Originally Posted by
notacolour
Okay, so you needed to vent.
And your specific complaints are:
(1) They didn't make all requests in a nice enough manner,
(2) They didn't provide you with your own personal thermostat, which as we know is standard on all other means of travel, and
(3) When you missed your train through your own fault, they gave you full credit for future travel (and in fact would have even given you cash back minus 10% if you had asked). Despite that in general airlines would never let you do this with an advance purchase ticket, you remain upset that they didn't also offer to reschedule you on the next train for free.
It sounds like an absolutely horrible trip.
I don't think having a little fan at each seat is the same as wanting my "own personal thermostat". Just some air circulation, that's all.
I don't blame Amtrak for the missed train, and I DID expect to have to pay more for the next train. Just not $100 more per person. We chose Amtrak for the economical aspect, and at that price it just makes no sense anymore, when you consider the time factor and the rudeness.
And no, we couldn't get a cash refund because of the type of tickets we purchased in the first place. I asked!
I don't think they asked or said ANYTHING nicely, hence my need to vent. I do think that's a big deal. Regardless of how you are traveling or how much you pay, there's no need for employees to be rude, no excuse for it. And I also don't understand the justification for over-booking and running out of food. I don't expect drinks and snacks and such like you'd get on a flight, really I don't... but the running out of food thing was a shocker to me.
As for the airline difference; I have been flying since I was a baby, and I am 39 years old. I flew 3 or 4 times a year every year from age 3 to my 20's, and started flying solo at age 6. I can recall maybe TWO times in all those flights where I encountered this sort of rudeness. And even in those cases it was one person, not the whole crew. That's all I'm saying.
Anyway we will probably use our remaining credit on a shorter trip with no kids along with us, just because I can't see wasting the money. Maybe the second time will be better.