Passenger ‘was blocked’ over Twitter complaints

NEWS of the independent report comes as Northern faced further criticism for blocking a passenger who complained about their services on Twitter.

Kat Harrison-Dibbits claims the operator blocked her from commenting on their official account after she complained about the recent rail chaos.

Consumer experts say that train companies should be ‘bending over backwards’ to help passengers.

But Northern bosses say users are only blocked if they don’t adhere to its clear social media policy.

Writing on Twitter Ms HarrisonDibbits said: “I’m blocked for complaining every time my train was cancelled, very delayed or too full to get on. They sent me the social media policy first, which was a weird thing to do. They do it to loads of people.”

Alex Hayman, Which? managing director of Public Markets, said train companies should be bending over backwards to help passengers who have been enduring hundreds of cancellations, rather than ignoring their complaints.

“Time and again we’ve heard stories of operators failing to engage with customers and handle their complaints fairly – which is why there should be no further delay with introducing an ombudsman with real powers to help passengers enforce their rights,” he said.

A Northern spokesman said social media interactions from customers are ‘welcome’ and the team is ‘absolutely committed’ to helping customers.

“We have a clear social media policy, on our website, that outlines what customers can expect from Northern’s social media team and what we expect in return,” they said.

“Blocking users is not something we do lightly and something we would never do for those who simply complain about our services. If anyone believes they have been blocked or muted unfairly, we ask them to contact our Customer Experience Centre if they want further clarity on the decision.”