Ladbrokes refuse to sell poppies in venues?

A screenshot of a customer service conversation with Ladbrokes and an unnamed customer is circulating that shows the customer service representative inform the customer that Ladbrokes are not willing to sell poppies at their venues.

The screenshot (below) appears to show a genuine conversation with Ladbrokes.

However, as is common with large organisations like Ladbrokes, it appears the left hand wasn’t talking to the right, and Ladbrokes have since stated via their social media channels that the conversation was a misunderstanding that has now been resolved.

Ladbrokes have now stated via their Facebook page that poppy sellers are welcome to approach their venues and they are happy to make poppies available to their customers.

We wish to clarify that as per their practice should the Royal British Legion approach any of our shops with poppies, we would be proud to make them available to our customers. We also observe a 2min silence across our estate and in our contact centre in remembrance.

Whilst may have taken to Ladbroke’s social media pages to show their disgust it is worth remembering that PR gaffes like this are increasingly common, especially now the age of social media can so easily highlight them to the masses. There is barely a company that hasn’t at some point succumbed to some miscommunication between departments that has resulted in some embarrassing faux pas!