Mum left ill after wearing £4 second-hand shoes from Vinted
A mum has sworn off buying second-hand shoes after a horrific experience with a £4 pair from Vinted left her seriously ill.
29-year-old Becca Maddon, from Watford, thought she'd bagged a bargain when she purchased a second-hand pair of trainers online with the sparkly design of the shoes being a particular attraction.
She bought them for just £4 back in March and didn't wear them for months, with the shoes sitting on a rack and then being put inside a vacuum sealed bag while she moved house.
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It wasn't until this month that Becca actually got to wear the bargain trainers and finally put them on for a family birthday party - but that's when her problems began.
The 29-year-old noticed that she'd developed quite the nasty rash on her feet after wearing the trainers and thought it might have been eczema.
However, the rash spread further up her legs and she started to feel an itching sensation, so she called 111 to arrange a meeting with her GP to figure out what was going on.
Her doctor said the nasty rash could be one of two things, either an allergic reaction to something in the trainers or the disease scabies, which is an infestation of the skin by microscopic mites which burrow their way in and lay their eggs.
They provided her with treatment for the rash to bring the problem down and Becca was terrified at the idea that she might have scabies, though fortunately nobody she lived with seemed to be having the same symptoms.
After consulting a second doctor who said it was more likely to be an allergic reaction to something in the trainers, the mum is recommending that people be careful with second-hand shoes and clothes they buy online
She's said people should learn from her mistake and thoroughly wash items they buy second-hand before putting them on as you never know what's happened to them.
Vinted said they recommended that people 'wash or disinfect' items of clothing they plan to sell online and insist that sellers list any defects with the product in the item description.
They also suggested that buyers might want to double check an item's cleanliness by washing it 'before wearing if necessary'.
While they want the seller to clean up items before flogging them it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Becca said she'd been using Vinted for about three years before her rash and she doesn't blame the site or the seller in this case.
Vinted said: "We're sorry to hear of the member's experience and hope that she is in better health now.
"In our listing rules, we ask members to check their items before listing, as any items put on sale should be clean. We recommend washing or disinfecting them in a way suitable to the item's material."
"Any stains that don't wash off, defects or other flaws must be indicated in the listing description. On receipt of an item, we also ask members to check their item thoroughly and report any issues to us, so we can assist promptly."
"Members may wish to wash their items before wearing if necessary. We encourage members wishing to list items to check their items first, some advice can be found [on our website]."
"And should any members wish to report an issue with an item they have received, they can contact us directly within the app - just tap the 'I have an issue' button in the transaction."
Joe Harker