Salma, a female Muslim student, was travelling to her law exam on public transport. The examination was open book so Salma had decided to use a suitcase in which to carry her course material. When she reached the ticket barrier she was refused access by a member of staff, who said suitcases were not allowed through.
Eventually, another member of staff let Salma through the barrier, however when she went to the cash office to complain about the incident, the customer service staff refused to give the name of the responsible member of staff and Salma said they shouted racist insults at her.
Salma had not used the station since the incident.
Outcome: Full and Final Settlement
After the initial discussion about the events that took place that day, the representatives for the station apologised for the treatment and level of customer service Salma received. They explained that the manual gate has been replaced with a wide aisle gate, which would prevent this incident from happening again in the future. Salma was happy to accept the apology, and said she felt a lot more at ease with the situation following the discussion. It was also agreed that a written apology would be sent to Salma, and a copy of this letter sent to Salma’s MP.
The representatives for the station confirmed that all staff have now been provided with cards which they can give to customers who wish to make a complaint, giving them information about how they may do so. They also confirmed they will review why it took such a long time for Salma to receive a response from the customer service department.
Salma was offered a tour of one of the stations to help her feel more confident about travelling again, and a refund of expenses incurred totalling £50.
Salma and the representative for the station also agreed a compensation figure which they decided to keep confidential.