A father who suffered from a mysterious agonising skin condition for two years has found it was caused by a banned toxic sofa he bought on eBay.William Harrington, 56, was delighted with his new reclining leather armchair, but had no idea it was from a highly poisonous batch of furniture that was also sold by Argos and the now-defunct World of Leather.Argos has recalled all the furniture, and in 2010 contributed along with 13 other companies to paying out £20million to customers who suffered painful burns. Poisoned: William Harrington 56, had been poisoned by a chair he bought on eBay two years ago But Mr Harrington's case highlights there is a risk some sofas still exist, and are even being resold second-hand. Argos is now investigating to see if the seller had previously received compensation and knowingly resold the toxic sofa. For two years, Mr Harrington suffered painful sores and an itchy rash all over his body, but he had no idea what had caused it.He told his doctor: 'My whole body feels like it is on fire.'Mr Harrington, a father-of-five, was referred to a specialist who told him he had been into contact with a dangerously toxic substance.
The property maintenance manager then discovered his armchair was from the batch of toxic chairs. The burns from the sofa were so severe Mr Harrington fell into a depression Embarrassed: He said he was forced to hide his arms and legs for fear of offending people The black leather recliner armchair had been withdrawn from shops after complaints of allergic reactions.But the eBay seller had failed to give Mr Harrington any warning when he bought it using the online auction website.Mr Harrington said: 'Every time I sat in that chair it was poisoning my body and I didn’t have a clue.'The leather chair made my skin go all prickly and hot, I couldn’t stop scratching, it was like someone had set me on fire.'The last two years of my life have been absolutely horrific. I can’t put into words what I’ve been through because of this chair.'I’ve been so distressed with non-stop scratching that I ended up on anti-depressants.'I have my own business and I have to cover my arms with bandages because I am so embarrassed at customers seeing the sores.
They look so unsightly.'I can no longer take my daughter swimming because I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone seem my body looking like this.' Now the sofa has been identified as the cause of his suffering, Mr Harrington has removed it from his house and his skin is starting to improve Mr Harrington bought the chair off eBay and travelled down to Cornwall to pick it up from the seller.He developed a rash after returning the recliner to his home in Ely, Cardiff, but did not realise his chair was causing it - until solving the mystery after 18 months. No one else in his family was affected because it was his personal chair.Mr Harrington’s GP confessed he’d never seen anything like his rash before. He was prescribed steroid cream and referred to a dermatologist.He then realised his desperate need to scratch got worse when he sat in his favourite black leather recliner armchair.Mr Harrington went online - and discovered the chair was of the same sort withdrawn from circulation after a court action against Argos and other retailers which resulted in a £20million legal action over the poisonous furniture.
He added: 'I bought the chair off eBay for £80. I didn’t have a clue this chair was going to cause me untold misery and distress.'Argos needs to get a warning out there, these toxic chairs are still out there and being sold to unsuspecting victims.'Thousands of people like me may be suffering terribly, and not knowing why. Just be careful what you buy on eBay.'The settees and chairs sold between £600 and £850 had been treated with a fungicide to stop them going mouldy in storage.They had been treated with Di-methyl Fumarate - a substance that has triggered violent irritant-related eczema in some people.It is so toxic that those who come into contact with it should wear protective clothing and glasses.Mr Harrington has since put the chair in the garage - and his skin allergy is slowly disappearing.In a statement to the Mail Online, an Argos spokeswoman said: 'As a responsible retailer we were extremely concerned to learn of the problems Mr Harrington has experienced with the chair he purchased second-hand 18 months ago and our priority is conducting an urgent investigation into this matter.'We have offered to collect the chair from Mr Harrington’s home for testing, however
, he has declined to release it. We have also asked Mr Harrington for details of the seller from which he purchased the chair so that we can cross reference this with our archive orders.'Without this information we are unable to pursue the investigation further and we urge Mr Harrington to assist with our requests so that we can try and resolve this serious situation for him as quickly as possible.'Our clearance collection includes furniture and accessories that have been discontinued from our collection, featuring the same balance of quality materials and great design at a lower price. Chaises & Studio Sofas Swivel Chairs & Recliners Living: Accent Tables & Storage Counter & Bar Tables Counter & Bar Stools Bar Cabinets & Carts Beds, Bunks & LoftsThe chair is ugly, crowds up the flat and you never sit on it anyway. So what are you waiting for? Make some cash by selling it on eBay. We’ve got a guide to getting started on eBay, and tips for making more money.
But when it comes to furniture, there’s a few extra things to consider. Here are some ideas for making your furniture sale as smooth as possible: Imagine you’re buying a table for a poky flat. How mad would you be if it doesn’t fit through the door? You can help buyers out by providing the exact size of the furniture - John Lewis has a useful guide to measuring here. You can’t fit a table in an envelope. Think about what kind of packaging you’ll use. There’s a guide to packing large objects here and more detailed instructions here. And find out shipping costs - Shiply allows you to compare rates. If the idea of shipping a sofa makes you nervous, choose the ‘collection only’ option on your listing. If you provide a postcode and other details, your listing may be picked up by sites searching for local eBay deals. Read other listings for ideas. If your furniture is antique or made in a famous workshop it could be more valuable - but don’t try to fake it. Be honest about scratches.