I came across an article detailing what would have otherwise been an interesting story on its own. It's about a Rockfor, IL woman born with Holt-Orem Syndrome, characterized in her case by not having arms. Since she was a child, she has done everything with her feet and has lived this way always. She has a driver's license, and gets around like any other person with full use of their physical faculties.
She made the paper, however, because of McDonald's. Something tells me they aren't "lovin' it." (I absolutely detest that campaign, but that's another rant for another time.)
I came across this story in multiple places, but found the most detail in the Chicago Sun-Times. Apparently, last November she pulled through the drive-through after ordering to pick up food with her boys in the backseat. She paid via her credit card, which she understandably handed to the employee with her foot. That part went off without a hitch, but picking up her purchase was another story.
According to a lawsuit Larson filed against the restaurant's owner last week in Winnebago County, when Larson pulled up to the second window to get her food, an employee said "with a tone of disgust and repulsion," "What's the matter with you? . . . You ain't got no arms. ... Let me see your arms," and drew back the bags of food from Larson's outstretched foot. After making more allegedly rude statements, the employee closed the window and went to consult a manager, the suit states.
The manager appeared at the window and likewise stared in disgust at Larson while her children watched from their seats in the car, the suit states. Larson suggested that they hand the bags to her son, who has one full-size arm. He reached over and took them.
Larson later called a manager at McDonald's to complain and was told "corrective action has been taken" against the employees, the suit says. McDonald's sent her $10 in gift certificates.
Wow, a whole $10.
That actually wasn't even the worst encounter. The article goes on to detail another encounter in February that was similar, but with the added bonus of:
the employee at the second window threw up her hands and said, "Oh, no, I'm not doing this," and closed the window, the suit states.
The employee would not hand the bags to her son, either, the suit says. Larson asked her friend to enter the restaurant and get the food, and they would not give it to him. After several minutes, an employee came out and handed the food to the friend.
No $10 that time. Because, hey, she must have had the misfortune of having a similarly deformed son. The only way she got her food was because it was handed to a two-armed friend.
Look, it's not like you expect someone making minimum wage and slaving away at McDonald's to know any better. I'd expect nothing more from them anyway. Still, it makes me wonder where the corporate responsibility is. The spokesperson for this particular segment of McD's in IL doesn't confirm nor deny anything since the case is pending litigation, but if you ask me, the first "we're sorry" down payment of $10 in gift certs is in indication of guilt. From a morality standpoint, this is obviously sad and telling.
I'm certainly no HR aficionado. The better person to comment on this would be Mike. From a marketing/PR/community relations standpoint, I think McDonald's hasn't learned it doesn't operate like the food they serve: full of junk and shoved through a conveyor belt.
11 reasons this pr-happy lady shouldn.t get a dime:
http://www.franchisepick.com/no-shoes-no-hands-no-service-at-mcdonalds/
Agree?
Posted by: Franchise Pick | July 04, 2007 at 11:21 PM