Ty0604

Anyone have any experience with Amtrak damaging your bike?

Took the train from Portland to LA and my bike was jacked up so bad when I got it in LA. Paint scratched to hell, a deep scratch in the rear rim which is deep enough to require the rim to be replaced and a bent brake lever.

I'm so annoyed. Luckily the train to San Diego is a carry on so I don't have to worry about my bike being messed up more.

What would you do if you were in my situation?

To clarify; You don't box your bike on this route. You hand it to the people at the baggage car and they put it on.

ModeratedUser17082018

Take lots of pix and submit them to Amtrak and/or your homeowner's insurance. Expect no response and you won't be disappointed. Prepare to replace, repair and move on. Sorry about your experience - I'm sure it's infuriating.

Machka 

Train travel was one of the reasons I switched from a carbon fork to a steel fork. I figured the steel fork could handle being battered around more than a carbon fork could.

02Giant 

Hopefully you brought it to managements attention after it was handed to you at the LA station.

There is this on their website; Bicycles/bicycle trailers may be checked in a bicycle container for $10, in lieu of a piece of baggage. Bicycle boxes are sold at most staffed locations for $15 per box. Customers may supply their own bicycle container.

indyfabz

Amtrak has different bike options. Sounds like the OP the walk up checked service, where Amtrak does not require the bike to be boxed. Some trains even have roll on service, where the passenger literally takes the bike on board him/herself.

https://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

But the answer to the question is simple: The OP is S.O.L. absent a favor from Amtrak as Amtrak disclaims all liability for bikes that are walked on and all unboxed bikes accepted as checked baggage.

https://www.amtrak.com/lost-items-li...ty-for-baggage

TimothyH

Unionized railroad workers are a federally protected species in the USA. Their union is very strong and they can do no wrong.

Long Island Railroad workers will steal your winter coat while you sleep. One of my friends was a conductor and bragged about a bike he stole when the owner dozed off.


-Tim-

shelbyfv

Karma sucks?

indyfabz

Which union would that be?


And please explain the interplay between the union's alleged strength, the particular damage at issue, and Amtrak's corporate policy decision to disclaim liability for unboxed bicycles, excluding from your explanation any and all assumptions and alternative facts.

asindc

I'm interested in that as well.

PepeM

Dem unions are the devilz, didn't you know? They all communistic.

reppans

That sucks... you have a good 'before' pix posted in the touring section, hope you raised the damage issue when you first received the bike at the destination. One of the many reasons I started touring with a folder.

shelbyfv

Tim may be a believer in "alternate facts."

indyfabz

As I noted in post #5 above, Amtrak disclaims all liability for unboxed bikes, so it seems doubtful that he can make any recovery.

SquidPuppet

SquidPuppet

Personally, I would be surprised if a bike remained undamaged on such a voyage. It's just "Freight" to them.

indyfabz

Are you aware that the new baggage cars they have been rolling out have dedicated spaces for unboxed bikes? Sometimes accidents happen. If believe the route has checked baggage service available at the origin destinations stations. If that's correct, the OP could have boxed the bike rather than use the trainside checked service, where the bike is loaded unboxed.

Steve B.

Bull ****.

indyfabz

Maybe I can interest Tim in a slightly used, but still in decent condition, bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

SquidPuppet

The bike has to be taken there and parked/racked/secured next to other bikes by a human being. This is an employment task for the human being. The odds would be very low that this human being handles the bikes with the same passion and care as a C&V enthusiast.

I know this will sound rude, but I think the OP was being a little naive if he was expecting his bike to survive the trip unscathed.

reppans

Yes I saw that, but photo documentation of an immediate 'before' and 'after' (with obvious background & timestamps) might appeal to Amtrak's graciousness - certain worth a try for the cost of a few megabytes in a smartphone. When I rent a car these days, I usually take a quick video or set of pictures 'before' and 'after'.

indyfabz

But there is space between that and being completely uncaring--a big space. You sound like you have some prejudice against an entire class of people that's driving your assumption that the damage resulted from uncaring handling. Did you ever stop for one minute to think that the bike was loaded and properly secured without incident and that during transit some unusual mishap occurred that caused the damage? That's a rhetorical question because you obviously didn't and instead jumped to a different conclusion that meshes with your preconceived notion, regardless of the validity of those notions. That seems to be very popular on BF, especially these days.


And if the trainside service necessarily results in damage I think word would be getting around by now.

indyfabz

Agreed.

SquidPuppet

Interesting conclusion. Which class would that be?

TimothyH

I'm sorry you all don't like what I said but I come from the New York metro area where unions have a lot of strength, workers cannot be fired for ever doing wrong.

A unioinized municipal bus driver could run over a pedestrian and the police won't ticket or arrest because one union watches out for the other. Most of the unionized municipal workers don't give a crap, are just there until their pension kicks in. It's just the way it is.

I have no idea what union Amtrack baggage handler's belong to. UTU are conductors. BLTE? I have no idea. That they are unionized is doubtless.



Devil and communistic are your words, not mine.


Should have said "former friend" and not a very good one at that.



-Tim-

mstateglfr 

The Amtrak employees on the train between STL and KCM were fantastic. Helpful, personable, and nice. Roll on service is offered on this train too which is why I mention it.
Just wanted to offset the absurd comments you make for anyone who is actually inexperienced with bikes on trains.

Odd person to befriend. Yes I see you are no longer friends. Still, odd think to admit/mention in that way.