Anything I can do? Sue Spar?

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

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Went on holiday(outside EU) a few weeks back and we ran out of sun cream on our second week. Went to the large local Spar supermarket and bought some own brand factor 15. Inside the UK, it's all tested to the same standard regardless of brand so I presumed it would be elsewhere.

The following day I got the most severe sun burn I, my girlfriend and some others had ever seen. It was constant pain on my skin like I've never felt. Not even sore to the touch, it was constant, consistent agony that never let up. I literally had to sleep with a wet towel over the top of me - well, I say sleep. It eventually subsided over the days.

Fast forward to today, went to the docs about some unusual looking moles on my legs. Which were insanely burnt. She referred me immediately to the hospitals skin cancer clinic first thing tomorrow. :( Shiver me timbers.

Anything I can do if things turn sour? Write to Spar? Obviously their stuff is useless and I do not wish any holiday makers to endure what I had to. Admittedly I should've went to them about it immediately but what would they have done? Given me some free bottles of their useless sun cream? No thanks.
 
I would be more concerned with my health, rather than looking to blame Spar.
I think you'd struggle though, what were you doing when you had the cream on, swimming at all?
Where were you?
Why not get a higher factor?

Edit: Do you still have the bottle?
 
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I don't think you really have a leg to stand on. they could just argue that you needed a much higher factor....which you probably did.

15 isnt that much.

Where were you on holiday exactly. Interesting that you didnt tell us.....
 
'Chains' abroad seem to sell what they want to

Always see things like fake 'ck one' bottles in Tesco etc when abroad
 
I have to wait until my hospital appointment to see if things are ok but I was curious in the meantime. I'm not going to sue, that was just my expression.

I used factor 20, then factor 15 in other brands for a week and a half prior to running out and using their own make of sun cream. So the factor wasn't an issue. :)
 
Factor 15 is pretty much just milk it seems... I've been burnt on 15 before :(

I always get a heavy factor sun lotion just to be sure...

Hope it all goes alright at the clinic!
 
shifty_uk said:
I have to wait until my hospital appointment to see if things are ok but I was curious in the meantime. I'm not going to sue, that was just my expression.

I used factor 20, then factor 15 in other brands for a week and a half prior to running out and using their own make of sun cream. So the factor wasn't an issue. :)
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Where were you on holiday though?
 
Jono8 said:
Where were you on holiday though?

Saying you used factor 20 the week before so 15 should have been fine doesnt mean anything.
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No, I used factor 20 for my first 3 or so days then factor 15(Loreal, I believe) for every day after that and it was fine. I was in Fuerteventura.
 
Jono8 said:
Where were you on holiday though?

Saying you used factor 20 the week before so 15 should have been fine doesnt mean anything.
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This tbh. Isn't it a case of it would only give a normal person 150 minutes of protection? I am sure you would be out in the sun longer than 2 and half hours?

I pretty much run factor 50 nowadays and still stay out of the mid day sun.
 
shifty_uk said:
I used factor 20, then factor 15 in other brands for a week and a half prior to running out and using their own make of sun cream. So the factor wasn't an issue. :)
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Unless you were doing exactly the same activities each day for the same length of time, with the same exposure to the sun. I wouldn't really compare different creams.
What brands were the other factor 15s? Were they the top brand with magical "doesn't wash off in the sea/pool" ability?

Edit: I really wouldn't bother with low factor sun creams, regardless of the brand. I like to not have skin cancer so go for the strongest available. If i come back whiter than when I went away, good.
 
My other half harps on at me to keep applying continuous layers of protection, we do the same when sunbathing. Every 30 mins a new layer goes on. That particular day I wasn't near a pool, either. :)

Edit: Always buy top, expensive brands before setting off, generally Loreal or so on.
And yes, I did notice it later on in the day, the tingly on my skin got quite bad, at which point we headed inside.
 
As has been said, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Not least because how do you prove you even applied any at all?

And as far as I'm aware it takes longer than a few weeks for such moles to appear (we're talking months or even years), so if they are cancerous then your holiday incident is probably just a coincidence.
 
Greebo said:
This tbh. Isn't it a case of it would only give a normal person 150 minutes of protection? I am sure you would be out in the sun longer than 2 and half hours?

I pretty much run factor 50 nowadays and still stay out of the mid day sun.
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I always use the highest after being burnt very similar to Shift on (surprise surprise) factor 15. I usually use 30+, sometimes as higher than 40+.
 
I think you would struggle to prove they were to blame unfortunately, it would be especially difficult as it's a foreign country.

I hope everything is fine with your tests though mate.
 
shifty_uk said:
Went on holiday(outside EU) a few weeks back and we ran out of sun cream on our second week. Went to the large local Spar supermarket and bought some own brand factor 15. Inside the UK, it's all tested to the same standard regardless of brand so I presumed it would be elsewhere.

The following day I got the most severe sun burn I, my girlfriend and some others had ever seen. It was constant pain on my skin like I've never felt. Not even sore to the touch, it was constant, consistent agony that never let up. I literally had to sleep with a wet towel over the top of me - well, I say sleep. It eventually subsided over the days.

Fast forward to today, went to the docs about some unusual looking moles on my legs. Which were insanely burnt. She referred me immediately to the hospitals skin cancer clinic first thing tomorrow. :( Shiver me timbers.

Anything I can do if things turn sour? Write to Spar? Obviously their stuff is useless and I do not wish any holiday makers to endure what I had to. Admittedly I should've went to them about it immediately but what would they have done? Given me some free bottles of their useless sun cream? No thanks.
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You know how the "factor" system works?


First they take the average white guy and stick him in the sun then time how long it takes him to turn pink.

then they cover him in the sun lotion, the extra number of minutes before he goes pink again is the factor.


so factor 15 gives you a whole extra 15 mins.

or was it hours?

meh close enough.
 
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