Starbucks says its staff at a Saanich, B.C. store took swift action when a customer was badly burned by a coffee earlier this week, but the customer says she remembers it differently.

Petrina Leeno received a large, serious burn on her arm when another customer at the Saanich store accidentally spilled what she says was an "insanely hot" coffee on her shoulder and arm.

"It felt like somebody boiled water, let the bubbles go down and just dumped it on me," she told CTV Vancouver Island, her voice breaking.

Leeno says staff just seemed to stand back and watch while she struggled in pain. She says the man who spilled the coffee on her was frantically calling out for help but nobody appeared to do anything.

The man who dropped the coffee helped her to the store's washroom to pour cold water on her wounds. She estimates it wasn't until five minutes after the accident that the manager finally stepped in to put wet paper towels on her arm.

He also offered to drive her to a doctor. Leeno says she saw no evidence of first aid supplies on site. It is not clear whether there was a first aid kit available.

The experience has left her stunned.

"I just can't believe nobody would help. I felt alone and it hurt a lot," she said,

Leeno says she is still "in a lot of pain" from the burn and will need to return to the doctor to have the bandages on her arm changed later this week.

CTV News contacted the store, which referred reporters to Starbucks' media department. They issued a statement that said they were very concerned to learn about the accident.

"Our partners took swift action to take care of our customer, including offering to accompany her to a nearby medical clinic. Customer and partner safety is a top priority for us," the statement reads.

"All hot beverages require care, regardless of exact temperature. We are careful at hand off, provide sleeves and make lids available at hand off or condiment bar to encourage safe handling."

But Leeno says she's considering suing the coffee giant.

WorkSafe B.C. says most restaurants with two or more staff are required to have a first aid kit on site. Facilities with 11 or more staff are required to have at least one staff member trained in first aid.

With a report from CTV Vancouver Island's Robert Buffam