Well, I think there is a little context here. The "Barber is a w@nker" brigade are pretty voicferous right now and this seems to play to their prejudices. It is also semi literate and seems pretty implausible. I think even years ago, and argument that was presented in such a one sided way would...
* Or the op is not being entirely open about the circumstances of the damage? In my experience with the ticket office over a long time, they've never been anything but helpful.