Greyhound bus

[Butterscotch]

Has anyone here had a bad experience? I am fuming right now. They have stuck me with a ticket I can't use. I bought one that had to have a specific connecter at a certain time, and because the buses always run so late I can never get it. I've had to pay to change my ticket to another day 3 times, but no one cares that when I get down the line I won't be able to hook up. (I have two separate tickets for a long trip) One person tells me it'll be okay, but when you get there, somebody else tells you they were wrong and you're stuck. I've had so many bad experiences I'm afraid it will happen again so I don't ride when it's not a sure thing. Because of this they won't refund or trade my ticket, but I can't use it. I've been stranded in some awful situations, and I'm very wary.

I will try my best never to ride the bus again, but is there anything I can do now? No one on the phone listens or cares, and all ticket clerks contradict each other. I feel like I've wasted my money. No wonder my brother prefers hitching!

I know there's nothing you can do for me now, but if any of you have a horror story that happened to you or someone you know, please tell. I'm going to write an article and hopefull draw attention to this problem. My suspicion is because most of the riders are poor, elderly or foreign, they think they won't or can't fight back. I want to change that. Their system is a total disgrace.

 

[Butterscotch]

None of you have ever rode the bus? Nobody? Not even your Grandma?

 

[BonosSaint]

Have you spoken to a supervisor? Take it further up. It probably won't change policy but maybe you can annoy them into a refund.

And yes, I've ridden buses. But it's been a long time since I've ridden Greyhound, so I'm not much help there. My sympathies.

 

[Butterscotch]

I've spoken to everybody. They all tell you something different and they all give you the runaround. You call the 1800 number and you get an automated person, when you finally get a real one they don't speak English very well and don't know how to handle your problem. There's a special customer service line for complaints but you cannot get through, they only want you to leave a message and they never return your call. Or your email. The email said I'd hear from them in about 2 weeks!

Their policy is if you have a problem you have to MAIL your ticket back via snailmail and wait six to eight weeks for a response. From what I hear, the answer is always no, or they claim your ticket never reached them. The best anyone ever got is a voucher for another ride, but I don't want another ride. I want my cash back, and no more of this crappy bus company.

 

[kafrun]

Greyhound sucks. Long ago in the days before I had a car, I took Greyhound. Nothing but trouble. Don't look to them to make things right either.

Sucks sucks sucks

 

[U2Girl416]

didn't have a ticketing problem, but vowed never to ride Greyhound after I took a trip from Syracuse to NYC and had to sit next to an older gentleman that had soiled himself. the bus was full and I couldn't switch to another seat. not very pleasant AT ALL.

 

[randhail]

Be glad you don't travel on Fung Wah buses from Boston-NYC. You're seriously risking your life by riding with them.

 

[Carek1230]

Have you called your local Better Business Bureau? Or how about any radio or TV station that has a reporter who takes people's complaints and problems public and usually helps solve problems. I don't travel by bus but I can certainly understand and sympathize. I hope you continue to find SOMEONE to listen and actually DO something to fix this for you.

 

[Butterscotch]

I don't think anything local can help, but I'll try.

U2 girl 416 and randhail, I have heard bd stories about that too. Combining the two, this guy I know was on the Chinatown bus to NYC and he got swished against a window by a very obese lady, then the smelly elderly man in front of him tried to lean his seat back. The guy was very tall and already had no room because of the fat lady, so he asked the man nicely to stop. He kept doing it. About 8 tries later my friend punched the seat and the old man went and told the bus driver, who hardly spoke English. They were both told to split up and change seats, which suited him fine. I have also heard that those busses smell like piss because a lot of the winos who ride them relieve themselves in the seats, usually on purpose. Ewww.

 

[love_u2_adam]

when i took it once i had a nasty oil rigger sitting next to me...i kinda fell asleep and he was staring at me the whole time cause when i woke up he was still staring. and like my shirt was running up and i could feel his nasty arm on my back

 

[Carek1230]

I don't think anything local can help, but I'll try.

U2 girl 416 and randhail, I have heard bd stories about that too. Combining the two, this guy I know was on the Chinatown bus to NYC and he got swished against a window by a very obese lady, then the smelly elderly man in front of him tried to lean his seat back. The guy was very tall and already had no room because of the fat lady, so he asked the man nicely to stop. He kept doing it. About 8 tries later my friend punched the seat and the old man went and told the bus driver, who hardly spoke English. They were both told to split up and change seats, which suited him fine. I have also heard that those busses smell like piss because a lot of the winos who ride them relieve themselves in the seats, usually on purpose. Ewww.

Ewe is right! I am even hesitant to ride a tour bus. Well, even to sit in an airplane seat you are sitting on everyone else's germs and God-knows-what so I suppose when we travel, no matter by what means we're really not *safe*.

 

[Illumination70]

Oh don't get me started on my greyhound bus history which ranged from ticket-problems to witnessing onboard arrests.

 

[~BrightestStar~]

Have you called your local Better Business Bureau? Or how about any radio or TV station that has a reporter who takes people's complaints and problems public and usually helps solve problems. I don't travel by bus but I can certainly understand and sympathize. I hope you continue to find SOMEONE to listen and actually DO something to fix this for you.

That was my thought. You should def try this. Not only may it help you, it may help others who have suffered.

 

[Butterscotch]

Oh don't get me started on my greyhound bus history which ranged from ticket-problems to witnessing onboard arrests.

Oh please do get started, at least give me some details. I'm looking to collect these kinds of problems as evidence.

 

[Varitek]

Be glad you don't travel on Fung Wah buses from Boston-NYC. You're seriously risking your life by riding with them.

Actually they aren't bad at all right now. I've done this trip 3 times this summer, and have yet to wish I'd brought a towel to sit on or a noseplug, only sometimes wanted more sweaters because they over-aircondition. They've become much safer (good) and much slower (bad) since they racked up 5-6 figures in fines. However I take Greyhound NY-Boston if I can get the $15 price because its often more empty, so you get 2 seats to yourself, and because they show movies sometimes.


As for Greyhound experiences, I once was going Hartford-Boston and the bus was full. I was one of the last people on and was sitting by the toilet which gives me a headache, plus the bus seemed to not have AC. They asked for people going direct to Boston (instead of Worcester, where it was stopping) to get off to take a different bus, so I gladly did. THen they kind of vaguely pointed left, where there was only one other bus. They had already taken my ticket. So I went to that other bus and asked if it was the right one and said they'd already taken my ticket and they sort of nodded and told me to get on. Next thing I know it's stopping in Springfeild and the next bus to Boston isn't for another hour +. I went and talked to the ticket seller and they let me go unticketed on the bus to Boston, and I left a message for the customer service person, who called me back the following Monday, took my complaint, and promptly sent me a free round trip ticket Boston-Hartford. All it cost me was a little extra time at a sketchy, sketchy bus station and I got a $50 value out of it, so I wasn't unhappy.

Sorry your experience with their customer service hasn't been as good. I think at the Springfield station they gave me a business card with a real person's name on it and that mgiht have helped - try getting the same from this transfer station?

 

[Butterscotch]

You were very lucky!