my first train experience at christmas was not ideal. this time around i covered all of my angles. i was sure of it. but i had no idea that asking the very nice woman behind the window for authorization for long-term parking would begin one of the worst and most distressing conversations i've had in a good while. she very politely excused herself to go ask the other attendant (she didn't normally work at this station, so she wasn't familiar with the policy). i was sure, after emailing Amtrak and informing them of my 4 week travel plans, that i was aware of the current policy and i just needed the little piece of paper to stick in the car window.
the gentleman that walked in the door is the same man who treated me so rudely back at christmas when it came to getting my bags on the train. he informed me that they only authorize for 2 week parking. he then walked away without another word. my heart hit the floor, caitlin giggled, and i started saying (out loud mind you), "no, no, no, no, no, no. that's not what the email said." about three times very quietly to myself. i think the guy next to me started giving me weird looks. the amtrak employee walked back inside and i asked him what my options were. he told me to move the car to a personal property storage site. when he realized i was staring blankly at him with my jaw hanging open he chuckled and said, "not my problem." i immediately started rambling that i already emailed amtrak and they told me it was okay to leave the car here for 4 weeks, and i tried calling but there wasn't a phone number listed, and i can't take the car somewhere, i'm not prepared for that, i have a toddler strapped to my back...i'm crying by now, fyi. his response to this was to set the pen he was using down and shrug his shoulders.
i'm not a rule breaker, i'm not even a rule stretcher. i only wanted to leave the car there so matthew didn't have to drive 4 hours one way to drop me off and then do it all over again 4 weeks from now. if i had known i wouldn't be able to leave the car there-i wouldn't have! i would have made other arrangements. but i was told it was okay. what else can one do??? and this man took absolute zero pity on me, and almost seemed to enjoy my misery. who does that? i don't know how often people are treated with such disregard, but it's never really happened to me, and it should NEVER happen to anyone. it was an absolutely crippling feeling. i can understand if i hadn't prepared and not even looked into the parking options, yes, then i would be the idiot. but i asked. why wouldn't i trust a response from the company i'm traveling with? who gives out false information and then doesn't offer to fix their mistake?!?!?
no one should ever be treated the way i was today. he didn't even seem remorseful or sorry. i like traveling on the train, and so does caitlin. much more so than flying on a plane. i like my feet on the ground. but how do i ignore something like this and think it won't happen again? what's the saying? fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me...
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