Day 084 - 07 Feb 95 - Page 43
1
2 Q. The ones that are noted, how are they noted?
3 A. We have an incident report form which is filled in if
4 there is an incident within the restaurant. If the
5 customer is complaining of an under-cooked product it may
6 well be just something that they think is of note and we
7 should make a record of in case the customer comes back at
8 a later date, we have documentation of it. Maybe a
9 customer accident, a customer falls over, we will take
10 details of that down.
11
12 Q. So when a customer makes a complaint -- I am trying to
13 understand what happens. What is the instruction for a
14 store when a customer makes a complaint?
15 A. We would make sure the customer goes away feeling that
16 their complaint has been dealt with seriously and cleared
17 up, resolved on the spot.
18
19 Q. But in terms of recording the information?
20 A. I think -- sorry.
21
22 Q. Yes, just explain how it gets on to paper in some form?
23 A. I think there has to be a certain amount of discretion
24 with the manager. The customers speak to the manager on
25 many issues: they may have to wait a long time to be
26 served; they may not be happy that the table was clean.
27 There are many instances where a customer may come along
28 and say that their food was cold, and they may come along
29 and say, "My daughter has fallen over and damaged her
30 arm". There is some level within there where the manager
31 has to decide if it goes on the incident report form. So
32 it is a serious occurrence, an incident, it will get
33 recorded on there. If it is a not a serious occurrence
34 then it will not.
35
36 Q. So if a complaint gets on to incident report form it is a
37 serious complaint, it is considered to be a serious
38 complaint by the manager -- significant?
39 A. Yes, I think significant. It is an incident report
40 form. The very words of that, it is an incident that has
41 happened in the store. So an incident of significance
42 would go on there.
43
44 Q. These incident report forms, where are they sent do?
45
46 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I now intervene. I have sat patiently
47 for the last 10 minutes hearing the noise of fishing nets
48 being rattled. I do it for this reason. The Defendants
49 made an application for the discovery of documents relating
50 to McDonald's food hygiene general statistics, I think they
51 called them, way back in late 1993. Your Lordship refused
52 that application on 21st December 1993 page 17 letter A of
53 that judgment. It is quite proper for the Defendants to
54 investigate the Plaintiffs' procedures and how seriously
55 they take these matters. That is not what is going on. It
56 is not cross-examination. It is fishing.
57
58 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What you are on at the moment, as
59 I understand it, is food poisoning. Is that it?
60
