Shopper's fury as 'new' trainers arrive filthy and used - only for Asos to tell her to get them dry cleaned

Kayleigh Reid ordered a pair of £130 Nike running shoes online to help her get more into the sport but was 'shocked' when they allegedly turned up looking 'dirty' and 'used' on 11 January.

The 37-year-old claims she was left 'speechless' after inspecting the shoes to find there was mud on the laces, sole and edges and the branded printed label was coming off.

After immediately contacting customer care she was 'gutted' to allegedly be told she could either return the item for inspection at the warehouse to see if they believed it was 'her fault' or take them to the dry cleaners.

The civil servant feels 'ripped off' and believes it is 'unfair' she might lose out on the £90 she paid after a discount and that the online marketplace is not taking accountability for the mistake.

Kayleigh says she has sent her trainers back but was forced to pay £3.95 for the return and is unsure whether she will get her money back. Now she vows to avoid ASOS as much as possible and is hoping for a formal apology.

Kayleigh who lives in Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: "I feel pretty ripped off by ASOS. I feel like there was no accountability from ASOS. There was not an ounce of compassion. Obviously I'm disappointed to be receiving this.

"I decided to buy the trainers off ASOS because it was the particular colour I wanted and I couldn't find it anywhere other than ASOS. I was speechless [when the shoes arrived]. I looked at them and it took me a couple of minutes to process what I was actually looking at because it was shocking.

"It was clear that they had been used previously. There was mud on the laces and the sole and all around the edges of the trainers inside. It was clear they'd been used enough that the branded print was coming up from the insole. There were hairs inside the actual shoe and stones wedged in the sole of the shoe as well.

"It doesn't matter if you're spending £20 or £120 on a pair of trainers they should come in a new condition as advertised. I've had cleaner shoes off of vinted - and they're second-hand."

After contacting customer care the civil servant says she was 'shocked' to be told she could either return the shoes for inspection and potentially get a refund or go and get them dry cleaned.

She has now sent the trainers back and contacted ASOS about the way she was treated believing she deserves a full refund and a formal apology.

Kayleigh said: "He said my only two options were to return them for a refund or go get them dry cleaned and they will reimburse the cost. I literally nearly fell off the sofa. I thought 'is this real? Has this actually just happened?'. Later in the conversation he said 'if you want to get them dry cleaned, you need to go and get a quote on headed paper, then send that to us and we'll let you know whether we're going to pay or not'

"It was the comment that 'you need to return them to be inspected at the warehouse so we can deem that this is not your fault'.

"I said 'why was that not done prior to when it was sent out to me?'. They can't implement rules on one person and not everyone. It's pretty unfair I might be losing out on £90. It's really horrible.

"I was absolutely shocked and upon speaking to the so-called customer care the options and the attitude were really disheartening. It's outrageous the way I was spoken to and the options I received. That's what made me think 'no, I'm not going to let this go'.

"That's not an apology to me. [The shoes] are filthy, they've been worn, and when I've held ASOS accountable, they don't want to know. It's the fact they take £3.95 off of your refund for returning the parcel as well. This is what annoys me even more is the fact that they're going to do that.

"I'm absolutely gutted. I've ordered from ASOS quite a bit and I've never had this problem. If i could help it I would not shop at ASOS again. Now my only choice is to wait for the trainers to be returned before they even look into how I was treated."

ASOS declined to comment but said they were reaching out to the customer.

Nike have been approached for a comment.