'We can't help you': McDonald's deny dehydrated teen water during heatwave
An angry Adelaide mum has given a McDonald’s outlet a scathing dressing-down after her dehydrated teenage son was denied a glass of water on a 40C degree-day.
Exhausted, sweating profusely and out of water, 14-year-old Kuvam Sharrock entered the Elizabeth restaurant in the hope of filling his water bottle up, but when he couldn’t produce the 30 cents required he was told “sorry we can’t help you”.
His mother, Vasu Sharrock, 38, has now taken aim at the fast food chain for putting her son’s health at risk.
“He wasn’t asking for soft drink, he wasn’t asking for a thick shake, it was just water,” Ms Sharrock told News Corp.
“It’s a bloody joke and it’s completely unacceptable... McDonald’s, a multi-million dollar company all over the world, couldn’t spare 200ml of water in a bottle.”
Despite explaining that he had left his wallet at home and that it was only a small amount of water he was seeking, the young high school student was left high and dry.
Sent packing, Vasu was forced to wait for his mum to pick him up from a local train station where she found her son “covered in sweat”.
"He was red, and I mean red with heat, and covered in sweat. I was so tempted to go on and give them a piece of my mind but had to get him home."
Instead, she rushed her dehyrated son home to cool down.
Far from apologetic, a McDonald’s spokesperson responded to Ms Sharrock’s Facebook post saying: "Free water is at the individual store/licensee discretion. Most stores will offer a cup of courtesy water if a purchase has been made”.
They did however acknowledge that they would implement changes to introduce free water and ice to every customer.
