A pleasant train trip from MSP to CHI turned into an annoying and expensive trip for my son and me. The train was swoped out the night before for a nine hour bus ride, a joy I declined. Amtrak refunded my money, but it left me staying in MSP overnight for no reason along with buying two last-minute air tickets to Chicago. All in, I spent $350 that I hadn't planned on due to Amtrak's problems keeping the trains running.

What manner and amount of compensation should I expect to get from Amtrak customer care? I was on hold with them yesterday but after 45 minutes of waiting, I had to go and actually work.