16 August 2023 , 10:57
841
0
Wetherspoons has been forced to apologise after banning two loyal pensioners for bad behaviour in a case of mistaken identity.
Linda Whittet turned up at Jolly’s Hotel in Broughty Ferry, Scotland, last week only to be told she had been barred from the venue over an incident a few weeks earlier. It came 24 hours after Derek Jamieson, also 72, was falsely accused of “throwing a glass” at a transgender guest last month.
The chain hit the headlines back in 2018 after a 69-year-old said he had been banned from Spoons for complaining about being only served five chicken nuggets. Now more guests have been left angry and Mrs Whittet said she was stunned after being finding out she wasn't welcome and says she was 'shaken' after being told it is now a police matter.
She is now allowed back in but says she struggles to go to her local after being left embarrassed last Wednesday. She was unbanned a day after bosses says they got it totally wrong after accusing Mr Jamieson of the assault.
Wetherspoon held their hands up and said they got it wrong (Wetherspoons)The woman told The Courier: “I went up to order the coffees, then a young member of staff came over to me and said I had been identified as someone who had been banned from the premises.I thought it was a joke at first but he was deadly serious.
All of the country's airport Wetherspoons pubs ranked from best to worst
"He wouldn’t tell me exactly what I had done wrong. I am really quite stressed about this. I was so taken aback, he wasn’t nice about it. Now I’m frightened to put my foot in the door."
Mr Jamieson, a retired photographer, was stunned to find out he was banned and said he had nothing to do with the incident, saying: “I honestly thought it was a wind-up and told the staff member they had the wrong person. It was embarrassing. When they said I’d acted in a threatening manner and thrown a glass at a trans person I couldn’t believe it.”
Wetherspoons issued two statements a day apart and in relation to Ms Whittet, they said: “This is a case of mistaken identity and we sincerely apologise to Ms Whittet for our error. The confusion arises from the same incident of unacceptable behaviour which led to the inadvertent barring of another customer the evening before, to whom we have also apologised.
“Our customer services team are liaising directly with Ms Whittet to address her concerns as to how the matter was handled and we hope very much to welcome her back to the pub in the future.”
The day before they said sorry but Mr Jamieson says he will not be returning. A spokesman said: “The CCTV footage has been reviewed. We believe this is a case of mistaken identity and sincerely apologise to the customer in question.
“There had been a previous incident in the pub involving unacceptable behaviour which led to the confusion. Wetherspoon looks forward to welcoming the gentleman back to the pub in the future. Wetherspoon is very grateful to the customer for their assistance in this matter.”