posted
I was trying to book some tickets for the holidays and called 1800 - USA - RAIL. Never have been so frustrated with a voice answering service, somehow "julie" got me going half way across the country in the wrong direction and then was all confused about how I would be bringing one less bag back than on the way there. Furthermore the number of children in my party also caused some unknown error, overall my experince was not great. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so are there better ways to book tickets (perhaps cheaper)?
Posts: 108 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I always book online. If you really want to call Amtrak just say "Operator" and 'Julie' will transfer you to a live person. However last time I spoke with a 'live' person at Amtrak she was incredibly rude. She wouldnt even quote me a rate unless I committed before hand that I was indeed ready to buy right away...I bought online instead.
Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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Three SWC trips since July 2002. In all three cases I researched all I could online then called the 800 number and 'operator'. All three times neither source provided complete details. My method now after the above research methods is to make one final call to 'operator' after my reservation should still be in the system, that is after the 3 day automatic expiration date and state 'what I understand' and get a 'you are correct answer."
And I'm a coach only senior traveling alone, the only 'complications' were using Veterans Advantage or senior, days of travel, station boarding situation and turning in a Travel Certificate. Every time I travel I see slight improvements in Amtrak services on the SWC. I also recommend 'getting acclimated' to coach travel. I wear slippers on board, a bathrobe for the cooler times, a wrap around head pillow, a 'good book' and earphone cassette tapes I custom made of 'my music'.
One thing Julie is really, really good for is checking the status of a train, so you don't have to wait at the station forever. Just say "train status" the moment after Julie says "Hi, this is Amtrak, I'm Julie."
Julie has proven to be much more accurate for obtaining train status than using the web and much less exasperating than trying to get hold of a live operator during a peak period.
One must listen carefully, speak clearly and answer questions precisely. If you do that, you can get the information you need in less than a minute. The best thing about Julie is that she consistently answers the phone on the first ring. She's also got a **** voice.
I would never make my reservations with Julie so long as I have access to the Internet. By using the multi-trip option in the reservation section of the Amtrak web page, I can organize a trip cross-country without having to deal with a live operator. When I have organized my trip, I print out the schedules and only then, late at night, I call Amtrak and have them make me the reservation. By doing this I am able to take advantage of the privileged information that only a live operator seems to have.
For example, last week I researched a 3 city Explore America itinerary on the internet and arrived at a figure of $360 for the entire tour. Later, when I called an operator, she managed to get me seats in the lower level of the superliner for an overall price of $20 *less* than I would have paid on the internet.
Anyway, I ramble. The point is that Julie is one of the very few things that Amtrak really and truly got right. When it comes to checking on the status of a train, there's nothing like Julie.
[This message has been edited by Chucky (edited 10-28-2003).]
Posts: 324 | From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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I've never tried Julie for reservations. She's great for train status, and she might be OK for booking a simple round trip, but not for anything complicated, nor for special requests. She's just a machine, after all. I usually book on-line, but when I want something specific, like a lower level room, I'll ask Julie for an agent.
But I give Julie a lot of credit for ease of use. She's much better than punching buttons.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
posted
Oooooh, so thats why Julie never answers me when I ask her to go out with me. Shes an automated voice. Tear
Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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Julie is okay - until it comes to English accents! I imagine she'd have trouble with other foreign accents too. Luckily if you press her right buttons, she responds to that too. fwoar-dee instead of four-tee, toosday instead of tewsday, that sort of thing.
Geoff M.
PS - no I don't have a Queen's English kind of accent, the stereotype usually used!
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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OK guys (and gals), here's a special treat that I found on Google about Julie: (Just click on the link or feed it into your browser, it should work)
NPR's "Morning Edition" had a Valentines Day piece that featured excerpts of Julie, having a romantic conversation with Tom, a voice recognition robot who works for the airlines. It is hilarious! http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1138054
If this link expires, go to npr.org and search the archive for February 14, 2002: Morning Edition, keywords: Modern Love
[This message has been edited by Chucky (edited 10-28-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Chucky (edited 10-29-2003).]
Posts: 324 | From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:Originally posted by geoffm: Julie is okay - until it comes to English accents! Geoff M.
"Julie" must have been programmed by a midwesterner or else someone who pronounces station names 'as spelled' instead of 'as they are pronounced by locals'.
For example, in California the town 'Camarillo' is pronounced CA-muh-REE-yo, but Julie calls it CA-muh-RILL-oh. If you say CA-muh-REE-yo to Julie she thinks it is 'Emeryville'.
In Virginia, the town 'Staunton' is pronounced 'Stanton' [U is silent], but you must say 'Staunton (pr. STON-tun)' to Julie otherwise you get 'Stamford' or something else entirely different.
I agree with the other post that Julie is great for getting quick train status.
I have generally used a live agent to book trips, to use the AAA card and Guest Rewards card, but it does seem to confuse the on-board staff since I book 'last minute' (i.e. about 2 hours before the train will depart from the local stop). My name is never on the manifest, but the 'boarding code' gets me on ok.
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I hate booking online..Even thoiugh I live online......Julie is stupid somtimes..But just say "agent" the agent will be pissed at you for not using Julie----But if your not good with Julie you can do that---
JULIE RULES! lol anton
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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*ring*ring* *click* Julie: Hi! This is Amtrak. I'm Julie... I invit... Me: Agent. Julie: I think you said you want to talk to an agent, is that correct? Me: No. Julie: My mistake, please say, introductions... Me: Agent. Julie: Sorry, I didn't understand...
Come on people! Julie rocks! She's just a little one dimmensional.
Posts: 19 | From: Pittsburgh, PA | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by polarbearucla: I have to agree that agents are not so happy when Julie transfers you to them.
That makes no sense whatsoever. If Julie didn't transfer you to an agent, the agents would be in the unemployment line. And I've never had that problem. The agents I've talked to are very professional.
BTW, Julie sometimes confuses Salinas (sa-LEE-nas) with Goleta (go-LEE-ta). She's done it to me at least twice.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
quote:Originally posted by ShaLeah: Who in their right minds would go to Goleta?
That reminds me...some time after they first opened the Goleta end-point for the San Diegans/Surfliners, I rode the train up there to "check out the station". As it happened Amtrak was taking an on-board survey that day.
I wonder if my response for why I was taking the train (to check out Goleta) branded my survey as an "outlier" and it was excluded from the results?
As for the "Goleta station"? A layover track and a shaded platform for passengers, in a light industrial area next to US 101. Nearest fast food is over 1/2 mile away, though the car dealer at the end of the block has vending machines.
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Julie is good for getting train status if I'm in a place where it's OK to talk out loud--at the Fredericksburg, VA, station, for instance. I normally ride Amtrak several times a week, and in the evening I will check the status of train 93 or 85 before deciding whether to ride one of them or VRE. But I don't have a private room at work, and even though I've been working with the same nice people for six years, I don't like to distract the others by loudly saying "today" and "train status" and so on into the phone. So in the evenings I use the Amtrak website to check the status.
------------------ Steve Dunham Literalman@aol.com http://www.stevedunham.50megs.com/
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My sample conversations with JuLiE: Hi! Thi--(beep) I'll--(beep) Grea--(beep beep beep beep) Wou--- (beep) What sta--(spoken response) And sh--(beep) Got it! I'll--(beep)
Train four four nine departed on time from Rochester, New York at (click)
I've never been able to get train status quicker.
The key: press one for the first selection, two for the second, and so on. Key in the train number, and if you're really in a hurry (or a professional in JuLiE-relations like myself) use the pound key after the train number, moving immediately on to 1 (arrival) or 2 (departure.)
I'm also building a long and lengthy list of "I think you asked for (Newton, Kansas.) Is that correct?" responses when she/it didn't quite hear it right. People tell me Greyhound has something very similar.
The rest is speech recognition screw-ups: I can see how it will interpret Rochester as Port Chester and Utica as Eureka, California. I goofed around with reservations a week ago and had no problems. For those of you who are, make sure you are somewhere with minimal background noise, speak loudly into the microphone but don't eat it, and refrain from screaming obscenities when you ask for Rochester, New York and you get "Train number four four nine doesn't service Biloxi, Mississippi. Blah blah blah blah blah?
I'm still finalizing my version of what "JuLiE" stands for- it's gotta be an acronym for something. According to recent Amtrak and NARP press releases, JuLiE has saved Amtrak gobs of money, won awards, and even gotten her/its own cutesy little logo in the timetable!
[This message has been edited by Amtrak207 (edited 11-07-2003).]
posted
If you're in a noisy room, Julie may have trouble understanding you on a cell phone just due to the cellular static and background noise. I have proof of this, last August, on the Lake Shore Limited, I called Julie to find out when OUR TRAIN would arrive at New York, a member of the train crew even told me, "That's how we sometimes find out", ha ha ha!!! Julie couldn't understand me, too much noise in our Amfleet I Cafe Car!
Posts: 113 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2002
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