A wheelchair user and Foxtons have reached agreement after disabled Youcef Bey-Zekkoub was unable to access a branch and threatened legal action.
Bey-Zekkoub claimed he was left “embarrassed and humiliated” because there was no ramp at Foxtons’ Streatham branch.
Bey-Zekkoub, who works for the charity Transport for All, said he was left outside the branch in pouring rain.
He said he went to the branch because he was looking to move from his council flat to a larger property.
He says his complaints were dismissed by staff, and believes he was discriminated against because of his disability.
He later complained to Foxtons, seeking an apology and for the branch to become more disability-friendly.
But he claimed he was so disappointed by the company’s response that he was motivated to take legal action under disability discrimination laws.
The incident happened last November.
A Foxtons spokesperson has now said: “We pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service and ensuring that each person who visits Foxtons branches feels comfortable and welcome at all times.
“All of our branches comply with planning regulations, and as a result of this issue being raised and our subsequent investigation, we have taken steps to improve the accessibility of that branch, as well as reviewing and improving accessibility across our branches.
“We are pleased to say that the complaint made by Mr Bey-Zekkoub has been resolved amicably.”
Lucy Collins, of Bey-Zekkoub’s solicitors Unity Law, told the London Evening Standard: “Service providers have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled service users.
“Unfortunately, wheelchair users like Youcef regularly encounter situations in which they are unable to access premises, despite the Equality Act 2010 being in force for almost six years.
“Foxtons have now made changes to improve the accessibility to their Streatham branch and are also looking at reviewing accessibility across their branches as a whole.
“It’s great to see a service provider taking a complaint seriously, reflecting on their services and taking positive action that will benefit their disabled customers as a whole.”
Hmm.. Speaking the obvious but Foxtons are extremely wealthy and this case seems like another ‘complaint and pay’ scenario.
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Wonder if he has succeeded in moving from the council flat to a bigger property?
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“Lucy Collins, of Bey-Zekkoub’s solicitors Unity Law, told the London Evening Standard: “Service providers have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled service users…”
Adjustments only have to be made if it’s reasonable to do so – so says the Law.
It would be interesting to know what ‘adjustments’ were made to the access following the complaint.
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Bey–Zekkoub’s solicitors Unity Law…
…who are based in SHEFFIELD.
That’s pretty accessible for a client based in London, innit.
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