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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To send this missive to Sainsburys...

108 replies

DonutMum · 17/08/2008 16:29

The content of the note says it all. He gulped so mych air in his screaming that he STILL has wind.

"I am writing to complain about a ludicrous situation I found myself in at your Stanway Colchester store today. I asked the restaurant to fill a container with hot water so my baby's bottle could be heated. My baby, who is 5 weeks old, was screaming. I was told that they could not give me water due to health and safety law (!) and they would heat the bottle for me. Are you seriously expecting customers with children who find themselves in this position to be willing to allow a spotty nineteen year old boy to judge when a baby's milk is warm enough? In the event, the milk was overheated and my son continued to scream for a further ten minutes causing great distress to me and to him. This is totally unacceptable and I suggest you review your policy to allow mothers to have hot water and therefore judge for themselves when milk has been adequately heated. After all, I could have asked for a pot of tea with the tea bag on the side and used that hot water to heat the bottle. I also find it incredulous that health and safety "law" is given as the reason - it is quite clearly policy. Unless, you can point out where on the statute books this particular law is - "thou shalt not allow people to have jugs of hot water in case, in their infinite cretindom, they burn themselves."

Thank you for your consideration."

OP posts:
ScottishMummy · 17/08/2008 17:10

some people are so litigious that's why proprietor's are cautious

TheHedgeWitch · 17/08/2008 17:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

RustyBear · 17/08/2008 17:14

"I also find it incredulous that health and safety "law" is given as the reason"

Should be "find it incredible", or "I am incredulous"

jellyrolly · 17/08/2008 17:14

I asked a very nice (not at all spotty) lady to heat my puree for 30 secs recently and when she came back she said "it didn't seem very warm after 30 seconds so I did another 2 minutes" and handed me a bubbling boiling bowl of mush. I asked her for a dish to dispense it into to cool it down and she offered me a polystyrene cup - you know, designed to keep things hot...??

Anyhoo, funny now, not funny at the time. Don't need to send your letter, just wait and you won't be so cross. Not necessarily unreasonable to be angry that your ds was so upset but the boy wasn't deliberately unhelpful.

LazyLinePainterJane · 17/08/2008 17:15

Well, it's annoying the whole policy masquerading as health and safety.

But it is unreasonable to place the blame of your crying baby at the feet of the supermarket when you could have been better prepared.

ScottishMummy · 17/08/2008 17:17

are you correcting her syntax?is that relevant?you obviously understood it enough to respond to the op,(as did the other 28posters) so no major impediment

lottiejenkins · 17/08/2008 17:18

I'll probably get my head bitten off for suggesting this,,, but here goes........ why dont you take a flask of hot water with you in the changing bag? Could solve a lot of problems??

tiggerlovestobounce · 17/08/2008 17:18

Sorry, but YABU. Organising your babies milk is your responsibility. There are a number of ways of achieving this without expecting Sainsburies to heat up a bottle. I thought that in any case reheating premade bottles wasnt recommended?

BreeVanderCampLGJ · 17/08/2008 17:21

RB

RustyBear · 17/08/2008 17:24

Yes, I was correcting her syntax - surely if she is going to send the letter it might as well be grammatically correct - why is it any ruder to suggest a correction to the grammar than to the content?

ilovemydog · 17/08/2008 17:24

ask for a pot of tea without the tea bag?

emmalou23 · 17/08/2008 17:25

YABU, I used to work for Sainsburys, before this policy was introduced. A toddler knocked a jug of hot water on her baby sister accidentally when their mother wasn't looking. In her panic, the mother went ballistic at one of my colleagues when it was her responsibilty to watch her children. There is a very good reason why this policy exists.

ScottishMummy · 17/08/2008 17:25

snippy to correct someone syntax on a discussion board.she asked for opinion not a proof reader

smallwhitecat · 17/08/2008 17:27

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DonutMum · 17/08/2008 17:27

Hi all. Got a thermos but, here comes excuse number two - had a power cut today and couldn't fill with hot water - none in the tap and have electric cooker. So, went out with thermos thinking I'd be able to get some boiling water somehow. Ah well....

So, am usually vvv prepared but just today, it didn't work .

It's the lack of logic that bugs me - this "law" thing. Oh, and Rusty Bear, quite right on the wording. Am clearly allowing my loony rant to affect my choice of word!

OP posts:
RustyBear · 17/08/2008 17:28

Sorry, don't agree.
It's no more snippy than criticising the 'spotty nineteen year old youth' phrase - both make the letter less likely to be taken seriously.

ScottishMummy · 17/08/2008 17:29

yes the content of the letter is risible so unlikely anyone would stop laughing to notice any grammatical error

cornsilk · 17/08/2008 17:29

When mine were young I took a bottle warmer with me. Or a flask of hot water. Parent's responsibility to feed their chn - not the shop's. At least they did warm it for you.

RustyBear · 17/08/2008 17:30

And actually, I think my post was much more polite than this one:

"yabu and coming across bitty loon ranting about staff, making dersisory comments,squawking about staute."

ScottishMummy · 17/08/2008 17:31

pipe down RustyBear you are getting loon too.disproportionate response.wood... trees... cant... see

smallwhitecat · 17/08/2008 17:31

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BitOfFun · 17/08/2008 17:35

RustyBear, no harm in keeping standards high IMO - I am a stickler for correct grammar myself, except when posting tipsy rubbish late at night on here!

RustyBear · 17/08/2008 17:35
Turniphead1 · 17/08/2008 17:39

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

mrsruffallo · 17/08/2008 17:42

Another argument for breastfeeding