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NEVER Use Amtrak - Awful Customer Service and Zero Accountability
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- Just a friendly reminder that no one should ever use Amtrak again. Their website will purchase authorize a ton of money out of your account, leaving you with holds on funds over $1000 for a $269.50 ticket since they attempt a purchase authorization each time you hit submit, and if your bank approves it, that does not mean Amtrak will approve it because if your billing info isn't the first set of billing info your bank returns (many accounts have primary, secondary and tertiary billing info, payment processors are expected to check all returned XML data, which Amtrak does not.)

Then they will refuse to help you in any way for hours on the phone, and claim that contacting your bank to help resolve the issue is "illegal" and attempt to blame the issue on you. As a web developer who interacts with payment gateways and payment processors and ACH processors, I know exactly what their website did, why it is wrong, and why it is their fault. The corporate bureaucracy involved with getting on the phone with a person that can help you is as follows:

Call. Press 0. Press 0. Ask to speak with a manager. Denied. Ask to speak with a customer rep, transfer + hold for 45 minutes, 4 hours on the phone explaining the situation (Monday), told it will be resolved by Friday, given exact instructions (step by step) for what to do when you call on Friday. Call Friday and follow steps and be told that everything you were told Monday you were not told.

Once again told it is illegal for a merchant to contact a bank to tell the bank that the transaction will not be processed (yeah, totally illegal guys, no merchant has ever contact a bank, ever, because of how illegal that is, right? Wrong, but hey, uninformed people probably buy that line all the time).

Finally have the person admit they were wrong and that it is just an internal policy, have them tell you they can offer you a travel voucher for your outgoing trip, but only after your bank denies the transaction one last time, bank denies the transaction and they say "it's your zip code, you aren't giving me the zip code correctly" and of course, I am SITTING AT THE BANK WITH THE BANK MANAGER WHO IS SAYING THAT IT IS THE ZIP CODE ON MY ACCOUNT.

Offer to put the bank manager on the phone, representative declines and once again says that the issue is with me, that no way could it be an issue with their system. Once again, while I am sitting at my bank, verifying the information as I speak it. Tell them once again you are not looking for anything FREE you are just not able to make the purchase, because they have already purchase authorized so much money out of your account.

Told once again it will be 3-5 business days and the transaction will fall off (it should have fallen off right away when they pinged the payment Gateway saying they were not going to pursue the transaction that was pre-authorized with the purchase authorization, but that is something the Amtrak programmer omitted). Explain to them that a mom and pop hair salon in rural Vermont has a better system that was designed for less than the purchase authorization holds and once again mention I do this for a living so STOP LYING TO ME PLEASE.

Told that a travel voucher for your outgoing trip will be made and that you can just hope and pray that the money is back in your account by Monday, because you are expected to show up at the train station with cash to pay for your ticket. Accept this, but tell them you want proof in an e-mail that this is indeed the case, that you have been ** around all week and do not trust that it is "in the system." They tell you they will send an email right away. Boom. E-mail sent. Call ended. Check e-mail, nothing about a voucher, just a bill.

Call back, ask the woman on the phone to confirm that it is paid. Woman says "it's in the system," ask for an e-mail with proof because you were told "it's in the system" on Monday, but when you called back Friday it was not. Mention that no less than 5 minutes ago, you were told by the customer relations person that they would send an email which would mention the "travel voucher."

Start to get attitude from the woman, ask her employee id number, refused. Ask her name, mumbled, ask her to repeat it and spell it, mumbled and subject change to transferring to customer relations. Ask to somehow not have to sit on another 45 min hold, or if there is ANY way to get some written proof that what is "in the system" is going to still be "in the system" the next day. Refused. Hung up on.

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Enjoyable, relaxing, comfortable
StarStarStarStarStarBy -
Rating: 5/51

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- I've read a LOT of bleeding-heart complaint about Amtrak. Most of the "problems" were entirely avoidable. Here's my Top Ten List for Amtrak travelers:

1) Don't board the train with a chip on your shoulder. It is YOUR attitude that dictates how you are treated by the Amtrak staff and fellow passengers. Boarding the train with an attitude of, "Hello, Amtrak. What can I to make your job easier today?" goes a LONG way toward making your travel experience more enjoyable for everyone.

2) The train is often off-schedule, and almost all of the time it is due to circumstances beyond Amtrak's control. Yes, there are occasional mechanical "opportunities," but you have those with your own home, car, computer, workplace, etc. Many of the time delays are the result of infrastructure, maintenance, and rail use conflicts. There are occasional personal passenger issues (i.e., medical, safety, etc.) that can cause major delays. Sometimes delays are caused by hostile passengers that require unscheduled stops (sometimes in the middle of nowhere) so local, state, and federal law enforcement can assist Amtrak in adjusting their personal travel schedule. Occasionally some idiot feels it necessary to attempt to (unsuccessfully) beat a train to a crossing, bringing ALL rail traffic to a grinding halt until the mess can be cleaned up and the tracks repaired. Amtrak cannot control washed out bridges, floods, extreme weather, etc. Getting hostile with the dining car staff because you're behind schedule will NOT make the train move faster. There's a dude up in the engine that has his hand on the throttle lever, and he is in radio contact with a dispatcher who is facilitating all of the rail traffic in the area. It is not his responsibility nor does he have time to inform you of why he is doing what he is doing.

3) Almost all Amtrak employees are human beings. They react to you the way most humans react to you. If you act like you think you are royalty, they may not accommodate your self-elevated status quickly enough to satisfy you. If you act like you perceive them as your personal lowly servants, they may not immediately assume that lowly state in an appropriately humble way to satisfy you. Do not expect them to genuflect in your presence, or kiss any part of your anatomy in adoration, awe, or reverence.

4) Remember that you are sharing space on a public conveyance with others, many of whom think that THEY are God's gift to the human race. The Amtrak employees (as well as your fellow passengers) are reacting to them (and you) in predictable ways. You may not be fully aware of all of the situations your Amtrak employees are dealing with at any given point in time. Let them do their job without creating yet another issue for them to deal with.

5) Not all Amtrak staff members are fully aware of all of the factors influencing your progression down the tracks at any given point in time. It is not their responsibility to interrupt their duties to become fully aware of why your train is traveling at the speed it is (or is stopped "in the middle of nowhere") just to satisfy your curiosity. Relax. Chances are you and the train will probably arrive at about the same time.

6) Use the seat(s) reserved for you and ONLY the seat(s) reserved for you unless you make specific adjustments with the Conductor. Be considerate of your fellow travelers and not slop your junk (and audio) over into adjacent seats and public spaces. Just because that seat next to you is empty right now, there is no guarantee that it will remain unoccupied past the next station. The Conductor may or may not know if that seat is sold further down the line.

7) It is NOT the responsibility of any Amtrak employee to make sure you detrain at the proper location. Amtrak can only do so much to protect you from your own stupidity, inattention, inadequate planning, and ignorance.

8) Be tolerant of your fellow passengers as well as the Amtrak staff. You do NOT know what internal and external issues and distractions have been impacting their lives for the past 24 hours.

9) If you are the 25th person to tell an Amtrak employee about what you perceive as a problem especially if it is something obvious and/or something he/she is powerless to correct you may not get the passionately sensitive, genuinely sympathetic response you think you deserve.

10) Remember that Amtrak's sole purpose for existence is to get you from point "A" to point "B" as quickly and safely as possible. The emphasis is on "safely." They probably did not know all of the parameters and circumstances of your specific trip when they published the schedule. Deal with it. Stuff happens. Train delays probably will not cause the world to come to an end. When you perceive an earth-shattering disruption in your travel plans, ask yourself, "Will any of this really matter 5 years from now?"

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Horrible Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- My luggage was left in Chicago. They delivered it to me on the next day, but my bag was torn. I called them, and they said that I should go back there and fill out a form. When I went back there, another employee said that I should mail them. I did it, and they do not answer any email, or call me.

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Great Trip
StarStarStarStarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 4/51

UTICA, NEW YORK -- Took the Lake Shore Limited from Utica, NY to Chicago IL. Train was late but less than an hour. No biggie. Rode coach. Seats were fine and roomy for a non-superliner. Did not get much sleep but was pretty wound up anyway. Bathrooms were a little dirty but did not smell awful. Staff was fine, no problems. Enjoyed that leg just fine. Got into Chicago roughly on time. Once I found the Amtrak waiting area at the station I was fine but a rather confusing station. Wait for Southwest Chief was about 5 hours but that's the schedule and it's a once a day train and I was well aware that would be case. Comfortable waiting area but could use more restrooms.

Boarded Chief on time and was surprised how much room Superliner had in coach. If traveling with a companion I would have purchased sleeper but it's more than I was willing to spend traveling solo. Two outlets at every set of seats for electronics. Worked fine. The superliner cars in coach have 4 small and 1 handicap bathroom per unit. All were kept clean during trip and stocked well with soap, tissue and paper hand towels. One of the smaller bathrooms has a full-length mirror and a padded seat as a kind of changing room. Worked fine for sponge bath once a day and was able to wash hair in sink using paper cups (provided and kept stocked).

I did not use dining car as I packed a bunch of food and supplemented with lounge car chow. The staff on the Chief were all very professional and very nice. Chatted with some of them and none were rude. The lady running the lounge car food and drink was excellent and very informative. Lounge car afforded great views and was very clean. We did run into some heavy rain and the lounge car windows leaked but not bad and it was quickly spiffed up by train crew.

All in all, I had a great trip from Utica to LA. I hate flying and the return trip driving my buddies pickup truck was just awful compared to the train. Train travel may not be for everyone, I enjoy the ability to move around, meet new folks and use a bathroom whenever I wish. You won't be treated like royalty or pampered running coach on Amtrak but you can enjoy some great scenery and the unique experience of rail travel if you pack accordingly and expect a few bumps in the rail.

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Amtrak Is Not for the Faint-Hearted
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA -- Amtrak arrived about 40 minutes late. It was the night-train, going from Palm Springs, CA to downtown Los Angeles. Many seats were occupied by people who appeared half-rotten already due to a long trip from Texas, either trying to sleep, or perhaps comatose due to smells from the bathrooms. I seated myself, and the trip through the twilight route to L. Angeles began. To my detriment, the a/c was blowing freezing air into the compartment, mixed with smells of perfume and feces. Thank goodness I was prepared for catastrophic circumstances and had my artic-weather jacket with me.

Despite the jacket, the freezing air activated my bladder soon, and I had to go to the (infamous) Amtrak-toilet. Apart from the fact that it requires acrobatic skills to pee while the train moves at high speed and one is thrown around and has to grab something so one does not bang at the walls or sink, the smells and dirt are so gross that the Amtrak-horror finds its ultimate crescendo. To be repeated fairly soon, thanks to arctic climate control settings.

By the time the train arrived in Los Angeles, I looked and felt like old, wrinkled newspaper dunk in a used toilet. Amtrak is not for the faint-hearted. If you can tolerate "train-abuse", Amtrak is for you. Though, by all fairness, I have seen worse. So, be prepared for a rough ride and be grateful for arriving at your destination in one piece. Military personnel may love Amtrak, especially those who served in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Would I do it again? ONLY if I had absolutely no other alternatives, and I'd have a disinfectant spray with me for the bathrooms. One more thing, sleeping (well) on a rolling train is pretty much impossible. Count on arriving at your destination as a zombie in desperate need for sleep.

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NOT the BEST
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- Our third AMTRAK trip to Chicago. 1st was Southwest Chief, 2nd was Empire Builder and last was California Zephyr. The first 2 were good experiences for my granddaughter to see the country. We always book a sleeping car and enjoy seating in the dining room with other people. There are always delays on Amtrak due to the whole rail ownership thing and we expect that. The Zephyr from Emeryville was no exception. It was late by 4 hours including 1 hour standing in the sun after the station guy told us to all go out and line up because the train would arrive in 5 minutes.

Once on board, it was past noon, so they said no lunch would be served. As a sleeping car passenger I figured they would provide free food from the snack bar, but no dice - we had to pay. Then we had a dinner reservation at 8 pm and waited and waited and waited until at 9 pm - they announced the dining room was closed. Quickly bought more microwave stuff at the snack bar. Next morning I jokingly asked the waitress if we were owed 2 lunches and 2 dinners - got a Mike Tyson response. Proceeded along and the scenery is great across the Sierras and Rockies. More delays due to flooding in Iowa and had to switch tracks, which meant waiting for a different train crew.

Finally on the last night they said they were out of food and our dinner was an Oliver Twist bowl of soup. I wondered what happened to all those lunches that were never served the first day - maybe packed up by the crew for the home freezer? Anyway we finally arrived in Chicago 13 hours behind schedule which created a whole host of other issues with hotel and rental car reservations. I love trains, but that crew based out of Chicago seemed to hate their jobs, the work and everyone they met - they only want the paycheck.

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Poor and Unreliable Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

VIRGINIA -- My recent experience shows that Amtrak provides unreliable service, the trains are out of repair, and the customer service response is terrible. I bought two round-trip tickets so that my son and I could travel to Philadelphia to meet an important appointment of my son. For that reason, I bought tickets for an Amtrak train due to arrive at 12:15 pm. On Saturday, Nov 15th, after we arrived at the Alexandria station, however, we were informed that the 9 am train would not arrive which required us to take a train arriving at 10:45 am if we paid an additional $25.

If Amtrak had sent me an email notice prior to 9 am -- as I had requested when buying the tickets -- disclosing the problem with the first train we would have avoided the needless wait. Then we got on the second train (for which I paid an additional $25) and went to Union Station DC. That train, however, also had mechanical difficulties which created significant additional delay.

The train then proceeded on and I bought a Panini from the Amtrak food service. It has very soggy and hardly edible. At 2 pm (one hour and forty-five minutes after the scheduled arrival time), we arrived in Philadelphia on the second train. As a result of Amtrak's poor service, my son was agitated and a half hour late for his appointment.

I went on the Amtrak website and filed a complaint requesting a refund of one-half the price of my Amtrak tickets plus $25.00. Five days later I was contacted by an Amtrak representative that Amtrak would refund the $25 additional charge but none of the cost of one-half the tickets. No discussion about it and no apologies -- the representative refused to discuss why I would get no refund on the tickets. I then went to the Amtrak website to get the telephone number or email of Amtrak management to discuss the matter, but there is no way to contact them. Amtrak has very little concern about its customers.

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Amtrak Train Sleeper Car
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA -- NEVER AGAIN. I went from Virginia to Atlanta Ga for about a month to visit my daughter and grandchildren, I thought taking the train would be a nice experience... I was so very wrong. Trip from VA to GA was bad for following reasons. Dirty sleeper car. Smelly blanket and sheets. Attendant was rude and did not help with bags. My younger daughter was traveling with me and she slept in top bunk. He did not show her how to use the restraint and she nearly fell out as train turned and hit bumps. The toilet and sink in room were too dirty to even consider using and we asked where another bathroom was... He seemed to find it amusing to send us three cars down.

Food was ok on trip down but with half the tables empty they INSISTED on seating us with two men we did not know who were drinking. (more than a bit I think) Our sleeper car was an oven, dial broke or at least that's what we were told. Return from Atlanta Ga back to Culpeper about a month later... Lady who brought me to the car was nice and DID help with bags.

Room was again filthy (this time I took pictures). Sheets did not stink but had yellow stains and huge holes in them. (she brought new sheets). The food that was previously available was "discontinued" however that included meal was not discounted from my ticket... There were four microwaved pasta or rice dishes and they were all pretty BAD as everyone in dining car was complaining. Breakfast omelets are gone along with all the other nice items, cold cereal, a microwaved sausage sandwich or a cheap in plastic bagged muffin are your choices! However, you can go to the other car and BUY other things that are no longer included in what we were originally sold as included in our ticket!

Room was alternately roasting or freezing. I was told something was broke so they were circulating air between cars. You would be sweating then air kicks on and you're chilled and freezing! For the HUNDREDS I spent for the "Privilege of being able to get a little sleep" sleep I could NOT get for all the reasons listed. I highly doubt I will travel Amtrak again. I looked and found round trip business class for about half of what I spent on the sleeper car. I left feeling GROSS, hungry and tired. Oh - and the top bunk did not lock into place properly and came down on my shoulder and head/neck area... Two days later I still hurt!

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Get Your Act Together
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- I took a day trip down to Washington DC from New York, so from just boarding the train it was chaos and the gate slammed with people. Do you think it's practical to try and put several hundred people in a single file line to get on a train? Amtrak seems to think so, and I think many of us realize it doesn't work so well. So the ride takes 3 and a half hours and the ride quality is horrendous. The train is so wobbly I can't even keep my balance when I stand up to stretch my legs or walk around.

I've read that the coach cars you ride in are from the 1980s, maybe even older so they've only been modified to have a lot of the newest basics like plug outlets and wifi which is horribly spotty by the way. You can't hold a connection for very long, and they can't even list a simple graphic of what station is next. They have to have an announcer say it over the speaker which ranges from sounding like a whisper to blaring and waking up sleeping passengers with an obnoxious garbled announcement from screeching speakers.

Getting home I finished my day in DC a little early so I asked if I could switch to an earlier train. Lady at the reception desk said that'll be $130. I said forget it so I waited around and the train back kept getting delayed. Meanwhile, a different train arriving over an hour later already had its track number listed.

In getting back, see the problems I listed earlier, in particular the boarding process. I finally got back to New York at about 1:30 AM. I swear the Long Island Rail Road has better functionality than this. I could make a few simple suggestions, make the boarding process like any other train and let customers just get on, get new train cars with modern announcement abilities.

They have them in the country so you don't have to look very far, that should also make the ride more comfortable, stable and the train might not feel like a speedboat going over choppy water. Let there be a broader scale in case of something customers won't be charged a small fortune for the inconvenience and if nothing else figure out a way to shorten the train journey to make this ticket a bit more worth the price that it commands.

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Read This Before Booking an Amtrak Vacations
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

DICKSON, ILLINOIS -- I recently booked Amtrak Vacations on the Empire Builder, City of New Orleans, Pacific Coast Starlight, and California Zephyr. I couldn't wait for the trip to end... The cars were last rehabbed in the 1980s. The rooms are dirty, the facilities filthy. Forget the "chef inspired" cuisine. It no longer exists. Instead, you get vending machine microwaved food not fit for humans. The restrooms and showers are indescribably filthy. I've seen prisons that were cleaner. They go through the Rockies at night (can't see anything) and remove the observation car when you hit the Cascades at daylight.

Don't waste your money. For what Amtrak charges for a room and how they describe the food, etc, you'd think it's a cruise ship on rails. It most definitely is not. It's ridiculous to suggest a “wine pairing” with vending machine food haphazardly microwaved and served on plastic plates. Google “Amtrak cardboard” and read the story where Amtrak handed passengers a cardboard box to poop in. You can't make this stuff up.

I read many of the other reviews that rated it higher. In many cases, the review was older— in some cases 10 years old. In other cases, the review was for a short trip or people who sat/slept in coach which is much cheaper. I get that a short trip or paying only for coach and bringing your own food could be fun. What isn't fun is the brochures that tout “chef inspired cuisine” which no longer exists, the conditions of the cars, the filthy bathrooms and showers, etc. compared to the description of what you'll get on an Amtrak Vacation and the price which is about what you'd pay for a cruise. There is no comparison. Amtrak is a terrible vacation experience.

While still aboard the train, I wondered why Amtrak was still selling the trip as a Vacation Package yet the cars were is such bad shape, there were no cleaners on board, the food looked like it used to be good but was now terrible. Why? The answer is Acela. That's the high speed modern train service between Washington and NYC. Because Acela is frequented by politicians, lawyers, finance types and the media, Acela gets all the gravy. There's no money left for the rest of the system. Fine. But they shouldn't keep selling a service they haven't been able to deliver in years.

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Amtrak Rating:
Star Half star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.7 out of 5, based on 53 ratings and
82 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Amtrak
60 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
1-800-872-7245 (ph)
www.amtrak.com
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