'I Would Like To Report The Scam That Is The LIRR,' Commuter Writes

It would be pretty difficult to find a happy Long Island Rail Road customer after this week.

After four days of delays, cancellations and diverted routes, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced LIRR service would back to normal on Friday morning, but later canceled 10 morning rush hour trains because Amtrak crews did not finish track repair on time.

Monica Farrell, 23, of Bayville, has only been taking the Long Island Rail Road for six weeks and says she rarely has a problem-free commute. In a letter listing her grievances, she discusses the LIRR's customer service, professionalism and more.

During this week's LIRR delays, Farrell had to board a school bus as part of her commute. "This is what I pay $297 a month for," she said.

Let us know if you agree with her thoughts below:

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Written by Monica Farrell:

I would like to report the scam that is the Long Island Rail Road. This company has been in business for 183 years and they have yet to master customer service, and they are sure a long way from reliability, timeliness, and professionalism.

As a young professional, I just started taking the railroad daily six weeks ago and I can say with 100% confidence that only a few of my commutes have been problem free. Whether its a signal problem, brake failure, tunnel problem, the LIRR never ceases to amaze me in how much they ask their customers to pay and the shockingly low quality of customer service they provide.

Long Islanders should stop accepting the subpar standards of this company as the status quo.In the past two weeks two Amtrak trains experienced minor derailments. Every single day was a headache and I simply couldn't get to work on time. Two trains on my line every night were cancelled. Instead of investing our money in employing people in orange vests to shout on megaphones at me on platforms, customer money should be used to fix antiquated equipment and properly train engineers so these derailments stop happening.

The particular incident I want to focus on was the one tonight, at rush hour when Oyster Bay service was suspended indefinitely. The woman at the customer service booth couldn't give me any details as to when the next train would be, other then to call 511. Why have a customer service booth at all if your employees aren't equipped with any information?

I decided to take the train to Jamaica anyway, hopeful that I could get a taxi and this company would reimburse me. Why should I pay for a $40 taxi back to my town when I pay $297 in fare every month? On the train, the conductor announced twice that the train would be making the Oyster Bay connection. He was not even apprised of the situation. I called 511 several times on my way to Jamaica; I was hung up on. When I finally got through to a customer service rep, I explained my frustrations as a customer who paid $297 per month. The woman snappily remarked "A lot of people pay $297 per month" and hung up on me. Finally when the conductor realized himself Oyster Bay service was suspended, he advised customers to get off at Mineola. There, the two people working on the platform were not even sure if a bus service would be called, or if the trains would run again. When the bus service was finally decided on, the bus driver didn't know where to drive the bus.

New York is supposed to be one of the biggest and best cities in the world, yet our transportation and infrastructure are far bellow any other big city standard. It's time we stop accepting this quality of service as the status quo. You simply shouldn't be in business if you don't know how to run a business. LIRR, it's time to privatize.

Images Courtesy of Monica Farrell