Sadness over compasion of customer relations

[Kspencer]

[SIZE=10.5pt]I have recently booked a trip (not yet taken) over the phone. The agent that helped me told me that the room (on the auto train) was large enough for me, my husband and twin 11 year olds. However the sleeping room is for two adults and could "In a pinch" be used by 3 adults. My dismay is this.... about 4 years ago I took the same trip and was bumped from the "Family" room to this same bedroom and it was not comfortable at all. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]No restitution was ever made on that trip and now I am being booked in the same size room and the kids are MUCH bigger now. The agent I spoke with basically told me “OH WELL” and the agent that booked my reservation “Informed” me of the size of the room. Well I am here to say that she did not. And he basically called me a liar stating that the remarks said she did. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The only way to resolve this issue is for me to pay more money for a more suitalbe room. And this is totally the fault of Amtrak. I was very clear that I wanted a room large enough for us to relax in. The customer relations agent (what a joke – customer relations) said he was "the end of the line” and that I could NOT speak to anyone else. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]All I want is a comfortable room for the trip with my husband who is a Disabled American Vet and my 11 year old twins. [/SIZE]

 

[Ryan]

What room are you booked in?

If you know the room you are in is too small, why did you book it?

If the Family Bedroom isn't available on the date you need, your best bet is to call and reserve two roomettes across the hall from one another.

 

[Guest]

This sounds very familiar to what I deal with in my line work.

Someone wants a certain type of room. That type of room is sold out. And all of the sudden that's my fault?

If only the family bedroom works for you, which I can understand, then that's what you should only be booking. If its not available, you are not entitled to it. If it's not available, it's not available. The agent cannot just make it appear out of thin air with a magic wand. Someone else had purchased it. Deal with it.

Sometimes, in life, we can't always get what we want.

 

[FormerOBS]

If I understand correctly, the twins are now 11 years old, and they were 7 on the previous trip. You're right that a standard bedroom would be pretty crowded for the four of you, then or now. The family room would have been ideal when they were seven; but I'm not so sure it would be all that great now. I guess it depends how big they are. If they're under four feet tall, they would be fairly comfortable in the children's beds in the family room. If they're taller, then it's hard to say whether the family room would be adequate. In that case, the best option would be to reserve two adjoining bedrooms, but that would increase the price substantially.

How soon do you plan to make this trip? The Auto Train tends to fill up with advance reservations at an early date. The sizeable repeat clientele tends to make their reservations many months in advance, so the limited number of family rooms often sell out early. You might try checking on other dates. The weekends often sell out before the midweek dates. The train carries 6 or 7 sleepers, with just one Family room (and just one Handicapped Accessible room) per sleeper.

I think Res. can put you on a wait list in case a cancellation makes a room available, but I'm not 100% sure of that. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

Tom

 

[SarahZ]

If the twins are over four feet tall, I'd try to book two roomettes across from each other. Two 11-year olds would probably enjoy having a "private" room, depending on their maturity level. If not, you could put an adult and kid in each room.

It would be cheaper than buying two bedrooms.

 

[Dovecote]

To the OP, I agree with the other posters that securing two rooms for your family is the only way to achieve a comfortable setting. Your husband, having a disability, should be able to qualify for the disabled room (known as the H-room). That has bathroom facilities within the room and should be sufficient for the two of you. Your twins would be comfortable in a roomette. Try to get a lower level roomette 11-14. These rooms are on the same level as the H-room.

There is a special dedicated phone number for Auto Train reservations 1-877-SKIP-I95. Call that number to discuss your situation and hopefully to secure accommodations you desire.

 

[caravanman]

It seems to me that the op asked for a suitable size room and was sold one that she then realised was too small, as it was the same room as the first trip. When she realised, the second agent infered that she was telling lies about what she was told about her room size.

When I had a problem just a day or two back with not getting a ticket issued, I phoned and was informed that records showed that I had left the station at Flagstaff with a paper ticket in my hand... This despite the whole ticket system being down at the time...

Reality is what actually occured, not what is on Amtrak computer records, in my experience.

Having said that, the original poster has few options, best bet would be the two seperate roomettes, I guess.

Yours compassionately,

Ed

 

[user 1215]

Maybe the OP didn't ever know the size of the Family Bedroom because they were bumped from it before they ever got to get in it. Why they were bumped is suspect to me...

The H room and a roomette near each other can actually be about the same price as a Family Bedroom - depending on the time of year.

Since no one else has thrown this out yet, check Amsnag.net for the best prices and availability. Use LOR and SFA as the station codes for Lorton and Sanford, respectively.

Guest_Guest*: I've worked in the hotel business, too. It is amazing how some folks really DO think you can wave a wand and make a magic room appear. Everyone KNOWS that there is that room that's blocked but not occupied, in case the president wants to visit...

 

[CoachSlumber]

You have some responsibility to ensure that you are booking the kind of accommodation you want. Information about rooms is not hidden, and Amtrak isn't obligated to use magical powers to make a certain kind of room accommodate more people than it is designed for or advertised to handle.

You need to buy more than one room.

 

[me_little_me]

[SIZE=10.5pt]All I want is a comfortable room for the trip with my husband who is a Disabled American Vet and my 11 year old twins. [/SIZE]

For the many of us that are also disabled American vets, please don't use that as an excuse. If he is not disabled enough to require extra room or extra assistance or need the handicapped room, then it is a non-issue. If he is, then you should have told the reps and possibly explain to us that this is indeed a special issue.

The fact is you KNEW from experience the room is not big enough. So YOU need to decide what the choices are after asking the rep for suggestions and after reviewing the room info at Amtrak.com or in the brochures. Two roomettes is one possible solution as well as the handicapped room (if he qualifies as mobility handicapped per Amtrak) plus one roomette. If neither of the choices are acceptable then YOU need to decide what your alternatives are other than taking the train on the day(s) you want.

If you were "bumped" in the past, did you contact Amtrak for a partial refund? Amtrak would not normally bump 4 people out of a Family BR into a regular one. That just sounds strange.

 

[Reasonable_Minds]

Maybe the OP didn't ever know the size of the Family Bedroom because they were bumped from it before they ever got to get in it. Why they were bumped is suspect to me...

Why they were bumped is a good question. I am left wondering if they were "bumped" from the Family Room, to an "H" Bedroom, when they complained that the Family Room couldn't accommodate a mobility handicapped passenger. If Amtrak complied, I am not sure if compensation for the change is really warranted, especially if such was too late for Amtrak to re-sell the Family Room.

And it is true that there are no handicapped versions of the Family Room. If you need a handicapped room, one is basically stuck with what is essentially a bedroom. Plus, I don't think that being handicapped would entitle one to a "free" roomette for the kids.

 

[TinCan782]

What room are you booked in?

If you know the room you are in is too small, why did you book it?

If the Family Bedroom isn't available on the date you need, your best bet is to call and reserve two roomettes across the hall from one another.

A pair of Roomettes sounds like the best solution to this.

In a twist on the Family Bedroom availability, I recently tried to reserve a regular bedroom for my wife and I on the #27 EB from Chicago to Portland. No bedrooms were available on the day I wanted to depart. The agent (AGR) did offer (without me inquiring) to put the two of us in the Family Bedroom which available for the entire trip on #27. I declined because I didn't want it and didn't want to tie it up for just two of us. By trial and error, I did discover that a #27 bedroom opened up around Glacier National Park. Someone traveling Chicago to Glacier was in a #27 bedroom instead of a #7 bedroom which prevented me (or anyone else) from having it available for the entire Chicago to Portland trip. . This was on the first day possible to book (11 months out).

 

[Kspencer]

Talk about customer service! These are some of the rudest responses I've ever seen, way beyond even what amtrak told me. You all have a lot of nerve telling me about my responsibility and what I need to do when you don't even know me. I came here for some compassion and all I got was "it's your own fault!"

Another thing, don't attack my husband.

And do not attack those with disabilities.

And never attack a vet.

To those of you who attacked me and my family, you should be ashamed.

 

[GG-1]

Talk about customer service! These are some of the rudest responses I've ever seen, way beyond even what amtrak told me. You all have a lot of nerve telling me about my responsibility and what I need to do when you don't even know me. I came here for some compassion and all I got was "it's your own fault!"

Another thing, don't attack my husband.

And do not attack those with disabilities.

And never attack a vet.

To those of you who attacked me and my family, you should be ashamed.

Aloha

I reread the thread and do not feel anyone was attacking you, your husband, anyone with disabilities, or Vets. Some coments may have been hard to hear, but I think the were made as a way of understanding.

 

[SarahZ]

Personally, I feel my comment and many others were extremely helpful. Many of us ride Amtrak frequently, so it would behoove you to take our advice.

If you are upset with Amtrak's customer service, you will need to complain to Amtrak. We do not work for Amtrak, and this site is not part of Amtrak. We are simply a bunch of railroad passengers who enjoy discussing Amtrak and helping others with their Amtrak plans. I've learned a lot on this site. I suggest you stick around.

 

[TinCan782]

I'm a Veteran (although not disabled) and I don't feel being a "American Vet" was a point of attack in this thread. In fact, being a vet would not have made a difference in the accommodations you requested, or received. As far as being disabled (Veteran or not), that could have a bearing on your accommodations if that were mentioned while you were making your reservations. Clearly, as mentioned above, the "H" room only accommodates two people. If the Family Room was not adequate for your needs either, then you should look at other options such as the two roomettes suggestion.

 

[Ryan]

As another veteran, I agree completely.

 

[user 1215]

Talk about customer service! These are some of the rudest responses I've ever seen, way beyond even what amtrak told me. You all have a lot of nerve telling me about my responsibility and what I need to do when you don't even know me. I came here for some compassion and all I got was "it's your own fault!"

Another thing, don't attack my husband.

And do not attack those with disabilities.

And never attack a vet.

To those of you who attacked me and my family, you should be ashamed.

Well, we're not in the customer service business. We're in the "We like Amtrak and want to help others with their expectations" business. And business is a loose term, as we don't get paid. We sit around a water cooler, arguing, philosophying, helping, officiating, suggesting, and yes, even complaining.

I find it quite rude that you would call us rude.

I don't think anyone attacked you, your vet husband, your family or anyone. But we want you to have an understanding of reality:

1. The Family Bedroom (only available on Superliners) is an accomodation for 2 adults and 2 *SMALL* children - up to around 4' tall, as the two smaller beds are only, well, 48" long. There is no restroom in this room.

2. The Bedroom has two single bunks - one lowered and the other converted from the daytime seats which are side by side - kind of like the old "Pullman" style of yesteryear. It has its own bathroom/shower. This room can accomodate 2 people.

3. The Disabled Access Bedroom is similar to the Bedroom, but has a disabled access bathroom. This room can accomodate 2 people.

4. The Roomette is two large seats that face each other next to the window. These slide together and make one bunk, and a 2nd bunk drops from the ceiling. This room can accomodate 2 people. There is no restroom in this room.

When a family of four travels, there are several options. The prices can vary wildly, so going to a site like amsnag.net would be a good way to compare prices. Most of the next month is the same so let's look at what is currently available for 10/30, using the scenarios above:

1. This is the single room option. With a standard vehicle, 4 passengers (including two under 12), one family bedroom would cost $1,257. But this may be too small for your children.

2. This is the most expensive option. With a standard vehicle, 4 passengers (including two under 12), two bedrooms would cost $2,340.

3. Cannot be priced online. Must call Amtrak. Most likely will be similar to item 4 below.

4. This is perhaps the most practical solution that has been suggested by most members of this non-Amtrak affiliated forum. With a standard vehicle, 4 passengers (including two under 12), two roomettes would cost $1,386.

Again, as stated, there are no veteran discounts. Amtrak has a very thorough process to handle passengers with disabilities. In fact, on the website, when you select one of the passengers as being disabled, there is a full questionaire that is presented - not invasively, but informatively - to determine the best way to accomodate. Note that on the AutoTrain, there is a 15% discount, but unlike other trains, it only applies if the passenger with a disability has their own mobility device (ie: wheelchair/scooter). There are thousands of passengers that travel from the NE to the SE who are elderly and disabled, so the restrictions are tighter to serve those with the greatest needs.

Also to reiterate, there is only one disabled bedroom and one family bedroom in each sleeper car. That usually means 3 per train, each. They are in high demand. They do sell out quickly. If its gone on the date you need it, there is no recourse. See if flexibility in your schedule helps.

I was in the customer service business for nearly 10 years. Please understand that the empathy (not sympathy) exhibited by the employee is generally directly related to how the problem is presented to them. If both guns are blazing, right or wrong, the employee will likely not spend the time to address concerns to the best of their ability. On the other hand, if the entire situation is calmly presented and you know what you want to have the problem resolved as well as an understanding of the service provider's limitations, both parties can work towards an amicable solution.

We want you to stay, but we aren't going to sugar coat reality.

 

[Guest]

Really great post VentureForth !!!

Just to reiterate on what I think might be the root of the problem, there is no Disabled Access Family Bedroom. If you are a party of two adults and two children, and would have wanted the "lower cost" Family Room accommodation, but can't because you also need disability access, that it just that. You have to choose from what actually exists, which would be a Disabled Access Bedroom (the "H" bedroom) for the member of the party who needs it (the two adults), and regular accommodations for the rest of the party (the two children) be it a second Bedroom or a Roomette.