‘Booths cereal left me with a cracked tooth – and now I face a £3k dental bill’
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Dear Katie,
Back in September I purchased a 750g packet of own-brand Cherry muesli from Booths in Ripon. Two days later, I was eating some of this muesli and there was a tremendous cracking sound as one of my front teeth was completely sheared off by me biting on what must have been a cherry stone.
The stone was shattered by the force my jaw exerted upon it such that, although I spat out the mouthful, it was not possible for me to retrieve individual pieces, although I did keep the mashed up muesli in a little bag.
I went to the dentist, who concluded that the only way to properly remedy the damage was a tooth extraction, followed by an implant. This treatment is underway and has cost a total of £3,655.
I advised Booths of the situation and sent them photographs of my broken tooth. I said it was free to contact my dentist if it wished, and offered to send in the mushed up muesli for inspection.
Booths told me to talk to its insurers, despite me telling it my claim was against them. In desperation at their delaying tactics, I wrote to senior personnel at Booths, but they did not respond. Now 50 days have elapsed from what was a very simple incident with no sign of any resolution.
On November 14 I received a terse email from the insurer saying it was now taking steps to investigate, but that it might take three months. This is utterly ridiculous. I have been a very satisfied customer of Booths for many years and I feel I don’t deserve this treatment.
GP, North Yorkshire
Dear Reader,
You read an article in this newspaper in which Booths’ managing director was quoted as saying: “We are a business that prides itself on very high levels of service and very high levels of warmth and personal care with our customers”.
Yet here, missing one front tooth and £3,655 out of pocket, you felt ignored and abandoned by the supermarket.
I could perfectly understand this, and I too felt Booths’ wall of silence was unacceptable, so I contacted it to ask if it was paying the claim.
As you purchased the muesli from it, I felt it shouldn’t have been palming you off on its insurer, which appeared to be dragging its feet. The point of contact and responsibility sat firmly with Booths.
In Booths’ defence, the packet of muesli contained a small warning on the back of the pack saying “may contain fruit stones”.
However this does not automatically exempt it from paying you compensation. In reality, warnings on the back or side of packets are useless at preventing accidents such as this.
Customers like you can’t be expected to inspect each mouthful of cereal for stones before consuming, or chew each mouthful tentatively in anticipation of something potentially tooth-cracking.
Far from it, this cherry muesli was designed to be enjoyed care-free and eaten with gusto. As a customer you had a reasonable expectation for it not to contain cherry stones, as Booths should have taken enough care to ensure they were all removed during production.
However, there are cases where hard fruit stones make it into packets. Cases like yours are rare, though, but as you have clearly sustained personal injury and dental expenses, I felt Booths should cover your dental bill in full.
Booths came back saying its insurer was “investigating”, which felt like another disappointing fob off. In the meantime you sent me an email saying you “loved” Booths as a supermarket and really didn’t want to have to take legal action, but assured me that you were prepared to, if it was what you needed to do to get your dental bill paid.
I passed this on to Booths and it did an about turn within 24-hours, agreeing to pay your £3,655 in full. You’re delighted with this outcome, although you wish it could have been agreed upon sooner, as it would have saved you all this stress and hassle.
Your dentist has fitted a cap and you’re waiting for the implant to be fitted, which you’re looking forward to, not least for aesthetic reasons, but also so you can whistle after your dog once again, which you’re currently unable to do as the air escapes through the hole where your tooth should be.
A spokesman said: “Food quality and the safety of our customers are of paramount importance to Booths. Following our own investigations, this matter was recently passed to our insurers who undertook their own investigation. Booths have been in regular, prompt and courteous communication with Mr P throughout this investigation.
“It is important to recognise, the Booths Cherry Muesli carries a clear warning on the packet, that the product may contain fruit stones or pips. This is printed clearly alongside the allergy advice on the packaging.
“However, we understand that this has caused Mr P a great deal of anxiety, and as a gesture of goodwill and respect for a valued customer, Booths have agreed to pay for his full dental costs.”
