To think this was terrible service

[Armadilloboss]

Sorry in advance for the long post

My DS took DN’s (4 and 5) to get their back to school stationary yesterday. DN (4) is starting reception and was super excited for this as she feels grown up like her big sister.
Upon entering paperchase, a nasty little girl stuck her foot out and tripped my niece over. Poor thing didn’t see it coming and went straight into the glass display table, splitting her mouth open.
The girls mother ran over and grabbed the girl shouted ‘what have you done now?’ And swiftly left the store, making me think this girl has form for this sort of thing.
DN was bleeding from her mouth. It was all over her, the floor and my sister, and as you can imaging she was screaming in both pain and shock. Sister shouted the girl at the till for help and the girl responded ‘I’m busy serving’. She then shouted over for a wipe or something to stop the bleeding. The girl huffed, pulled a toilet roll from behind the till and ripped some off for her. Luckily enough my sisters friend walked past and seen sister (they were at the first display as you walk in, this happened within seconds of them entering the store) she went in to help and again approached the girl at the till and said ‘are you not going to help the little girl over there?’ Again she was told they were too busy. SF asked if they had a first aider of first aid kit on site and was met with ‘no, we dont’
After DN had calmed a bit my sister went over and said ‘do you need to put this in an accident report (we have both worked in retail for 15 years so know the procedure for this type of thing)’ again the girl was unphased and replied ‘no we don’t have one of them’ my sister again queried this and said ‘a 4 year old has just smashed her face against your glass display, there is blood all over your floor, and you don’t need to document this?’ The girl responded ‘yeah but was she running around mad?’ At which point my sister just walked out the store.
She immediately emailed paperchase to complain and has yet to receive a response (this was 10am yesterday morning).
AIBU to think this is appalling and the safety of people in their store should come before serving a customer?

I was under the impression that the filling in of the accident book was more for the benefit of the company to 'cover their backs', especially in instances such as this. So really, all in all, adds no real value to the customers anyways

Except an injured customer then has near contemporaneous evidence of the accident and then isn't just dismissed as a 'chancer'

Yes, but what is the benefit to the OP and the child of having this recorded in the accident book? I'm also baffled why they were so insistent on having the incident recorded.

The point of the accident book is that the person concerned (or in this case the parent) signs it. If they later try to sue with an upgraded injury the incident has already been clearly recorded and signed off by the injured party.

So if there was blood “all over the floor” who cleared that up?

As the niece was bleeding so much I would hope she was taken to a minor injuries unit seeing as her mouth was “split open”.

What difference does it make if it goes in a book?

It means there's a record of what happened and what was done about it in the event of any claims or litigation and can help identify hazards. It can help identify unsafe practices or training needs. If people keep falling down the same stairs, for example, the organisation needs to look at why and see if they need better lighting, handrails or if there's a trip hazard like a rip in the carpet.

I think glass tables are bloody dangerous in public places, tbh, but then I still bear the scars from falling onto one some 40 years ago.

Yes of course you can sue! It's not the shops fault (although there could be argument for a glass display being in a dangerous place) because of their response. Lack of response and compassion, lack of first aid and no official record made. I'd definitely 100% sue.

They don’t need to provide first aid so how can op sue for that, and lack of compassion 😂

And can someone confirm that the pp who posted a link is correct in that legally it doesn’t need to be recorded (I’m not doubting that poster, I would just like to see it confirmed)

It sounds like terrible service. Health and safety should always be the priorty over customer service but a well trained retailer should be able to combine both - ie assess the situation quickly, if possible explain to the customers waiting that someone will help them ASAP but there is an urgent health and safety that needs addressing first - and if needed and/or possible call for extra staff/management to help.
Accident books should always be present and filled in whether the customer wants to leave details or not.
Paperchase will reply to the email and will probably apologise and investigate internally.
However the fault lies with the girl who did the tripping up and her mother, not the store, despite their poor handling of the situation that arose from it. Any store of any type, even if complying to all health and safety measures, cannot be completely child proof.

It’ll almost certainly be a requirement of their insurance.

Paprchase haa turnover of over £100,000,000.00 per year and any place of work with five or more personnel should have a trained first aider available or have procedures in pla, irrespective of numbers to include risk assessments, (dangerous edge) to the display-Their fault. No accident book, responsible person (safety Manager) not informed. You have them over a barrel.
Inform or take advice from the Health & Safety Executive.

Sorry, yes, in this specific case it only really adds value to the company to prove it wasnt their fault so really, the fact they havnt recorded this only has implications for them rather than the OP. As for all they know, the OP's family could fabricate this any way they please. Not in any way am I saying this is what you are going to do at all, just making the point that its the company's own fault now that they didnt record it to 'cover their back'

Yes of course you can sue! It's not the shops fault (although there could be argument for a glass display being in a dangerous place) because of their response. Lack of response and compassion, lack of first aid and no official record made. I'd definitely 100% sue.

What 'dangerous' place was the glass display in then? The actual shop?

You can't sue for lack of compassion.

You can't sue for lack of first aid as legally they don't have to provide any to the public.

I have no idea whether they have a legal obligation to record the incident but I doubt very much they do.

Can't believe all the people who are saying that YABU.

I've worked in retail. Shops have to have a procedure in place, its the law. First aider or not, she should have had a first aid kit on hand that your sister could use. Managers are supposed to teach you where this first aid kit is on your first day. And its the law to fill in an accident report.

I get that she probs didnt want to leave someone in the middle of serving, but as soon as it happened she should have just quickly said to the other customer "I'm sorry but that child has just had an accident, I need to see to them" and then brought the first aid kit over. The other customer probably wouldnt have mibded. If they did then they would be a bigger prat then the mother who just bolted with her kid without so much as apologizing.

“Lack of response and compassion, lack of first aid and no official record made. I'd definitely 100% sue.”

Do you realise you can’t just sue for anything? In this case paperchase would have to be negligent of their legal responsibility. You can’t just sue because they didn’t make enough fuss of you

This accident book insurance stuff is missing the point. Why are MN’ers so obsessed with insurance?

Either the OP sister comes back to paperchase because she’s as stupid as some posters here and wants to sue them, and they have nothing in the accident book. Sooo..... it didn’t happen? Or the shop assistant didn’t record it? Who knows. What difference does it make?

Also insurance companies can’t require anything. They can just request that you do things to decrease your premium or assist with their investigations, or tell you that your insurance would be void if you neglected to do something (but insurance isn’t voided from neglecting to fill an accident book out)

Accident books are only required in law for employees, who are required by law to record and report details of specified work-related injuries and incidents.
There is no legal requirement to put a child’s or customer accident in an accident book. In fact, to so might breach GDPR requirements.

First aiders are required by regulations to protect and assist employees not customers. There is no requirement in U.K. law for a first aider to be provided for the public. It could be argued that to allow staff to treat the public increases the shops liability, particularly if they make an unwise decision.

First aid qualification won’t usually teach first aiders to settle distressed children or treat a cut lip. A parent would be (or should be) more capable. I’d think most parents would carry a tissue in their bags.

A statutory First aid kit would be completely pointless as they wouldn’t contain anything of any use at all.

All the shop assistant could realistically do was stand by and look awkward; probably better to keep serving. I’m sure that Paperchase will have a policy of some sort.

I'd plaster this (no pun intended!) all over social media
FFS

I thought it was quite funny. Oh well

A first aid kit for use by members of the public is not a requirement. She could have been nicer though!

"The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 do not require employers to provide first aid for members of the public. However, many organisations such as schools, places of entertainment, fairgrounds and shops provide a service for others."

@Bluntness100 if it's an intu shopping centre they have a team of first aiders that can be called upon ... I found a lady who had fallen down by Starbucks everyone was Walking past ... I told the guy working there who phoned the desk and someone came within minutes. I talked to her reassured her we gave her some water and then first aider came. Going into the back would have been professional clean blood and reassure her without everyone looking.

Why do so many people on mumsnet lack empathy jeeez, dread to think what you all do for a living ( probably roles where you should have empathy but don't bother ) cold as ice some of you

Going into the back would have been professional clean blood and reassure her without everyone looking.

If the shop got robbed during her absence, she probably would have lost her job.

However, she should have called another member of staff.

Yes lack of compassion and empathy !!!!

But she didn’t trip up outside, she tripped up and banged her face on THEIR display, blood was on THEIR floor. So surely have a responsibility to provide first aid and report is as an accident (pretty sure this is a legal requirement of the RIDDOR act) and regardless of having no first aid training, that is no excuse for a bad attitude and no compassion.

There is no requirement for a shop to have first aid available to their customers. The first aiders are for employees only.

Yes she had a crappy attitude and could have been more helpful but it wasn't the fault of the store (ie a wet floor or an obstruction) so she was not required to help.

However, I would still be emailing the store and telling them how disappointed I was with their customer service.

Of course YANBU. Dreadful customer service, and should have been reported via accident reporting procedures. Hope DN is feeling better.

Yes absolutely bad customer service.
Every shop/business will have a procedure in place for that kind of incident, an accident book and insurance. The person behind the till totally will have been trained in how to deal with it and you should complain to head office. I'd be fuming in your position.

Well, the employee sounds a bit grumpy and unkind, but what happened was not the fault of the shop or their furniture, it was caused by the deliberate action of a member of the public - 1 child tripping up another child.

I can't see that there was any negligence on the part of the shop, as it's not a legal requirement to have a first aid kit or trained first aider on site.

It would have been nice if they'd shown a bit of concern and come over with the toilet roll or offered to call an ambulance if one was necessary, but it doesn't sound like it was necessary to call an ambulance.

I think you're redirecting a lot of anger on to the minimum wage checkout girl, because you're not able to direct the anger at another small child who scarpered.

Hope DN is ok, but I think your anger is misdirected.