to think that a Bounty photo salesperson has no place on a post natal ward?

[Boboli]

Is this the norm nationwide? At our hospital, one of the first people you'll see after you've given birth is a photographer from Bounty who will give you a sales pitch for photos of your newborn. The photos are not cheap and I find it pretty incredible that mums are approached hours after given birth when they are likely not quite in the state of mind to decide on pricy photo packages.

My SIL had the pleasure of this Bounty lady an hour after reaching the post natal ward in the morning having been in labour all night. She had to specifically insist that she did not want her baby woken and photographed.

When had DD1, no-one except birth partners were allowed on the wards because of the swine flu outbreak yet the Bounty lady made it through. In other words, she was allowed to my bedside but my mum wasn't. This can't be right, can it?

The Bounty lady who came after I had DS had rage when I wouldn't give her any of my details - I didn't want all and sundry ringing my house if I was asleep. She flung my pack on the chair and stalked off without taking a picture. I have lovely photos of my own from the hospital.

YANBU. It is intrusive.

I had the presence of mind (not sure how) to give them completely made up contact details so I got their bag of crap but they couldn't get hold of me. The woman we had wasn't pushy but I really object to new mothers being made to fend off marketeers and salespeople when they are so vulnerable. It's madness.

Bounty have their own forum for mums to be. I looked at it a couple of times when I was pregnant, before I found MN
I am tempted to start a thread on there and link to this one to warn people. It might even provoke a reaction from Bounty.
What do you think?

has anybody here actually written a letter of complaint to a hospital?

I guess they take advantage of people being in no state to fend them off (or fully understand what's going on) at the time of the 'visit', and then too busy and tired for the days and weeks afterwards. Otherwise I'm sure there'd be a lot more complaints.

It's outrageous that they're basically tricking women into giving up their details by pretending they might not get benefits otherwise, lying about the photos being for security purposes, not to mention pulling back curtains, barging into private rooms, waking up sleeping babies - who do they think they are?

...so if there are no official complaints, what will change?

Absolutely shouldn't be allowed. They are absolute fuckers.

In my postnatal haze a woman approached DD1 with a camera and said "I'm just going to take her picture". She didn't say anything about Bounty so I assumed she was an employee of the hospital and they needed a photo for her file or for security reasons or something.

She then said "That'll be an extortionate amount of money please" and I paid it. I though that because she'd already taken the photo I'd get into trouble if I didn't pay it.

Fuckers.

I completely agree that these salespeople should not be allowed to approach the bedsides on a postnatal ward. I have worked as a staff nurse on surgical wards for many years and this would never be allowed on a standard surgical ward.
I was outraged when i was in hospital having my son in August last year. I was approached by a Bounty saleswomen whilst eating my lunch!!! If that wasn't enough, i was then asked if i wanted to make an online birth annoucement to which i said a polite but firm "no thankyou." I was then looked at like i was completely insane and then asked" but why wouldn't you want it? It's free!" I turned down the photos too as i just didn't want to be harassed just hours after a traumatic labour and emergency section. I complained to the ward manager as i left!!!!

I give my thanks to MN and all the women on it that I was warned in advance of the unmitigated horror that is the Bounty Woman.
My job also means I do not give out my details and I often have to clear up the shite when data is misused...

First time round, I pretended to be asleep and just mumbled 'no thanks'. BW declared she'd be back later.

When she came back, I said I didn't want any pics and refused to give her my details.
Her response- 'I don't think you can do that, and you need the pack for the CB forms'.
I told her that I bloody well could refuse, but she was more than welcome just to leave the pack.
Her response- 'I don't think you can do that, but I'll just check'.

She looked on her computer, and there was an 'oh- there is a box for refusing to give details!'
FWIW she did sound generally confused.

Took the forms and binned the crap.

Total parasites, and I still, still cannot believe that a commercial organisation is allowed in to what should be a totally secure area, with the sole aim of getting personal details out of vulnerable people.

I don't believe they'd be allowed to just wander round your child's nursery, so why the hell on the post natal ward?

What about one of those online petitions to Parliament? I reckon if we made it purely about the distribution of child benefit forms, which should be via the HV postnatal visit IMO, then there's a good chance it wouldn't be rejected. A commercial company demanding personal data to sell should not be distributing official govt paperwork.

I think it's outrageous the child benefit form is in the pack. I refused the photos and free vrap, hence why dd still isn't registered for it.

Crap

YABU, the lady that did DS's pictures was lovely and there was no sales pitch. The pictures were great and lovely to send out to family. I'd use them again in an instant.

Pesto, I'll happily sign a petition. I thought I was maybe just sensitive after a 20 hour labour and having a baby that wouldn't latch on. But after speaking to friends who gave birth in same hospital I realised it was the bounty woman.

I will sign

I agree, Pesto. I would happily sign that!

OK, I'm not a technical person. Can anyone on here set the petition up please?

Perhaps we should agree on the wording? Then someone can start it?

general we, not you and me we

HappyMummy- do you work for Bounty per chance? :o

Yes indeed, I'm sure there's someone here better than me at this sort of thing. I can barely type most of the time!

chandellina The child benefit forms are all freely available online - here

Bounty do NOT have a monopoly on government forms, no matter what they say.

Those people who have had a good experience with Bounty, would that experience been hindered by the Bounty woman being in the day room for you to contact instead (either personally or via DH/P/F etc?)

Gosh, erm

[blank]

We wish to see tight controls on 'Bounty' representatives in post natal wards. It is unacceptable that hospitals allow women at their most vulnerable to be accosted by people attempting to secure personal information for resale.

We propose that Bounty representatives be confined to the Day room, and women told that they can approach them if they wish to, with access to bedbound women only on their specific request.

We also request that they no longer hand out government forms for claiming child benefit as this is inappropriate and is being abused by some who attempt to convince women that if they do not disclose their personal details, they will be unable to receive child benefit

Hospitals are failing women by putting profit over patients.

or something. I don't know.

This is just so wrong, that the hospital trusts allow these sales people into vulnerable patients, its disgusting imo.