A Florida mom’s foot was left with $2,000 in medical bills and a huge gash running the length of her foot from a “razor sharp” stud she found inside a pair of snow boots she got from Chinese e-commerce giant Temu.
Leanne Marley, 49, said her 73-year-old mother Suellen Taylor gifted her the black ankle boots because they didn’t fit her, and wore the shoes several times.
“I wore the shoes two or three times and I always felt something was sticking into the side of my foot,” Marley recounted. “I thought it was just a sticker or a tag.”
But when she put on the cheap, $12 boots again on Dec. 19, Marley said a “razor sharp” eyelet inside the right boot sliced open her foot.
Horrifying photos show a long laceration that appears to stretch the length of the nurse’s foot from the toe up to the ankle.
“My foot was pouring with blood,” Marley recounted, noting: “Usually these [eyelets] are covered but when I looked at them, they were rough cut and it was like a razor.”
Marley was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where her foot was numbed and she had to receive 14 stitches.
“The injury took me out of work because as a nurse I’m on my feet all day. After insurance, I paid around $2,200” in medical expenses, she said.
“The scarring has also affected how I stand and I think I will be left with a scar for a life.”
Her stitches were removed two weeks later, but Marley claims she is going to be left scarred for life.
“The scarring has also affected how I stand,” she said.
While in the hospital, Marley said her mother messaged Temu about her injury and tried to get the product removed from the site.
“She wanted a refund and to get the product taken off the website so it didn’t happen to anyone else,” Marley explained.
“Temu came back and asked my mom to send them her invoice number. She went back on her account and the entire order on her account was missing.”
“My mom knew she bought it on this account but Temu just said they couldn’t do anything about the issue unless they had an order number.”
But a few days later, Marley said Taylor was sent a prompt to review the shoes — which she claims shows proof of purchase.
“It’s left me frustrated because they [Temu] were still selling the shoe and this could happen to someone else,” she said.
“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.”
The Chinese company said they had launched an investigation into the incident and claimed the “product will remain suspended” in the meantime.
“After reviewing the screenshots and other information provided, we identified and removed the shoe listing as a precautionary measure,” a spokesperson for the company said.
“We are actively liaising with Ms. Taylor to gather essential details, and are working closely with the merchant to address this issue.”
“The safety and welfare of our customers are of paramount importance to us,” the spokesperson added.
“With safety issues, customers can rest assured that we will look out for their interests and try our best to deliver a satisfactory resolution.”