Ticket mixup

[trainfan]

We are traveling round trip chi to emy using an e-ticket , apron arrival in emy the bus driver never

Scanned our ticket to SFW , so we got on to return and our reservation had been canceled!!! The

Conducter said because our ticket wasn't scanned the system automaticlly cancels the rest of the

Reservation!! Right now we are in our sleeper with the Conducter trying to figure out what to do as someone else has this room farther down the line! FUN. FUN!! I am not going to coach..

Trainfan'

 

[neroden]

So sorry to hear this. Amtrak is screwing up with this "auto-cancellation" business, and is going to have to revoke it.

There are too many times when a ticket goes unscanned, and even one is enough to make a lot of people very mad for a very long time.

 

[Ryan]

Agreed. Is customer relations open on Saturday? I'd be raising hell.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:angry: Call ASAP and don't be irate but Insist! that Amtrak make this right even if they have to Upgrade you or maybe work out Room Switch during the Trip! Also maybe they could Book you on the Next days Train and put you up on their Dime since its their Fault!

e-ticketing is a useful tool but the Training and Information that Amtrak provides sSaff and Customers needs a hell of a Lot of Improvement! Please keep us Posted!

 

[TVRM610]

This is why I always make separate reservations. The only time I link reservations is when I have to for Guest Rewards Redemption or when there is a fairly close guaranteed connection.

 

[SarahZ]

This is why I always make separate reservations. The only time I link reservations is when I have to for Guest Rewards Redemption or when there is a fairly close guaranteed connection.

Even then, I stalk the conductor to make sure my ticket is lifted before the end of the run. I get antsy if it takes a while.

 

[ChrisRice]

[SIZE=medium]This policy is kind of scary. We have a trip coming up with 4 segments under one reservation.[/SIZE]

1. [SIZE=medium]NBN-CHI-SEA[/SIZE]
2. [SIZE=medium]SEA-LAX-FLG[/SIZE]
3. [SIZE=medium]FLG-LAX-OAK-SFW[/SIZE]
4. [SIZE=medium]SFW-EMY-CHI-NBN[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]So are we saying that if at any point (even the buses) that if the ticket is not scanned the balance of the trip is automatically canceled? Is everything under that reservation canceled or just the segment? It seems that with modern forms of communication mobile phones/texting/email that contact should be made with the ticket holder before canceling the balance of an entire reservation.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]ChrisR[/SIZE]

 

[tonys96]

Must be just another "glitch" in the system.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Last trip we took, I never saw the conductor on the first segment of a several-part trip. Having read a few horror stories on this discussion board, I was really worried about something exactly like this happening. I asked, and our SCA swore that our ticket had been been "electronically lifted" because he'd given the list to the conductor. I was still nervous -- unless we see the ticket scanned ourselves, we really have no protection against this kind of mishap, we just have to "trust."

I really hope that if they are going to have a policy about cancelling "no-shows," they emphasize in training that Amtrak staff is responsible to the traveling public to make sure they are treated fairly. If I am responsible enough to show up (or cancel my reservation in advance should something happen), they should be responsible enough to scan my ticket!

Good advice, TVRM610, to keep the segments of the trip on separate reservations as much as practical.

 

[the_traveler]

Yes, Chris, if you no show (or don't get scanned) for one train/bus, all future trains/buses on that reservation are cancelled.

Using your list above, say one segment of #2 is not scanned, the rest of #2 would be cancelled but #3 & #4 would be cancelled also - if they're all on one reservation. However if you made 4 separate reservations, only #2 would be cancelled, but #3 & #4 would remain.

 

[ChrisRice]

My 4 segments are under one reservation. Should I be concerned or is this fairly reliable? My reservation is AGR and I cannot check it online. Should I call in between segments to check on the reservation? I do not want to loose any of my reservation in the middle of the trip. I cannot sleep in coach (sitting up). I need my sleeper! This is beside the fact my wife and daughter would kill me mid trip should we wind up stranded! :giggle:

 

[tonys96]

We always make separate rezzies, unless on an AGR trip. Before we did it to make sure we got points for each segment (had a problem with a R/T ticket only getting points for outbound) now this new problem makes it even more reasonable to seperate the trip into multiple rezzies.

 

[trainfan]

In our case the screw up was with the bus driver, he took the ticket held it under a light to see if it was valid but for some

reason he did not scan it He spoke very little English and just shook his head yes when I asked him if he did! we are still

In our room just going over.Donner Pass so maybe we will be ok!!! Very little snow up here this year. Will keep you posted

If we make it to Chi in this room!!

Trainfan

 

[the_traveler]

Actually even with AGR awards, you can make separate reservations. If there's a stopover, it doesn't matter anyway (as far as points needed, because you need to use another award anyway). I do it all the time myself.

You may have to call separate times, but you can also say to the agent "And I'd like to make a separate reservation from ___ to ___". I've done both.

This way if part of segment #2 gets cancelled, you still have segments #3 & #4 intact.

 

[roadman3313]

There are quite a few newer bus drivers on that route unfortunately due to higher turnover recently. Be sure to be on them about scanning it. And if not contact customer service and relations depending on how far it goes to be sure the bus contractor is made aware.

In the mean time it's nice you made it into a sleeper and the conductor is trying to work with you.

On a side note I boarded number 11(7) out of EMY this morning. I dont think the bus from SF for train 6 was in yet but if so we may have passed each other!

 

[Zach]

This is why I always make separate reservations. The only time I link reservations is when I have to for Guest Rewards Redemption or when there is a fairly close guaranteed connection.

Even then, I stalk the conductor to make sure my ticket is lifted before the end of the run. I get antsy if it takes a while.

Same here! Even if they've never scanned my ticket, I ask, and somehow it got lifted....

 

[roadman3313]

I recently noticed tickets from a trip I was never on and forgot to cancel were lifted... both from a bus LAX-BFD and train BFD-SKT. The only one that wasn't was from the last bus SKT-EMY. Ironically the trip I actually took didn't get lifted. This pushed me back into S+ for another year with those 200 points from a trip they said I took because the tickets were lifted manually both times.

I didnt recieve the E-voucher (pre-March 1st rules) of course as it showed I took two segments of the trip. But the S+ was a fine tradeoff for me.

 

[boxcarsyix]

I'm taking a California Thruway Bus to connect to the Zephyr in Sacramento this May. Since the California busses are scheduled to connect to the unreserved Capital Corridor, I hope I will not encounter any problems.

 

[SarahZ]

In our case the screw up was with the bus driver, he took the ticket held it under a light to see if it was valid but for some

reason he did not scan it He spoke very little English and just shook his head yes when I asked him if he did! we are still

In our room just going over.Donner Pass so maybe we will be ok!!! Very little snow up here this year. Will keep you posted

If we make it to Chi in this room!!

Trainfan

Oh, that stinks. I think I recall the phone makes a little beeping sound when the ticket is scanned. I tend to listen for it. Maybe it doesn't do it all the time, though. Anyway, I think it appears on their phone, as well, since I always see the conductor give it a glance-over before they move onto the next passenger.

That's really too bad the bus driver wasn't familiar with the system. I would call Customer Relations to let them know so his manager can do some supplemental training. If you get kicked out of your room, I'd ask for a voucher. I really hope you can stay in your room.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I'm taking a California Thruway Bus to connect to the Zephyr in Sacramento this May. Since the California busses are scheduled to connect to the unreserved Capital Corridor, I hope I will not encounter any problems.

I doubt you will have a problem on that bus. I usually leave from Chico or Oroville and the drivers really seem to love their hand-held check-in beeper thingys.

 

[CHamilton]

I was on Cascades 513 this morning. The conductor south of Seattle found at least four people in my car whose tickets had not been scanned in Bellingham, and so their reservations had been canceled.

 

[SarahZ]

Ugh.

Customer Relations is going to get bombarded, which means they'll be bringing it to their managers, which means those managers will notify whoever's in charge of the conductors, and (hopefully) they'll get better-trained... pronto.

 

[oregon pioneer]

So, this leads to another question: if your trip starts with one of those little buses that doesn't even HAVE a "hand-held check-in beeper thingy" (LOVE that description!), are you OK until you get on an actual train and they lift (+scan) the first coupon? My little bus always requires a paper ticket, indeed I end up with them for the whole reservation that includes that bus.

Trainfan, I sure hope you make it all the way to CHI in a roomette, or at least if you get to a section where there's not an available roomette, they move you to a bedroom or something :unsure: . Thanks for keeping us posted.

 

[Ryan]

If you have paper tickets, they can't be cancelled. This is strictly an e-ticket thing.

 

[trainfan]

Thanks to a great crew we still have our sleeper,II think they had cancelation ion Reno but I notice all sleepers are full at this

time. Will keep you posted!

Trainfan