Phone shop experience with disabled Mum

[CoffeeAndCakeBringMeJoy]

I would really like to know if others think I’m overreacting to this one… Took my disabled DM, who is a wheelchair user, to buy a new phone. She hasn’t always been a wheelchair user, but medical conditions in later life now make it necessary, and she is registered as disabled and has a blue badge. She hasn’t changed her phone in years - this was a necessary purchase as the old phone isn’t charging properly. She likes to go to the shop to buy such items; like many older people she doesn’t like online shopping, particularly for higher value items.

We went to the local branch of a national phone network. DF and DD9 were with us. I was pushing DM’s wheelchair. A member of staff approached us immediately; they didn’t look at DM but spoke to me. I told them that we weren’t here for me, but for DM. DM is perfectly capable of holding a conversation - her disability is physical, and whilst she tires easily, she is more than capable of handling this transaction. The staff member continued to speak to me. They then said that the systems were down so they couldn’t access DM’s details (she has a SIM only contract with this company). Frustrating, but these things happen. I asked if we could look at the phones in store, so she could at least consider her options before returning another day.

At this point, it became clear that DM couldn’t see any of the phones because of the height of displays in the shop - they are not visible to anyone in a wheelchair, as they are above eye level when seated. The prices are displayed upon tapping the screens of the devices on display, which meant that she couldn’t see any of the prices without us reading them to her. The staff told us that we should look online. I then politely queried why someone who is disabled wasn’t able to access the products in the same way as someone who doesn’t have a disability, and was told that it was “like someone short needing help to reach an item on a high shelf in the supermarket”. I was also told, at least three times that, “the company must protect its assets”. I don’t doubt this, and recognise that phones are often stolen, but given that my query was with regard to the height of the display units, and the fact that this rendered it impossible for wheelchair users to see the devices or the on-screen prices, am struggling to see the relevance - the items could continue to be secured in their current manner, locked into secure frames, but at a lower level which would ensure accessibility for all.

Three members of staff stood in a semi-circle around my DM and myself, all with their arms folded, and instructing us to “take it up with head office”. I was careful to ensure that I remained calm throughout the conversation, and I was polite throughout. I fully recognise that they are employees of the company, and almost certainly had no direct involvement in the shop fitting process or in determining shelf height, but their manner was somewhat intimidatory. I am concerned that at no point did they ever speak to directly to DM, who is their customer, and has been for many years. Nobody said anything along the lines of, “We’re really sorry that you can’t access the items you need, but if you let us know what it is you would like to find out, we’ll do our best to talk you through it, and we’ll raise the issue regarding the height of our displays with our colleagues, as disability access should be considered”.

After we left the shop (without a new phone for DM!), a customer who had been in the shop at the same time called out to us and told us that they were appalled by the way in which the staff had spoken to us. We hadn’t interacted with them whilst we were in the shop, and hadn’t sought out a conversation with them after we had left.

I think that there are disability discrimination and/or Equality Act issues here, but would appreciate the thoughts of others as I may be overreacting as it’s my DM, who is lovely, and I know I’m very protective of her. It isn’t just the height of the displays, but also the seemingly total lack of awareness/recognition/support from the staff in the shop, and the total focus upon “we need to protect the company’s assets”.

My DH doesn’t want me to pursue it, but several hours later I still think it should be raised with the company concerned. To be clear, I don’t want to pursue a financial claim for DM, I just want the shop to be accessible for all, and for the staff to recognise people in wheelchairs by supporting them appropriately. In the longer term, I would like to see some areas of lower-level displays in order to enable wheelchair users to access the products and understand the pricing structure. However, I’m happy to be told that AIBU and that I need to let this one go - I know I’m emotionally involved because it’s my DM.

All thoughts and opinions welcome, thank-you!

I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect them to change the height of the displays, as then the majority of people would need to bend down to look! Also, it really is better to look online. Usually phone shops only have about a quarter of the phones they actually sell on display, if that. Some of the best deals are online only too.

It does sound however like the staff didn’t treat you or DM very well, and could do with some training regarding disabilities and just general customer service. I would complain about this aspect.

I'd definitely complain, not really sure how it would effect your husband though ?

Leave your dh with the Job of taking your mum back jn
Let's see if he gets better service

@Miriad you think the staff closing ranks, being intimidating and not using their brains to think of a way to help someone is correct?! Then you are just as bad as they are and i pity anyone who works with or for you.

Appalling behaviour from the staff. Definitely post on their social media pages

I'd definitely send an email , most phone shops these days have tablets and they could have brought the tablet out and shown your mother the stock. They obviously couldn't have been bothered

I think other posters have given all the advice needed. I’m just chiming in to say that I think people in the UK are generally a bit shit to people with disabilities. I have a disability myself so this is from personal experience. I’m in New York at the moment and you see so many disabled people out and about and they are treated the same as anyone else by retail staff and other people in the street. Being in America creates a stark contrast!

I’m sorry you and your Mum had this experience. Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s right. It’s disgusting that they wouldn’t speak to her. Definitely complain to head office and name the staff involved if you can. A PP did say that shelves being lowered probably won’t be possible and I agree that this isn’t a ‘reasonable adjustment’. However, the staff should have got the products down and let your Mum hold them etc. That’s a reasonable adjustment!

I think the experience of the wheelchair user being ignored and the carer being spoken to is quite common. I always wonder if retail staff are given training on these things given it's a protected characteristic. It always annoys me when shops aren't laid out to allow a wheelchair space to move around. I'm talking about modern shopping malls where wheelchair uses would commonly go as the infrastructure generally works well for them.

This is appalling, your poor Mum! The standing around you with their arms folded sounds so aggressive. I think X (Twitter) is the best way to get a fast reply. It's really no wonder that so many shops are closing and people are buying online instead.

I managed these kinds of stores for many years and the layout of the displays is set by other departments and the phone manufacturers so you’re correct in thinking that the colleagues in store weren’t the people to be taking this up with. I would definitely suggest emailing in to the complaints team (not customer services, not ‘head office’, log a formal complaint, there will almost certainly be a form on their website) and specifically raising the issue of access to displays for wheelchair users.
Now with regards to the people and their behaviours in store, this is entirely separate. I would have expected a colleague to have sat down with your mum, listened to what she was looking for, and if looking at demo phones on display wasn’t an option (which is very often isn’t for many reasons, maybe it’s been nicked, maybe it’s broken, maybe it wasn’t sent by the manufacturer etc) then what they very well could have done was get a demo phone or even a new phone from a box (probably leaving it switched off but that at least gives the customer a chance to look at and hold it) and bring the service to the customer.
Id have been mortified if any of my teams had acted like this towards a customer. The best way to make this change is probably to speak with customer services on the phone, they probably have a process where they flag customer service complaints to the store manager who will then be expected to resolve the issue or at least acknowledge and apologise or something. Also then the issue is being raise with the actual people who need to learn from their behaviours and has the best chance of preventing it happening again to somebody else.

What does your DM think? I presume she was able to speak for herself?

Thank-you so much, I didn’t expect so many responses to this, and really appreciate everyone taking the time to comment. I wouldn’t dream of trying to raise a complaint on my DM’s behalf without her agreement, she is more than capable of deciding whether she would like to do that. However, I do worry that if it isn’t highlighted at all, others will be treated in the same way in that shop. I also recognise that they can’t change all of the shelving, but it should be possible to either have one section of lower level shelving, or, as many people have suggested, a member of staff who can show the products to someone in a wheelchair. I think there is also a training need for the staff who were on duty at that time - to not speak to my DM once whilst she was in the shop was appalling. I can raise that from my own perspective, rather than on behalf of DM.

For those who asked why DH said to leave it, we ended up in a protracted complaints situation with our former energy supplier (I promise we’re absolutely not serial complainers!), which was very stressful.

I’ll phone them today to talk it through, and will also look at the social media/Trust Pilot/Google Review route, not to rant and rave, but simply to state what happened so that others can use our experience to inform their decisions. Thank-you again, l really appreciate all of the responses.

@Soontobe60 Sorry, we posted at the same time, so I didn’t see your post until I had already posted my update. My DM was upset, frustrated and angry, and also tired - whilst she’s capable of managing these kinds of transactions, she tires easily and she reached a point where she didn’t want to try any more at that point in time, and just wanted to go home. She’s also determined that she will be leaving that particular phone provider, and that she will take out a new contract with a different provider.

Slightly beside the point, but why be cagey on here about the ‘national phone network’? You don’t have to protect their identity after they’ve treated your mother so badly!

I'd definitely do feedback and suggest they improve their staff training on inclusivity etc and update their company policy.how hard would it be to have an area in shop where you can all sit at same level together and one staff member discuss what she might be looking for then being a few over that might be suitable for her to look at properly.like shoe shopping.simple changes where people are treated with respect would go a long way.

It isn't the network itself though. It's that one shop. Many of these places are franchises. While this needs addressing, it isn't a reason to encourage people to boycott the whole network.

Are they franchises? Even so, the buck stops with someone in that organisation. Especially since they were so keen for OP to ‘take it up with head office’ 🤷‍♀️

I disagree that it’s better to look online. I’m not disabled but whenever I’m choosing a new phone I need to physically handle the models to see if I can, for example, operate it with one hand. I think it might be covered in Invisible Women, but phone design is another thing where the default is male, and the average male hand is larger than a female one and likely to have greater reach. I’ve found with some modern phones if I’m holding the phone in my right hand I can’t reach the other side of the screen with my thumb. So being able to hold a potential new phone in my hand and test some of those things out is invaluable. I can imagine that goes double for someone who may be disabled and have particular needs in terms of how they use a device.

Obvs then buy online as in store deals are often dreadful!

https://www.bustle.com/p/in-invisible-women-caroline-criado-perez-argues-that-one-size-fits-all-usually-means-one-size-fits-men-16822238

They should be making reasonable adjustments. Strangely enough if you write to your mp you might get the best results.

"To be clear, I don’t want to pursue a financial claim for DM" although you mention it. She has not suffered financial loss, so any potential claim would be limited to 'hurt feelings'. Just provide some feedback and hope that it's a better experience when you next visit.