A Money Expert worker was caught on a doorbell camera carrying a cat by the scruff of its neck.
He is seen in the footage llifting the white feline onto a wheelie bin, before picking it up and carrying it away again. The video shows he and another employee, both wearing EE-branded jackets, then leave the frontage of the property in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, having seemingly had no answer at the door.
The pet, named Iceberg, had to be put on painkillers for suspected bruising. Its owner, Sarah Hunt, said she has not had a personal apology from Money Expert, the third-party provider EE uses.
But Money Expert confirmed to reporters both employees have been suspended indefinitely. It said the company “does not tolerate the mistreatment of animals in any way” and would be reaching out to the owner directly to “check on the cat’s wellbeing”.
In a statement, MoneyExpert said all field advisors are vetted and given full training around the importance of “engaging respectfully with residents at all times”. The spokesperson continued: “This includes fully respecting property and any pets seen on the premises and in the surroundings.
“We are very disappointed that on this occasion our representatives have fallen extremely short of our code of conduct, and we have taken immediate action by suspending them indefinitely from the campaign.”
The company added steps were being taken internally to strengthen guidance and ensure “all animals are consistently treated with the maximum care and respect”.
An EE spokesperson previously told the BBC the company “does not condone the mistreatment of animals and are treating the matter extremely seriously”. They added the company worked with “a number of third-party providers” who visited homes and promoted their latest offers.
Horrifying doorbell footage also recently captured a man’s series of sickening attacks on his brown and white crossbreed puppy, Kinder, in Uxbridge, west London. Aaron Gowland, 31, left his pet whimpering in fear, hurling the dog between his legs in a clip which left one person so horrified after watching it that they sent it to the RSPCA’s national call centre.
It led to a probe which saw Gowland arrested and charged with an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by inflicting trauma on the animal. The man pleaded guilty and was banned from keeping any type of animal for five years. His eight-week prison sentence was, however, suspended for 12 months at at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, which is in the capital.
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