Couple says B&Q paint ruined their car when it tipped over on way home
A couple have been left furious after a two-litre tub of paint spilled all over the car on their way home from B&Q.
Effy Foster, 28, and her partner Mike, 26 were making the short five-mile trip when the paint poured out, leaving them scooping it out with their bare hands.
The couple had been on their way back from the tip when they stopped off at the B&Q Farnborough store, in Hampshire, to grab some tile paint on the 15 July.
Mike says he placed the paint in the footwell of Effy's dad Paul's red Vauxhall Mokka, which he was borrowing at the time.
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However, mid way through the drive home, the couple say the paint began 'gushing' out of the tub, across the footwell and the rest of the vehicle.
Effy claims that at least half of the tub had emptied into the car despite the lid on the paint being attached and the seal left unbroken.
In order to try and save Effy's dad's car, the pair felt they were left with no choice but to scoop the paint out of the footwell with their bare hands at the side of the road.
Effy, from Aldershot, Hampshire, said: "I followed my partner home in my car and on the way home he pulled over. I thought 'oh my God, what's happened?'
"As he had gone over a round-a-bout it had tipped over but because it was sealed paint, we thought it would be fine."
She continued: "It was everywhere. It had gone all under the car mat and seeped into the back [of the car].
"I was literally using my hands to scoop out the paint at the side of the road.
"Luckily we had a plastic lunchbox in the car which we were trying to scoop it in until we got home."
Unfortunately, the rescue attempt did not work, as the paint ruined the car's interior, while also allegedly spilling onto Mike's work computer.
Since the incident, the couple have forked out £200 to get the car professionally cleaned, but the bill is set to increase further to replace their damaged clothes.
Effy shared pictures of the damage to social media, tagging B&Q in the process.
She claims the chain messaged her back saying they could not be held responsible for paint in transit and instead offered the couple a £30 voucher.
Effy and Mike have been left frustrated as the voucher doesn't even cover the initial cost of the paint.
A B&Q spokesperson told LADbible: "We're sorry to hear about Ms Foster and her partner's experience.
"Paint needs to be transported with care, and many of our paint tins include a message reminding customers to store them in a secure, upright position.
"On the very rare occasion that a customer experiences a problem with transporting paint, we seek to properly assess the incident to understand how it happened. In this instance we have offered £30 of vouchers as a gesture of goodwill."
Callum Jones