A Lloyds Bank customer has criticised the bank after he claims he was offered 'hush money' following an incident where a female staff member allegedly called him a 'gay fairy' and refused to serve him.
Paul Whitbread, 37, from Romford, Essex, visited the Romford branch on 10 September to deposit £150 on behalf of his mother. He says the employee refused to help due to third-party deposit policy, leading to an argument. After a 10-minute wait, he alleges she told him: 'You better get my ass over there.' He responded sarcastically, and she then called him a 'gay fairy'.
Mr Whitbread believes the incident stemmed from a previous encounter six months earlier at a different branch, where the same staff member allegedly 'made faces' at him when he was being 'quite camp and cuddly with a guy'. He did not report that incident but filed a complaint after the September altercation.
Three days later, the bank's customer relations team offered him £30, then increased it to £50. Mr Whitbread described the offer as 'hush money' and said he felt insulted that no investigation was conducted beforehand. 'Do they think that a few notes will make someone feel better?' he asked.
A Lloyds spokesperson said the bank took the complaint 'extremely seriously' and has now conducted a full investigation into the allegations.
