Ouch! This is gonna change the definition of MCJob for sure.

that girl deserves to get her own mcdonalds outta this.......

Sad sad sad.

This is one of the rare cases where I hope someone wins their lawsuit.

"Girl, you ain't got no arms"... I'm sure that was news to her...

Ben Popken, this is some serious shit, I better hear about you jumping a flight to Illinois, gettin all up in this MC Bitch, and askin some long hard questions to some dangerously stupid, and probably cross-eyed Mickey D employees.

"Girl, you ain't got no arms" - Captain obvious.

There was a time that I was at McDonalds when a homeless guy came in and proceeded to order a Super size fries and soda when the person at the counter made a rude comment under his breath. The manager heard it and sent that worker home. I am just posting this to show that there are good and bad workers everywhere.

In this case, the manager and the other worker were being really childish.

Am I the only one that doesn't think McDonald's needs to get sued over this and it's blown way out of proportion? It's a totally unfortunate situation and should never have happened. They need to publicly apologize and make sure it doesn't happen again, but a lawsuit?

@adrock75: She DID complain. And they found her complaint worth $10.

If I worked for McDonalds and this complaint landed on my desk I'd be at that branch in an hour making sure those involved were no longer part of our happy hamburger family.

In defense of McDonald's who can't edumacate every employee, what was McDolands supposed to do? Say hey we screwed up. Heres $50 mil? Granted something a little more formal than $10.

Just sounds like stupid people working at McDonalds. Someone should have a Executive CSR or something on speed dial at all places incase something like this happens again. That way people can be referred to smart McD's employees at a moments notice.

10$ gift certificate?
Wow.. fuck.. I give up.
let someone else do the ranting.

MCJob (n.) - a position of greasey glory. Known for their abuse of the handicapped, cross-eyed, uni-brows inhabit this job, and silently stew in a puddle of their own MC Loathing.

Refuse to offer service to the handicapped? Sounds like something McDonalds employees would do.

A $10 Gift Certificate? Definitely sounds like McDonalds, period.

@adrock75:

Yes, you're pretty much the only one. Now look stupid and feel ashamed. Grow a brain.

Jeez. When will companies realize that giving out a reasonable settlement for very distinct cases like this would save them more than the equivalent cost in bad PR?

I'm sure the corporate take is something about a slippery slope, but this isn't like someone wasn't served because they were belligerent or drunk; she wasn't served because the employee was "disgusted with her handicap".

I'm not sure she's really owed punitive damages or something like that; I don't think humiliation by itself is going to get her a judgement -- however, she may have a basis for a civil rights violation due to her disability.

I think the main problem at places like McDonalds is that even the managers now are young, undereducated, low-paid, and uninformed. This should have been stopped at the store level by a manager who fixed the problem and reprimanded the employee, but it looks like the local store management was completely inept. Go figure.

Hey McDonalds; pay managers more, get better managers, and save on your perennial lawsuits.

Scoobydoo: I totally agree, the moron employee needs to get fired and McDonald's needs to do something... but still I don't think a lawsuit is necessary.

What are they supposed to do in sensitivity training, go over every possible disease and malformation that a human could possibly have in case they ever encounter it?

I'd like to hear both sides of this story. I'd also like to see/hear what this customer actually said to McDonald's, through which medium she lodged the complaint, etc. I'm not saying I don't believe her or feel she's ABSOLUTELY in the right here, but let's hear it all. Did she call up and just talk to some dingbat CSR on the 800 line? Did she file a mini survey complaint online?

Either way, McDonalds missed an opportunity to right this wrong, and now they'll have to pay for it.

@MILTYKISS

While it may be true that there are always bad employees, I think this goes far beyond childish behavior. There is simply no excuse for these actions. Words truly do not describe how awful these people were to this woman, and quite frankly I'm disgusted that a manager, or anyone for that matter, would even think about saying these kinds of things to someone.

And the gift card?! That's just adding insult to injury.

I truly hope this woman is compensated, and that the employees are fired without question.

@Echomatrix:

well, ya see, the problem with not educating every employee in the art of, not getting sued over something THIS obscene, very much is their fault. Usually, if you hire gutter trash to handle customers in you're place of business, you ask for trouble. The long and short of it is, yes, you are responsible for your employees and their actions. Thats why they're YOUR EMPLOYEES.

@scoobydoo: any reasonable person would see to the same.

@adrock75: so far yes.

suing may look like a cash out effort, but I suspect a very public apology by McDonald's, the employee & their manager (both of whom should be severely disciplined if not fired - one for being an asshat & the other for hiring said asshat); plus a non-further-&-final-insulting gift certificate would lead to a settlement.

@NERO DIAVOLO: ... and askin some long hard questions to some dangerously stupid, and probably cross-eyed Mickey D employees.

Wow, way to fight discrimination with some stereotypes of your own. Has it ever occurred to you that "cross-eyed" people have a medical condition called strabismus that is in no way tied to intelligence? My 7-year-old could probably kick your ass at chess, and he's "cross-eyed" to use your wonderful term...

@Nero Diavolo: Hi, my name is Meghann.

@adrock75:

being that the article lists this as happening more than once, yes, though even if if it was only once, raping one's rights as a human being, as well as public humiliation very much is grounds for a lawsuit, with spectacular cause. Yes, you are responsible for your employees, regardless of how many there are. Thats what makes having such a huge chain dangerous.

@Nero Diavolo: This post is by Meghann. You can tell because up on the right it says, "BY MEG MARCO."

hello Meghann

@meghannmarco:
@Ben Popken:

Then I guess BOTH of you better head over to Rockford for a face-to-face interview!

@adrock75:
Threatening (or actually initiating) a lawsuit is (sadly) sometimes the only way to get a company to respond with something better than a $10 gift certificate.

@adrock75: You really think it's necessary to "go over every possible disease and malformation that a human could possibly have in case they ever encounter it?" I'm thinking a couple examples should suffice.

"If a customer comes to you with a deformity such as a missing arm or a disfigured face, treat them with respect and continue the transaction as normal." Really, how hard is that?

yes, I was aware of that

wonderfully stirring article Ms. Marco.

I'm really not trying to troll or anything, I'm just saying it sucks, somebody higher up in the McD organization really should have made amends before it got this far. Publicly humiliating McD's by getting this all over the news is a good step. Lawsuit? No.

Ummm, maybe I'm just ignorant.
"She drove to the first window, gave the cashier her credit card with her foot, and pulled up to get her food."

How does she drive? prostetics?

BY ADROCK75 AT 05:48 PM Am I the only one that doesn't think McDonald's needs to get sued over this and it's blown way out of proportion?
=================================

Yeah, you probably are the ONLY one. Those McDuds are just lucky that she didn't have someone at home like me because if my wife or girlfriend came home and told me that story I would have been down at the McDuds with a baseball bat and sorted them out real quick. I hope she wins BIG!

I wonder if it was a single $10 gift certificate or 10 of those $1 ones they advertise around Christmas. Those would have REALLY been humiliating.

don't they "reserve the right to refuse service for any reason". I know I see that sign a bunch of places.

One day corporations would realize a genuine and simple apology would go a long way in a lot of situations. I imagine if they had written a really personal apologetic letter and told her that those involved had been fired/reprimanded, it probably would have ended there. Giving her $10 is the insult. Kind of like leaving a penny tip.

What should McDonald's have done!? I can't believe anyone is even asking that question. Those jerks behind the counter represent the company. If the person who sent that $10 had any sense of perspective, they would fire every single employee involved.

at what point do we need to just stop caring about these complaints. I mean this woman was not denied anything.. they made fun of her that would be the same thing as a mcdonalds employee saying we can't serve you you are too fat and stupid to eat here... sure you were treaded poorly but why does that make you diserve money. .... just eat somewhere else. and to be honest its people like her that make anyone disabled look like an asshole. In my opinion she does not deserve a mcMillion. Mcdonalds is not the government and this woman wasn't refused a job... i can chose who i want to serve at my restaurant and i think mcdonalds should have the same right.

at BUNKL:
Wow, that seems like a perfectly rational response. That would have sorted the whole situation and everyone would have been happy.

@delphi_ote:

You're selling MC Donalds short my friend. Fire every single employee within earshot, then close down the location when they went on strike for better wages, and medical, rather than give in! Thats the Mickey D way! look at life with a shit-eatin grin, and punch a baby in the throat! HELL YEAHHH!!!!!

@adrock75: hell yeah there should be a lawsuit! How would YOU like it if someone denied you the right to eat just b/c of a handicap?? You need to punish McDonald's in order to show them that they should take this lightly by offering $10.

Ok... Call me rude, mean, or insensitive, but the article says she was DRIVING the car... That scares the shit outta me.

PS. correction: should = shouldnt

@mikemar42: So, a restaurant, open to the public, publicly traded, that, say, doesn't serve black people or Jewish people, or people like you (I'm sure there is something noisome about you), that would be ok? Is this the kind of society we want to live in? Is this who we want to be?

I hope she's only suing the McDonalds restaurant that undermined her, in front of her kids. I don't agree with suing McDonalds HQ, as disciplinary action and responsibility for such behavior should be the sole obligation of the owner.
Also, before pursuing legal action, she should have spoken to the owner. Where she should of received an apology, and not a lousy 10 dollar coupon. If that failed, then escalate this the next step, aka lawyer.

@Thrust:

yes, many people with this debilitating disorder assume functionalities regularly performed by the hands, with their feet. I've seen a woman with no arms drive with her feet before. It does not look easy. Consider how much larger your legs are than your arms, and how many calories this woman burns compared to a normal person who performs most of these tasks with their hands and arms.

@Thrust: That was actually my first thought as I was reading this. I have no doubt that it's possible to drive with your feet... but I can't imagine that being safe for anybody, her, her passengers, or other drivers.

I think the GREATEST things is that YV station's web site has a McDonalds ad on the page with this story!

''Try our iced coffee (Caution contents may need two hands for drinking)!''

s/YV/the TV/ (shesh!)

As a person with a disability (born without any legs) the whole thing is disheartening. Treating customers with respect and decency isn't hard and this woman deserved a sincere apology.

That being said, I'm not sure what a lawsuit accomplishes. If that happened to me, I'd want McDonald's to go over their procedures and sensitivity training so it didn't happen again. Again, it's not me so I won't pass judgment, but I hope if anything the publicity will let companies know treating customers poorly doesn't make any sense.

On another note, to the person frightened of the woman driving, plenty of people, including myself, drive with the use of accommodations. A good friend of mine without any arms drives with different things attached to the steering wheel. We adapt to the situation.

@meghannmarco: @Ben Popken: Isn't this like the second time he's mistaken Ben for Meghan? Maybe it's on purpose.

For those wondering about driving with her feet, it's perfectly safe. There are many devices out there to help people with handicaps still drive (I have a friend with MS who has one such device).