Avanti West Coast has publicly apologised after a tweet branded “sarcastic” was sent to a stranded passenger from its verified account.
The apology from the leading train company – which notably operates direct services to and from Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston stations – came after a passenger, named Rhys, complained on Twitter that he was “disappointed” when his train from Wolverhampton was cancelled.
The passenger – whose tweets are protected and cannot be viewed – then appeared to ask for some advice on onward travel from the company.
But the response Rhys received to his query was one he deemed had “unwarranted” sarcasm.
The tweet – written and signed by an Avanti West Coast employee named Sean – read: “I’m sorry Rhys, I’m disappointed there is a pandemic.
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“You can catch the next service.”
The tweet thread continued when the passenger replied to say he did not think it was unreasonable to ask what to do, adding the “sarcasm” had been “unwarranted”.
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We’d just like to unreservedly apologise for the earlier comments made on this thread. It falls well below the standards we expect. We’ve also been in touch with Rhys to offer our apologies.
Despite the tweets coming from the official verified Avanti West Coast account, a spokesperson for the company said posts fell “well below the standards we expect”, and added that the response was “a one-off”.
A follow-up tweet also saw the company “unreservedly apologise”.
“We’d just like to unreservedly apologise for the earlier comments made on this thread. It falls well below the standards we expect [and] we’ve also been in touch with Rhys to offer our apologies,” the apology tweet read.
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“Without a pandemic, we would have a full quota of train crew to be able to run a full timetable,” the company insisted.
“We know we didn’t get this right hence why we have apologised,” the spokesperson concluded.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
16th December 2021 
