Temu shoppers warned after shoe slices open woman's foot
Shoppers are being warned after woman claims a "razor sharp" stud inside a pair of shoes bought from rising Chinese e-commerce giant Temu sliced open the length of her foot – leaving her with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Leanne Marley was gifted the black ankle 'snow boots' by her 73-year-old mum Suellen Taylor as they didn't fit her. After wearing the shoes a couple of times, the 49-year-old felt something digging into her right foot but dismissed it as a tag or sticker.
It was only when the US mum-of-two slid on the $12 shoes for a third time that she sliced her foot on a "razor sharp" eyelet inside of the right boot.
Horrifying photos show a long laceration that appears to stretch the length of Leanne's foot, up to the ankle, with her recalling how the injury was "pouring with blood" at the time.
"When I cut my foot, I thought there was a rock in my shoes so I pulled it off and it [the shoe] just sliced my foot," she recalled. "It was the eyelet on the inside of the shoe that cut me."
Following the incident, Leanne was rushed to hospital by her husband where her foot was numbed and she had 14 stitches. She subsequently had to fork out US$2,200 ($A3,377) on medical expenses after insurance and take time off work to let her foot heal. The nurse expects to have a scar for life.
Temu launched in Australia in April 2023, gaining traction by offering clothes, toys and other goods at extremely low prices. Self-styled as China's answer to Amazon, as it expanded into Western markets last year it became the most popular free iPhone app in the US, UK, Australia and Germany.
Leanne said after being admitted to hospital, her mother messaged Temu about her injury in an effort to get the product removed from the company's website. But after logging into her Temu account to retrieve her invoice number she claims the entire order history was "missing" meaning she could not take the issue further. Eventually she was able to raise the issue with the online retailer and posted a damning review.
Temu suspends product after bloody incident
The rising online retail giant said it had launched an investigation into the boot incident and said the "product will remain suspended" in the meantime.
"We immediately launched an investigation. After reviewing the screenshots and other information provided, we identified and removed the shoe listing as a precautionary measure," a spokesperson said.
Following her injury, Leanne says she won't ever shop on Temu and wants to warn other shoppers to be careful as she doesn't believe getting a bargain is worth the injury she sustained.
"If you have these shoes from Temu, throw them away. I would never shop on Temu again.
"I understand that people are having to do what they have to do to save money but it's not worth it in the long run."
Kennedy News
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