McDonald's couple hit out at company after falling ill after eating cheeseburger

16 November 2023 , 18:38

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Louise Andrews and his fiancé Lauren Vinnicombe (Image: Louis Andrews / SWNS)

A couple claim they fell seriously ill after "eating a day-old cheeseburger" from McDonald's.

Louis Andrews and his fiancee Lauren Vinnicombe, from Exeter in Devon, ordered a £36.79 meal via Deliveroo, but after eating a £2.29 cheeseburger, they noticed the wrapper stated it had been prepared at 4.50pm the previous day.

The packaging also showed the burger had been ordered via Just Eat, not Deliveroo, suggesting a possible mix-up. Both Louis and Lauren say they became sick shortly after eating the burger. Lauren, a waitress, had to take three days off work.

Mr Andrews said they "were very sick over the next two to three days" and when they tried to complain, the restaurant in Marsh Barton "kept hanging up the phone on us". The 30 year old chef added: "I genuinely feel like they are trying to poison people through sheer incompetence and lack of staff training."

The offending burger (Louis Andrews / SWNS)

It was supposed to be delivered by deliveroo, but said Just Eat on the receipt (Louis Andrews / SWNS)

"When the food arrived we took the chicken nuggets out and microwaved them to share as we were so hungry due to waiting so long for the food to arrive. But while eating the chicken nuggets that's when we noticed the time on the burgers.

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"Me and my fiance were very sick over the next two to three days and are in contact with the regional manager for food safety standards." Mr Andrews added: "Deliveroo told us that it will share with partners to investigate the matter further.

"That was on November 4 and we've not heard anything from anyone. When we looked at the timestamp we said 'that explains what it is'. It tasted like it had been on the side for seven hours.

The packaging stamp showed the burger was made at 4.50pm for an order placed via Just Eat rather than Deliveroo, showing there had been a potential mix-up. The couple were later given a £9.20 'partial' refund by Deliveroo on the basis that they were able to ' still consume the items' which they are not happy with.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: "Deliveroo works hard to ensure our customers, restaurants and grocery partners have the best possible food delivery experience. Food safety is a top priority for us, we take these allegations seriously and are investigating this matter."

McDonald's has been contacted for comment. The restaurant insists that its policy is to prepare menu items fresh for each order. They have a strict process in place where orders must be collected promptly for delivery, or they won't be served.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Ryan Fahey