Man banned from Eurostar after row over second teabag

A Eurostar passenger has been banned for life - unless he apologises following a row over a request for a second teabag.

Back in September, Daniel Confino, 56, was returning to London with a colleague after a conference in Paris when he ordered two teas at £2.20 each, and asked for an extra teabag so he could make his stronger.

When he was charged another £2.20 for his extra teabag, he complained to staff.

A heated row allegedly ensued, which ended with Mr Confino leaving the Duchy Organic teabag on the counter, walking off mouthing "idiotic bitches".

The buffet car staff said they felt threatened and the train made an unscheduled stop in Ebbsfleet, Kent, where Mr Confino left the train and was met by police.

In December, Mr Confino booked a trip to Calais, but realised he had been banned for life - unless he apologises - after receiving an email telling him that his ticket had been cancelled.

According to the Daily Mail, the email, from Marc Noaro, Eurostar's service and people director, read: "Dear Mr Confino, following our telephone conversation earlier today I confirm Eurostar's decision not to permit you to travel on Wednesday 3 December.

"Eurostar will not in any way tolerate abuse of its staff. As a result of your behaviour on 6 September and your subsequent emails we have decided that, in accordance with Eurostar's Conditions of Carriage, you should not be permitted to travel on Eurostar services.

"Any other booking made by you will be cancelled. We will review our decision when:

1. You provide a written apology to the members of crew working on the 20:13 train from Paris on 6 September; and

2. We are confident that your behaviour towards Eurostar personnel will be appropriately courteous and polite.

"The above decision is final."

Mr Confino called the ban "ridiculous, repugnant and draconian" and says he now intends to have the ban ruled illegal at the High Court.

But Eurostar says the safety and security of all those travelling has to come first.

A spokesperson told Aol Travel: "We were very sorry to hear about Mr Confino's recent experience on Eurostar.

"We appreciate that Mr Confino made a simple request for a teabag and it's unfortunate that the situation escalated in the way that it did. We always want to give the best possible customer service and our customer team have been in touch with Mr Confino about this.

"However, Mr Confino's reaction and behaviour on this occasion resulted in our crew feeling threatened. It is very important that our staff are able to do their jobs without being subjected to abusive language or threatening behaviour and Mr Confino's language and behaviour gave them serious cause for concern. In this kind of situation, where our crew feel threatened, the safety and security of all those travelling has to come first and it is normal procedure for the police to board the train and ask the disruptive passenger to leave. "

The spokesperson also highlighted that the ban "isn't necessarily for life, but can be reviewed".

Related articles

Eurostar launches 200mph train to make London to Paris journeys quicker

Kanye West refused to use Eurostar loo roll as it's 'too scratchy'

Lightning strike causes Eurostar chaos