An Edinburgh woman says she is "fed up and miserable" after an accident in a Currys store destroyed her mobility scooter and left her housebound.
Frances Corbett says her scooter was chewed up by the disabled lift in the electronics retailer's Fort Kinnaird branch on January 29.
The vehicle got caught on a lip on the wall inside the lift lurching it - and Frances - forward, to husband Andrew's horror.
It cracked the plastic bumper and twisted the steering rack before the vehicle could be pulled safely away.
The 68-year-old got the vehicle just four weeks ago after her COPD worsened during the coronavirus lockdown, because of a requirement to shield at the pandemic's peak.
But without the scooter she is practically housebound and couldn't join her sisters on her mum's birthday, February 8, to visit her grave - as the hillside walk to reach the headstone is now too much for her lungs.
Recounting the episode to the Record, Frances said: "I got the fright of my life. Even though it's a lift designed for them they have very little space for a wheelchair or a scooter.
"I don't know how it happened exactly but the scooter just lunged forward and I started to panic.
"Andy pulled me and the scooter back and the front was smashed in."
With the scooter undrivable Frances has been left housebound. Andrew had to borrow a wheelchair to get her out of the house for a family funeral last week after losing a relative to Covid.
In the 10 days [as of February 8] since the incident, the couple had been yet to hear back from the company to discuss covering the costs of the scooter repair.
Frances, from the East Craigs area, added: "I want an apology and to be able to go out again.
"I only got the scooter a few weeks ago after my occupational therapist said I should have one, so I can go out and meet people.
"It was absolutely amazing: I was going about like a rocket and able to go out and do things.
"I've been made to feel like I'm not worth bothering with and I'm quite fed up.
"It's making me miserable, especially with the weather improving."
Andrew says Currys' customer services have been "annoying" to deal with.
After the incident happened, he says the store manager referred him to a phone line, which in turn told him to go back to the shop to leave details of the damage with staff.
"I feel as though they're just trying to drag it out and hope we go away," he said.
"They've taken no responsibility for it and their staff obviously haven't been properly trained to deal with it.
"It's quite lucky really - if it had been a wheelchair that got caught by the footplates, or a child in a buggy, it could have been a damn sight more serious than it was.
"But the thing that annoys me the most of all is that they still haven't contacted my wife and I."
Within an hour of being contacted by the Daily Record, Currys had been in touch with the Corbetts to discuss the incident further.
A spokesperson said: "There is no greater concern for us than the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers, and we want to ensure our stores are accessible for everyone.
"We’re sorry to Mr and Mrs Corbett for the poor service they received and for any inconvenience caused.
"We’re currently investigating the matter to ensure we’re providing the appropriate resolution and support to both Mr and Mrs Corbett. We can confirm that the store followed standard procedure.
"As a way of apology and for the inconvenience caused, we’ve offered Mr Corbett a gift voucher as part of a goodwill gesture.
"We take these claims very seriously and are currently reviewing the incident data.
"Our team remains in close contact with Mr Corbett to ensure a full resolution is made."
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