To think Sainsburys should have done more than this?

[Rowanhart]

On Saturday I was in Sainsburys and as I was leaving the checkouts I stood in a security large pin(about an inch and a half long) which went through the sole of my shoe and into my foot.

Hubby pulled it out, I was bleeding, my pink suede pumps were ruined, and I dropped my handbag spilling the content everywhere including one of a pair of Victoria cameo screw ins I'd taken out earlier because they were hurting my ears. One of the checkout supervisors came over took the pin and said 'oh we were looking for that' and half laughed. A first aider cleaned up my foot which really hurt over the weekend but is better now.

Sainsburys can't find the earring. I've called in a couple of times asking and looking for it myself and have been told someone would call me to discuss the incident.

They did ring and offered a reference number for my insurance. No apology and no offer of any kind of good will gesture. When I raised it with him he said that they wouldn't offer any kind of gesture as it would admit liability and I could take it up with head office.

I'm a bit pissed off. I think a "We're sorry, here's a £50 voucher.." would have been a good gesture to make a loyal customer.

So mumsnet, am I being unreasonable to expect it?

A friend of mine slipped in Tescos a few years back. Took her ages to get it resolved as they wouldn't accept responsibility but in the end they paid out - about 3k I believe. They had tried to fob her off with vouchers beforehand though.

MrsFruitcake I slipped in Tesco once, jumped up as quickly as I could before anyone saw me. Everyone just walked past looking the other way anyway! I might have stayed down longer for 3k.

Why on earth would saying sorry mean they admitted liability? Legally that would not constitute an admission, and there is no compensation culture outside of the daily racist, the number of personal injury claims continue to fall year on
year.
I think you should write and complain to head office, they should apologise and give you the replacement cost of your shoes, and the earring, but for the accident, it would not have been lost.

A friend of mine slipped in Tescos a few years back. Took her ages to get it resolved as they wouldn't accept responsibility but in the end they paid out - about 3k I believe. They had tried to fob her off with vouchers beforehand though.
{shock] It's people like your friend who have created this kind of scenario the OP is describing - who can't even get an apology for a nasty pin through through the foot.
Why? Because they're too scared to admit liability and get sued.
£3k for falling down? That's ridiculous. As a previous poster has already said, shit happens.
I'd complain at a pin going through my foot,but that'd be as far as I'd take it. I'd be happy with an apology.
When people grasp for cash for slipping though, I wonder why supermarkets are reticent and unwilling to apologise.

What bad luck OP. Those pins are bastards and must have hurt a lot.

I am not a fan of trying to get a numerative result from any organisation. I agree with others that it feeds the beast of compensation culture that ultimately sees the end consumers footing the bills.

I sympathise with the store. Even the accident book is a legal document nit used for anything except to protect against being sued. Likely the manager would have been quick to apologise were it not for fear of being sued as in the PP above. 3k for falling down, bugger me I'm doing something wrong here.

However, in this case you were injured and your shoes were ruined. I think that you should write to HO.

It's not £3k for falling down, it's called a personal injury claim because you've suffered an injury, which has to be proven by way of medical evidence from an independent doctor. Compensation is for injury and financial loss, and accident books are to report, and establish a trend. If there are lots of the same types of accidents happening, something needs to change to try and prevent them. People suffer done awful accidents, if they can be prevented, they should be.
Hope you're ok, I agree, that's really painful

Sutty Out of interest, do you have car insurance?

I agree that a proper apology and a good will gesture would have been nice. And twenty years ago that's probably exactly what would have happened. However, there are so many chancers and greedy feckers around nowadays constantly looking for 'someone to sue' over the slightest thing, that businesses are terrified to do anything that could be construed as 'admitting liability'.
I can understand your frustration OP but unfortunately we live in a litigious society nowadays, so goodwill and apologies have gone out the window. I wouldn't really blame Sainsbury's, I would blame the people who take ridiculous, trivial stuff to court and end up getting out of court settlements just to shut them up.

Which has to be proven...

The Orthopaedic surgeon who works on my foot maintains a first floor office. You would be staggered at the number of people that limp into his office, and then forget to do so on the walk across the car park on the way back to their car.