Second Waitrose customer falls ill from contaminated coffee

After the first, publicised, instance of a customer falling ill after drinking a free Waitrose coffee, reports have surfaced of a second case.

If you remember an elderly Lewes woman was taken to hospital after her complimentary cup became contaminated with cleaning fluid and it appears that exactly that same thing happened in another part of the United Kingdom.

The circumstances appear to be very similar.

Though, this time the person behind the bungle has come forward to the press.

David Sack, 49 and a father of two, popped into the Waitrose store in West Byfleet, Surrey and picked up a cappuccino. “I noticed that the machine only half filled the cup,” he told The Daily Mail. “As I was short on time, and not wanting to wait for the fault to be rectified, I took what coffee I had and returned the school bus I was driving.”

“I realised, as I swallowed the liquid it wasn’t all coffee, having a bitter chemical flavour. My tongue and [the] roof of my mouth started burning. I felt sick.” He explained.

What then followed were a couple of phone conversations between Mr. Sack and the store in question, where staff passed over the relevant health advice printed on the packaging of the chemicals used to clean the machine.

It turns out that he declined a visit to a local hospital after receiving advice from his GP, instead opting to recuperate at home.

A spokesperson for the retail chain has released a statement, pledging that action has been undertaken to prevent this from happening again.

“We use a very diluted cleaner to wash through our machines, but Mr. Sack should not have been able to pour a drink while the machine was being we rinsed.”

After the event Mr. Sack was offered a payment amounting to £25, which he refused, but was then given a £100 which he accepted – though he claims he did so whilst being frustrated over this ‘serious matter.’

The coffee is given for free for all members of Waitrose’s loyalty scheme and has been under criticism for some time now, with businesses and MP’s voicing concerns about the promotion.

picture: Rachel Groves, flickr