Virgin Trains has apologised after mocking a customer's complaint about everyday sexism on Twitter

• Virgin Trains' East Coast Twitter account appeared to mock a female customer after she complained about experiencing everyday sexism from a member of staff. 
• The tweet was branded as "shameful" and "demeaning" by others on Twitter. 
• The original complaint was over a train manager addressing the female customer as "honey." 

Virgin Trains has apologised after one of its staff appeared to mock a customer who complained about everyday sexism.

The company sparked a fierce backlash on Twitter on Tuesday morning for a comment posted by one of its social media team which many branded "shameful" and "demeaning."

It has since apologised "unreservedly" and said it had deleted the tweet to "avoid causing further offence."

Passenger Emily Lucinda Cole tweeted the company's East Coast team on Tuesday morning claiming that a "misogynistic" male train manager had acted rudely towards her.

She said: "When Virgin Trains mess up and the older male train manager in the resulting conversation dismisses you with that hideously patronising word women shudder at in contexts such as these: 'honey'."

The company, which runs East Coast services between King's Cross and Scotland, responded to her tweet within minutes replying: "Sorry for the mess up Emily, would you prefer "pet" or "love" next time?"

The message immediately sparked a fierce reaction on Twitter with many calling the social media worker's response "demeaning" and "sexist."

Referencing the #metoo social media campaign which was launched to highlight sexual harassment and misogyny, Baroness Jenny Jones of the Green Party said: "This tweet is worth a formal complaint.

"Virgin, have you taken nothing from the #metoo campaign? Sexism is never funny."

Feminist writer Caroline Criado Perez tweeted simply: "Wow" before adding: "I'm so bored of this ridiculous type of outrage marketing."

Guardian journalist Claire Phipps said: "There's quirky social media customer service and then there's condescending #everydaysexism customer service…"

"This is disgusting," another person said online. "Shame on you."

Another passenger, who claimed to have witnessed the exchange, chipped in on Twitter, adding: "Just...wow. I was on the train when he called her honey and it was not affectionate, it was patronising (she was legitimately complaining at the time).

"Amazingly crass response."

He added: "He was male. I heard him. And it wasn't regionally appropriate.

"She was (legitimately) complaining about something else and his response was highly patronising."

Ms Cole, the woman who made the original complaint, said she was "stunned" after seeing the response, adding: "Wonderful to see that Virgin Trains EC take complaints of rude and misogynistic behaviour seriously."

More than two hours after the original tweet was posted, the tweet was deleted.

Virgin Trains apologised to Ms Cole via the social media site, and told the Standard: "We apologise unreservedly for this tweet and for the offence caused.

"To avoid causing more offence we have deleted the original post."

Some people criticised those who had taken offence at the tweet, claiming to have found the response funny. 

"The tweet itself gave me a pretty good laugh," one person said while someone else said the UK had turned into a "PC disaster nation."

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