OT: Sick "little" april fools joke, Warning about Amtrak Options

[smrz914]

Sorry for the long post but I'm so irate. I'm sorry to vent like this here but you guys are my support group. So it started out nicely, my roomate wanted to go home this weekend and finish puting together his Fiat 124. We are in Chico and the car is in the Bay Area. The plan was to take Amtrak back to the bay area, get his car finished, and then take the car for a long drive up to Humbolt to visit a friend. The train we wanted was scheduled to leave at 3:50 AM on Friday morning. No problem we thought, we could drink a little to make the time go faster (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif) and walk on down to the train station. So we called Amtrak Wednesday night, because we couldn't buy tickets on-line because it was to close to the departure time. the lady on the phone said that we would have to buy the tickets on the train in order to get the AAA discount (very important for college students). We called about 6 hours before our train was suppose to arrive and found out that the train was running about an hour late. Great so now we have to stay up even longer. About an hour befor the new arrival time we call again and now the train was only half an hour late. It probably takes about 30 minutes to walk there so we left our apartment. We get to the station and wait there with a few other people for the train to arrive. The train finally comes and we wait to get on the train. the condictor asks us where we are going and we say Martinez and then he asks for our reservation number. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/blink.gif) Our what we say?

Then the conductor says we can't get on the train. I couldn't belive it. So my friend says ok lets go back to the apartment. On the way back I decide to give them a little piece of my mind about the whole thing. I feel a little sorry for the woman at the other end of the line untill she starts being rude. Well she practically hangs up on me. Now I'm even more pissed off. So there is a I call them again a couple of hours later and try to see when the next departure time is for something leaving chico. Well that is at 8:10 AM, so I tell the guy to book me a ticket and he says that's not necessary, that i can buy my ticket on the train. So I said OK, give me a reservation number, then the moron tries to tell me that I don't need one of those to get on the bus. So I interrupt him by saying, In the nicest tone I can, "No o no no no, give me a reservation number", and then there is silence at the other end. I say "Hello", in a provocative way and he says "I'm still here, hold on", in an irritated way. Well I get my reservation number.

Moral of the story, if you go with Amtrak for anything get a reservation number.

I'm still pissed about this. But thanks for listening. I hope yoru days are going better.

[Elliot_Cannon]

Amtrack sucks. Trains suck. Do you live on Orchard Rd. in Lafayette?
Cheers, Elliot

[xsboost90]

whats a train? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

[rhodyguy]

were you trying to catch the coast starlight? i tried to get on it in portland yest. i got the whole story from all the station guys (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) , while i waited about 4 hours. appearently part of the ontime issue is the fact that SP, BNSF, and UP actullay own the rail tracks. passenger trains wait. a shortage of engineers and larger freight trains result in "dead" trains, those that are stacked up waiting for the track. better than a bus for not much more money. there would be more commuter trains running to seattle from tacoma daily, and the trains are full. BN won't conceed track time.

k

[Rgreen914]

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Apr 1 2005, 09:45 PM)

"SP, BNSF, and UP"

There is no more SP...it is now part of the Union Pacific, just like the Santa Fe (AT&SF) is now part of Burlington Norhern Santa Fe (BNSF); aren't railroad mergers wonderful? It's how they stay in business!

Ron

[Rick_Eberle]

I drive trains. Whining passengers suck!

[Bruce Allert]

Been on a train twice & love both times. Had a room for a person in a wheel chair (My late wife needed the chair). It was B I G! Had room service too (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

B U T..... While booking the train with the handicapped room I was told it was going to cost $200 more because it was the handicapped room. Mind you, this was the only place accessible for a wheel chaired person & they were going to try to charge more!

I asked for the Supervisor to discuss being penalized for needing this specific room.

Long story short..... we paid normal fair (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif)

.....b

[rhodyguy]

my b-in-law (conductor, coal trains) has little use for "loggerheads"(?) other than pushing that button that silences the alarm and keeping their foot on the go pedal. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) .

[mattillac]

the one and only time i tried to take amtrak from martinez to L.A. sucked. the train was supposed to arrive at about 6:30pm. myself and the rest of the passengers waiting at the station didn't get on the train until about 12:30am. train was delayed due to an "electrical problem". they did comp. our tickets tho. so we got a free ride at the cost of 7 hours of our time. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif) booooooo! oh well. the actual train ride was pleasant tho. train was pretty much empty. had some drinks and felt better. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer3.gif)

[smrz914]

Well I was in humbolt all weekend so I didn't get to reply. I wanted to take the train. Never have taken one in the U.S. thought it would be a cool experience. I think i'll try another day.

We decided to go and visit my friend. I had an awesome time there and the drive wasn't to bad. We took 299 out to Arcata, not a bad road, and I do wish I had my 914. Made it there in 5 hours with a dinner stop. Rained all the way home. But everything turned out great. I'm glad I got to spend an extra night out there.

QUOTE

Amtrack sucks. Trains suck. Do you live on Orchard Rd. in Lafayette?

Nope not on orchard road.