Rude Amtrak employees

[AmtrakBlue]

View attachment 30386

Seems to have been a hit-and-run poster.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I can only think of one negative interaction with an Amtrak employee. This would have been in the early 1980's. My wife and I living in PA at the time were returning from visiting family in the Boston area. We elected to travel back to Philly in the Amclub which some trains on the NEC had at the time, somewhat equivalent to Acela first class on what today would be called a regional train. For some reason the car attendant took an immediate dislike to us for reasons I cannot understand and there were several passive-aggressive actions, culminating in him placing our bags at a door she knew would not open when we got to 30th Street requiring us to grab them and run to another exit. He was a veteran employee probably a holdover from the PC days. Perhaps he felt that we as a young couple in their 20's/30's didn't belong in the club car which seemed to be more oriented to upper class and business people.

Amclub

 

[Steve4031]

I had a real winner on 22 once between STL and Chicago. 22 arrived 6 hours late that day. GF and I were in the sleeper. We took the elevator down and walked over to the first sleeper in the consist. There were two that day behind the engine and baggage car, and the diner was behind the second sleeper. The SCA at are sleeper had the door open but no stool out.

I walked up to the open door and said hello. He told me, "I don't have anyone getting on here." We had booked two or three weeks earlier. I told him, "Then you can't read your manifest. We booked weeks ago and you should have known once you got it in San Antonio. That was over 24 hours ago." He said, "You can't board here because they are refueling the engines. Go back to the other sleeper and board." This was a lie because we had boarded the same sleeper several times in St. Louis while the engines were being fueled. I said, "There is no way I am hauling all this damn luggage up and down two flights of stairs." I slung our bags through the door onto the floor. I walked GF back to the other sleeper and we boarded. I heard the last call for lunch as we boarded so I took her to the diner, got her seated, and explained to the LSA I would be right back after stowing our luggage. The LSA was professional and helpful.

I walked back and put our luggage on the rack. The SCA was not visible. We had an enjoyable lunch in the dining car. We got back to our room and had been napping when the SCA made an appearance. He started off by reiterating the rules about not boarding when fueling is going on and suggested that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I told him, "You definitely got off on the wrong foot with me, and right now your best bet is to disappear and hope that I forget that you exist so I forget to write a letter to Amtrak about you". We had a peaceful ride to Chicago after that.

 

[Ryan]

He told me, "I don't have anyone getting on here." We had booked two or three weeks earlier. I told him, "Then you can't read your manifest. We booked weeks ago and you should have known once you got it in San Antonio. That was over 24 hours ago."

Perhaps there was a nicer way to let the guy know he was mistaken. I'm shocked* that after that opening line you were treated with the same respect you showed.

*I'm not actually shocked in the least.

 

[PVD]

Perhaps there was a nicer way to let the guy know he was mistaken. I'm shocked* that after that opening line you were treated with the same respect you showed.

*I'm not actually shocked in the least.

Because of course we all know the manifest is always right and the reservation system could not possibly omit a name or have them in another car......I got on a Lake Shore one night where the SCA had gone out of his way to make things pleasant, had welcome stickers with everyone's names on the doors, and a glitch moved a bunch of folks around the sleepers, our tickets didn't match the manifest, and it took the conductor and both SCA quite a while to sort out. I was lucky, I was just across the hall, but some were in opposite cars.

 

[TheCrescent]

Perhaps there was a nicer way to let the guy know he was mistaken. I'm shocked* that after that opening line you were treated with the same respect you showed.

*I'm not actually shocked in the least.

I’m siding with Steve4031, having had a similar SCA.

The SCA should have smiled and said “Welcome aboard” when Steve4031 walked up. When Steve4031 didn’t show up on the manifest, the SCA should have said, “I don’t see you listed; could you please show me your ticket so that we can get this straightened out?”

But no, it sounds like the SCA just informed Steve4031 that he wasn’t listed and indicated that the case was closed. No smile, no welcome, no effort to fix the situation.

As shown by the SCA later informing Steve4031 that Steve4031 had started off on the wrong foot, and making up a rule, the SCA clearly was one who sees customers as an inconvenience and people who are to be bossed around, since they are simply an inconvenience.

Unacceptable.

 

[jis]

This appears to be a case of people prematurely coming to conclusions and assuming things that may or may not actually be true and going off at each other. Civility from both sides would have made this transaction much smoother IMHO. And furthermore now some of us are reacting based on apparently pre-set positions more than exploring carefully the facts of the case. Just IMHO of course, and I am like anyone else entitled to one.

 

[Ryan]

I’m siding with Steve4031, having had a similar SCA.

The SCA should have smiled and said “Welcome aboard” when Steve4031 walked up. When Steve4031 didn’t show up on the manifest, the SCA should have said, “I don’t see you listed; could you please show me your ticket so that we can get this straightened out?”

But no, it sounds like the SCA just informed Steve4031 that he wasn’t listed and indicated that the case was closed. No smile, no welcome, no effort to fix the situation.

As shown by the SCA later informing Steve4031 that Steve4031 had started off on the wrong foot, and making up a rule, the SCA clearly was one who sees customers as an inconvenience and people who are to be bossed around, since they are simply an inconvenience.

Unacceptable.

You know, it's possible for both people to be wrong in a situation, right?

 

[Steve4031]

Well, I started out with a good afternoon and a smile. And he responded by being short with me. I did show my ticket, and then what really set me off was being told to drag two suitcases down the platform to the other sleeper, haul them up the stairs in the other sleeper, and then down the stairs to store them on the racks in the car I was assigned to.

I have had occasions where I boarded a train at an intermediate stop and the SCA explained that my room was moved for one reason or another. Usually, a passenger had just gotten off and the SCA wanted to take time to clean the room.

I usually just work around the made-up rules and follow directions. But I thought it was unreasonable to tell me to take the luggage to the other car. If he had offered to load our luggage and then direct us to board the other car I would have followed the directions.

 

[Amtrak709]

With respect, with the prices that are being charged for sleeping car accommodations these days, I think the "scale needs to be tipped" in favor of the passenger (the consumer). As a 375,000 miles rail passenger traveler since 1966 I find instances like the one described above disgraceful!

 

[BlackDiamond]

"You can't board here because they are refueling the engines. Go back to the other sleeper and board."

That sounds like a made-up rule. If refueling the engines was really a hazard (hard to understand since I can stand next to my car and refuel it with much more flammable gasoline but can't be 100 or so feet away from a refueling with a less flammable Diesel fuel?) then why did he have the door open? That was apparently his fallback once the "you are not on my manifest" gambit failed.

I think the prevalence of rules made up on the spot by various crews is one of the most annoying aspects of Amtrak travel.

 

[OBS]

That sounds like a made-up rule. If refueling the engines was really a hazard (hard to understand since I can stand next to my car and refuel it with much more flammable gasoline but can't be 100 or so feet away from a refueling with a less flammable Diesel fuel?) then why did he have the door open? That was apparently his fallback once the "you are not on my manifest" gambit failed.

I think the prevalence of rules made up on the spot by various crews is one of the most annoying aspects of Amtrak travel.

Absolutely!

 

[Acela150]

As far as the excuse of the conductors being overworked, I am a surgeon traveling at 4:25 AM from DC to NY and getting back home at 9 PM at night, round trip. I am overworked, far more than these conductors, and in a high stress position.

I'm sure that you won't read this. But, trust me.. You have no idea on the hours that Conductors and Assistant Conductors put in these days. I just worked 7 days straight. Those on the extra board such as myself can get called back to work after 6 hours of being off. It happens too. As long as we get 8 hours off, they can call us back to work as soon as 6 hours. Some people live further away from their crew base. So they may only get 3-4 hours of sleep. I'm not saying that you haven't had a bad expereiance. But please understand that being a Conductor and Assistant Conductor can be extremely stressful at times.

If I am correct, these are Amtrak employees posting responses?

You're incorrect.

I dunno, he's kind of creepy, running around trying to give people hugs and stuff.

I definetly laughed about this. How couldn't I? LOL!!

 

[TheCrescent]

I'm sure that you won't read this. But, trust me.. You have no idea on the hours that Conductors and Assistant Conductors put in these days. I just worked 7 days straight. Those on the extra board such as myself can get called back to work after 6 hours of being off. It happens too. As long as we get 8 hours off, they can call us back to work as soon as 6 hours. Some people live further away from their crew base. So they may only get 3-4 hours of sleep. I'm not saying that you haven't had a bad expereiance. But please understand that being a Conductor and Assistant Conductor can be extremely stressful at times.

You're incorrect.

I definetly laughed about this. How couldn't I? LOL!!

I have worked 72 hours straight, without leaving the office, and without sleeping. Plenty of jobs have long hours and stress.

I would be fired and shown the door immediately if I were as hostile to clients as some Amtrak SCAs are.

Question: when passengers contact Amtrak to complain about a rude employee, by name, what happens? Amtrak told me that my complaint about a specific SCA was added to a database. But what does Amtrak do with information in that database?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

MSM said:
One surgical assistant was not allowed on a train last year by a conductor even through she had a ticket, complained in Newark, and was sent back home on an upgraded Acela.

I'd love to hear the details of this story.

I wonder if she had a ticket for Newark, DE instead of Newark, NJ.

 

[Bonser]

That sounds like a made-up rule. If refueling the engines was really a hazard (hard to understand since I can stand next to my car and refuel it with much more flammable gasoline but can't be 100 or so feet away from a refueling with a less flammable Diesel fuel?) then why did he have the door open? That was apparently his fallback once the "you are not on my manifest" gambit failed.

I think the prevalence of rules made up on the spot by various crews is one of the most annoying aspects of Amtrak travel.

Most likely when people are told to reboard OBS simply are trying to keep aisles and passageways as clear as possible.

 

[EmpireBuilder28]

I use to take a long distance Amtrak trip just about every year from Oregon to either Pittsburgh or Cincinnati. With all those trips I (luckily) only had a few bad experiences. One was a car attendant who yelled at me while boarding the Capitol Limited in Chicago because I was ticketed for the lower level. I'm not sure why that set him off or why he felt it was appropriate to yell at me in front of everyone in line boarding the train with me. I was told in no uncertain terms that there was no lower level seating on that train. That was back when the Chief and Capitol were the same train. And the lower level on that train was one of the old, short lived smoking lounges. It appeared to just be being used for storage at that point. The coach car I was in smelled like vomit. It was a very unpleasant experience and I did reach out to customer service to complain about him and the stench of the car. Apparently we just had a terrible crew on that run as my seat mate did not have anything positive to say about the dining car staff. And he was definitely a rail fan so I felt he was more than likely to give them the benefit of the doubt. The only other horrendous employee I encountered was the infamous LSA on the Empire Builder, Fran. She lived up to her reputation and then some. Will never forget her.

 

[nti1094]

That sounds like a made-up rule. If refueling the engines was really a hazard (hard to understand since I can stand next to my car and refuel it with much more flammable gasoline but can't be 100 or so feet away from a refueling with a less flammable Diesel fuel?) then why did he have the door open? That was apparently his fallback once the "you are not on my manifest" gambit failed.

I think the prevalence of rules made up on the spot by various crews is one of the most annoying aspects of Amtrak travel.

Once on the Chief I walked to the last car (coach) while we were on the Glorieta to grab a few pictures of the semaphore signals in that line. After about 3 minutes the attendant of that came over and said “Ok you can return to your place now.”

I guess they don’t want us filthy sleeper passengers in their fancy coaches.

 

[Mailliw]

I agree with you completely. I certainly think that someone treating customers poorly deserves a bit of professional attention from managment.

But, I'm not always willing to be the one to do it - especially during the moment of service.

As you point out, these staff are empowered to deboard you from the train, with potential legal consequence.

In a perfect world, that would only happen if a passenger were behaving in a truly egregious manner.

Unfortunately, when you've already seen the staff member in question behave in an improper manner - that's a strong suggestion they'll continue to do so. That is, they'll use the power they have to simply eject you rather than live up to proper service standards. ("Give people a little power.." and all that).

As an aside, maybe a decade ago, I was on a TATL flight and one of the FAs was being.. really poorly.. moved a friend up from coach to business (not my concern), but then spent a good chunk of the flight ignoring all the other pax in favor of socializing with their friend and piling on the food and drinks.

While still on board, I reached out by email to the airline. I expected a reply later.. after landing, in any event.

Well.. the reply came more quickly. The lead purser, about 90 minutes later, came to my seat with my email on her tablet. Apologized profusely. Made sure me, and the people in the section were given appropriate service for the balance of the flight.

I def got the stink eye from the original FA and her friend, though.

I hope you made eye contact with each of them and smiled.

 

[cash]

I have been riding the NEC - Northeast Corridor - for about four years, 2 -3x per week. The conductors, for the most part, are not nice. They are rude, abrasive, condescending, and generally in a power mode for whatever reason. These are customer service representatives, and they do NOT act that way. As far as the excuse of the conductors being overworked, I am a surgeon traveling at 4:25 AM from DC to NY and getting back home at 9 PM at night, round trip. I am overworked, far more than these conductors, and in a high stress position. I have chosen to use Amtrak as a cost savings to my company vs other forms of travel. I put up with their behavior at my choice. There are definitely other forms of travel that are more pleasant, faster, and easier to deal with than Amtrak with these conductors involved.
Customer service lessons are necessary. Amtrak wants to increase ridership. One of the best ways to do this is to teach the conductors that riders on the train have a choice - they are not obligated to use Amtrak. Rather than being hostile and rude, maybe consider a smile once in a while or a nice greeting or two. That may create an environment that keeps people coming on back, and build a much better atmosphere for growth and development of the service Amtrak provides.

I worked for Amtrak for 10years, I used to cringe at some of the staff how rude they are to passenger, but for some reason they never ever get fired for being rude, I am so sorry to hear this I worked in the cafe or diner and loved my job, even though I met some really mean people, please write a complaint letter sometimes it does help with a paper trail.
A big thank you for everyone you help.
Regards
Jane

 

[TheCrescent]

I worked for Amtrak for 10years, I used to cringe at some of the staff how rude they are to passenger, but for some reason they never ever get fired for being rude, I am so sorry to hear this I worked in the cafe or diner and loved my job, even though I met some really mean people, please write a complaint letter sometimes it does help with a paper trail.
A big thank you for everyone you help.
Regards
Jane

I’m sorry that you met some really mean people- you shouldn’t have to be subjected to that.

Out of curiosity:

1. What happens when a customer complains to Amtrak about an employee? Does Amtrak do anything, particularly if the employee’s conduct was really bad?

2. Why are some Amtrak employees so rude to customers? Are the employees just rude throughout life, or is there something about Amtrak or its customers that makes them rude? In short, are they just bad hires, or does the Amtrak experience cause them to be rude?

Thanks.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've been riding the NEC for 58 years, and cannot recall any employee negatives. Local trains, just one young jerk.

Would you take someone seriously who said they had ridden for 58 years without a single positive employee? Because that's just as implausible as your post.

You know, it's possible for both people to be wrong in a situation, right?

Except that these participants do not bear equal responsibility for resolving mistakes and misunderstandings. One side is a paying customer while the other is a paid on-duty employee. If benefit of the doubt is required it should be the employee who defers and deescalates (within reason of course).

 

[habjo]

I went in a sleeper down to South Carolina last year. While in South Carolina they canceled my return train. I had to take a train and ride from South Carolina to Washington DC get off get a hotel room.( at my cost ) and go to Union Station DC at 8 am and take a train from DC to New London kind of defeats the purpose of a room I had to spend 18 hours with a mask on.
I went to the cafe car which was empty and was enjoying a coffee and a snack and a female Amtrak employee yelled at me for having my mask off. And also told me that her and her coworker were people too.
I wanted to explode but just got up and walked back to my seat.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

I went to the cafe car which was empty and was enjoying a coffee and a snack and a female Amtrak employee yelled at me for having my mask off.

At every non-Amtrak dining establishment during the pandemic, the rule was that you could take your mask off while consuming your food and drink. (And waitstaff didn't attempt to enforce a "put your mask back on between bites/sips" rule, as that would both have been impractical and would have spread even more germs, from having to finger one's mask constantly.)

 

[MARC Rider]

At every non-Amtrak dining establishment during the pandemic, the rule was that you could take your mask off while consuming your food and drink. (And waitstaff didn't attempt to enforce a "put your mask back on between bites/sips" rule, as that would both have been impractical and would have spread even more germs, from having to finger one's mask constantley.)

And also on every Amtrak trip I took during the height of the pandemic, no one ever bothered me about having my mask off while I was eating. From my experience, I would think that the rude behavior cited was a one-off and not typical of most Amtrak OBS staff.