On River Island, a mother of two with urinary incontinence got wet after staff refused to let her go to the bathroom and put a “wet floor” sign next to her.
Bianca Artwell, 30, suffers from a functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition that affects her nervous system and the way her brain and body send and receive signals.
Symptoms include weakness or paralysis, tremors or tics, difficulty walking, loss of balance, and urinary incontinence.
Last week, Bianca returned a pair of shoes to her three-year-old daughter at River Island at Elliott’s Field Retail Park in Rugby, Warwickshire.
But as she walked towards the cash register, she realized she needed the toilet, something she struggled with because of her FND.
He asked the staff to use the store’s bathroom, explaining his situation and that he couldn’t wait, but they refused, saying it was against company policy.
Despite requests from the staff and the store manager, Bianca was told to go to a cafe across the street, but when she tried to leave the store, she couldn’t help but feel wet.
Instead of offering help, the staff ignored the two distraught mothers and instead placed a “wet floor” sign next to it.
Bianca Artwell, 30, of Rugby, blew up River Island staff members who suffered from a functional neurological disorder and wouldn’t let her use the staff restrooms. Finally, he went to the shop, claiming that the wet floor slab had been placed next to him.
“On this special day, I felt pretty independent with my helpers, so I asked my friend to babysit my daughter on crutches as we drove to River Island so I could change the shoes I bought.
“As I approached the registration centre, I quickly realized that my bladder retention was about to reverse and I had to leave immediately.
I asked the ladies at the cashier if I could use their bathroom secretly and explained that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gone right away.
“They said no and told me to go to a bar across the street.
‘I prayed again, explaining that I absolutely would not succeed, but they refused.
“I still tried to get out, but maybe I was only a foot and a half away from the safes before my worst fears came true. My bladder relaxed.
“I was in a pool of my own urine. I turned to the three employees of the cashier and explained that I was very sorry but had an accident.
“They just looked at me and the manager who left ordered them to hang a sign on the wet floor.
“I stood there in horror.
“A staff member approached me, but instead of helping me, he left the wet floor sign next to me and walked away.
“I was surprised and thought he should come back, but instead he and his colleagues kept talking.
“Even the manager walked past me and greeted his colleagues and looked at me in confusion and left the building.
“When other customers passed me and my wet floor sign, it eventually became my problem and the staff did not help me in any way.
“No offers to go to the locker room, no offers of handkerchiefs, no offers of other clothes and ‘are you okay?’ not even.”
After asking for help, two of Bianca’s friends came to her rescue, helped her out of the store and took her to another store to buy clean clothes and personal cleaning products.
Bianca, who works as a beautician, filed a formal complaint demanding better training for River Island staff.
‘I worked in retail years ago and there are traits that are excluded like the elderly, pregnant women, children and the disabled.
After an event like this, is it political to further disappoint a customer by not showing affection, dignity, or treating him like a human being?
“I’ve never been treated so coldly in my life. Left on the doorstep of a shop with a sign telling people to watch the freak show with or without cover.
Bianca said she was offered a new dress from the store she refused to buy.
River Island, which has about 300 stores in England, apologized to Bianca.
A spokesperson said: “All of our customers are important to us and we are sorry to learn about this customer’s experience at one of our stores.
“Our customer service manager is already in direct contact with this customer, and we are reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure everyone who visits our stores feels welcome and supported.”
Source: Daily Mail
