About six weeks ago Ann Thompson picked up a tub of Johnson & Johnson cotton buds from South Hill New World in Oamaru.
But things went awry after opening the new pack last Thursday.
"The first one I used, I cleaned my ear. I pulled it out and could see it was a bare end."
The cotton wad off the bud end just used had detached, Ms Thompson said.
She put her finger to her ear "without even thinking" to find the tip.
That action must have inadvertently pushed the loose cotton tip into her ear.
"I wasn’t sure if I was right or not.
"I was so taken aback, I wasn’t aware it was in my ear at all."
But the tip had disappeared.
The incident coincided with the bad weather battering Otago.
With the roads closed she had to wait until Tuesday to see an audiologist who "pulled it out".
Ms Thompson said she was also informed ACC would only cover the first $20 of the $45 extraction cost, under the claim.
On examining the rest of the offending cotton bud pack she found nearly every one was faulty.
One bud end would simply fall off, something the Otago Daily Times verified.
But what incensed Ms Thompson was the attitude of the Oamaru store where she bought them.
She felt it had a responsibility to ensure other consumers were not put at risk.
"I rang New World and said I’m really unhappy with this.
"They were not interested in any shape or form.
"They said, ‘take it up with Johnson & Johnson, nothing to do with us, we just sell them on behalf’."
Ms Thompson said her efforts to contact the manufacturer and the New World co-operative went nowhere.
She was very surprised the store owner did not take a precautionary approach such as asking to see the faulty product, or express concern.
"They didn’t care."
After pointing out her rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act, she approached the ODT.
Ms Thompson told the ODT on Wednesday she felt she had been given the "runaround".
"There will be lots of people in Oamaru potentially who have bought the same stock as I have."
Store owner Justin Smith acknowledged he knew of Ms Thompson’s issue when approached by the ODT on Thursday.
But he repeatedly said he was not open to giving his side, even on the basis of clarifying his position.
"I’m not prepared to talk to the media," he said.
Asked if Ms Thompson might have a point, he replied "nope" before ending the call.
Consumer NZ said it had not received any complaints about the particular product but Ms Thompson was justified in going back to the store.
"The customer is within her rights to request a remedy from New World because these cotton buds were not fit for purpose," Consumer NZ communications manager Jessica Walker said.
"It seems that the store has misled the customer about her rights. Under the Fair Trading Act, which applies to everyone in trade, misleading and deceptive conduct is prohibited."
Consumer NZ had templates on its website to help people to "assert their rights" if they bought a product not fit for purpose, she said.
