A disabled mother has been banned from her local Iceland supermarket and had her online shopping account suspended following a dispute with a delivery driver. Danielle Riley, 44, from Tuebrook, previously told the ECHO she was left in tears after claiming an Iceland driver refused to bring her £220 order to her flat and drove off with the groceries.
Impact on family
Danielle, who has fibromyalgia and nerve damage in her spine, relies on home deliveries as she cannot leave her flat without assistance. She uses two crutches and rarely goes out unless necessary. She said the ban will severely affect her and her ten-year-old autistic daughter, India, as many of the foods India will eat come from Iceland.
Danielle told the ECHO: "It's thrown me. It's made me feel really emotional because stuff my baby likes from Iceland I can't get for her now. I do an order every two weeks and spend at least £200. I've never spent less than £100 there. It's going to massively impact us. I'm going to have to pay someone to do my shop in Iceland. I still have to shop there because I'm not willing to upset my daughter after what they've done to me."
Letter from Iceland
Danielle said she is now seeking legal advice. An email seen by the ECHO from Iceland's customer service states: "I must advise that I am now able to confirm that a letter was sent to your confirmed address advising that you are no longer welcome to shop in the Norris Green Iceland Store nor shop online with us in the future. Your Iceland online shopping account has been suspended."
The dispute began when Danielle alleged an Iceland delivery driver became verbally aggressive after she explained she could not come downstairs to collect her order due to her disabilities. She said the driver shouted at her before taking the entire £220.17 grocery order back to the van, despite her saying she could not carry the shopping up to her second-floor flat. Danielle added that the incident frightened India.
Iceland's response
Following the original story, Iceland initially 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."
However, after being approached again by the ECHO about the ban, Iceland declined to comment.
