A WOMAN claims she was left coughing up blood after swallowing a sharp object in her Nando’s meal.
Madison, 30, was eating a paella at one of the outlet’s restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, when she began to choke.
The local businesswoman spent ten hours in a local hospital as a result, before emailing Nando’s to explain what happened.
But after receiving a response a week later, she was shocked to be offered just a £6 voucher as a form of compensation.
Recalling the incident, she described swallowing what she believed to be a piece of glass that felt like it was “cutting her throat.”
“It was super sharp. It went down the middle of my oesophagus, and it felt like it was lodged there,” she told 9News.
She started to cough up blood as she tried to bring the lodged object back up and could not speak because she was in so much pain.
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“I couldn’t talk – every time I said anything it felt like a piece of glass was cutting my throat,” she added.
The woman’s father rushed her to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where doctors examined her throat.
However, a CT scar proved inconclusive as staff suggested the object could have passed through her throat.
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After declining a further investigation and leaving the hospital, she claims she was unable to speak or swallow for a week, citing the alleged object as the cause.
“Every time I moved my tongue it felt like my throat was being pierced by something,” she said.
Following the ordeal, Madison contacted Nandos to detail what happened, only to be left bemused by the response.
The chain issued an apology before confirming they would conduct an internal investigation into the incident.
They added that they hoped the voucher would prove to be sufficient compensation and thanked her for her “patience and understanding.”
However, a furious Madison said the voucher was “insulting and “comical” and that the company had failed to recognise the severity of the situation.
She said she now needs to see an ear, nose and throat specialist as she still has discomfort more than a month on from the incident.
Madison added she has now been put off the food for life and will likely never go to the fast-food restaurant ever again.
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In response, a Nando’s spokesman told 9news: “Nando’s takes food safety extremely seriously and has an internal team dedicated to reviewing, investigating, and responding to such queries.
“We acknowledge that our initial response to this query could have been improved and did not live up to our high standards of customer care. For that we have apologised.”
