Daniel Confino was thrown off the Eurostar after asking for an extra tea bag . He is the financial expert who saved the Eurotunnel project two decades ago when it looked sure to fail. But when Daniel Confino took the Eurostar earlier this month he was unceremoniously thrown off the train – because he asked for an extra tea bag. Mr Confino, 56, protested when staff tried to charge him £2.20 to strengthen two cups of tea he had ordered with an extra bag of Duchy Organic. After a brief argument, he left the drinks and refused to pay – only to be dragged from a carriage by two police officers and bundled off the train at a station in the middle of the Kent countryside. Mr Confino said the case summed up ‘the death of simple common sense and the triumph of bully-boy incompetence’. The father of four is now considering legal action, arguing that he suffered ‘degrading treatment, mental distress and anxiety’. ‘Any right-thinking person would have been outraged. To charge £2.20 for an extra tea bag was sheer spite,’ he said. ‘When I have a builder’s tea I like a proper stand-up job. The chef de train was French, or possibly Belgian. What do they understand about tea?’ In 1993 Mr Confino, from Brockley, South-East London, was working at the bank Hill Samuel when he was commissioned by the Department for Transport to advise on the Eurotunnel project. It had exceeded projected costs and looked doomed. But Mr Confino and his team secured a deal with the banks that kept it going. On Saturday a fortnight ago, Mr Confino took the Eurostar from Paris to St Pancras with a colleague after attending a conference. When he went to the buffet car to buy two teas he asked for two large cups, costing £2.20 each, but noticed they were the same as the smaller size, with just a little extra water. The medium-sized ones were 20p cheaper. Mr Confino protested when staff tried to charge him £2.20 to strengthen two cups of tea he had ordered with an extra bag of Duchy Organic . He asked for an extra tea bag that he could dip in each cup but was allegedly told by a member of staff that she ‘didn’t have authority’ to allow this. He asked to see a superior, but when she arrived she said he would have to pay another £2.20 for the extra bag. Mr Confino then demanded to speak to the chef de train, the senior staff member responsible for all passengers. But she too said he would have to pay £2.20 extra. ‘This was patently ridiculous,’ Mr Confino said. ‘My two large insipid “French style” teas – minus the extra tea bag – stood on the counter cooling and when I went to pay they put £6.60 in the card machine. They were being provocative.’ He refused to pay and walked off with the two cups and the extra bag, but staff threatened to call police and he returned the lot. He had not drunk any tea or removed the extra bag from its packet. Mr Confino was dragged from a Eurostar carriage by two police officers after refusing to pay for the tea; he said the case was an example of 'the death of simple common sense' He then tried to take just the two teas but when the staff again said they would call police, he mouthed that they were ‘idiotic bitches’ and left the cups with them. Later, he was in the toilet when there was a banging on the door. ‘I emerged to be confronted by two officers in high vis jackets, referring to me as “fella” and saying “you’re coming off the train”,’ he said. ‘They literally bundled me off. I had to resist strenuously, both verbally and physically, just to retrieve my bags. The train had made a special stop at Ebbsfleet and the whole theatrical performance meant everyone was looking. I was accused of stealing a tea bag. I was worried I would be spending the night in the cells.’ He said that when he explained his side of the story, the officers apologised and got him a free ticket to London. ‘They even offered to get me a cup of strong tea.’ Last night a spokesman for Eurostar apologised, saying: ‘We appreciate that Mr Confino made a simple request for a tea bag and it’s unfortunate that the situation escalated.’ The spokesman said, however, that staff had felt ‘threatened’ by the argument.
Daniel Confino was the financial expert who saved the Eurotunnel project .
But he was escorted by police off a Eurostar train after an argument .
After refusing to pay £2.20 when he asked for an extra tea bag .
Daniel Confino was thrown off the Eurostar after asking for an extra tea bag . He is the financial expert who saved the Eurotunnel project two decades ago when it looked sure to fail. But when Daniel Confino took the Eurostar earlier this month he was unceremoniously thrown off the train – because he asked for an extra tea bag. Mr Confino, 56, protested when staff tried to charge him £2.20 to strengthen two cups of tea he had ordered with an extra bag of Duchy Organic. After a brief argument, he left the drinks and refused to pay – only to be dragged from a carriage by two police officers and bundled off the train at a station in the middle of the Kent countryside. Mr Confino said the case summed up ‘the death of simple common sense and the triumph of bully-boy incompetence’. The father of four is now considering legal action, arguing that he suffered ‘degrading treatment, mental distress and anxiety’. ‘Any right-thinking person would have been outraged. To charge £2.20 for an extra tea bag was sheer spite,’ he said. ‘When I have a builder’s tea I like a proper stand-up job. The chef de train was French, or possibly Belgian. What do they understand about tea?’ In 1993 Mr Confino, from Brockley, South-East London, was working at the bank Hill Samuel when he was commissioned by the Department for Transport to advise on the Eurotunnel project. It had exceeded projected costs and looked doomed. But Mr Confino and his team secured a deal with the banks that kept it going. On Saturday a fortnight ago, Mr Confino took the Eurostar from Paris to St Pancras with a colleague after attending a conference. When he went to the buffet car to buy two teas he asked for two large cups, costing £2.20 each, but noticed they were the same as the smaller size, with just a little extra water. The medium-sized ones were 20p cheaper. Mr Confino protested when staff tried to charge him £2.20 to strengthen two cups of tea he had ordered with an extra bag of Duchy Organic . He asked for an extra tea bag that he could dip in each cup but was allegedly told by a member of staff that she ‘didn’t have authority’ to allow this. He asked to see a superior, but when she arrived she said he would have to pay another £2.20 for the extra bag. Mr Confino then demanded to speak to the chef de train, the senior staff member responsible for all passengers. But she too said he would have to pay £2.20 extra. ‘This was patently ridiculous,’ Mr Confino said. ‘My two large insipid “French style” teas – minus the extra tea bag – stood on the counter cooling and when I went to pay they put £6.60 in the card machine. They were being provocative.’ He refused to pay and walked off with the two cups and the extra bag, but staff threatened to call police and he returned the lot. He had not drunk any tea or removed the extra bag from its packet. Mr Confino was dragged from a Eurostar carriage by two police officers after refusing to pay for the tea; he said the case was an example of 'the death of simple common sense' He then tried to take just the two teas but when the staff again said they would call police, he mouthed that they were ‘idiotic bitches’ and left the cups with them. Later, he was in the toilet when there was a banging on the door. ‘I emerged to be confronted by two officers in high vis jackets, referring to me as “fella” and saying “you’re coming off the train”,’ he said. ‘They literally bundled me off. I had to resist strenuously, both verbally and physically, just to retrieve my bags. The train had made a special stop at Ebbsfleet and the whole theatrical performance meant everyone was looking. I was accused of stealing a tea bag. I was worried I would be spending the night in the cells.’ He said that when he explained his side of the story, the officers apologised and got him a free ticket to London. ‘They even offered to get me a cup of strong tea.’ Last night a spokesman for Eurostar apologised, saying: ‘We appreciate that Mr Confino made a simple request for a tea bag and it’s unfortunate that the situation escalated.’ The spokesman said, however, that staff had felt ‘threatened’ by the argument.
Daniel Confino was thrown off the Eurostar after expert who saved the Eurotunnel project two – because he asked for an extra tea bag. Mr two police officers after refusing to pay for the ‘threatened’ by the argument.