McDONALD'S

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A Crawley mum was fined £125 by a McDonald's restaurant because her family took too long finishing their meal. Maria Peters, from Pound Hill, is the latest to get fined after her visit to the McDonald's Drive Thru at Gatwick's South Terminal was timed on camera. McDonald's has set a 45-minute maximum stay for customers parking next to the Gatwick restaurant. Unaware of this rule, when Mrs Peters visited the chain with her husband Scott, 15-month-old daughter and seven-year old son, she stayed for 53 minutes, eight minutes longer. She has since received the £125 fine sent by Civil Enforcement Ltd (CEL) in the post. (Source: Surrey Online, Dec/06)

Hygge Trading had to pay £1,500 after misleading customers with its prices at a McDonald's drive-through restaurant off Markeaton Park. Menu boards displayed a price for a meal deal that was less than that charged to a Derby City Council trading standards officer on three occasions. Mike Matthews, director of Hygge Trading, admitted the charges at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court. Helen Barrington, prosecuting for the council, said the price board stated that a sausage and egg McMuffin, any freshly-ground coffee or orange juice and a hash brown cost £2.29.

She said a trading standards officer had gone to the restaurant in February 2005 after a customer had complained that he had been overcharged. The customer had been asked to pay £2.59 after ordering the meal with coffee. The customer had challenged this and was told that it was 30p extra for freshly-ground coffee. Inside the restaurant, there were disclaimer notices stating this, but there were no such notices outside. The officer went to the drive-through on February 2, 3, and 4. He asked for the same meal the customer had ordered and was charged £2.59 on the first two occasions and £2.73 on the last.

The latter price was the total of the price of each individual item. The officer also visited the McDonald's drive-through in Osmaston Park Road, which is also owned by Hygge Trading. He ordered the same at this restaurant and was told there was only Kenco coffee available and was charged £2.29. Miss Barrington said that Mr Matthews had co-operated with the council and had agreed the sign was wrong. He said the manager of the restaurant had delegated the job to a junior manager, who had inadvertently thrown away the disclaimer signs. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/06)

An argument began when Neil Watkins, wife Dinah and his two children Eloise and Lydia, who is autistic, visited McDonald's at Markeaton Island. Lydia and Eloise began playing on the indoor play facilities with other children, until a member of staff spotted that Lydia was wearing a nappy. Lydia's autism, a brain disorder, means that she is unable to speak and is not toilet-trained. The restaurant manager told Mr and Mrs Watkins that Lydia was not allowed in the play area because she was a "hygiene risk" to other children.

There are two play areas at the restaurant, one for under-threes and a larger play area with plastic pipes and ball pit, where Lydia was playing. Mr Watkins, who is treasurer for the Jigsaw Playscheme for children with disabilities and language disorders, said, "Lydia is safer than a four-year-old who might get over excited and have an accident on the play facilities." Sarah Parkes, spokeswoman for McDonald's, said the restaurant had been advised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to stop children wearing nappies from entering the larger play area.

Franchise owner Mike Matthews added, "If there was an accident it would be a major problem and would close the area for the day while it was cleaned and sanitised. I am happy for children wearing nappies to use the small play area. There is no question of discrimination against their daughter, it is discrimination against those who wear nappies." However, the purpose of nappies is that they are designed to prevent unhygenic accidents, not cause them. There are more relevant factors such as contagious childhood illnesses, headlice and kids being sick for example.

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