I sent this to the Greyhound Bus Company over two years ago... I never received an acknowledgement or reply of any kind. Stay away from Greyhound!
August 18
Jerry E. Deal
chiefdeal@tx. Rr.com
Mr. Dave Leach, President and Chief Executive Officer
Greyhound Lines, Inc.
P.O. Box 660362
Dallas, TX 75266-0362
Subject: Bitchy Letter/Constructive Criticism
Sir,
You have managed to assemble a group of employees, who are discourteous, uncaring, ill-mannered and in most cases, downright rude! For an organization that deals directly with its customers, your people certainly have no idea how to treat the hand that feeds them!
In addition, the incompetence of your entire staff renders it impossible to use your transportation services with any degree of confidence. Let me explain…
I made reservations from Dallas, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada and departed on the bus leaving Dallas about 6:15 on August 4th bound for Las Vegas via Amarillo, Texas and Flagstaff, Arizona. I was scheduled to arrive at my destination on August 5th at around 9:00 PM. It was not to be.
When I attempted to change busses in Amarillo I was told the bus was full due to overbooking and I would have to wait until the next bus, which was the next day. You had sold more tickets than you had seats on the bus! The frustrating thing was that this seemed to be a surprise to the Greyhound employees loading the bus… Don’t you have computers? Can’t your employees count to 55? Those of us in the rear of the loading line were not told what was happening until the driver slammed the station door in our face, climbed behind the wheel and drove away.
However, the bus was not so full as to keep my baggage off and I waved goodbye to my suitcase as the bus left without me. When I realized what was occurring I asked to keep my bag with me in Amarillo but I was very curtly told that it was too late and the bus would leave shortly. It did. I was promised my bag would be in Las Vegas when I got there. It was not.
Next I was put on a bus to Denver, Colorado which would allow me to make connections there with a bus to Las Vegas. Quite a bit out of the way, but better than hanging around the Amarillo bus station all night. I did make that Denver connection and arrived at my destination early in the morning of the 6th sleepy, dirty, tired, and hungry; and of course, without my baggage. But that is only part of the story.
Let me tell you a few other things about my Greyhound Bus odyssey. First, I must inform you that with one possible exception (noted below), to say that your drivers are impolite would be a gross understatement. They can only be described as acerbic. They answered questions from their passengers with sarcasms or insolence. One driver informed us loudly that he was, “sick and tired of being a baby sitter.” Another said something to the effect that we should listen when he made announcement because he would not answer questions! We grew accustomed to being shouted at, “Get on the bus people—we ain’t got all day! ” At every stop we were threatened with being left behind if we were late returning to the bus. I began to wonder if our destination was to be a prison, maybe even Guantanamo…!!! I have not been spoken to like that since Navy boot-camp in 1954! Also, I must tell you that the drivers’ attitude seems to be pervasive throughout your entire organization. I have seen the same impertinence in most other members of your staff assigned to the various stations I had the misfortune to visit.
The bus stations I saw on this trip are without exception, poorly maintained and filthy, and the personal appearance of your employees is no better. I saw some people who seem to have been dressed for skid row, not work in a service organization. Some of these even appeared to be Security Officers as they were carrying handguns. I believe this reflects badly on you and your company. Have you no standards of dress? Do you not care about the maintenance and cleanliness of your facilities? Aren’t your station managers responsible for their employees and their facilities? Fire them!
There were many other irritating and disappointing events on my journey. For example we had a “rest stop” for dinner in Grand Junction, Colorado at a bus station that was closed! It closed at 6:00 PM and we arrived a little after that. There were no bath room facilities available and no place to eat, so, we all just stood around with our legs crossed for 30 minutes or so then got back on the bus and continued the trip. That was a rest stop? Who plans these things for you? Fire him!
Another thing that contributed to our discomfort was the temperature of the bus itself. It was cold! We were simply ignored by the various drivers when we asked to have the bus a little warmer. Those of us without sweaters or blankets were left to shiver for hours at a time. The drivers wore long sleeve shirts and vests or jackets.
When I finally did arrive in Las Vegas and discovered my luggage was, of course, not there I was given a lecture and informed that the bag was my responsibility and I should read the back of my ticket. I tried to explain what had happened but it fell on deaf ears so I gave up and went to my hotel to see if my room might still be held for me. It was. The next day I went back to the Las Vegas bus station and was again lectured about your baggage policy and informed with a shrug that my bag was my responsibility, etc… Thankfully, it did arrive from Flagstaff, Arizona later that evening.
I am 72 years old, a retired small business (restaurant) owner and after 23 years in the U.S. Navy, a very experienced traveler. I still enjoy traveling and I thought riding the bus would give me an opportunity to see more of the country, instead of just flying over it. Well, I have seen it—and I have seen Greyhound! I intend to continue seeing this great country but I will never see the inside of a Greyhound bus again.in addition, it is my intention to continue relating my account of this trip to any of my friends and acquaintances who may ask; and some who don’t, if they will listen!
You need to look to your business sir.
The one Greyhound employee who was civil to us was a driver who said his name was Al Gonzales. He drove us from Amarillo to Denver I believe.
By the way; I bought a car in Las Vegas and drove back to Dallas!
Jerry E. Deal
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