After her furious mom claimed that the Santa volunteer looked homeless and didn’t say “ho ho ho”, a grieving mother demanded a full refund for the Polar Express Train Ride. This left her 7-year-old niece an unbeliever.
Melissa Evans (35), shamed Father Christmas with her photo of him on Facebook. She posted a harsh review claiming he looked nothing like Saint Nick because of his thin figure and grey hair.
The disgruntled customer, from Cannock, Staffordshire, accused Telford Steam Railways of ‘ripping people off and making a killing on a very shoddy show’ after forking out £135 on tickets for the ‘disappointing’ Polar Express Train Ride.
According to the railway, the experience is described as an “immersive re-creation of the 2004 Polar Express film” where passengers can feel the magic of Christmas and take home unforgettable memories.
However, Ms Evans, her baby girl, step-daughter, and niece boarded the train on Sunday, November 28. She was shocked to see the smiling Santa, whom she said looked more like an ‘overly homeless person’.
Retail worker claimed the entire experience was “not magical” and now wants to be able to claim at least partial compensation from the volunteer service.
Although Ms Evans received support from some commenters online, other people criticized her choice to upload a photograph of Evans and her negative review. They said he was just ‘trying his hardest’.
Furious mom said that Santa was short and thin, with a grey beard and didn’t say “ho ho ho” to her daughter, making her 7-year old niece non-believer.
Melissa Evans, 32, (pictured with her baby daughter Mylah-Jane), is demanding a £135 refund from a Polar Express experience due to its unconvincing Santa
Ms Evans stated that Santa was not a character, and there wasn’t a ‘ho ho, ho,’ that he was. He simply walked by the children, saying ‘hi,’ but he never interacted with them.
“I’m not going to tell you because it’s horrible, but he looked just like someone who had gotten on the train. It was not his style, it wasn’t magical.
My seven year old son, when he left the room, said “That isn’t Santa.” It was difficult to say Santa sends helpers as he is often too busy to handle it all himself at this time of year.
“But now she says, “I don’t believe that Santa exists,” because Santa was such a bad person. It was terrible.
“The seven-year old was then telling my niece, four, that Santa wasn’t real.” It was hard for me to not say, “You can’t tell her that because she is only small,” because I want her belief as much, even though she’s seven.
“My brother claimed that this was a strange coincidence and I responded by saying it is probably because Santa wasn’t so good.”
“Some friends of mine sent me photos of Santa Claus from the Polar Express. It’s exactly what I would expect Santa to look, with the long beard and chunky glasses. This was far from the reality.
Adam Evans, 31, the mother, took Mylah Jane (her nine-month-old girl), Amelia, Amelia (4 years), and Amelia (7 years) on the train, after learning about the’magical” journeys of other families.
Melissa claims that they got off to a rough start when they arrived at the station by shuttle bus. They were dropped off in outdoor marquees, where they waited for more than an hour before being allowed on the train.
The entertainment during the 40-minute journey by train was also rushed and not magical, as she claims. This is in contrast to the advertised experience.
Melissa shared that it was freezing cold when they arrived. Melissa also said they had two marquees they put up, which you can use during the summer since they don’t have sides.
“There were many people coming in by bus and they had no idea what was going on.
“Unfortunately, about 15 minutes prior to our train leaving they had opened an indoor marquee. However, there wasn’t enough seating so many people were unable to come in. So we stood at the rear.
A few social media users criticised Ms Evans for posting a photograph of Santa.
“Mrs Claus” greets children at the Polar Express Train Ride Experience – which Ms Evans described as disappointing
Telford Steam Railway thanked Evans, for her constructive feedback after her online complaint
We were brought down to the train station and we felt absolutely cold once on board.
“They handed everyone hot chocolate and cookies, but they were hurrying to get rid of the trash before we had finished. It was very rushed.
“Wherever you go, there is a souvenir shop where the children can send Santa a letter. That was quite nice.
“I don’t understand why they didn’t add that much at the start, because we had almost an hour of freezing cold to spare. However, at the finish it was very rushed as the shuttle bus was about to arrive to pick us all up.
Other parents supported Ms Evans’ harsh review by commenting that they were also disappointed in the same experience and leaving their children skeptical about Santa Claus.
One person said, “I am so glad that I’m not alone in this!” It was so embarrassing! I was mortified!
One other said that she felt the exact same way and they emailed her. We paid nearly £200 for 4 tickets, feeling ripped off.’
Others criticized her for being ‘entitled’, and labeled her choice to include a picture of Santa Claus onboard with her complaint as ‘rotten.
One responded, “What self-entitled Karens!” [whinging] about how Santa should look in their eyes – kids probs had a good time anyway but Karen’s p****d off because Santa’s beard wasn’t the correct length – get a f*****g life.’
Another commented, “If your complaint is formal, please post here.” This is a very bad move, posting the picture of this man on social media and summarily sacking him.
While some supported Ms Evans’ complaint on Facebook, revealing they had had similar disappointing experiences, others branded her a ‘self-entitled Karen’, telling her to ‘get a f*****g life’
Many people even pointed out that heritage trains are run by volunteers, and they questioned mom’s claim that it ‘rips off people’.
Commenter: “You’re referring to volunteers who have nothing but a desire to do their best and ripping off people?” Is that what you mean? They don’t have anything to lose.
Evans continues to be firm about her complaint. Evans claims that Santa’s onboard performance didn’t match expectations, despite seeing the character’s magic in other years.
She stated that people were asking “What do you expect from Santa?” – they’re right, but looking at photos from past years we can see how Santa looks magical.
“It’s a magical, amazing experience for children where entertainment is guaranteed.
‘My friends were just back from Stoke Polar Express. They said how great Santa was. That he took photos and sat with them – it was impossible for us to do anything like that.
“The comments became abusive, so I removed the post and blocked them. These things are unacceptable to me.
The mother filed a formal complaint after the ‘dire’ incident and is hoping for a partial reimbursement of the five tickets.
Ms Evans added: ‘To me £135 is a lot of money to spend to see Santa for him to turn up like that, it was 100 percent not worth the cost.
‘I took my little girl to a place local to us where they did story time and dancing with elves and met Santa – it only cost me £8 and they had more joy out of that than the train.’
Telford Steam Railway replied to Ms Evans’ complaint via social media, writing: “We have strengthened customer service and all inquiries are being handled by volunteers as soon as possible.”
“We appreciate any feedback you provide and thank you. We also appreciate your patience.
Mail Online reached Telford Steam Railway to get their opinion.