Story in this morning’s paper.
Pretty appalling really. At least Westfield has apologised. I suppose it had no choice given the public relations disaster it was facing.
Just saw that on Fark. It sounds like it wasn’t really a problem with PR or with the general policy of the company, just a moronic security guard who was incapable of thinking for himself. I don’t think the company were forced into any apology, but that it was forthcoming as soon as they realised what the hell had happened.
What I’d love to know about these stories is what happens to the guy on the ground…fired? Reprimand? A subtle explanation of what he did wrong, because he’s such an idiot?
It is shameful, but I can’t help wondering why the sister couldn’t have walked to the car and driven up to the door? Is that against the rules as well?
Has the center had past troubles with wheelchair theft?
It’s just occured to me…maybe the route was actually down (or up) a flight of stairs? Just a thought.
If this had happened in Northern California the business involved would be out of business in short order, regardless of any attempts at apology.
And, yes, I would be one of the many boycotting them.
Note that the shopping center is owned by Westfield which owns quite a few shopping centers and malls in America as well.
Wait a minute. The guy had to crawl 3 meters. 10 feet. The security guard was right there, and she wouldn’t let the sister push the chair 10 freaking feet to the car?
My list of People Too Stupid To Be Allowed To Breed just grew longer.
Or too mean.
As usual you beat me to the punch. I was reading the article and saw a mention of the guard fearing wheelchair theft and thought “Well, not a good choice but I see where the policy came from” and then I see mention of 3 meters. 3 METERS?
Could the guard not have pushed the chair there or even just watched to insure the chair was returned? This guy not only had to crawl, but was allowed to by the guard and on-lookers? For TEN Freakin’ FEET? And this trip was to improve the spirits of these guys whose “Mum” was in the hospital?
However, I don’t agree with the blanket opinion to boycott the Mall. If they typically have made efforts to accommodate disabled people then I don’t think I’d hold them accountable for the one dumb-ass (and I’m frankly surprised it was a woman) guard.
Speaking of stupidity:
“We won’t be bothering him now”? That has to be by far the worst thing you could say to a reporter in this case. Its like a company of morons.
It’s especially stupid if it’s true.
“There’s just been an incident that could blow up into a major media disaster, result in lawsuits, and possibly spark boycotts. Should we call the boss ?”
“Nah.”.
treis and Der Trihs
That really got me steamed too. Oh yes, mustn’t “bother” the boss. But it’s just fine and dandy to allow disabled people to crawl their way to a car. :mad:
I think it’s fair enough not to wake him in the middle of the night.
Fabulous that this was at Fountain Gate: Look, Kel, there’s a man crawling towards his car. That’s unusual, that’s noice.
I tend to agree. That’s why he pays all of those underlings - so that he won’t have to get a call in the middle of the night.
I laughed when I saw that too.
Is this not pit worthy? :dubious:
Personally I will wait for more details before getting very excited about this story.
I know people who use wheelchairs and have never known any of them to borrow a wheelchair to go shopping.
Having arrived at Westfield the group were initially told that the rules did not allow borrowed wheelchairs to be taken into the car park. Having convinced that security guard to bend the rules they went ahead.
The way the story reads the sister was supporting both guys while traversing the 3m to the car when one of them fell. I assume that because she couldn’t stop to help him up he crawled some portion of the remaining distance.
I can only assume that since they were out for the whole day (another article mentions they were going to leave Westfields to go to the beach) without wheelchairs of their own, that both men can walk with assistance. That being the case it would not be much of a task to get them one at a time, from the wheelchair to the car 3m away.
While it may turn out that the security guard was a heartless unfeeling monster I have a suspicion that she may be the scapegoat for something far more innocent.
I’m afraid I don’t understand what’s going on. Did these boys need wheelchairs? When they left the house to go shopping, did their sister make them crawl across the lawn to get to the car?
I mean, why did they have to hire a wheelchair? They’re sometimes ambulatory and sometimes not?
It is a mistake to assume that just because someone needs a wheelchair they can’t walk. More importantly, it is a mistake to assume that just because someone can walk they don’t need a wheelchair. My pal Jesse, for instance, was ordered by his doctor to a wheelchair due to arthritis. He can still walk (although slowly, and any distance takes him a long time), but he still needs the chair to be mobile at the speed and with the freedom of one of us walkers, and there may be times when his arthritis is so bad that he can’t walk at all.
–Cliffy
I agree, but it’s stupid to say so in such a dismissive manner. The flack should have said “He’s overseas at the moment and we haven’t been able to reach him yet, but we’ll advise him of the situation as soon as possible.”
–Cliffy
This is like that puzzle where you have one boat, the goat, the fox, and the lettuce.
How did they get into the mall, we wonders, we wonders? And if there were only 3 people there (the two disabled brothers and a sister) she probably wasn’t pushing them both at once. What’s the story?