Before you judge me, just remember I am here telling you about my shopping mistakes in the hope you won't make the same errors.
I had been looking for a rug for my living room ever since I moved in almost a year ago. I really wanted a beautiful vintage style, traditional rug but with a toddler, a teenager and a husband at home, I had been reluctant to fork out, at best, £200 for it just to get ruined.
I had seen stunning ones at Dunelm, as this Antalya Tradition Rug priced at £199 for the biggest size, but when I was browsing the online marketplace Temu, I saw lots of what looked like similar rugs for far cheaper. Having already successfully purchased previously from the app, I decided to give their homeware a go.
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So I purchased the Vintage Floral Area Rugs, Non-slip Distressed Boho Carpet which was £37.18 for 160cm x 180cm. I felt the bluey green would work wonderfully with my dark green walls and couldn't wait for it to arrive just ahead of Christmas so I would have it with my Christmas tree.
But I should have known something was wrong when I picked up the parcel which did arrive promptly, it was very light considering there was a 160cm x 180cm rug in there. It had been folded into a square and immediately feeling it I knew it was not what I had expected at all.
The rug was like a piece of foam covered in a very shiny material with the print of the rug I actually wanted on it. It does not feel like a carpet, in fact, I am sure you could just wipe it clean. And because the pattern is printed, it looks like a bad computer image up close.
It is the type of shiny that if you were wearing just socks, you could slip on it. I will say the backing was decent, in comparison to the front, which is a low bar and while I have said in my initial video reaction I feel I could keep it because it would protect my carpet underneath, now in the cold hard light of day, I am thinking I may just have to return it.
I think Temu is good for lots of things, and I know it is a marketplace made up of lots of different sellers so many could purchase a rug and get an actual carpet, but this has really put me off buying any kind of home furnishing from Temu in the future.