EXCLUSIVE: Courtney Davies ordered products from Shein for her online business – but their arrival prompted the emergency services to have to intervene due to fears over the safety of her parcel
A mum says hazmat firefighters descended on her property after she became “dizzy and unwell” following the delivery of a parcel from Shein. Courtney Davies had ordered products for her online business from the online retailer including bookmarks, magnets, and stickers.
But when the 28-year-old opened the parcel on July 28, she said there was a strong “chemical” odour that left her feeling lightheaded, before she spotted all her new items were covered in a white liquid. Courtney said some of the substance spilt on her hoodie and jeans, resulting in them changing colour almost instantaneously.
She quickly took the parcel outside and called 999, resulting in a hazmat team and ambulance arriving at home, which had to be evacuated as a result.
The mum-of-two said the team deemed the liquid to be a ‘hazardous material’ and subsequently disposed of it – but they couldn’t determine what exactly it was.
Courtney added that she and her partner had to be monitored for an hour in an ambulance, with paramedics testing their bloods, heart rates and for any evidence of burns.
The couple both reported having a headache for the next two days that even painkillers couldn’t shift. “I ordered bookmarks, scrunchies, stickers and a few magnets [from Shein],” Courtney, from Devon explained. “As I opened it up there was this really strong chemical [smell] all over the parcel.
“It got on my clothes and they immediately started changing colour. It was similar to bleach but so powerful it almost felt like it was burning your nose hairs. My partner said ‘we need to take this outside, it’s starting to make me really light headed’.”
She continued: “My eyes were watering and my nose was running – it was so strong. I rang the [emergency services] 10-15 mins after. They could still smell it when they arrived. We had to dispose of it and they got rid of it.
“Everything was coated in this liquid, all in the inside of the parcel, it had a white consistency. We still don’t know what [it] was. I washed my hands immediately because of how fast it changed the colour of my clothing, I was scared of what would happen when it got on my skin.
“It was strong enough that within seconds my jumper was changing colour. There’s been a few times bleach has splashed up my trousers and it probably takes around an hour for it to change colour, this was immediate.
“We sat in the ambulance for an hour outside my house because they had to observe us. They had to check our throats to see if we had any chemical burns. We had blood tests and our fingers pricked.”
Courtney said the parcel’s stench was so bad it stunk out the house and that doors and windows had to be open for two hours after she opened it.
The mum, who suffers from anxiety, said the incident caused her to have a panic attack. “I have massive anxiety and it brought on an anxiety attack, I had a panic attack over it,” she said. “We were told to not touch anyone, not eat or drink, just stand there and hope that everything was okay. It was scary.
“All my windows and doors had to be open for two hours because my house stank. They should investigate it so it doesn’t happen again. This can happen to someone who has a lung condition or asthma and something like this could hospitalise them.”
Courtney went on: “We had a headache for about a day-and-a-half. Not only have they affected my income, they damaged my personal belongings. I couldn’t work the day after because I had a really bad headache. Not even painkillers were getting rid of it.”
The mum said Shein requested ‘substantial’ proof and that she sent them the hazmat team report, but claims she was ignored before having her case closed. However, Shein have since offered a full refund and are investigating the matter.
Courtney has since vowed to never shop from Shein again.
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service confirmed the incident details.
A Shein spokesperson said: “We take any report of this nature seriously and we are conducting an investigation in line with our safety protocols. Our initial review has not identified any obvious issues with the package or its contents during the warehouse packing process.
“Incidents of this nature are highly unusual and, along with our logistics partners, we are working to establish what occurred. We have contacted the customer directly and issued a full refund for her order as a gesture of goodwill.”