Miserly Burger King charges hurt kid for ice

Miserly Burger King charges hurt kid for ice

By Jennifer Roy/ Daily News Tribune
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - Updated: 10:35 AM EST

Ice does not appear on Burger King's menu, but it should after a Newton teen limped into the Moody Street fast-food restaurant last week looking for some cool relief of a sore ankle.

John Michael Jasset staggered into the restaurant about 5 p.m. last Thursday after being hit by a car. He was thrown from his bike and also scraped his knee, arms and hands, his mother, Cheryl Jasset, said.

But when he asked for some ice to put on his ankle, he was told he had to pay for it.

The charge: 99 cents, plus 5 cents for tax. That's the price of a small soda.

"I'm never going to Burger King again," John Michael said.

The 16-year-old Pond Street resident said that right after the accident, he exchanged information with the driver, picked up his bike, called his friends - who hadn't seen the accident and rode ahead - on a walkie-talkie and hobbled into Burger King to nurture his injuries.

A sign on the door gives the cost of a bag of ice, but Jasset's mother says they should have just given it free.

"It's outrageous," Cheryl Jasset said. "He wasn't dripping blood or anything, but his knee, arms and hands were cut."

She said she has tried to contact the local Burger King, but has gotten nowhere. She's called the company's corporate office, too.

So far there has been no apology from the fast-food giant.

No one answered calls from a reporter at the Moody Street restaurant Monday. Officials at Burger King's corporate offices in Miami did not return calls, either.

"I'm never going to go to Burger King again," Cheryl Jasset said, echoing her son. "He was scared. No one helped him."

John Michael Jasset said he was afraid to ask for ice, so his friend did. The friend then paid for it because John did not have cash.

He said the cash-on-delivery ice didn't even help much, but his ankle feels better now. The driver of the car that hit him saw his two friends but not him, he said.

Cheryl Jasset said a language barrier was evident at Burger King on the night of the incident, and has been in the days since.

"There has to be some comprehension because you're dealing with people all day long," she said.

She said she just wants answers and an apology.

Insurance, she said, will cover her son's medical bills.

It won't get his friend's $1.04 back, however.