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Greyhound's parent company, Laidlaw Inc., which recently filed for bankruptcy protection, has been struggling for years to make its operations profitable. Judging from the complaints we've received, a good place to start might be training its staff to deal with customers in a polite and professional manner.
Here are just a few of the hair-raising tales from our collection:
A few of the more recent complaints ...
Lorinda of San Antonio TX (07/21/08)
i came alll the way from africa for a students summer program in san antonio.i picked a greyhound bus from new york on the 14 of july to san antonio.when we got off at dallas to change buses i realised my luggage was missing i reported but asked me to get to my destinatiom fist.they were so unconcerned.
since this was my first time in the states i knew no one and thelos of my bags made it worse.i spent a lot to pick up cabs to take me to buy stuff i neeeded.ilost everything.african artefacts as gifts for friends,documents,personal belongings and clothing.the fnrustration they have given made my trip to the states meaniless.i had nothing to wear for days and their phones were busy and kept you holding forever.i was very hurt.
Roseann of Bronx NY (07/08/08)
My daughter and I bought two tickets to Toronto on 6/27/08 leaving on the 7:30 P.M. and was informed of the PRIORITY SEATING option for an additional 5.00 per ticket. We paid $10.00 additional for two seats which were not honored when we embarked the bus-we waited in line & luckily got seats. It was and is a rip-off to consumers. Riders should be informed. riders on the line told us that they were scammed also!
PRIORITY SEATING IS NOT HONORED AND IT IS A RIP-OFF TO CONSUMERS
Russ of Memphis TN (07/05/08)
On July 4 2008 i was in Memphis taking pictures of people enjoing themselves. After i left Peabody Hotel where i took some nice pictures and i went to the greyhound bus station and stood there at the end of the public cross walk, leading to the greyhound entrance. I stood far away from the entrance and began to wait for my wife to pick me up as we agrreed before. it was about 7.30 pm. uddenly some afro-american female - security guard ( company ASAP )from grayhound came up to me and angrily told me: you can't stand here, they dont want you to stay here. I asked why i couldnt stay there and she began to shout at me, : dont stay IN FRONT of the bust station, or i will do smth(i couldnt understand what exactly she was going to do but i felt threatened because she was angry and had a gun).
So i went to the very left end stood there, not in front, but rather behind the front, waiting for my wife to come. Then the same female security came and began to shout at me: i told you to not stay here on greyhound premises, get out of here or i will do smth. (again i couldnt understand what exactly because she was shouting and talking not clear.)
i then took my wideocamera and went to the right side of the bust station and when i passed the entrance i saw her and asked her where i could stay and why she was singling me out when there were about other 10 people staying there and she again began to shout at me agressively, saying, : they are waiting for the bus, and if you are not waiting for the bus you cant on grayhound premises! (she was screaming and i felt so bad because other people were looking at ame as if i was some kind of a thief or another bad person.)
i videtaped her at this time shouting. 4 of July was ruined for me. I came home very upset. I often use greyhound bus lines myself and i shall admit that stuff working ther are mostly rude people who shout at you, dont care about your baggage, do not provide any good customer service. Buses inside are dirty, stink horribly with urine and other bad smells comming from the dirty toilets. Often doors in toilets are broken and if you sit at the end of the bus, then you will have to smell that smell several hours. DELAYS ARE HORRIBLE TOO. i cant believe that this is happening in USA. I travelled all south and central America and buses there are better. Here they perhaps don't have competition and that makes greyhound treat people as they want. i wish i could use another bus lines but there are not any that i know in Memphis.
Sue of New York NY (07/01/08)
Here in New York State, all of the north to south runs on the Greyhound buses originates in Canada and then hits the cities like here in Albany along the way and then ends in New York City. I travel this run once a month to go to Washington DC to work on some legislation on Capitol Hill. Greyhound has never made changes to this Canada based run since the World Trade Center disaster in 2001 and since the U.S. laws were changed to force VISA's to be shown at the Canadian border. What is happening out of this bizarre situation is every other bus run is cancelled due to the deboarding and violations found at the Canadian border. This means further down into the run like here in Albany, is a complete CrapShoot as to whether or not our bus will actually leave on according to our purchased tickets.
For me to arrive in Washington DC with absolute certainty to attend government meetings, I have to leave some 6 hours well before my best world arrival time to absorb and allow for the ongoing cancellations from the Canadian border. A run that takes 9 hours already, then also takes on an additional 6 hours in cancellation and layover time just to eat the nonsense at the Canadian border. This problem, just a few days ago got completely worse.
Up until now, Greyhound was offering a 4-tier pricing system. Refundable, non-refundable, 7 day early bird booking, and 14 day early bird booking. All of those have now been removed and Greyhound is forcing passengers to purchase only and exclusively the top dollar non refundable tier of pricing. So we have 2 things going on, 1. forced and rigged pricing for top dollar tickets with no hope for refunds no matter what, which is then followed by 2. the relentless cancellations stemming from the Canadian border which hostages the entire eastern coast run from Canada to New York City with all of the little stop off cities in between.
Greyhound stands accuse of monopoly, and price fixing / gouging at the impairment of passengers who first must endure ride inconveniences one after another after another, and THEN must also be forced to pay for non refundable tickets in the face of all of this schedule and bus availability bungling.
Brenda of Bowie TX (06/30/08)
Ive rode Greyhound several times and at each terminal that you transfer to and from, the entire building including restrooms are filthy. They at least should have clean areas for people whom pay for their services. Recently as yesterday I rode Greyhound, stopping in OK City and Joplin, MO. The restrooms were filthy, and smelled really bad as usual. Someone needs to do something in regards to healthy conditions. LETS GET WHAT WE PAY FOR!
Billie of Erlanger KY (06/28/08)
My sister was stranded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with her 3 year old child whom is disabled. The passenger had no money and was unable to feed her child or herself. The Driver denied her seating on the bus because it was already full. She had purchased her ticket 1 week prior to the trip and those whom purchased their tickets minutes before the bus was sheduled to leave were granted seats. Customer Care in Oklahoma treated her badly and even told her she would be arrested.
Her luggage was on the bus and she has no way of knowing when she would receive her luggage or if she will at all. When i called customer care to assist her i was hung up on two times and was yelled at both times i tried to call. I feel the service was very poor and i feel that the money i paid was not worth the service i received. And unfortunately it was a child whom suffered.
Rhonda of Montgomery, AL (06/28/08)
I was on a long trip from Montgomery Alabama to NYC to see a Broadway play with a friend of mine in the cast-and had tickets for the 2pm matinee. Trying to anticipate schedule delays, I had built in a 4 hr. 45 minute buffer into the schedule. Starting in Atlanta terminal, where I had to take a later bus due to overcrowding, I could not get an answer to my questions, and experienced general rudeness and unconcern. As I progressed on the trip despite reservations that I might not get to NY in time to see the play, I encountered rude bus drivers--including one lady who took the NY bus from I think Richmond to DC-when the other passengers asked her what time the bus got to NY she smarted off--Well just look at your watch when you get there and then you'll know! We were already late.
In DC we were sent to an express to NY-which most of us gladly switched-but I made the mistake of asking a supervisor what time this express would get to NY--it was to leave at 11AM--he said 4 1/2 hours--too late for me to get to the theater--which was the ONLY reason I was trying to go to NY--and I had been on the road for about 30 hours at the time and wasn't exactly in a good mood-and I did reply back something like 4 1/2 more hours? Don't you folks realize we have deadlines to meet in NY? He shot back Lady these ain't no --- ---- jets you know!
At this point I realized I couldn't reach my destination on time thanks to what I felt were lack of help, incorrect rerouting--seems I got on every local around, rudeness of employees to customers-especially bus drivers--inconsideration of passenger's needs in the terminal--when I tried to ask questions I was interrupted or was given an unsatisfactory answer. It was so bad that in the DC terminal I was so angry and frustrated that I would not make my connection to this dear friend that I literally cried like a baby in the terminal-and not ONE of employees came over to assist. When I composed myself enough to attempt to reroute my ticket home and walked up to the customer service counter I am sure it was obvious to the attendants there that I had been crying--but they were oblivious to it--and again I encountered rudeness when I attempted to ask questions.
Again in Charlotte, NC on the return trip I encountered a rude baggage handler. I had asked in DC if I had to retag my one bag for the return trip and was told no. The handler in Charlotte paged me and when I tried to tell him he AGAIN rudely replied Well you better get it done because if you don't I'm putting it on the bus to NY! The only reason I did'nt say anything to him was that by this point all I wanted to do was get home. The whole trip was full of these such incidents. This was only my second time using Greyhound-and I can guarantee you it will be my last!
Michelle of Sapulpa OK (06/22/08)
My sister put my mom on a bus in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on June 21, 2008 at 2:55 pm to travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma which was to arrive in Tulsa at 5:00pm on June 22, 2008. I went to the bus station to pick my mother up because she is going to spen 2 months with me. She has been taking this trip every year (except last year) for the past 6 years. Well they lost my mother! My mom has had a heart attack and 2 strokes about 15 years ago. She is very capable of making this trip. No one seems to know where my mother is. She has been missing now for 6 1/2 hours. We had to file a missing persons report in order to get any information from the busline.
After the police got involved the bus line still refused to give out any information. We asked them to please contact the bus driver and just ask if my mother is on that bus. I was told that it is against policy to contact drivers while they are enroute. This isnt a piece of luggage that is lost...this is my mother. I talked to scheduling and ticketing and was told the schedule for her travels but that was it. I was told I could talk to corporate office on Monday at 7:00 am. The only person that was any kind of help was the actual bus driver. He could at least tell me my mother didnt board the bus in St. Lois.
We tried to call the bus station in Joplin and they never did answer the phone. The lady at the springfield station did look for my mom with no luck but at that time we didnt know that she didnt board in St. Lois. Thank you so much to those two people for their efforts. So I am going to go to the bus station at 12:00 and wait to see if she is on that bus. I pray to God that she is. I also was told that Greyhound does not keep a passenger list which makes no sense to me.
Serious mental and emotional distress. I am very scared for my mom and pray that she is safe thanks to no help from Greyhound and their refusal to break policy to make a call to the drivers to see if my mother is on any of those buses.
Capt of Garland TX (06/08/08)
I am from India and had come to United States on a business trip. Nearly at the end of my trip i took a trip from Santa Fe on 1st June by greyhound bus servive To reach Dallas on 2nd June08 to spend one week with my cousin{Pronob Gupta) at Garland TX. On reaching Dallas bus station i to my surprise found that my baggage had not arrived. I had last seen my suitcase described as 22 with wheels and Zip black in colour in Amarillo station where we had to change the bus. Since then I have been going to Dallas station every day but there is no sign of my baggage.
Being an overseas traveller, all my belongings including my business suits, clothes and business samples and gifts for my family in India were in my suitcase weighing approximately 40 lbs. Now last few days i am having to borrow clothes from my cousin and had to buy some to see me through to take the flight back to india. i have given my cousin's Dallas address and ph no's should any one be able to help me. What will I tell my family back in Kolkata, India when I return back on 11th June 08.
Mia of Houston TX (06/01/08)
Called the Texarkanna, Arkansas station on June 1, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. trying to retrieve information on missing 76 year old grandmother, departed Tupelo, MS. The attendant in Texarkana started screaming at me in the phone, Don't you try to out talk me!, he exlaims. Thhey refused to have her pagee stating that I called ONCE before when in fact this was first call to them.
I spent have the hour calling the first two stations before contacting Texarkana. The attendant continuing exclaiming stop harassing him, and slammed the phone down. What type of service is this? I have never ever such discourteous treatment in any line transportation services. I called back to get the individuals' names (David), stated that, I needed to stop calling them!
I would like to request a written apology from the staff on duty at this station during our search for our grandmother. I expect some to of reprimand to be handed down and necessary course of action taken place.
Mary of Indio CA (05/08/08)
I was tryig to make contac with the Indio Bus station starting in the late afternoon May7th-2008. I rang till the phone automatic cuts the contac and this happened three times. I was-am letting it ring ,I think about 5o times and it goes dead. Then I wated for about 45 minutes and have been trying for the last 1/2 hour. Still no answer.
I am trying to find out the schedule from Indio to San Deigo CA.
Ben of Rockville MD (05/05/08)
I have ridden Greyhound many times and have put up with many inconveniences ranging from very late buses to incredibly rude employees. The specific incident I wish to report is what happened on my last trip as I believe it sums up the Greyhound experience quite well. On 5/3/08, I arrived at the Greyhound bus station in downtown Baltimore early and tried to purchase a ticket to Atlantic City, NJ. I was told that the bus for 12:30pm was totally sold out as well as the one for 3:30pm. I found this to be quite hard to believe as in my experience the 3:30pm bus has never been sold out before this far in advance.
I asked the person at the service desk if I could wait for the 12:30 bus to come so I could see if the driver did in fact have any seats available. (90% of the time I've been told in the past that the bus was sold out, there have always been seats available, so I don't trust them at all) Well after waiting for about 45 minuts, I spoke with the service agent again asking her if she knew where the bus was. Apparently, the bus was actually totally full and they decided to have it go on straight to Atlantic City.
I then asked her if they had another bus coming to pick all of us up who had been waiting for the 12:30 bus. She told me to speak with the manager. When I approached the manager, I was greeted quite rudely as if I was the cause of all her problems. I asked the manager if there would be another bus coming to pick us up since the 12:30 bus was totally full and she confirmed that there would be with 41 empty seats. I then asked her at what time should we be expecting the bus. She dodged the question and replied that she didn't know. I then asked her if she could give us a general time frame for when the bus might arrive. she again claimed to not know. To think that the manager of the bus terminal could not answer this simple question shows me that Greyhound finds it acceptable to either lie to customers or that it is attrociously managed.
At this point I thanked her despite being quite exasperated. Another 30 minutes had pass by when everyone in the bus terminal was informed that we all had to move to the very back of the terminal and were not permitted to leave the building. When I asked one of the employees who was locking the doors to the building so we couldn't get out, what was going on, he said he had no clue. For the next 20 minutes or so we were all panicking not knowing what the heck was going on and why we were being locked in the building against our will. This understandably, almost caused a riot. Finally they opened up the doors and I found out from a Baltimore police officer that there was a bomb threat. Greyhound in my opinion had the duty to inform us of what was going on to avoid mass hysteria but failed miserably.
To add to my misery, the bus that I was told that would be coming for us was nowhere to be found. It was now 2:45pm, more than 2 hours after the 12:30pm bus was supposed to arrive. I decided that it was likely we had been lied to by the manager and that they instead intended to put us on the 3:30pm bus. I decided since in all likelihood, there would be no bus until the 3:30pm bus, I would drive to the next stop (Baltimore Travel Plaza) where they had things to do and places to eat and wait for the 3:30 bus. When I got there, I spoke with the service attendant and she informed me that there WAS NO bus coming to pick up the 12:30pm passengers. (12:50 for the Travel Plaza passengers) At this point I was quite livid that I had been lied to. I then had to use the facilities and what I saw in that bathroom, was utterly the most unsanitary conditions i had ever seen before in a bathroom. There was writing all over the walls, a used condom on the floor, toilet paper everywhere, unflushed toilets, urine all over the floor. It was just plain disgusting.
After this, I waited for wht seemed like forever and finally, the 3:30 pm bus (3:50 for Baltimore Travel Plaza) arrived 45 minutes late. By now I had lost a large portion of my day thanks to Greyhound's terrible service. I finally get on the bus and thought my troubles were over. Wrong.. There was a passenger sitting behind me who despite greyhound rules, decided to speak quite loudly on his cellphone for the next 25 minutes or so. I was about to ask him if he could lower his voice since I was tired and wanted to try resting a bit when his conversation finally ended. Fromt here on out things ran pretty smoothly. We arrived one hour late though and for the passengers who had been waiting for the 12:30 bus like me (and even some passnegers I found out who had been waiting since the 10:20 bus) it was the end of an ordeal. Here is a listing of things you can expect when riding Greyhound: Extremely rude employees ranging from drivers to managers. (I had a driver once tell me he was leaving without me if I couldn't find my ticket that was somewhere in my backpack in the next 10 seconds) (On another occassion, When waiting to give the driver my ticket when I was third in line, he took everybody else's tickets who happened to be african american, before he took mine.)
Greyhound buses in my estimation are late leaving the terminal 95% of the time (based on numerous experiences). Expect rude passengers. (One time I had a passenger threaten to assault me because I accidentally bumped into him while walking down the aisle despite me apologizing. ) Expect no security whatsoever. Anyone can walk onto a bus with a bomb or gun. Expect buses in poor condition. (Leaks from the ceiling, unsanitary bathrooms, dirty or torn seats, etc) Expect no legroom, no hip room and at least 4 or 5 sick passengers with a continuous cough.
Don't even bother writing a letter or complaining to Greyhound. In the unlikely event that they do respond, it will be a preformatted letter that doesn't even address the concerns or complaints you had with them. Do not rely on Greyhound to give you correct information. Always do the research yourself. Check your tickets bbefore you get on the bus to make sure the cashier printed out the right tickets.
I've lost out on lots of sleep, extreme emotional distress, less time available for work due to bus being very late.
Harry of Great Falls MT (05/01/08)
I had tickets and connections on Greyhound, Jefferson Lines and Rim Rock Stage Lines from Great falls, Montana to Wichita, Kansas. This would be my first trip by bus, and I was really looking forward to the experience - I really didnt know what I was in for. Up to leaving on a Jefferson Lines Bus out of Sioux falls on April 4, 2008 my bus trip was sort of what I had expected. Transfers were a little longer than what I liked, but I had the time and really didnt mind. The bus stopped at a small grocery store in Omaha. Just about everyone got off the bus to take a smoke break, buy a snack or use the restrooms. I got off to use the bathroom.
I was last in line, but got in before the bus was scheduled to depart. BUT, to my horror, at 2:00 a.m., when I left the store the bus and all the passengers was no where in sight, it had left the area to continue the trip south. Here I was, left completely alone. My laptop computer, hearing aids, bus ticket and a few other things I had to have were still on the bus, but I wasnt! There was no one anywhere in sight to help me.
I attempted to call the bus lines in both Sioux Falls, where I had boarded the bus and Kansas City, where the bus was scheduled to stop, but all offices were closed with no emergency phone numbers to attempt to make contact - the 800 numbers were also closed. I had no other choice, I had to hire a taxi to transport me to Kansas City and try to get me there before the bus, if I had any hope of retrieving my belongings. The Kansas City stop was a hub? and it is no telling where my bus would be going from there, with my stuff on it!
I need to point out here that our departure from Sioux Falls was delayed about an hour due to a late connecting bus arrival - the station manager told us that the late bus was in the city but was lost, or something to that effect. The taxi driver had to travel at extremely high rates of speed in order to arrive in Kansas City before the bus, but he made it, and I got my belongings back, but the trip from Omaha to Kansas City by taxi cost me a lot of money. Its obvious that the bus driver failed to insure all passengers were back on the bus before departing the comfort stop. Also, it would appear that the driver was pressed for time seeing that we had to leave Sioux Falls almost an hour behind schedule - but I fail to see where this justifies leaving me behind. Omaha may be a large city, but at 2:00 a.m. it is a quiet, lonely place.
Once in Kansas City I made contact with the bus driver, she appeared quite surprised and several times apologized for not insuring that everyone was back on the bus before departing the stop in Omaha. A few days after arriving at Wichita, Kansas I filed a complaint with Greyhound. I was informed that my complaint would be addressed in seven to 14 days - I wasnt and 26 days after filling the complaint I still have not heard from Greyhound. A few days ago I again filed the complaint - I am looking to be reimbursed my taxi fare.
$325.00 in taxi charges and $117.00 (estimated)charges in cell phone Roaming Charges.
Mitra of Vancouver OTHER (04/08/08)
August 2007 I left city of Montreal to move to city of Vancouver of Canada. The purpose of this trip was establishing my Photography Exhibition and Gallery in left part of Canada. I took a plane and my goods went through Greyhound Courier express. They gave me the above way bill no. and they said I will be able to pickup items next month(sep 2008).
This customer care communications took long time until Nov 2008 they declared officially the goods are lost and I can write an official claim. At the moment I made a claim and asked them to help me to find my lost luggages. They asked me to fax the claim files to Alberta, Customer care office of Greyhound in Canada then from there they will forward the request to HQ in USA. That was odd, this big company has not separated responsible management in Canada.
I had re-send a second claim which I did. After everyday calls and follow up the status of my claims they said how much they are busy by other claims and they will not able to search immediately. They declared officially the goods are lost and no way to refund them. No money can recover the damage I have seen by loosing the film negatives which I took during past 20 years and also my reputation in art community.
They lost 2 valises including: Software Applications- Photo Data CDs (60#)- Leather shoes and jackets- Boots- Glass engraving machine with accessories full pack brand new-Photographic posters printed overseas and some souvenirs collected during 15 years from international voyages. The value I estimated for above items is more than 8000.00 $ but no money can recover the damage I have seen by loosing the film negatives which I took during past 20 years and also the reputation in art community of Vancouver after long time waiting for this opportunity to present those ready to publish pictures.
At the end of story in January 2008 , They offered me 100.00$ compensation which is not even the price of any case alone with out the inner items. The shipment costs 170.00$.The total weight of goods was around 100 pounds. They want embarrassing me , it is clear , but is this their policy , every body must buy the insurance for the items they want ship by Greyhound, if it is ! why they dont declare it at the beginning! In addition the Canadian small Clim Court told me as this is American company we have no chance to win the claim and it is better to forget that.
Caitlin of Las Cruces NM (04/08/08)
I was traveling from Las Cruces NM to Frisco Co on 3/21/08. It was an over night trip and when I arrived at the Denver station where I needed to transfer both of my bags I checked where not there. I had one bag with clothes make up and all that stuff as well as my school work( I am a college student and had numerous projects and papers due). The other had my snowboard and all the gear needed for a snowboarding trip.
I arrived in Frisco Colorado at 9,000 ft in a tank top. I spent 5 days with out any clothes till I was able to find a ride to town and buy clean underwear socks and stuff. The next day I got one bag back. My snowboard bag was still lost.
Yesterday 4/7/08 I called denver and they told me they would put it on the bus to Las Cruces (this is after being laughed at, hung up on, put on hold for 20 minutes or longer, and dealt with every rude incompetent person at the station since I found out my bags were lost). It was spose to arrive at 8:00 am this morning but did not. I dont understand how one company can lose a bag twice in one month especial after I spent numerous hours on the phone with ticket agents, managers, and bagages agents.
As a college student who has previously and plans to in the near future made her livelyhood from instructing snowboarding this is a huge loss. It took me years to aquire the gear alone nevermind all the extra( long underwear, sweaters , hoodies, ski socks, etc.)Since greyhound has limited liability they tell me I am only entitled to $250. This wont even cover the cost of a new board and bindings never mind 6 pairs of ski socks,snowboard boots, snowboard pants, etc. and it does not even begin to make up for my ruined vacation and the way I was treated through out dealing with them.
I am getting a degree in the service industry and I am blown away at the lack of customer service( Like I said before I was laughed at, hung up on, and when some one was willing to talk to me the answers I got were No and I dont know)as well as the incompetency level of the employees.
Bottom line for those of you thinking about traveling by greyhound DO NOT! Personally I would rather hitchhike( Im a young white female and would rather travel by my self hitchhiking than take a greyhound again). Also as another note only once was I asked for any type of Identification for claiming my luggage(this was my second and last greyhound trip)this was at 2:30 am in Las Cruces when I was tired and trying to get home and the driver was to busy flirting and lighting womens ciggeretts.
Diana of Montclair NJ (03/20/08)
14Feb08 and 27FEb08. I checked in duffle bags at the Las Vegas Grey Hound Station via baggage express. Neither bags have arrived at Newark. I've filed claim forms and used their internet to fill in forms to trace the luggage. No one has contacted me and I've called the Dallas number, only no one will answer the phone! I'm still trying to pursue a refund.
And the first time I checked my luggage at the counter I wasn't offered insurance and I did not know I could purchase it until the second baggage was checked in on 27Feb08. I had over $600 worth of property. How does Grey Hound Lose two pieces of luggage, from two different dates, in the same month? Frustrated!
The luggage bags were new. I've lost new military uniforms which I paid for out of my own pocket. The nearest base is 70 miles away, and I would have to pay for daycare to do this over again. I lost new clothes and coats which I've replaced so my daughter could go back to school with proper outerwear for the cold weather.
Arvin of Milwaukee WI (03/15/08)
I bought a ticket to Saint Paul, MN from Milwaukee, WI. Greyhound stopped at Tomah, WI. We had 20 minutes, I was few minutes late boarding a bus. The driver snapped at me, accused me of drinking and also said if you don't understand English, you should say so. Then he left me there to wait for the next bus at 3am in the morning. I called greyhound, so far no response! This happened on FRIDAY, 14march, 08!
Jorge of Santa Ana CA (02/19/08)
I paid overnight express priority fee for luggage to arrive in Phoenix on 2-3-08. Package was not delivered until 2/5/08. It was imperative for that package to arrive on 2/3/08. By 2/5/08 there was no one to pick up the package (reason why I paid for package to be delivered the next day). When I inquired, I got rude, sarcastic service which caused more frustration, more cell phone calls, with out an answer, gas and mileage driving back & forth to the Santa Ana location without answer, no refund, or direction as to where is my luggage!?! Until this very day 2/18/08 I don't know where is that luggage. NO one will provide an answer!
$37.35 for overnight express priority service, approximately $35.00 gas, $197.04 of 1 day not going to work to resolve issue- approx. 100 Sprint billable cell phone minutes.
Michelle of Bakersfield CA (02/18/08)
I was discriminated against. First off, I was first in line and the African American who received the tickets (possibly the driver) completely ignored me (the single Caucasian, young girl in the very front of the line) and instead of taking my ticket, took the African American couple's tickets behind me first. Then after having finally been instructed to have my carry-ons searched by a Hispanic woman, I stepped up in line to have my purse searched and I was told by the Hispanic woman to step back because I wasn't next in line, that the Spanish speaking only Hispanic couple behind me were next in line. I completely felt discriminated against. Had it not been for the fact that seating was limited and our line was the last to board the bus, I may would have let these incidences slide because I've never had problems with Greyhound employees before.
Since all of these problems/incidences were combined, it created a high level of unneeded and unwanted stress and frustration.
Curtis of Florissant MO (02/07/08)
I was originally scheduled to depart the Greyhound bus at 10:15 am on 1-03-08 from Oklahoma City to St. Louis. I was at the station 1 hr before departure and my luggage checked aboard the bus. I was unable to get on this bus due to Greyhound allowing military passengers to board; however, my luggage stayed on the bus. I was forced to depart on a different bus at 10:45 am. When my bus arrived in St Louis around 11:30 pm Greyhound looked for my luggage at the station and on all arriving buses. It was missing. I went back to the St. Louis Greyhound bus station the next morning (1-04-08) and completed a claim form for my lost luggage. The Greyhound rep advised that he needed the claim baggage check stub. He made a copy for his records and said this was all that was needed. The St. Louis Greyhound station called me several days later leaving the message that I needed to come back to the station and describe the baggage and give them a copy of the receipt. I tried calling them, but they never answered...the phone just kept ringing. I decided to call the Greyhound main office in Dallas TX.
I got a claim started for lost luggage and was assigned a tracer number from the main baggage claims office. On 01-16-08 I was told by a rep., Ms Buerle, that I could fax them a copy of the original bus receipt, a copy of the original baggage claim stub and a copy of the baggage tracer claim. I did this on 1-16-08, and Ms Buerhle stated she received it. I finally thought the claim would be processed. I lost more than $850 in total property, but since I didn't insure my luggage I was told the most I could be reimbursed was $250. And after all this, I received a letter from Greyhound dated 1-24-08 stating they received my claim, but they did not get the original baggage claim stub! What? The St. Louis Greyhound station got a copy, the main office in Dallas got a copy and now they are sending me a letter saying the claim is incomplete because they don't have the original baggage claim stub. Greyhound is giving me the complete run around. I have submitted everything they requested...some things twice. If they don't find my luggage, they should accept the responsibility and pay the claim after 90 day tariff limit.
I lost approximately $850 in personal property due to the negligence of Greyhound bus lines misplacing luggage.
Aspry of Merchantville NJ (02/01/08)
I tried to buy a set of weekly passes, and their system declined my debit card. When I made it to work and checked my account online, it showed that I was charged the $140.00 anyway, and that there were ample funds in my account. That makes their system faulty, as my card was declined AND they charged me. When I called them to get down to the meat of the problem, I pretty much got little to no help in return. The manager did offer to look at my bank statement and promised me no results whatsoever. I am not impressed with this company, not at all. Shame I have to use them to get to work, otherwise I dread riding this mechanical dragon.
Well, I lost $140.00, that's what happened! When I called my bank to ask for help, they had me 3-way on my phone with Greyhound. As soon as I asked for the manager in Mt. Laurel, I received a brusk "Hold on", and the phone just rang and rang and rang. At the first phone call, before they knew who I was and why I was calling, the phones just picked up on the first ring or so. I will wait a couple of days to see if this charge falls off seeing as though I didn't sign anything. But a little more concern from Greyhound, since it was their fault, would've been nice.
Ron of Mesa AZ (01/18/08)
On a trip from Detroit, MI to Mesa, AZ. January 12 thru 14, 2008, Greyhound lost my bag and refuses to talk with me about it. True my bag did not have a baggage ticket attached, because the driver ordered everyone to put all overhead baggage under the coach. No one had time to fill out a baggage ticket before departure. It did have my name, address and telephone number on my airlines baggage ticket, and a PHX tag. Anyone seeing these would immediately know where the bag was going.
I lost my diabetes medicine and syringes, various important, irreplaceable papers, my Canon A-550 camera, computer connection cables, and all of my toilet articles.
Sean of New York NY (01/08/08)
Greyhound luggage workers lost my luggage Feb. 21 at a bus switch at Oklahoma City. I was leaving Las Vegas from attending NBA All Star Weekend with items over $2,000 in my luggage.I sued the bus company at NYC Smalls Claims Court, and Greyhound is appealing the case.
I'm getting the run around answers from Greyhound management concerning my lost luggage. I'm seeking at least $5,000 of settlement money. I'm waiting for their CEO David Leach to give me an offer.The Dallas News Media knows about our lawsuit. Plus their crooked attorney Laura Mazzari forges fake signatures claiming I cashed a $250 check that I had returned to them.
Reese of Jersey City NJ (01/07/08)
I shipped six package via Greyound package express on December 28, 2007. The packages were shipped from Las Vegas, Nevada to arrive in Newark, New Jersey. The order number is GLI3044475830. I have only received five packages. According to Greyhound reps, I still had one last package to arrive. I only signed for and picked up five packages from this order. However, as of this morning, Greyhound changed their story and are saying that I picked up all bags early last week. I did not pick up all six bags.
This last package was the largest--it was a 4-foot, large, black luggage bag. It contained my clothes, digital camera, iron, work shoes. I demand the bag to be returned to me asap.
Gregory of El Cajon CA (01/01/08)
I was told to shift my seating from seat #4 of my coach by the driver of the Phoenix to LA leg of my trip on 31 December, 2007 because he didn't like to have people sitting in these seats when he drives. The seating is for elderly and handicapped personnel, and I am a handicapped passenger. I had been sitting in that area since picking up that coach in St. Louis on the 30th at 7:45 PM. When I refused to vacate my seat the driver tossed his travel bag and jacket into the seating behind his, then removed his name tag. He then took over five minutes to adjust his right side mirror inwards until I could see his features in that mirror: Which meant he could see me--not the right side of the coach. This is one paranoid bus driver. I am an injured Gulf War Vet. I felt that once I showed the drivers that I was a disabled Veteran I would have no problems with seating. Man! Was I in for a shock on my return leg to El Cajon, California. If I am not mistaken the Americans with Disabilities Act protects me in regards to where I can sit on buses, planes and trains. Because a driver is paranoid is not reason for me to give up a seat I had sat in for over 1500 miles and all right by three other drivers without incident.
This driver was the embodiment of rudeness. His rationale bordered on fear and intimidation of his passengers. The harm to me was more emotional than physical. The driver made it clear that he was not going to entertain complaints from us as passengers. We were all treated like cargo. To prove his mastery over us the moment we left Sky Harbor Terminal the driver opened his vent window, and shut down the heating system for the entire bus. The outside temperature was 22 degrees F. Three individuals approached the driver as we sped eractically down I-10 West to Quartsite - our first stop. He refused two other passengers' requests to turn the heat up. When a man asked him just outside of Quartsite, he visably tensed up, and the bus lurched out of control. At least three cars honked at him as the coach continually drifted to the right. The fact that he had adjusted his mirror inward may have been a factor. The other three divers from the St. Louis to the Phoenix legs NEVER adjusted their mirrors, and the ride was even and comfortable. This diver's ride was rough, jerky and uncomfortable.
His terrible behavior and treatment of passengers continued. Without informing the passengers of a break, he sprinted from the bus, and entered the terminal. We all just sat there wondering if we had a break coming or not! He never made an announcement. We were all too afraid to leave our seat least this fool come out and just rush off into the night! He had us all so on edge. I have the tickets from the east bound and the westbound legs. I can't believe that a driver would dare demand that a person leave a handicapped seating area because he had issues with people sitting in that area. What is he so afraid of? Why isn't he undergoing counseling? Why isn't he retired? Greyhound has lost me as a passenger after that incident. I feel upset. I feel distressed that I had to invoke my rights as a disabled passenger under the ADA just to remain in my seat because that driver has issues over who sat where, and the fact that he had to adjust his mirror so he could focus on my and not the road has my very concerned about the mental health of Greyhound's drivers.
Lee of Newport News VA (12/19/07)
This is a TRAVEL ALERT concerning Greyhound Bus Lines......
Anyone using Greyhound Bus Lines to travel over the holidays need to be extremely cautious and carry extra
money (preferably plastic) to cover Greyhounds mistakes in printing out their tickets. There has been several
confirmed incidents in which the tickets customers received only covered travel to the last transfer point rather than to their actual destination. In each case it has fallen on the customer to make other travel arrangements to complete their trip or BUY FROM greyhound an extra ticket to complete their trip. At times these extra tickets due to being bought on the spot cost as much as the original tickets.
Two customers out of Freer Texas were offered reimbursement after the fact by the agents there, but customer
support for greyhound itself has been totally useless, time consuming and expensive in these matters.
Human Rights USA advices using other forms of transportation whenever possible for the duration of 2007...
IF YOU MUST USE greyhound, check your tickets carefully as soon as they are handed to you. Be EXTRA careful if you have to pick up the actual tickets in route, and carry extra funds to cover GREYHOUNDS ERROR`s...
Lee Woodard
Human Rights USA
Sean of Harlem NY (12/18/07)
On Feb 21st, Greyhound luggage workers lost my luggage during a bus switch in Oklahoma City. I boarded a bus from Las Vegas on Feb 20th after attending NBA All Star Weekend. I had over 2,000 dollars of valuable items in my luggage. I returned to NYC angry and frustrated. Greyhound staff members kept giving me runaround answers, so I sued the company at NYC Small Claims Court. The judge never helped my case, plus their attorney, Laura Mazzari, forged fake signatures claiming I cashed a $250 check that I mailed back to them. So I would like to know what can your staff do to help plus can I get others who's going through the same situation file a class action lawsuit against Greyhound?
I'm going through an emotional distress because the bus company never made a effort to find my lost luggage plus I'm seeking at least 5,000 dollars of settlement money. I deserved to be compensated more than 250 dollars. This is a billion dollar bus company who doesn't care about a bus rider's complaints. I already appealed our Nov 8th lawsuit. Mr Leach (the president) has the paperwork knowing our lawsuit in NYC continues.
Georgia of Dawson City OTHER (12/15/07)
I had a terrible experience with Greyhound two years ago. I had a ticket purchased well in advance to travel from Montreal Quebec to Whitehorse Yukon. My partner and I checked the schedule online in advance and even phoned to check when our bus was to leave. We received two different answers. We went with the information that was given to us by the employee we talked to who was actually working at the actual bus station we were leaving from. This was not correct information and we ended up waiting several hours for the right bus. We asked repeatedly how many hours the trip was and were consistantly told different times. We asked specifically how long our layover in Edmonton Alberta would be (knowing that there was a chance we would be on a shedule that would have us stuck there for two days) and we were repeatedly assured that we would be in Whitehorse in four days.
When we arrived in Edmonton we were told the next bus was leaving two days later. Now we were stuck in an unfamiliar city and we both needed to get home the next day. I phoned a Yukon based airplane company to see if they had any flights leaving from Edmonton, they didn`t. They did, however, have a plane leaving from Vancouver. They gave us an incredible deal. We were able to convince the one competant employee at the station to change our tickets to Vancouver free of charge. So we took a bus a half a day out of our way and arrived in Vancouver the next morning (on the way enduring a bus driver that continuously spoke over the PA system about nothing at all). When we arrived in Vancouver the next morning we had less than two hours to make it to our plane. Our baggage was missing. The customer service representative continuously walked away from me when I asked him what steps to take or where our bags might be. It was humiliating to have to follow him around the station asking how to get our bags back. We were told that our bags were most likely put on a later bus. When I asked if it was common to have people`s bags travelling on a different bus than them I got no response. Apparently it has never occured to Greyhound that people have to catch planes or even that they might not care to hang around a bus station for hours waiting for their bags when they have been travelling for four days. We ended up leaving Vancouver without our belongings and getting on our plane.
We were reunited with our baggage two weeks later after a lot of phone calls and misinformation about where they ended up. Greyhound also does not have Yukon as a province or territitory option on their website, even though thay have travelled here for many years. This has caused problems for me recently as I was not able to put down the correct mailing address when buying tickets online. I received no help from their customer service line, and in fact one of their representatives was quite rude to me. Unfortunatly Canada is a large, spread out and expensive country to travel in and I cannot afford to fly everywhere. If I could I would not hesitate to never give Greyhound one more dollar as long as I live.
My trip took an extra day and cost me and my friend an extra $500.
Lily of Mcallen TX (12/06/07)
My mom is finally on a Greyhound bus! My mom was waiting for a Greyhound bus outside a McDonalds in Benson, AZ, and the bus driver failed to stop. She had already been waiting for the bus for over an hour. When she finally saw the bus coming, she grabbed her bag and waited for it to stop. It didn't! It didn't even hit the brakws. I thought the drivers were supposed to make STOPS (literally) and not just swing by. After my sister and I called several Greyhound offices (Wilcox, El Paso, Dallas, Tucson), a bus was sent to pick up my mom in Benson. Even though the customer service reps. were tremendously rude, they still came through and got my mom on the bus four hours later. Let's hope she gets home safe.
I was concerned about what MIGHT happen to my mom if she DIDN'T get picked up.
Louise of Carbondale IL (11/26/07)
My son got on Greyhound to come home because his mother is sick. He got to St. Louis, MO and waited 6 hours to transfer to the bus to Carbondale, IL. To make sure he got the right bus, he asked managers and sales clerks. Two told him the wrong bus and the others told him another bus. Now after 3 days the wrong bus took my son to Tulsa, OK. All he has is the clothes on his back, no money, and is very cold. What is a mother to do? We are poor people and barely gathered the money to send him for his ticket hom.
I am in great pain over this. I've been up for three days and will stay up until I get my son home. I think that the company should find my son in Tulsa and buy the ticket for him to get home.
Celeste of Hamden CT (10/16/07)
Greyhound lost 2 suitcases and never apologized. They rarely answer the phone and give the run around when I call to inquire about my luggage. I filed a tracer, and the incompetent worker didn't have a lost baggage form so I had to call to get one mailed. I sent in all the original receipts, and they sent a letter with no email or phone number saying they don't have all the info they need. I had all the originals; they are trying to not reimburse me for the luggage. I will file a small claim. but Greyhound owes me at least $2,000 for lost items.
Felix of Columbia Falls MT (08/30/07)
My husband was riding the bus from seattle to lafyette La. when he got into califonia he had a seizure and was taken off the bus. he called home at 9:30 the morning of the 29th of aug. but was never heard from again. you people have no knowlegde of where he is or where he got taken off the bus. nothing at all. that is stupid. you would think that the driver would call this in and report it. but nobody knows anything. i dont know if hes ok where he is, nothing.
Vanessa of Austin TX (07/11/07)
My husband was traveling from Austin, Tx. to Russeville, Arkansas for a new job. We did arrive at the station at the time the bus was suppose to leave but, it arrived a short while before we did. After we got the tickets the announcer said it was the last call for the bus my husband was riding on and seeing how we had gotten there late we made a mad dash for the door to get loaded on. One of the drivers told us that we were being told to stand in line behind the exit doors not to get on the bus. We tried to explain to him that the announcer had just told us the bus was leaving but we were rudely told to go back inside. We then sat in horror/anger as we watched our bus pull off and drive away. My husband heading to Dallas, TX for a transfer was then told there was another bus heading the same way and hurry up and get on by a very rude driver. My husband is diabetic and has to have frequent bathroom breaks, so at one of the rest stops along his journey he told the driver he was going to the rest room at the terminal because there was a line for the one on the bus,and, came out to find the bus gone. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no luggage and his cell phone charger on the bus.
Raised my husband blood pressure and made him late for his new job had to stay overnight in a vacant termainal with no luggage,money in wallet with bags, and cellphone charger on bus.
Shanta of Crockett TX (07/10/07)
STRANDED AND NO DRIVER!!!!!!!!!!!
We arrived in Jackson, MS at 10:00 P.M. on July 9, 2007 We were supposed to leave there at 10:45 but the driver didn't show up. Nobody told us what was going on. Instead they just stood and watched us standing in front of the bus waiting. They let us get onto the bus and left it running so that we could rest and get some air. All of a sudden, I say around 11:30 someone came and told us that the driver was coming at 4:45 that morning. Well, still no driver showed at that time. We left out of Jackson,MS at 10:30 that morning. The employees act like they didn't know what was going on. Instead of them coming to us letting us know something, we had to go to them. They didn't have the heart to come apologize for their BAD service or anything. I say Greyhound sucks and don't take the bus unless you have to.
Michael of Hannacroix NY (04/15/07)
The bus cleaners helped themselves to over $300 from my wallet, which had fallen onto my seat when disembarking in order for the bus to be serviced. When I protested to staff and driver, police were summoned and told I was drunk.
Much later that day (almost midnight on the 7th), was I bumped from an overbooked bus. The foul-mouthed and abusive baggage handlers refused to remove our luggage
I've been wearing the same clothes for 7 days in a row now; and cannot even afford to replace any, since Greyhound was responsible for relieving me of over $375 back in Flagstaff.
Mike of Cordova TN (04/07/07)
I had a remote control airplane shipped Greyhound Express. Even though I was given a tracking number, no one can seem to tell me where or when my package will arrive. I called both the send and receiving stations and was met with indifference and I found out their philosophy is "it gets here when it gets here". Trying to call 800 numbers was of no use either. Missing airplane worth 400 dollars.
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July 24 2008
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