The second letter from the company was to say sorry that the first "complaint "
had not been dealt with quickly enough.

     Stevan Walton, 25, from Manchester, who sent a congratulatory e-mail to Virgin after travelling from Stockport to London, said the replies were "very strange".

     "It was an enjoyable journey and much better than I had expected it to be so I sent a letter to them telling them this through their website.

     "Within two weeks I had received two letters of apology and an offer to reimburse my ticket."
He added: "It did make me laugh. I was not expecting any response at all so I was very surprised."

     The second letter read: "We would be grateful if you would send your train ticket to the above address quoting your reference number so that we can fully complete our investigation into your claim.

     A Virgin spokesman described the incident as a "cock-up" and blamed it on an overworked temp.

     "It was an administrative error by people who sit in front of a data base sending out letter after letter. They are only human."

     But the spokesman quickly added: "We do receive many compliments from our customers, not just complaints."