Re-Training for Worldcon
Mar. 13th, 2022 05:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeI woke up at what would have been the usual time on a work day for me waking up without the Daylight Savings time change, but that's just as well, because I wanted to get on the phone to Amtrak Guest Rewards to rebook our ticket to Chicago later this year, and unlike the main Amtrak phone number, they're only open from 8 AM daily. I called at 4:56 PT and got the "call back after 8 AM ET" message. I called five minutes later and only had to wait ten minutes for an agent. Goodness knows what the wait would have been if I'd called later in the day.
The reason for rebooking is due to my concern that Amtrak will not be able to get the California Zephry back up to daily service by August. They "temporarily" cut back to 5 days/week (no departures on Sunday or Monday from either endpoint) due to lack of crews and lack of serviceable equipment, thanks to COVID cutbacks and not storing equipment properly. In theory, they were going to return to daily service by April, and the Sunday/Monday departures were in inventory and I originally booked us leaving Reno on Sunday, August 28; however, I have started hearing stories of people with April and May reservations on that train having their reservations canceled.
We did not want our train canceled out from under us with no alternatives but to fly, so I changed our departure from Sunday to Saturday. It does mean an extra day in Chicago, as we'll now arrive on Monday instead of Tuesday. Also, the ten bedrooms on that train are already nearly full, so our only choices were room A (the worst) and C (okay, but the single power outlet is on the wrong end of the room), rather than the B or D rooms. I took room C. We'll manage with the extension cords we bring with us for this purpose. It's still better than a roomette, two coach seats, or "sorry, nothing available; you'll have to fly."
The reason for rebooking is due to my concern that Amtrak will not be able to get the California Zephry back up to daily service by August. They "temporarily" cut back to 5 days/week (no departures on Sunday or Monday from either endpoint) due to lack of crews and lack of serviceable equipment, thanks to COVID cutbacks and not storing equipment properly. In theory, they were going to return to daily service by April, and the Sunday/Monday departures were in inventory and I originally booked us leaving Reno on Sunday, August 28; however, I have started hearing stories of people with April and May reservations on that train having their reservations canceled.
We did not want our train canceled out from under us with no alternatives but to fly, so I changed our departure from Sunday to Saturday. It does mean an extra day in Chicago, as we'll now arrive on Monday instead of Tuesday. Also, the ten bedrooms on that train are already nearly full, so our only choices were room A (the worst) and C (okay, but the single power outlet is on the wrong end of the room), rather than the B or D rooms. I took room C. We'll manage with the extension cords we bring with us for this purpose. It's still better than a roomette, two coach seats, or "sorry, nothing available; you'll have to fly."
Gifting
Date: 2022-03-25 12:51 am (UTC)I received an email from Amtrak the other day, warning me that if I don't use my rewards points by June, they'll disappear since I "haven't traveled with them in 21 months" (it's over 24 months at this point, because of, you know, the COVID pandemic, but who is counting?). I don't have a ton of points, but I won't be able to use them between now and June.
Knowing you travel via train here in the US for things like Worldcon, I tried to look into transferring the points to you. Someone might as well be able to use the "rewards" I earned over a variety of trips.
I tried calling and was disconnected twice after lengthy waits. I am thankful for speakerphone options!
So I tried getting online to seek out the answer. I got to the area on their website that offers rewards answers and was forced to log in to even just look at instructions on if it were possible to transfer or gift someone my points.
And then it logged me out, not allowing me back in on the computer. I had to login to the app on my phone to sort my answer properly.
It turns out it apparently would be less expensive to purchase the amount of additional points I have to transfer, than it would be to transfer mine to you. Maybe at your Guest level or credit card holder benefits, you have a less expensive option, but I don't. I'm sure if I had reached an operator on the phone, they might have been able to assist me with this answer with less trouble.
Amtrak is bewildered by continuing low ridership, but after the circus I've been in today trying to sort this, I have no question as to why people are choosing other options, even those of us who love train travel are getting fed up.
Alas, my grand idea of gifting you the points is off the table. Enjoy the trip anyway!
Re: Gifting
Date: 2022-03-25 02:38 am (UTC)Almost everything online with Amtrak doesn't work very well. The agents are better, but you're right about that chances of being randomly disconnected.
Thank you for the thought, though!