A heavily pregnant woman claims a 'jobsworth' McDonald's worker refused to let her use the toilets because she paid for her hot drink with vouchers and not cash.
Amy Williams visited the fast food eatery in Canterbury city centre with her partner Sam Hutchinson, 26, on Monday when she suddenly needed to use the bathroom.
The self-employed cleaner, who is 36 weeks pregnant, was unable to wait while Sam queued for coffee but claims a male worker told her 'you're not paying with real money' when she tried to access the loo.
The 26-year-old says she was left on the verge of tears and ended up bolting out of the restaurant and went to Caffe Nero where staff allowed her to use their toilet without a problem.
The furious customer now claims she will "100% avoid" McDonald's in the future as the customer service she received was "awful".
McDonald's apologised that incorrect guidance was 'unintentionally provided' and said the restaurant team was 'reminded' of policies to help prevent it happening in future.
Amy, from Ashford, Kent, said: "I was livid.
"I'm not at the stage of 'is she pregnant or just bloated?' I'm full on pregnant and I wasn't allowed to pee because I wasn't paying with money, I was paying with a voucher.
"[The member of staff's] exact words were if 'I was paying with real money and sitting in to drink my coffee I could use the toilet'.
"I was happy to give my details for Track and Trace but I really needed the loo.
"He pointed at my bump and said 'I understand your predicament, but you're not paying with real money'.
"It's not like I'm only just pregnant - it's very noticeable. When you need a wee, you need a wee."
The pair had decided to start their shopping trip with coffees as they had loyalty sticker cards - but as Sam turned around with the drinks in his hand, Amy was nowhere in sight.
Amy said: "I said 'whilst he is ordering for me, is it okay to use the loo?'
"I'd understand if I just walked in off the street but I didn't. My other half was in the queue.
"I was technically buying something but according to him I wasn't because I was paying with a voucher.
"[The member of staff] stood in front of the stairs because they were upstairs, so I couldn't use the loo.
"I was about to cry. I had to run away because I needed to pee that bad. I ran away to find somewhere else to go.
"I ran into Caffe Nero, through the queue of people, shouted 'can I use your loo' and they shouted back 'of course, it's just there'.
"Sam got the coffees as he was ordering at the till point and I didn’t shout or anything - I just left after the guy blocking the stairs. [I then] called him when I was outside to find me.
"He was livid. I'm pregnant and he was worried I wasn't going to be able to hold it."
Amy has now vowed to '100% avoid' McDonald's and take her business elsewhere, after admitting the pair were 'really upset' but didn't want to cause a scene.
Amy said: "I didn't want to go [back] to McDonald's - I went to Five Guys for lunch [instead].
"I was not going back to McDonald's for love nor money. I will 100% avoid there in the future - their customer service was awful.
"Sam was really upset. He didn't want to speak to the man because he would have lost his temper.
"We have dignity - though I nearly didn't. We weren't going to cause a scene in McDonald's.
"Everyone is really shocked. They're disgusted that they would do that."
After sharing her ordeal online, many social media users were quick to voice their support for Amy.
One said: "Imagine being that much of a jobsworth to not let a heavily pregnant lady use the toilet.
"McDonald's maybe give your staff some customer service training, you should be ashamed."
A second added: "This is shocking Amy. I expect by asking you for the details of the time and date of your visit, they will be able to identify the person who failed to deliver good customer service.
"This person may now receive some training, which is obviously needed. What an upsetting experience for you."
A McDonald's spokesman said: "We sincerely apologise to the customer in question for their experience, and are disappointed that our customer services fell below the standards we would expect on this occasion.
"Incorrect guidance was unintentionally provided, and the restaurant team have been reminded of our policies to help prevent this happening in the future.
"We appreciate people bearing with us at this time while our restaurant teams work hard to ensure they are implementing the updated safety measures and polices that have been put in place to help keep our customers and our people safe."
