22 February 2024 , 15:22
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A mum has been left furious after her young autistic son became stuck in a McDonald's branch toilet.
Matthew Vincett, 8, was left "traumatised" after he was locked in a disabled toilet by someone working at the fast food branch in Nottingham. The boy's mum, Bonnie, said that when they went to McDonald's on Saturday, February 17, the toilets upstairs were closed. She asked if Matthew could use the one for disabled people downstairs.
Bonnie went back to her other kids, and then a worker locked the toilet door with Matthew inside. A customer heard him knocking and told the workers. But the lad was stuck for around three to four minutes, his family said. Nurse Bonnie told NottinghamshireLive: "It's not unusual that he takes his time to go to the toilet.
"He was sobbing his heart out until we left. He wasn't in there for that long but he's autistic. I was told there was a way to unlock the door from the inside but my son is eight and had never used a disabled toilet before, he hasn't got a clue how to get out. He is absolutely traumatised."
Now, Bonnie says, Matthew is afraid of going to the toilet, saying: "He won't go to the toilet at home without the door being left open and me standing at the door. It's a Friday thing for us to go to McDonald's but now he's getting nightmares as well about being locked in somewhere. One of his favourite things were chips but he won't even eat chips at home now."
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The incident took place at a Nottingham branch of McDonald's on Saturday, February 17 (Google Maps)Bonnie expressed her anger at the store manager's response to the incident. The family was offered one single free meal or a brownie as compensation. She continued: "It's not right at all, what they've done is appalling. Their form of compensation is an insult, especially since my son has been affected so deeply. They didn't care my son had just been traumatised."
In a statement, McDonald's apologised to the family, saying: "Our restaurant teams work hard to ensure every customer who enters our restaurants has a positive experience, and we're disappointed to hear of any instances that fall short of our high standards. We'd like to apologise to the customer for their experience on this occasion and understand that they are now in contact with our Customer Services team to find a resolution."