Danielle Riley was left in tears after the incident(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A disabled mum said she was left without a £220 food shop after a delivery driver allegedly refused to bring her groceries to her flat before driving away with the entire order. Danielle Riley, 44, from Tuebrook, was left in tears and feeling “sick” after the incident, which she claims unfolded after an Iceland home delivery arrived at her home.
Danielle, who suffers from nerve damage to her spine and fibromyalgia, said she is unable to leave her flat without assistance and relies on home deliveries for essential shopping. She uses two crutches to get around and said she has been unable to work since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia five years ago.
She told the ECHO: “I just kept having falls all the time, and I was exhausted.
“I stay inside unless it’s necessary for me to leave the house. It feels like the whole inside of my body is bruised. Everything I touch hurts. It’s horrendous.”
Danielle said her mum helps care for her 10-year-old daughter, who is autistic and has ADHD, taking her to and from school each day because she is physically unable to do so herself.
She said she spent £220.17 on a grocery order from Iceland’s Norris Green store, claiming she had also written on her delivery notes that she was disabled and unable to come downstairs to collect it.
Danielle said she is still waiting on her refund from Iceland(Image: Liverpool Echo)
According to Danielle, she received a text message saying her order was on its way before the driver called her.
She said: “He said, ‘Hi, it’s Iceland.’ And then the call cut off.
“Then he was ringing the bell, so I got to the door, and he started shouting: ‘Are you f***ing coming down here to get this?’ I apologised and said I couldn’t because I’m disabled.
“He brought one tray up, got to the top of the stairs, stared at me and shouted, ‘I’m not here to bring this up, I bring it to the communal door.’ But that’s not my front door.
“I tried to explain to him that none of the other drivers have an issue with it, and he yelled at me: ‘Well I’m not them am I!’
“I said I apologise for being disabled. Then he picked the tray up and took it back down to his van and said ‘well you’re not getting your shopping then’. He took it all back with him.”
Danielle said none of her shopping had been packed into bags, leaving her unsure how she would have been expected to carry it upstairs even if she had been able to reach the communal entrance.
She added: “I’ve got freezer stuff and stuff in the cupboard, but I’m on my own with a little 10-year-old girl who’s autistic and has ADHD. She was absolutely terrified when he was screaming at me.
“We needed the food desperately. What I order from Iceland is what my little girl will eat. She’s really fussy with food.”
Danielle said she had never previously experienced any issues with Iceland deliveries, adding that drivers had always brought her shopping directly to her door.
She said she was forced to spend an extra £30 on a takeaway because she had been left without the groceries she had ordered.
“It’s disgusting,” she said. “What if I was a little old person unable to speak out?”
Danielle said she is currently waiting to be moved into more suitable accommodation that better meets her accessibility needs.
An Iceland Foods spokesperson said: “Our customer care team is looking into this alleged incident, and are in regular contact with the customer. Our home delivery drivers receive regular training and are dedicated to the highest levels of customer service and will accommodate additional needs wherever possible.
“As part of our standard process, the customer automatically received a £5 refund for the out-of-stock items in their order. The remaining balance has since been fully refunded and should be reflected in the customer’s account shortly.”