Danielle Riley, a 44-year-old disabled mother from Tuebrook, was left in tears and without a £220 food shop after an Iceland delivery driver allegedly refused to bring her groceries to her second-floor flat and drove away with the entire order. Riley, who suffers from nerve damage to her spine and fibromyalgia, uses two crutches to get around and rarely leaves her home without assistance. She relies on home deliveries for essential shopping and has been unable to work since her fibromyalgia diagnosis five years ago.
Incident details
Riley told the Liverpool Echo that she spent £220.17 on a grocery order from Iceland's Norris Green store. She had included in the delivery notes that she was disabled and unable to come downstairs to collect the order. According to Riley, the driver called her after she received a text message saying the order was on its way. The call cut off, and then the driver began ringing the bell. When Riley reached the door, the driver allegedly shouted, 'Are you f***ing coming down here to get this?' She apologized and explained she was disabled.
The driver brought one tray up to the top of the stairs, stared at her, and shouted, 'I'm not here to bring this up, I bring it to the communal door.' Riley pointed out that this was not her front door and that other drivers had no issue bringing the shopping to her door. The driver allegedly replied, 'Well I'm not them am I!' and then took the tray back to his van, saying, 'well you're not getting your shopping then.'
Impact on family
Riley said none of the shopping had been packed into bags, making it impossible for her to carry it upstairs even if she had been able to reach the communal entrance. She added, 'I've got freezer stuff and stuff in the cupboard, but I'm on my own with a little 10-year-old girl who's autistic and has ADHD. She was absolutely terrified when he was screaming at me. We needed the food desperately. What I order from Iceland is what my little girl will eat. She's really fussy with food.'
Riley's mother helps care for her daughter, taking her to and from school each day because Riley is physically unable to do so. Riley said she had never previously experienced issues with Iceland deliveries and that drivers had always brought her shopping directly to her door. She was forced to spend an extra £30 on a takeaway because she had been left without groceries.
Iceland's response
An Iceland Foods spokesperson said, 'Our customer care team is looking into this alleged incident, and are in regular contact with the customer. Our home delivery drivers receive regular training and are dedicated to the highest levels of customer service and will accommodate additional needs wherever possible. As part of our standard process, the customer automatically received a £5 refund for the out-of-stock items in their order. The remaining balance has since been fully refunded and should be reflected in the customer's account shortly.'
Riley said she is currently waiting to be moved into more suitable accommodation that better meets her accessibility needs. She commented, 'It's disgusting. What if I was a little old person unable to speak out?'
