Wetherspoons in Devon refused to serve customer because she has an American passport
Pub staff refused to believe Fiona Flynn's US passport wasn't fake
WETHERSPOONS staff refused to serve a customer because they thought her American passport was a fake.
Fiona Flynn, 20, said she was "appalled" when a barman claimed the document was not a valid form of ID.
And when her British boyfriend Will Rae bought her a drink, a manager came over to their table and snatched it away.
Marketing apprentice Fiona, who has lived in the UK since she was five and has permanent residency, says she has never had any trouble using her US passport as ID.
But she was turned away when she went to meet Will for a quick drink after work at the George’s Meeting House in Exeter, Devon.
Fiona said: "I couldn’t believe it at all.
“I was told they don’t serve people without British passports as that’s the only form of ID that they deem as valid, so my order was refused.
“I didn’t want to make a fuss so I left it and my boyfriend ordered the drink for me and we went to sit down at a table.
“After a minute or so, the manager came from round the corner and took the drink away, saying that we wouldn’t be served.
“We were offered a refund but I just found the whole thing outrageous."
She added: “I was told it was company policy and that it was 'nothing personal'.
“I was just confused and thought that it must have been a joke.
“Are they going to do the same thing with international students or the thousands of tourists who will visit in the summer?”
JD Wetherspoon's ID policy, published on its website, says: “Acceptable documents to prove your age are a valid passport, UK or Ireland photo card driving licence, UK military ID or any PASS-accredited proof-of-age card.
“All ID must have a photograph of you, include your date of birth and outline the validity period for the document.
“Our staff may accept other identification documents which meet all of the ID requirements; however, this is at their sole discretion – if they are unsure about the document’s authenticity/validity or are unfamiliar with its features, they may feel unable to accept them.”
Spoons spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We understand the lady’s displeasure at not being served and then having her drink taken away.
“It is certainly not discrimination.
“The member of staff refused to serve the lady because he was unsure if the passport was genuine.
MOST READ IN NEWS
“A US passport had not been shown before in the pub and the team were unsure whether it was genuine, so could not establish its authenticity.
“Our staff were simply following the company’s guidelines on proof of age, when serving alcohol to someone in the pub.”
In January a Wetherspoons regular was left in floods of tears after she was barred from a Hull pub in a row over a refund when she forgot her ID.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.