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Question: What is the Amtrak Service Guarantee? When should I ask for a Service Guarantee Certificate?

Answer: I can tell you from personal experience that the Service Guarantee does work. (See my Suite101 article for the narrative about my experience with the Service Guarantee) Basically, if something happens on your trip that causes you dissatisfaction - even if it was weather related and not the fault of the Amtrak staff - contact Amtrak and request a Service Guarantee Certificate. Call Amtrak's main phone number ((800) USA-RAIL) and a ticket agent will ask you to briefly describe what happened. The agent will then connect you to a customer service representative who will ask for more detailed information, as well as your ticket number and the date and route of your travel. So, save those ticket stubs, since you may need them. After getting all the details from you, the agent will calculate a monetary value for your Service Guarantee Certificate.

I don't know how the calculation is done but, at least in my case, it seems more than fair. For example, on one trip this summer our total fare was $1294.00 and due to numerous weather related problems, we experienced significant delays and inconvenience. The value was my Service Guarantee certificate was $651.00 and ten days later the Service Guarantee Certificate was in my mail box, just in time for me to use it to buy the tickets for my next trip.

On the back of Amtrak tickets, the following statement is included:

"We promise to make your trip a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience. If something isn't right, talk to any Amtrak employee and we'll try to make it right. If our efforts aren't enough, call 1-800-USA-RAIL for a Service Guarantee Certificate toward future travel."