be; "If you have talked about it then you KNOW there is an existing problem." Any corporation worth its salt would have found a solution a lot sooner than taking years to "talk" about it...

 

[haolerider]

I ride the Crescent frequently and there is a Dining Car crew from hell.... They never do reservations, never announce anything, seat the whole diner slap full with a line running down into the cafe and take their dearly beloved time serving the 48 pax they decide to serve with 2 servers. So I don't doubt that there are times when there are no reservations or announcements for the dining car on the Crescent. I have experienced this crew 3 times. The worst Amtrak food I have ever had has been with this crew, the chef insists on cooking all the food prior to the meal starting and popping it in the microwave when it is ordered. Once he's out of a particular item he won't make anymore of it, so even if they have it in stock you won't get it unless he pre-cooked it before the meal started. This is also the chef that decided to attempt to turn baked chicken into fried chicken with inedible results.

Now there is an extremely good dining car crew on the Crescent that does everything to a T and the diner runs smoother than I have ever seen when they are working. The food is cooked to order, they limit seating to what the crew can handle in a reasonable amount of time, and they extend meal times longer than the other crews do.

On the Crescent I always go to the diner to see who is working before I decide to eat when I'm in coach, in sleeper I just take my luck since its free anyway.

I was beginning to think that I was the only one who noticed the way the NYP based diner crew behaved...or should I say mis-behaves ??? Every time I order a rare steak from this infamous cook (chef would be fibbing) it comes out the same way as every other steak~ well,well done. Bottom line~ management is scared to death to do anything or they just don't care; or maybe all of the above ??? They sure don't show their faces often enough to get anything rectified.All Amtrak has to do is re-bulletin the diner jobs to be based in NOL~ there is already a commissary in place.

That change in the dining car staffing has been talked about for the past several years. I understand that the Crescent will be a PRIIA train this fiscal year and I am sure that will be on the agenda. John Long continues to be the best chef on the Crescent and his crew delivers first class service, because he cares about this food - the presentation, the taste and the way it is served. He is the only chef I have seen actually walk through the entire train in his full uniform to encourage passengers to dine with him. He has his own supplies, such as garnish and spices and will not let something that is not proper go out of his kitchen.

Unfortunately, the John Longs and Lewis Prices (killed in in his kitchen in a pre-dawn derailment on the Southern Crescent) are few and far between. My only question to 60 Mass. Ave. would be; "If you have talked about it then you KNOW there is an existing problem." Any corporation worth its salt would have found a solution a lot sooner than taking years to "talk" about it...

I couldn't agree more. This is clearly a Transportation Department/Divisional issue. Hopefully with the recent changes in the Southern Division management, this issue will be resolved with decisions focused on Customer Service rather than Divisional problems. Someone needs to step up to the plate and make a decision.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Maybe if everyone stops going to the diner when the bad crews are running it might get amtraks attention to make changes instead of sweeping it under the rug.