Amtrak
Reviews and Complaints

I received unnecessarily rude and aggressive treatment from the conductors aboard the train from Boston to New York. I was settled in sitting on the left of the train and was using my laptop computer. When I tried to plug my power adapter into the sockets next to my seat, I discovered that none of the outlets on the left hand side in my car were functioning correctly. I therefore carefully ran a wire across the car to the outlets on the right hand side. I was careful to ensure that the wire was flat with the ground, and not a hazard. The train attendant soon stopped over and told me that this was a safety hazard and that I would have to move to the other side of the train. I had no problem with this, and began to gather my belongings to shift sides. However, I was treated in a rude and abrasive manner by the attendant and his colleague. They told me no fewer than 6 times in quick succession that I should cross to the other side, even though they could clearly see that I was already making preparations to move across. After about 10 seconds he yelled at me that he would "unplug my power adapter in 2 seconds" if I did not immediately comply with his request. This was unnecessary given that I had already started moving. I did not expect to be treated so rudely aboard an Amtrak train, especially given the high cost of the tickets and the expectations of high quality service that I therefore expect to receive aboard the train. Neither attendant expressed any interest in finding out why the outlets were not working, or fixing them. The names of the two train attendants that were rude to me were Kevin and Dave. I do not look forward to travelling on this Amtrak service again in future, and will be taking the bus, which not only has more pleasant staff but also offers working power outlets and WiFi.

I do not complain often, but I would be remiss if I didn't write this after the way I have been treated by Amtrak. Two years ago my husband bought me $200 worth of gift certificates to take a trip from OKC to Ft Worth. Months after that, I discovered I could not reimburse these gift certificates because we did not have a train station located in OKC. This is a stupid policy to begin with, why sell certificates to people if you can't use them from where you live? So, we finally reasoned with the company to send us a $200 voucher. We haven't had the money to take a trip since my husband lost his job shortly after that occurred but I have been saving the voucher. I wanted to give it as a gift for my in-laws for Christmas. I got it out only to find out it is expired. I called the company to see if there is anything I could do, even getting only half of my money back. After explaining the whole scenario, I was treated so rudely I broke into tears when I got off the phone. Not only, was she unsympathetic to my problem but she was curt, rude, and demeaning toward me.

I have so many complaints I really do not know where to start, My suitcase was stolen all because after I asked the staff (Martha) at (HOS) if I needed to check my suitcase in she responded no and proceeeded to ask if I had my name on my bag my answer to her was yes, she then told me to proceed by getting on the train and give my suitcase to the conductor after boarding the train I watched the conductor Steven place my Large Burgundy Suitcase in the Cubby in Cart #2,.. When I made it to New Orleans I exited the train and was told by Steven to go inside the train station inside of New Orleans and wait for my suitcase my suitcase was not found, after I notified the service tech in Bag Handling and went with him to recheck the train my suitcase did not turn up, I was very upset being that I have been given very inaccurate information I even have a witness that heard Martha at the HOS station tell me that I did not need to check my bag in, in New Orleans one of the Amtrak employees blatanly stated that their are lots of cleptomaniacs that ride the train and that more than likely my suitcase was stolen... How foul is that I will be contacting a lawyer and reporting Amtrak to the BBB I can't believe that in these days we are living in, that anyone riding on the train can take other people luggage... I also spoke with Kathleen in Customer Resolutions who was not a help and refused to give me her last name... I will follow up with a lawyer... My reservation #89373

I purchased tickets online and called two days before trip as courtesy to cancel.
Informed that you can keep a xerox copy of the tickets, drop them in the mail and in 10 days you will see the money refunded onto your credit card. If not give us a call back."

Beware:
Amtrak has conflicting policies on ticket refunds.
NEVER mail back tickets for refunds.
If you do send them certified mail.

REPS will tell you conflicting times for your refund
anywhere from “ten days or so” to 3-4 months.

Instead of having each person have accurate information
(they don’t like to be bothered with looking up the policy using
their computer, they usually just make up a time in their head
and strive to get you off the phone. From rep to rep, operator to
refunds deparemtn to customer service to getting hung up
let go of expectations. Getting help via telereps is not going to happen.

Forget about “oh I understand”
or the traditional “how can I help you?”
or “I apologize let me see what I can do”
as a question the rep will probalby just pull something
out of his/her hat instead of offering accurate information
“Can you hold on while I check on that?” will only
be offered if you prompt the customer service rep
(one claim: there are only 40 of us and I’m the only Chris.)

At Amtrak 8 times out of ten (we tested this)
you are treated like a nuissance.

Customer service reps are the
“last chance” to get any info from
and they refuse to transfer you to a supervisor:
“We each handle our own calls. Otherwise you need to write to
washington DC.” (Which sounds like a quick solution, no?)

BEWARE: AMTRAK charges you a 10 percent fee to cash in
(a restocking fee obviously, or maybe to bankrole new training
for reps that give misinformation, burn out, or get booted out!)

BEWARE: AMTRAK has an unending
robotronic voice system that eventually
gets you to be put on hold:
(est. 3/4 hour per chance at getting a “real” teleservices person)

BEWARE: REFUNDS, you may as well keep the tickets and hope you’ll have the guts to take a trip on the train in the next year.

That is unless you have the fortitude to play investigator, enjoy frustration, being treated poorly, and having absolutely no solution to your problems.

Just an FYI: Buy your tickets when you board the train,
then again you’ll face a stiffer ticket price.
E-tickets need to be mailed to you if you don’t have
an open Amtrak office close by.
Reps will make you feel like you made a mistake
and no one is going to say “sorry.”
THEY KEEP 10 percent of your ticket value
and you’ll wait months to get the refund.

HAPPY TRAIN TRAVELS!

I travelled on Amtrak with my wife and 2 children earlier this month. We took our van and travelled from Orlando to DC. During the trip we noticed a foul smell of the toilet and after a few hours we notified the attendant. They agreed there was a smell and said they would go get someone to assist but never returned. We ended up covering our mouth with our blanket to stop from throwing up and at 9am the following day arrived in DC. When I arrived in DC I contacted customer service who told me this was a problem they knew about and offered me $100 credit which I felt was an insult to me as a customer who paid over $500.00 for this trip which was supposted to be fun! I recommned you re-consider if you plan on taking the Atrak!

I purchased a ticket for my son at amtrak on line services. They printed me out a reservation no. and a code bar to scan at the amtrak machine in bridgeport, ct.
when my son arrived at the station he proceeded to scan the reservation conformation . The machine was broken and would not
print the ticket I paid for.
Since all he had was the paper with the bar code, he proceeded to board the train and showed the paper to the conductor. He then told him to get off the train. My son told him the machine was not working and that the ticket was already paid for. He told him to get off the train or buy a ticket for cash, not even at the online price.
It was very important to catch this train, yet no one helped him.
He called me after the train left. I contacted amtrak and they told me
that he would have to purchase a new ticket at nearly double the price in order to board the next train. He did not have that amount in cash on him and holds no credit cards.
He was then forced to take a late train after I wired the money, and there was no metro connection that late at night, so I am forced to pick him up at the station when he arrives. I have recently had a heart attack and have no business out at 2 am. thanks to amtrak I have no choice. If anyone knows where to report this situation please let me know. I can never trust amtrak online again and would advise others
to be very careful purchasing any tickets from their website. They just don't care, they feel no responsibility to their customers.

I paid for a trip for my parents to come visit me in California. Although, the actual trip was good, it was not the trip that they had problems with. When I went to the LA Station to see them off, I immediately went to the Conciere to find out about getting my parents wheel chairs and they said they did not have any but for them to sit in the assisted waiting area. We were the first ones there, we sat down and waited, as we waited I had spoke to several Red Caps trying to find out when their train was going to be there considering it was so loud we could barely here the announcer. Everyone that I spoke to said not to worry we will come get your parents when it is time for them to board. Everytime I saw them come over on the Tram I stopped them and asked them if it were time for them to board. Everytime I asked they replied not yet but we will come and get them when it was time. When the time finally came no one came to get them I just kept asking until the redcap told me it was their train. Everyone started loading on the trams people that were not ever in assited waiting were loading on. These trams were for people whom could not walk all the way down on their own. I watched many people get on that were not even waiting they just walked up and got on. When I finally started walking up to the tram to help my parents get on they shewed us back in a line. At that point I was really upset. My parents carry on luggage was in the line where they were standing my mom stepped back away from her briefcase and one of the assisted helpers bent over picked up the bag and tossed it approx 5ft to the tram. It had a (brand new laptop in it that I gave them for christmas in it) I placed a claim against the gentleman that threw it on the tram and that was 01/04/09 it is now 06/26/09 and I am still batteling with the Customer Relations. (Carolyn Gilmore) she has been adamint about me sending my original claim and repair estimate to her.. The orignal was sent to the LA Station as I was instructed. I keep telling her I do not have the original. Then they told they needed me to have the laptop repaired and send them the receipt. Once again I did this and yet they are still telling the doucments are not sufficent for the claim. I can't believe that I am having so much trouble over $350.00 dollars. That was the total amount to have the laptop repaired. Not only that they are trying to tell me that it was our fault because this should have not been carry on. I'm curious why they advertise they have internet connection if you can't bring your laptop on the train. Please give me any suggestions of whom I can contact at Amtrak. [protected]

Travel from Baltimore to NY on 11/30. Train had no working bathroom in the first 2 cars maybe at the back of the third car and was not an Amtrak Train, It was a New Jersey Transit Commuter train that we travelled on for 3 hours and 55 minutes. The traiun had short seats with no real leg room and a terrible odor that kept coming through the vents. It was bad enough when we got to the platform the trains all seemed suspended over head until we realized that this was not a normal platform you had to step up at least 3 feet to climb onto the first step that was short and narrow and then have someone behind you give you your bags if you are lucky if not throw them up and climb on board and I mean climb literally. Try doing that with an 80 year old with a bad knee/hip. Luckily the red cap person was very nice and tried to help. I traveled on train 3082 and imagine my surprise when cnot only was it not an Amtrak train but it was a NJ transit Commuter train with short seats, bad odor and extremly uncomfortablefor such a period of travel. My poor Gran sat with her leg hunched to the side because the seats are short they only support half your thighs and they was no heat. Today I have a cold and my Gran is home with an ache in her hip from the terrible travelling conditions that we paid overr $100 each one way for this agony. I paid money to ride an AMTRAK train with a bathroom, comfortable seats and leg room, i paid for comfort not bad odor and the makings of a cold. I did not pay to have my Gran Hoisted onto the train and then climbing precariously up myself., hoping you don't fall as you drag your bag and yourself up the tiny steep stairs. It was crazy. It was not at all what i paid for. When I spopke to Customer Service in Penn Station NY She said I should've told the conductor to hold the train while my Gran wobbled three cars back to get to a bathroom, and the 20 minutes + that it would take her to come and go how long would the conductor hold it. The only good thing that the customer service in NY did was let her use their bathroom. We still had 2 hours of travelling ahead of us and it was not fair to this elderly p[erson to be treated so for what was paid.

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The Amtrak station platforms are becoming infested with homeless people. It's not safe to wait outside for trains anymore. You can wait for your train and be accosted by a homeless person or Jehova's witnesses for up to 30 minutes before the staff will call the police. I try to move away from them, but they get belligerent, demanding money and yelling at you and other passengers if you don't give them what they want. I've spoken to conductors, but they are government workers and only care about their narrow job, which isn't passenger safety throughout the journey.

In October of 2007, my wife and I (65 years old) began a two thousand dollar Amtrak trip in a standard roomette. We were soon subjected to stultifying high temperatures and a lack of ventilation in our 6 and-a-half by 3 and-a-half foot compartment. The unsmiling, condescending and insolent conductors professed helplessness in the face of the oppressive conditions, and when I asked one of the conductors what his name was, he immediately covered his identity badge with his hand!

We continued to object to these conditions, and finally the conductor had the train stopped, called in local marshals, and ejected my wife and I from the train in the middle of the night.

We were forced to quickly pack all of our luggage and drag our bags off the train without any assistance. We had our tickets confiscated, and were left standing in the dark around midnight, after being told that we were forever banned from Amtrak trains. However, we were not the only couple who was profoundly distressed by our Amtrak experience. When the conductor overheard me speaking to one of the marshals about this, he immediately returned our tickets to us and offered my wife and I the option of getting back on the train the following day! What was it that I told the Marshall? That approximately 12 hours before, another couple had been kicked off the train with the accompaniment of the police for complaining about the suffocating conditions!

It's one thing that Amtrak charges high prices for the honor of occupying a tiny bedroom in one of their obsolete railcars. It's another thing if in addition, the service personnel are generally rude, insulting and sadistic. The only exception to this would be in the dining car where a gratuity is expected. My wife and I sued Amtrak for this abusive service and our abandonment in an unknown town in the middle of the night. We won with little difficulty.

It seems Amtrak has a stable of attorneys on call to take care of litigations of this type. Make sure you are prepared with adequate legal support the next time you travel Amtrak.

Hello to anyone that cares. First of all this was my first ride on the train going to New York (Manhattan), I truly enjoyed the ride going even though it was 18 hours, no problem at all. From the service all the way to the conductor and his train. my husband and I venture out on the 17th of sept. 2008.

Basically what I am writing about is the trip home was pure-d-heck, there was some young men (boys) on the train using profanity from the time they got on in new york about 2:00 pm until after 12 midnight. Me as a woman and I sure others didn't want to hear All that mess, I politely ask the guys will they please tone it down t was elderly and kids on board and they did for a moment, I guess they thought about it and decided to start back. One guy said the *** with this I can say what want, didn't ask the guys to hush or shut up, I simply ask them to tone the language down as M...F..- S...- F... This and so on. Well as it continue, my husband decided to step in and say something to the guy that was working our train 19 to Atlanta, the guy stated that he will handle it, well as you know he didn't. so another passage decided he will say something to the guys and this man was riding in the back so you know they had to be excessively LOUD. This didn't work either so by this time my husband decide to go get someone else which I believe it was the conductor because he had on a different uniform from the other guy and this particular guy came to finally eject them from our car. Where he put them frankly I didn't care. But this was really ridiculous they way the other guy allowed them to carry on for awhile. as I stated you have kids and elderly/woman-men on the train and they shouldn't be allowed to use that kind of language, you really couldn't get any rest even if you tried. because they wanted to be loud and ignorant. My second pet ped was if you have a lap top or any type of musical item their should be a rule of thumb to use ear plugs, no one wants to hear that crap others are listening to this is rude as ***, if you don't have earplugs you can't use the item. My third pet ped is when you attend the dining car the servers should just assume you want to sit with others, I do know that everyone can't have a table along, but you may have something private you want to talk about with whom ever you are dining with, or may be for one instance while we were there you had to white guys sitting at a table and a black woman came in the pretty much refuse to allow her to sit with them, the server told to the guys "you can't sit here along you have to share this table" as the woman was sitting down she was apologizing about having to sit with them when it wasn't her fault, the server place her there. Going the same thing happen to us doing breakfast, they just place someone with us without asking if we mind, (surely it was ok) but its the principle of the whole thing.they brought the lady to the table and said sit here, I just looked up for a moment at first because I didn't know they was actually telling her to sit with us (we enjoyed her) like I stated everyone don't want to sit or be with others no matter what. Now the question is whether I will take another trip on amtrak SURE I WILL. "Just take care of the language and the no earplugs"

The trip South in January had a few problems but the return in early March was a disaster. We ride in the lower level as my wife cannot climb the stairs.

The ride was so rough, it bounced my sleeping head on the window. Too fast over bad tracks.

We had our meals delivered to our seats - service was poor as was the food. The fish (Tilapia) was burned for dinner but the rice was ice cold. In the morning, the milk for our cereal was frozen solid.

A trip to the diner (no service) got some useable but still with ice crystals. Hard to get coffee as well.

Long wait at Lorton - all water fountains broken. Place was a dump.

Today I had a train ticket for the 8:58 train from Burbank to San Diego. There is no agent at the Burbank station. Someone was hit by a train early in the morning and they could have called or emailed me. They had all the information. Someone was hit by a train in Van Nuys, CA very early that morning and the police kept terminating the service from Burbank and saying train would come in 2 hours but it never did. When I called customer service *4 times) nobody know about the fatality even at 11am in the morning. To top it off, they had the gall to charge me the 10% cancellation free when they are the ones who cancelled my plans to take a train. I am out over $50 in taxi cab fare and had to drive to San Diego and pay for valet parking for 4 days. Amtrak did not have the decency to send a van to Burbarnk to pick up stranded passengers to take them to LA to get trains to their destinations. However, Amtrak did report lies to the TV news and lied stating that they got the passengers new train tickets. Perhaps they got service for the people who were on the train that hit the pedestrian but they did not do anything for the people in Burbank right down the street. I am thoroughly disgusted and will never travel Amtrak for the rest of my life. I will also sue them and won't be happy until they go bankrupt. Nobody in customer service even apologized to me. Their employees refused to give me the name and address of the President of the company. Absolutely horrible experience!

We were involved in an accident a year ago in March in Massachusetts. An Amtrak truck ran a red light and hit the van that we were driving that had prisoners in it. We were all taken to the hospital in ambulances. We have never received any compensation for this accident for are pain and suffering and loss of personal property. I have been in contact with the insurance company several times and I keep getting the same remark we haven't got any paperwork I have sent it three times. I am tired of the run around they think just because they are a big company they can just push us to the side. I feel this is totally wrong.