Amtrak has once again demonstrated its unsurpassed skill at being irritating. I have an unused ticket that’s still good for travel, so I thought I’d apply it to the cost of my Christmas trip home. Everything went along swimmingly until customer service said that, because I was applying the balance from an unused ticket, I would have to surrender the old ticket before they would confirm the new reservation, and they would only hold the reservation for three days. I pointed out that I live three hours away from the train station, but they were unmoved. I even offered to mail them the ticket. That won’t work either, apparently. They suggested I wait until three days prior to my intended departure before making my reservation, but that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Not only will the ticket be much more expensive, but there’s no guarantee I’d even be able to get a seat.
After I hung up, I muttered some choice epithets and then set about booking my tickets. Although my departing ticket is outrageously expensive, I was relieved to see that the return ticket was reasonably priced. So reasonably priced, in fact, that I decided to upgrade to business class since it’s only $12 extra. But, when I got my ticket confirmation, my eyes almost popped out of my skull and plopped onto the keyboard. A ticket that should have been $43 was now $85 because of a change in the base fare. There was no way I was going to pay $85 for an Amtrak business class ticket, so I had to go back and downgrade to coach. Happily, the base fare didn’t increase for the coach ticket. That would’ve caused me to mutter yet more choice epithets.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother with Amtrak when I go home. The trains are always late, the coaches are slightly seedy, and it takes forever and a day to get anywhere. Then I remember that it would cost me $500 (at least) to fly, and I shut up.
Codex Lochianus 