Brightline Apologizes for "Nearly Incomprehensible" Customer Service

While it would've been easier for Jared Cohen to fly directly into Orlando to visit his family early this month, the self-described transit enthusiast wanted to ride the Brightline while in Florida. A Temple University student who goes by "regional rail enjoyer" on social media, Cohen chronicles his train travels around the nation, and Florida's recently expanded private railway seemed ripe for coverage.

Cohen booked an early November 3 flight from Philadelphia to Miami with what seemed like enough time to touch down and head for the downtown Brightline station to board the new high-speed service to Orlando. But his flight to Miami got delayed, then the Metrorail was held up — and he arrived too late to board the train.

Brightline charged Cohen $72 to hop on the next train despite a new policy that offers to rebook guests for free if they miss their train because of a delayed inbound flight. Aware of the policy, the railway aficionado promptly emailed customer service, asking for reimbursement.

When Brightline's help center finally responded three weeks later, the company did not provide a refund, but instead a "nearly incomprehensible" stream of words along with a discount voucher, Cohen says.

"We do apologize for any inconvenience for a missed train not cancelled normally are non refundable but for certain situations as yours was they do give a 50% discount on a future ticket which i do so was applied to the new tickets purchased we can apply a one time credit for the disounted tickets credit vouched to use is [redacted]..."

Cohen posted a screenshot of the reply on X (formerly known as Twitter), where users piled on to troll the jumbled mess of an email.

asked @GoBrightline for a refund for my rebooked ticket that i had to pay $72 for because my flight was delayed and made me miss my train (something they say they'll allow a free rebooking for), and what got back was this nearly incomprehensible email. pic.twitter.com/KSZkTIYzoO

— jared (regional rail enjoyer) (@_spacepeanut_) November 25, 2023

"The runon [sic] sentence is real," one person wrote.

The runon sentence is real

— Vanessa Brito (@VanessaBritoMia) November 26, 2023

Another responded, "That email grammar is more appalling than your refund policy."

Maybe just to start, you could have your customer service communicate in proper English? That email grammar is more appalling than your refund policy.

— Mario Roa (@mariohroa) November 26, 2023

Given that the cryptic email came in around 4:20 a.m., Cohen surmises that Brightline may be outsourcing its customer service overseas.

"[Brightline is] a good service, and I'm glad it exists, but they really need to work on their customer support," Cohen tells New Times. "Also, their whole strategy of running a train line like an airline is a bit ludicrous and goes against many of the great benefits and flexibilities of rail travel that people in the rest of the world (or even country) enjoy."

According to the new Brightline policy that went into effect on October 27, guests who miss their trains because of an inbound flight delay "may be eligible" to be rebooked on the next available train at no cost. Late-arriving guests boarding at the Orlando station must provide proof that their flight was scheduled to arrive at least one hour before the scheduled departure of their Brightline trip, while those boarding in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach stations must provide proof that their flight was scheduled to arrive an hour and a half prior to their Brightline train departure.

Cohen notes that when he came to the Miami station early this month, his train had not yet departed, but Brightline's strict stance on closing the turnstiles five minutes prior to departure precluded any last-minute boarding.

On November 27, roughly two days after sharing the perplexing customer-service message on social media, Cohen received an apologetic (and fully intelligible) email from Brightline acknowledging that Cohen did qualify for a complimentary rebooking and offering a refund.

"On behalf of the team, I apologize for any confusion caused by our last message," the email reads. "We've refunded your rebooked ticket."

VICTORY https://t.co/vcNSwF9CbY pic.twitter.com/6kNgeNQ3un

— jared (regional rail enjoyer) (@_spacepeanut_) November 27, 2023

The privately owned passenger rail service did not respond to New Times' emailed request for a response statement. Cohen logged the message providing a refund roughly an hour after New Times reached out to Brightline for comment on the incident.

Residing in Philadelphia, Cohen uses social media to document his experience with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which operates buses, railways, and trolleys for millions of Pennsylvania residents. The self-proclaimed transit nerd, who is studying geography and urban studies, was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer as a beta-tester for SEPTA's mobile payment method.

Brightline, whose much-anticipated route to Orlando rolled out September 22, retooled some of its passenger policies this fall, including a controversial move to ban bikes from its cabins. 

If honored, Brightline's new rebooking policy, branded as the "Connect With Confidence Program," would provide relief for countless train passengers plagued by flight delays. The company says it will rebook trains for travelers who experience flight-related delays for up to three days. Longer delays "are subject to approval by station managers and may require additional documentation," Brightline says.