Amtrak Customer Service

My phone call to Amtrak went fairly well. Given how many schedules they manage and how many different issues could happen within one reservation, I appreciated the automated process which really streamlined things and made them simple to follow. People can call Amtrak to book a reservation, cancel a reservation, price a trip or check to see if their train is running on schedule. They can talk about a billing issue with a credit card and Amtrak, talk about travel accommodations, lost luggage, and address many of the small things that can go wrong during a journey. 

It was easy enough to use the automated process. I was a little nervous about talking to an agent about what my options for a rail trip in the middle of November, and I was intimidated by the idea of rail travel. Still, I also am afraid to fly and wanted to make a holiday celebration. Therefore, I decided calling would be best so I could talk about accommodations and make an informed choice before booking my tickets. I like to know all the details ahead of time: it makes travel and unpredictable situations easier to handle. 

When I first called, an automated voice answered and said, "Hi, I'm Julie, Amtrak's automated agent." It then offered me an array of options and I didn't have to use my keypad because it was voice-activated. I was please to note that there weren't any problems from the system picking up background noise, as can sometimes happen. The options were, "To check if a particular train is running on time, say 'train status.' To get schedule or price information, say 'schedules.' For new or existing reservations, say 'reservations.' You can also say, 'it’s something else.' "

I chose schedules and fares because I figured it made sense to see how much it would cost before asking questions. It then said, "Great, let's look up schedules and fares, and if you find something you like I can also make a reservation." It then had me say the departure city (Cleveland) and the arrival city (Boston South End). The next question was my departure time, which I said was November 16th. 

I had no problem getting through the question, and then it told me "If this call concerns an unaccompanied minor traveling, please press 1, otherwise stay on the line." It then warned that they were experiencing high call volumes and it would take ten minutes or more, but I could use their callback service. I took advantage of the callback service and they did call me back within ten minutes. The agent was very helpful and answered my questions about the reservations and some other questions I had overall about traveling with Amtrak.