A drag performer has criticised Avanti West Coast after he forked out nearly £600 for a train that never turned up.
As Brits face another week of train strikes and cancellations, performer Le Gateau Chocolat, whose real name is George Ikediashi, took to Twitter to share his experience which took place on Sunday (11 December).
The performer had been travelling from Bangor, Wales, to London Euston after putting on a performance in Wales over the weekend, and was waiting to hop on his returning train when he learned, two minutes after it was due, that the train was actually cancelled.
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In a post on Twitter, Chocolat wrote: "£589 was the cost of your return 1st class ticket, @AvantiWestCoast. Yesterday, the driver announced there’d be no 1st class service on the 1610 from Euston to Bangor.
"This morning, you cancelled the 10:05 train from Bangor to Euston at… 10:07."
Chocolat received a response from Avanti, which apologised for his experience and encouraged him to offer up further information, reading: "So sorry to hear that, if you were looking to take this further please submit your comments and tickets here and it'll be looked into for you."
The performer argued that 'at £589', he 'shouldn't be the one looking to take it further', but made clear that he would follow up with the company after having spent so much money.
Things only got worse for Chocolat as he then added: "Merry Christmas and wintery Season’s Greetings @AventiWestCoast. You’ve just cancelled the next train."
As a result of the delays and cancellations, Chocolat claimed it took him ten hours to get back to London - double the amount of time it should have taken.
In a statement addressing Chocolat's experience, Avanti West Coast told ITV News it had encouraged the customer to claim compensation.
“Over the last few months, our sole focus has been to do everything we can to return to a more resilient operation and deliver more services for our customers and communities," the company said.
“Crucially, our new timetable is based on a robust and sustainable roster for our people without reliance on overtime, and has been achieved by working with our people and the unions. It provides a better working pattern for staff and our customers will benefit from more trains and greater connectivity.”
Avanti West Coast is currently advising customers to 'only travel by rail if absolutely necessary' on days with planned strike action, which includes 13, 14, 16 and 17 December, and on 3, 4, 6 and 7 January.
LADbible has reached out to Avanti West Coast for comment.
Emily Brown