Brandon K.
Yelp
Dear Brightline Customer Service,
I am writing to file a formal and serious complaint regarding the harassment, false accusations, and abuse of authority I experienced from your staff members, Jackie and Declan Donegan, during my trip on 10/12/2024 from Aventura station to Orlando station.
After purchasing drinks at the Brightline station and providing proof of purchase multiple times, I was still repeatedly questioned by your staff member, Jackie. Despite showing her the receipt on three separate occasions, she continued to question me and my companions. The situation escalated when Declan Donegan approached us out of nowhere and falsely claimed we had brought our own drinks on board, even though I clarified that the drinks were purchased at the Brightline station. He then misrepresented our conversation to Jackie, causing her to come back to us and call us "liars" to our faces. This accusation was made in front of other passengers, subjecting us to public embarrassment and humiliation without any justification. She then starts repeating "We have cameras so when we confirm you guys are getting kicked off at the next stop"?!?!?!?
To make matters worse, Declan Donegan began threatening to kick us off the train for "being confrontational," when in reality, we were simply defending ourselves against these baseless accusations. Declan went so far as to act as if he were using his walkie-talkie, falsely claiming that we were being aggressive and insisting we would be removed from the train. His behavior was a blatant abuse of authority and completely uncalled for.
Finally, after all this harassment, the train manager Erma contacted the Aventura station and confirmed that we did indeed make the purchase from Brightline!! Despite us showing the rcceipt not ONCE, not TWICE, THREE TIMES! At this point, it became clear that all the accusations made by Jackie and Declan were completely unfounded. However, neither Jackie nor Declan had the decency to apologize for the mistreatment we endured. When I asked Jackie for her name, she refused to respond and ran away, further avoiding accountability for her actions.
This entire ordeal was not only unnecessary but deeply humiliating, as other passengers were watching and we were made to feel like criminals for simply purchasing drinks from Brightline. I demand an immediate investigation into the conduct of Jackie and Declan Donegan and a formal apology from your company. It is unacceptable that we were treated this way, and both staff members need to be held accountable for their unprofessional and abusive behavior. I also strongly urge that disciplinary action be taken against Jackie for calling us liars in front of everyone, and against Declan for his abuse of authority.
Although the manager Erma who finally came to our rescue to prove the employees wrong and confirming that we were not lying, I have never been treated or experienced such disrespectful harrassment in my life. I expect a swift and satisfactory response, and I trust that Brightline will take appropriate measures to address this serious issue.I also am seeing what I can legally do in regards to this matter since everything is documented, I recorded the encounters on my phone because and have the receipt from our transaction history and ON THE ACTUAL CAMERAS which will confirm the non stop harassment.