A mother from Norwich has accused online shopping giant Temu of neglecting consumer safety after her three-year-old daughter’s hair was ripped out by an electric cleaning brush purchased from the platform for just £4.
Incident Details
Amy, 36, bought the handheld cleaning brush online to make housework easier. However, when her daughter picked it up out of the box, the device suddenly powered on and caught the child’s hair, ripping out a large section from her scalp.
“I didn’t realise how bad it was at first,” Amy recalled. “Then I saw the hair attached to it, and when my husband lifted her hair, there was a massive bald patch. I was distraught. Later, when the pain hit her, she cried, saying, ‘My head hurts.’”
A month after the incident, Amy said her daughter’s hair has still not started growing back.
Product and Company Response
The product in question — marketed as a “5-in-1 Electrically Driven, Care Free” cleaning brush — has since been removed from Temu’s UK marketplace after a report was filed with Norfolk Trading Standards.
A spokesperson for Temu told the BBC:
“We are deeply concerned to hear about this incident and wish the child a full and speedy recovery. The safety and wellbeing of our customers are always our top priority.”
Temu added that its customer service team has contacted the family and that similar products have been taken down as a precautionary measure.
Trading Standards Investigation
Norfolk Trading Standards confirmed that the company’s UK representative voluntarily withdrew the product to conduct a safety review, particularly concerning product warnings and instructions. The product has also been added to the UK’s Product Safety Database to alert authorities and prevent future incidents.
Mother’s Reaction and Compensation Offer
Amy said Temu offered her a £1,500 PayPal settlement, but she declined.
“They don’t care about the safety of people, even a child,” she said. “I don’t want any other child to go through what she’s been through.”
About Temu
Founded in 2022, Temu is a Chinese-owned e-commerce platform that connects consumers directly with third-party sellers, primarily based in China. Products are shipped internationally, often at heavily discounted prices, but concerns about product safety and quality control have surfaced in several countries.
Temu stated that it requires all merchants to comply with local laws and safety regulations and collaborates with testing organisations to ensure compliance.
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