Eaten alive by bedbugs on the California zephyr
Aug 29, 2014, 5:10 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA(PPro), UA, AGR, BW(Plat), HH, WoH, MB(S)
Posts: 778
Wow, interesting that a friend of mine linked me to this page after me telling my experience much the same....I wish I had been warned as well. Only difference is that I was on the Lake shore Limited. I can't confirm that it is actually bed bugs that I was bitten by but I can say I was bitten by something all over both feet and a few places on my left arm. The itch is horrible...I can't sleep and Benedryl nor itch relief creams seem to help. Fortunately I was the only one out of my family that was bitten. I would have been enraged had this happened to my children. My whole train experience this trip was horrible this year and yes I reported it. Supposed to hear back in a week through email. Seems Amtrak doesn't have any options that I could find to make complaints. I have been taking Amtrak for years so I know what to expect from them and this had to be by far the worst experience I have ever had to the point that I want my money back for this particular trip. The staff was late to start off our trip...we arrived at our destination 4 hours late causing me to lose the ride I had scheduled to pick me and my family up from Penn Station. During the trip staff seemed to disappear during times of technical difficulties with the train. People had questions and they weren't there to answer them. BIG THUMBS DOWN TO AMTRAK THIS YEAR. My trip was on August 25th 2014. I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention that our train hadn't been thoroughly cleaned either.
Aug 29, 2014, 7:32 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 494
recently made my own complaint - received this in response to my email:
We apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced.
We have forwarded your e-mail correspondence to our Customer Relations Department. A Customer Relations representative will contact you as soon as possible. Please be advised that a response may take several weeks.
E-mails are answered in the order in which they are received. If your concerns require immediate attention, please call our toll free number 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) and ask to speak with a Customer Relations Representative. The Customer Relations Department is available Monday through Friday (except holidays), between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (ET).
Thank you again for taking the time to write to us.
Sincerely,
Barbara
Amtrak Customer Service
We apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced.
We have forwarded your e-mail correspondence to our Customer Relations Department. A Customer Relations representative will contact you as soon as possible. Please be advised that a response may take several weeks.
E-mails are answered in the order in which they are received. If your concerns require immediate attention, please call our toll free number 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) and ask to speak with a Customer Relations Representative. The Customer Relations Department is available Monday through Friday (except holidays), between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (ET).
Thank you again for taking the time to write to us.
Sincerely,
Barbara
Amtrak Customer Service
Sep 10, 2014, 7:49 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: STL
Posts: 132
Bedbugs
As a long-time reader and longer-time lurker, I was surprised by the responses to the original poster's lament.
His concerns are legitimate, and yet he was immediately put on the defensive. Years ago, my grown daughter (living in Boston) moved into an apartment infested with bed bugs, and those things are a NIGHTMARE to get rid of!
She had to throw out upholstered furniture and put mattresses in sealed plastic bags and leave them in storage for more than a year. The cost to get rid of the infestation was not insignificant.
How many people would really give Amtrak a second chance if they discovered bedbugs? In some of us "more delicate folks," the bites can produce an extremely painful welt.
Food poisoning is just awful, but I'd say that carrying bedbugs home in a suitcase (FROM an Amtrak) is a lot worse. And different people have different views of the world. If I got food poisoning from "my favorite restaurant," I wouldn't return there.
I wonder if the original poster is still around? Given the harsh responses he received here, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not.
BTW, I've traveled on Amtrak 20+ times in the last 10 years (Cardinal, Texas Eagle, Empire Builder, Silver Meteor, The Vermonter and more), and my last experience (one week ago) pretty well finished me off.
And it's sad too, because I was one of their biggest boosters, but they're slip-sliding downhill at a rapid clip.
His concerns are legitimate, and yet he was immediately put on the defensive. Years ago, my grown daughter (living in Boston) moved into an apartment infested with bed bugs, and those things are a NIGHTMARE to get rid of!
She had to throw out upholstered furniture and put mattresses in sealed plastic bags and leave them in storage for more than a year. The cost to get rid of the infestation was not insignificant.
How many people would really give Amtrak a second chance if they discovered bedbugs? In some of us "more delicate folks," the bites can produce an extremely painful welt.
Food poisoning is just awful, but I'd say that carrying bedbugs home in a suitcase (FROM an Amtrak) is a lot worse. And different people have different views of the world. If I got food poisoning from "my favorite restaurant," I wouldn't return there.
I wonder if the original poster is still around? Given the harsh responses he received here, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not.
BTW, I've traveled on Amtrak 20+ times in the last 10 years (Cardinal, Texas Eagle, Empire Builder, Silver Meteor, The Vermonter and more), and my last experience (one week ago) pretty well finished me off.
And it's sad too, because I was one of their biggest boosters, but they're slip-sliding downhill at a rapid clip.
Sep 11, 2014, 1:07 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE, AA EXP MM, UA Gold MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, HH Dia, IHG Plat
Posts: 4,777
Funny how I've spent maybe 700 nights in 450 different hotels ranging in retail price from $4.00 (in 1979) to $1,000, and never once encountered a bedbug.
And 50 nights or more in Amtrak sleeping cars, ditto.
Now if the quality of service on Amtrak is going downhill, that's another story.
And 50 nights or more in Amtrak sleeping cars, ditto.
Now if the quality of service on Amtrak is going downhill, that's another story.
Sep 13, 2014, 11:50 am
#21
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: STL
Posts: 132
Long story. Took the Vermonter from DC to Brattleboro, VT. Trip back home (to DC area) was a packed train. We were in Business Class, and even it was full.
About three hours in, the bathrooms got real bad. At five hours in, the smell from the bathrooms - even back in Business Class (end of Cafe Car) would make your eyes water. I *had* to go into the bathroom and found puddles of urine on the floor, used wads of toilet tissue scattered about, and a trash receptacle that was well past overflowing.
The stench in there was enough to make you gag.
I can only imagine how coach looked.
Plus, there were two staff members that were very rude and ill-behaved. We're not talking about a lack of professionalism, we're talking about employees that obviously hated their job and were downright churlish.
I contacted Amtrak and they gave me a voucher for future travel, but I will not be riding the Vermonter again.
About three hours in, the bathrooms got real bad. At five hours in, the smell from the bathrooms - even back in Business Class (end of Cafe Car) would make your eyes water. I *had* to go into the bathroom and found puddles of urine on the floor, used wads of toilet tissue scattered about, and a trash receptacle that was well past overflowing.
The stench in there was enough to make you gag.
I can only imagine how coach looked.
Plus, there were two staff members that were very rude and ill-behaved. We're not talking about a lack of professionalism, we're talking about employees that obviously hated their job and were downright churlish.
I contacted Amtrak and they gave me a voucher for future travel, but I will not be riding the Vermonter again.