|
Originally Posted by 777 global mile hound
We take risk to some degree with every program we participate in.
I guess there are many perspectives on this issue but IMO less then 30 days notice is what I believe would have been fair or acceptable to the membership base. But then again my opinion doesn't matter very much :) And 10 K worth of miles to transfer won't really make any real difference to me.I'm not losing any sleep over the issue.However trust with Amtrak/GoldPoints that's another story.Sorry no more. It is one thing to have an exit strategy in a rewards program it is another to essentially do whatever you want without notice whenever it may be in your best interest or favor. CRM is a very important thing in the business world. To ignor customer satisfaction can be a very dangerous thing. I plan personally never to use Amtrak again the program or the credit card. My credit card account will close within 60 days I will transfer/ remove anything that is left and close a chapter on one of the more poorly managed programs in the US. The reformed Click Rewards gets the ultimate top billing there as worst. This is the last time I will ever do business with this group who also happens to manage the Goldpoints program. I was burned once by them in that program with no notification and now again. There were some other dramas too with going into my AA FF account and removing miles that they should not have removed.That were later returned. They are a very agressive self serving operation. They won't see me in a Radisson Hotel again either or shopping online at Amtrak or Goldpoints. Every online shopping site in North America has a better value proposition when earning. If I can find anything nice to say about their programs is that they had some of the nicest Customer Service pofessionals on the phone who unfortunately were empowered to do nothing most of the times when things went wrong. It's all in managements hands and I wish them well in the future. I won't be concerned the next time around because I won't be at the mercy of their program and their heavy handed tactics. My apologies to all who were effected.Most programs do operate more fairly As for grace periods, yes, out of sheer taste and dignity, they really should have given one. Now a message has been sent to other companies that this move is fine, and it is tolerated by the customers--who actually may have complained but this goes largely unnoticed. That later means that other companies or airlines could do away with their gracec periods, which WILL affect us all! And if we let it happen once, we deserve what we get. think about that, and still think about ACCOUNTABILITY... We are in the age of none. I don't particularly like that, do you? :)MM |
Originally Posted by gleff
OMNI Alert:
The Amtrak subsidy redistributes wealth upwards - the bulk of Amtrak passengers are upper income. The most traveled routes are in the Northeast corridor frequented by business travelers. Should the median taxpayer fork over money to them? Amtrak wastes billions of dollars running nearly empty trains to the districts of influential congressmen. That's our 'national transportation system'. Rail makes sense only in dense population corridors. Unsurprisingly, only DC-NY-Boston can come close to being economically viable. That said, I love my Guest Rewards points. I hate that I can't transfer them to United anymore. Continental miles are worthless. I guess I'll just move them to Hilton. Amtrak has problems which appear to be lessening (BTW, it is not running empty trains -- they have figured out yield management like everyone else). However, I think the zeroing out of its budget is an enormous error. Once passenger rail is defunded, I think that there will never be national service again. Only the Northeast and the West Coast will probably preserve rail in any fashion. Perhaps a couple of routes out of Chicago. |
Huge Road and Air Subsidies Also Favor the Wealthy
Most poor people do not benefit particularly from road and air subsidies.
Air traffic control is largely paid out of the general fund, as are about one-third of road costs. And who visits parks....paid for largely by general taxes, rather than user fees? Amtrak is no different. And, there are no empty trains. All Amtrak services are reasonably well-used, even the trains through West Virginia. |
ways to USE those amtrak points that may be stuck?
FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups
go to www.frequentflier.com and check their forum section. In the AIRLINE section is a new post that may help people in here: FrequentFlier.com Forum Index -> Airline Programs posted by LarryK Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:45 pm Post subject: 5000 easy Amtrak points ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Email promo from Amtrak Guest Rewards (does not say limited to email subscribers, however) Register for promo = 200 points Charge $3000 to Amtrak Mastercard = 2400 bonus points Transactions with 3 different partners = 2400 bonus points (specifically includes Amtrak mastercard, so 2 additional partners if you earn the other 2400 point bonus, includes rewardsmall so you can use the rewardsmall portal to giftcertificates.com to buy yourself a Supercertificate for $0.95 for one transaction) runs 4/15 to 6/30 link: http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/in...bonus2005.html 5000 points converts to 5000 Midwest Express or Continental miles |
Originally Posted by dtremit
Local stops are one of the biggest draws for Acela Express, and they don't add much travel time at all. The first southbound Acela leaves downtown Boston at 5:20am, completes its stop at Back Bay (another stop in the city) at 5:25, completes another stop at Rt. 128 (the first ring highway around Boston) at 5:34, and is ready to leave Providence, RI (40-some miles away from Boston) by 5:54am. Thirty-four minutes for nearly fifty miles of travel and three intermediate stops really isn't bad. A five minute turnaround -- or less -- at intermediate stations is entirely realistic.
The Shinkansen in Japan are fast...but the real key to the system is the limited number of stations and the ***one minute*** dwell time in station. |
Deleted
|
An excellent article in the NYT on Sunday illuminated one problem for the railroad between NYP and BOS. (1) The switch for the Hellgate line south of New Rochelle needs replacement -- the trains travel at 10MPH for five minutes through here; (2) the entire portion New Rochelle-New Haven is limited by the Connecticut DOT to 70MPH, which is far slower than the 120MPH that even the regionals can travel; (3) the catenaries will eventually require replacement for true (150MPH+) high-speed service.
Problem 2 is entirely political, and problem 1 is solvable with a modest outlay. The "dwell" problem is also somewhat political. Connecticut would make a stink if AMTRAK did the sensible thing and canceled stops at Old Saybrook, Bridgeport, and New London on the mainline; Wallingford, Berlin, and Windsor on the inland route. Those stations generate little traffic, and some have alternate service available. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 7:35 pm. |
This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.