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| WHSmith 'sorry' for Pinderfields Hospital £7.99 toothpaste | WHSmith 'sorry' for Pinderfields Hospital £7.99 toothpaste |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| WHSmith has admitted it made more than £700 by selling single tubes of toothpaste for £7.99 in a hospital. | WHSmith has admitted it made more than £700 by selling single tubes of toothpaste for £7.99 in a hospital. |
| The Pinderfields Hospital branch in Wakefield was caught selling Colgate, normally priced at £2.49, by a visitor. | The Pinderfields Hospital branch in Wakefield was caught selling Colgate, normally priced at £2.49, by a visitor. |
| The retailer apologised to for what it called a pricing error, and said proceeds from the sales would be donated to charity St George's Crypt. | |
| In 2015, WHSmith was accused of exploiting hospital customers after it was found charging less in other shops. | |
| The retailer said 89 tubes of toothpaste had been sold in the Pinderfields shop while they were priced at £7.99. | The retailer said 89 tubes of toothpaste had been sold in the Pinderfields shop while they were priced at £7.99. |
| A spokeswoman said: "We would like to apologise to our customers for a recent pricing error in our system relating to this product." | A spokeswoman said: "We would like to apologise to our customers for a recent pricing error in our system relating to this product." |
| She added: "The error has been rectified and changed to the correct price of £2.49." | She added: "The error has been rectified and changed to the correct price of £2.49." |
| Chloe's story: 'I got to feel human for less' | |
| Chloe Bond was admitted to Pindersfield Hospital in September last year after suffering stroke-like symptoms when stepping out of the shower. | |
| The 26-year-old was taken to hospital by ambulance at around 22:00 BST and remained there for three days while tests were carried out. | |
| She says she had no way of getting any toiletries, adding: "I was dying to wash my hair and I could've killed for a toothbrush. | |
| "The little store [WH Smiths] had the essentials but it was so overpriced - I probably would have had to spend about £40 just for personal hygiene. | |
| "When my dad came to visit me I was like, 'it's terrible' - I wanted toiletries, a toothbrush, some clean underwear and I was on my period. I was just so uncomfortable." | |
| Ms Bond describes toothbrushes being sold for around £5 or £6 and magazines and snacks being sold for multiple times the normal amount. | |
| In the end, the products had to be bought from a nearby Sainsbury's, where the total amount spent was about £10. | |
| This would have cost "three or four times as much" at the hospital shop, she says. | |
| "I got to feel human for a lot less money." | |
| Reacting to the story, BBC presenter and cancer blogger Rachael Bland described it as a "wider problem". She said she paid £5.99 for painkillers while receiving treatment at the Christie in Manchester. | Reacting to the story, BBC presenter and cancer blogger Rachael Bland described it as a "wider problem". She said she paid £5.99 for painkillers while receiving treatment at the Christie in Manchester. |
| Neil Wilson said it highlighted problems with NHS outsourcing, as this created "captive markets ripe for price gouging". | Neil Wilson said it highlighted problems with NHS outsourcing, as this created "captive markets ripe for price gouging". |
| The BBC investigation in 2015 found that people were paying 89p more for a 750ml bottle of water and £1.50 more for an A4 refill pad at Pinderfields compared to a store of WHSmith in Leeds. | The BBC investigation in 2015 found that people were paying 89p more for a 750ml bottle of water and £1.50 more for an A4 refill pad at Pinderfields compared to a store of WHSmith in Leeds. |
| After pressure from Dewsbury MP Paula Sheriff, the firm said it would match stationery prices and cut food and drink costs. | After pressure from Dewsbury MP Paula Sheriff, the firm said it would match stationery prices and cut food and drink costs. |
| St George's Crypt, which is based in Leeds, provides support to homeless, vulnerable and people suffering from addiction. | St George's Crypt, which is based in Leeds, provides support to homeless, vulnerable and people suffering from addiction. |
| Have you seen high prices in hospital shops? Please share your experience with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you seen high prices in hospital shops? Please share your experience with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or comment here: | Or comment here: |