Canadian Railroads > Reviews of "The Canadian" on TripAdvisor

I've taken a lot of flak over my postings on "The Canadian," and I know I'll take more flak, but I don't really care.  I know that for many here, riding on a passenger train--ANY passenger train, is a delight.  For others, who seek the finer things in life, riding "The Canadian" is one of those Holy Grail trips that so many here would just love to experience.  Unfortunately, over the past few years, with VIA Rail Canada running "The Canadian" over Canadian National tracks, riders have been less than thrilled in the service they received for the money they paid.  If you go to the TripAdvisor web site, and search for VIA Rail Canada or "The Canadian" Train, you will see what I am talking about.  Visit:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g155025-d2230208-r609721806-VIA_Rail_Canada-Quebec.html

Here are just a few of the titles of some of the reviews.  And, by the way, I did not write ANY of them!

Never Again! What a Disgrace! 
Business Class Service is Horrible !!! 
Dirty and Shabby, late, and expensive I highly discourage you from taking this trip! 
Train trip from hell 
Ditto “Train Trip From Hell” 
Most inefficient train line in the world 
VIA RAIL CANADA FIRST EXPERIENCE: THIRD WORLD TRAINS 
The Canadian Train- Don't Do It! 
DISAPPOINTED AND DECEIVED WARNING - AVOID, Terrible delays and no Customer Service
26-hour delay; no compensation; WORST WAY TO TRAVEL
Where do I begin...
If I could give a negative review I would!
DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!
Via Rail you suck
"The Canadian Via Rail": A Rip-Off - Stay Away!


















 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/18 17:32 by Streamliner.

Don't you mean on Canadian National tracks?  Isn't that where most of the delays are?

ABB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't you mean on Canadian National tracks? 
> Isn't that where most of the delays are?

Yes, of course, thank you.

On TripmAdvisor out of 1900 reviews about 1200 are Good or Excellent. Seems some folks disagree. I have ridden it eight times and quite enjoy it. You just can’t be in a rush. Last three trips in Prestige which I find very enjoyable. 

Until recently, I worked in the hospitality business, and hotels and restaurants closely monitor Tripadvisor reviews. However, they pay attention to the percentages of postive versus negative reviews. A good example would be the reviews of the "Rocky Mountaineer" tourist train where the vast majority of reviews are "Excellent". There are other less glowing reviews, but these are in the hundreds, not the thousands.

The individual reviews are read and responded to, where the property reviewed can resolve the issues mentioned in the review.

Some reviews are given more weight than others, notably first timers versus frequent reviewers . The properties being reviewed like to see what else the reviewers have to say.

Only senior hotel managers had the ability to contact Tripadvisor, but they did pass on positive and negative comments to the staff, and ask if the criticisms were valid.Trust me, if a Tripadvisor review mentions an employee by name or position, we were contacted by management whether positive or negative. There is a reason hospitality employees wear name badges. However, where the criticism was unfounded, the managers where I worked would contact the person making the Tripadvisor review. 

My guess is that Via forwarded the "engineers exceeded the posted speed limit" to the employees involved and that event recorders were downloaded. If no infractions were found, Via would have discounted the validity of the review. 

They have techniques to detect disgruntled employees, competitors and just trolls.

As a consumer, I do read Tripadvisor reviews, but rely on the percentage of positive reviews rather than the negatives.

Via Rail services are more diverse than Rocky Mountaineer, supplying taxpayer funded services , so the reviews are more varied for Via services.

I have other transport interests. There are many airline sites on the internet, dealing with all aspects of the airline industry. There is a massive Airline Reviews web site, where you can search every aspect of airline travel. Airline passengers complain much more often than those in other modes of travel. I think airline travellers have developed a culture of complaining.
Perhaps this culture has spread to train passengers too.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/18 14:41 by eminence_grise.

Perhaps someone with more time than I have this evening will compile a list showing other Tripadvisor reviews. I just had a look at four pages of reviews of VIA trains, and there were several that were given four or five stars (or circles I guess I should say) for both the Canadian and corridor trains. Some of the headlines were:
What a joy
The best way to travel
Awesome trip (that was in Prestige)
Thank GOD for train

 

Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but wasn't a news story about a year ago about a hotel taking a TripAdvisor reviewer to court about a bad review?

Streamliner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've taken a lot of flak over my postings on "The
> Canadian," and I know I'll take more flak, but I
> don't really care.  I know that for many here,
> riding on a passenger train--ANY passenger train,
> is a delight.  For others, who seek the finer
> things in life, riding "The Canadian" is one of
> those Holy Grail trips that so many here would
> just love to experience.  Unfortunately, over the
> past few years, with VIA Rail Canada running "The
> Canadian" over Canadian National tracks, riders
> have been less than thrilled in the service they
> received for the money they paid.  If you go to
> the TripAdvisor web site, and search for VIA Rail
> Canada or "The Canadian" Train, you will see what
> I am talking about.  Visit:
>  https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g155
> 025-d2230208-r609721806-VIA_Rail_Canada-Quebec.htm
> l
>
> Here are just a few of the titles of some of the
> reviews.  And, by the way, I did not write ANY of
> them!
>
> Never Again! What a Disgrace! 
> Business Class Service is Horrible !!! 
> Dirty and Shabby, late, and expensive I highly
> discourage you from taking this trip! 
> Train trip from hell 
> Ditto “Train Trip From Hell” 
> Most inefficient train line in the world 
> VIA RAIL CANADA FIRST EXPERIENCE: THIRD WORLD
> TRAINS 
> The Canadian Train- Don't Do It! 
> DISAPPOINTED AND DECEIVED WARNING - AVOID,
> Terrible delays and no Customer Service
> 26-hour delay; no compensation; WORST WAY TO
> TRAVEL
> Where do I begin...
> If I could give a negative review I would!
> DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!
> Via Rail you suck
> "The Canadian Via Rail": A Rip-Off - Stay Away!
>
>
>
>
>
>Dead Horse!!!  But you continue to flog it.  It is tiring!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  

I wouldn't worry too much about it.  I imagine that a lot of the negative reviews were posted by Streamliner himself using
false names.  Ignore the troll, that's all he is...

Keith Robertson
Langley, BC

LKeithR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wouldn't worry too much about it.  I imagine
> that a lot of the negative reviews were posted by
> Streamliner himself using
> false names.  Ignore the troll, that's all he
> is...

I have written ONE and my wife has written ONE, that’s it.

I have come to the conclusion that it isn't worth arguing with someone who lacks the courage to put his name on his comments.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

Nothing to see here other than the OP trolling the regular folks on this board with his periodic need to get attention over one bad travel experience.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/18 21:14 by DJ-12.

any train travel outside of corridors is an excursion

Time to get over it. Most of the issues on TripAdvisor seem to be about delays. On VIA's web site, it is clearly indicated when you do a search for accommodations that excessive delays are possible, that they don't own or control the tracks, and thus have no control in keeping the train on time. While I don't have time to read all the reviews either, I doubt anyone else has lied about the excessive speed issue.  While I'm not on TripAdvisor, I do use Booking.com frequently for hotel reservations. It's amazing that some hotels which I found to be quite acceptable or better get such horrible reviews. And others that turn out to be dumps have ok to good reviews. To each his own I guess.  But in this case, ok, you had a bad trip. Get over it. And do us all a favor. None of us EVER want to encounter you on a train. VIA or otherwise.  Sure we like to complain about Amtrak's sometimes poor service. But we still love trains or we  wouldn't be here. And none of us constantly lie about operating conditions (the excessive speed issue).

Might I suggest you try one of the even more expensive luxury trains next time. Oh wait. We rode the Orient Express last Summer. The Italian locomotive crapped out and we had no AC in 90 degree heat for hours. That after paying upwards of $2,000 each for a one night trip. But this was Italian railways fault. NOT the Orient Expresses. So that would have been pointed out in any review I might have done. I may have mentioned the situation in one TO post on a trip report. I don't remember. But I don't go on and on and on about the horrible suffering we endured for four hours without AC (sic). We enjoyed the rest of the trip and made the best of it. My girl friend who isn't exactly a train enthusiast would do it again. Have you ever been significantly delayed at an airport?  A flight from DTW to AMS is 7.5 hrs. So if you are 4 hours late, that's a higher percentage of lateness than two days on the Canadian. If it was crap weather, would you blame Delta for the delay?  I'm guessing you probably would. Happy travels. 

I have nothing more to say to the guy except that I wish he could have been mrore grateful to those who tried to help him last April making contacts with VIA, etc.

DJ-12 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nothing to see here other than the OP trolling the
> regular folks on this board with his periodic need
> to get attention over one bad travel experience.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Truer words were never spoken.... move along, nothing to see.

Michael

Mberry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DJ-12 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nothing to see here other than the OP trolling
> the
> > regular folks on this board with his periodic
> need
> > to get attention over one bad travel
> experience.
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> Truer words were never spoken.... move along,
> nothing to see.
>
> Michael

Same here! Go away and hide please!!! 

Does anybody know if TripAdvisor has a quality control function that checks reviews to make sure they're true and not a fabrication?

They do.  I used the links to the two reviews the OP posted in another thread Saturday and "flagged" both of those reviews, providing TripAdvisor some details as to why they should be flagged, namely the blatant falsehoods they contain.  Hopefully something comes of that. 

As for this website, hopefully the modeators here act soon as well.  The OP serves no purpose here other than to spread vitriol, it is clear many are fed up with it.  A "problem child" on the Eastern & Passenger boards went bye-bye recently.  The OP needs to go bye-bye as well. 

I have a long time friend who is high up in the Via organization. They do monitor this and many other sites including of course Trip Advisor. He reports that their overall ratio of good vs. bad reviews is highly positive. FYI they have assigned Streamliners writings to " Drawer 22" which is where the crank missives go. He says they've all gotten a good laugh out of the writings that end up in Drawer 22.

    Such is life when dealing with the public.

     Merry Christmas, Ross Rowland