DO YOU KNOW THE RISKS? Health / Hygeine and more......
Hey Girlies and Guys!
At MiMo we are often asked about why we do not accept wigs / toppers / hairpieces and headwear as a return and feel this is a GREAT question, and a great topic of conversation.
We can not speak for any other company, however we do want to clarify our position in accordance with UK law - as well as giving some information / examples.
We also want to answer some of the most commonly asked questions around the matter and "debunk," some myths surrounding this topic.
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Q. Why can you not accept back a wig / headwear / hairpiece back when other companies do?
A. We can not speak for any other companies, only for our own policies and advice given to us by UK based solicitors.
Q. Is this a new policy due to COVID-19?
A. No, this is not at all related to COVID-19, and this has always been our policy since launch. Viral particles require living organisms to thrive, so COVID-19 is not as high a risk of contagion as fungal infections (ie. ringworm)
Q. Why can clothing companies accept returns on items (often including) fashion wigs but MiMo can not accept returns on wigs or headwear?
A. It is important to note that the items we sell are medical grade. The purpose of these goods is for medical use. As such, it is imperative that we understand the clientele and ensure that our products are "fit for purpose" and safe.
- Fungal spores are HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS and can live on material away from a body for 12-20 months typically (including on the inside of a wig cap or in headwear). Fungal spores can live ANYWHERE dead skin cells exist (these can exist anywhere that skin has touched).
- Bacterial infection like MRSA is also a risk factor and can prove to be fatal to the immunosuppressed or immunocompromised patient if it enters the blood stream (SEE NHS WEBSITE) Whilst MRSA can not survive as long as fungal spores, it still does pose a risk and therefore is a health protection risk.
- For medical grade products to be fit for purpose, they must be considered safe for the clientele for whom they were designed. The items we sell are not considered legally as fashion accessories but as medical grade hairpieces and headwear.
- Patients who typically buy our product are post chemotherapy or radiotherapy and are therefore immunocompromised and extremely vulnerable and susceptible to infection. We also have a large clientele with alopecia areata / totalis / universalis who are undergoing steroid injections to their scalp reducing the immune response in this area. Many also suffer with eczema and are also at an increased risk.
- We have a duty of care to ensure our product is safe for our customers. To resell any returned item without it being sanitized would be negligent and putting our customers at risk. What may be normal skin flora for one client, could be dangerous to another.
- For us to be a responsible seller, we ensure that we will never put our clients at risk.
Q. If I buy online I should be covered by the consumer contracts act and therefore I know I can return all online purchases - is this correct?
A. The consumer contracts act governs all purchases. Regarding the automatically permitting returns is incorrect when pertaining to items covered by health protection and hygeine legislature. UK Law prevents the return and resell of these items. (YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE UK LEGISLATION HERE)
Q. Why can companies accept clothing but you will not accept a medical wig / topper / item of headwear
A. The hairpieces and headwear that we sell is intended to be for medical purposes (regardless of why you buy it yourself). As such, the law applies.
Q. Why can you not seal the items inside a plastic wrap to ensure a hygiene seal and allow customers to view the colour in advance before return?
A. This is a great question, and this was something that we had investigated in the past. Unfortunately, the sealing of hairpieces in a plastic wrap compromises the integrity of the product for hairpieces, and so the outer packaging is considered to be the "hygeine seal"
Q. Does this affect my statutory rights?
A. Absolutely not. Your statutory rights are always protected.
Q. Could you not wash the wigs and steam them when they are returned to allow you to resell?
A. Whilst high heat steam sterilisation can destroy fungal spores....... to wash the hairpieces and then perform this repeatedly would render the product less in quality than it should be when new - particularly when the wig could potentially be resold numerous times. The integrity of the product is compromised when any hairpiece is washed and steamed over and over.
Q. I have never worn a wig and I want to try wigs on, is there a way to safely do this?
A. It is possible to "decontaminate," wigs and this is something that we always do if we have consultation with clients. If we have any client who comes to us for the purposes of trying on wigs, then we have stock that is purely for try on purposes. For this to be done safely, we do wash and steam each hair piece, then we will use a bactericidal / fungicidal solution. This does compromise the integrity of the hairpiece. However, this something that we choose to do - we choose to maintain a stock level of try on items to allow people to safely try on items prior to purchase.
If ever you do wish to try on stock - we are more than happy to answer any questions you. may have and to help put your mind at ease when it comes to safety concerns that you may have. We will always encourage you to ensure you are 100% happy prior to any purchase.
We do understand that it is such a difficult world to navigate when entering in to alternative hair wearing. We will always do everything within our power to make sure the process is a seamless for you as practicable possible whilst safe and in accordance with legislation.
Please just get in touch if you have questions for us.
Stay safe, keep sparkling, and be your very own beautiful
The MiMo Team
xoxo
