A mum from Hertfordshire has accused Marks & Spencer of “false advertising” after she spent £35 on a Christmas tree from their website, which “looks awful”.
Aniela Jasionowicz, 29, bought the six foot fake tree - which comes with a set of 59 decorations - but says she was “hugely disappointed” when she got it out of the box, as it looked nothing like the pictures she’d seen online.
“We took it down straight away because it looks awful,” says Jasionowicz. “It looks like a twig without any leaves. I expected a quality product but that’s not what we got.”
The mother-of-one says she feels she was “sold short” after comparing the product and the pictures on the website.
Marks & Spencer advertises the pre-lit tree as a “sparkling surprise” but Jasionowicz said it looks like a “completely different tree” to the pictures.
Jasionowicz and her husband Stefan, 29, were excited to decorate their house for their daughter’s first Christmas but are now scrambling to find a replacement tree, two weeks before the big day.
Although the family have been given a refund by Marks & Spencer and a £10 voucher, as a gesture of good will, they are still not satisfied.
Jasionowicz said: “The photo of it online looked great and I thought it’d look really nice.
“I thought I had got myself a great deal. But for me it is false advertising. I was really disappointed because it looks like a completely different tree altogether.”
It isn’t the only Christmas tree that has been criticised for being disappointing: the tree in Trafalgar Square has been branded a turkey over “thin” appearance and “droopy” foliage.
But Westminster Council brushed off the criticism and said it was a “generous gift” from the people of Norway.
Since 1947 Norway has sent a tree every year to be installed in the square.
An M&S spokesperson told The Independent: “We’re sorry to hear Ms Jasionowicz was disappointed with how her tree looked after she assembled it.
"With all the Christmas trees we sell, we include clear instructions to help customers ensure branches are evenly distributed and it works as a fantastic centrepiece for Christmas decorations.”
