A NUMBER of newly launched clothes-rental apps have targeted women’s dressing desires, advertising with slogans such as “environmentally friendly, fashionable and economical.” But ensuing problems have raised the public’s concern, Yangcheng Evening News reported.

It’s not a small number of women who have already taken an interest in this emerging app-based service. The user group is mainly young women. However, it has been reported that the reality is not as good as it advertised, with problems such as the clothes being a little worn-out, poor-quality fabric, slow delivery and questionable hygiene.

A local consumer surnamed Liu has registered with a wardrobe-sharing application and bought a 18-day membership card for 68 yuan (US$10.16). “Usually, nearly half of my earnings are spent on clothes. So when I saw this kind of service, I thought it would be an effective way to save money,” said Liu.

“I thought I could realize the dream of having new clothes every day, which was what the platform advertised,” said Liu, who soon found out that the dream was just that, a dream.

“According to the platform’s policies, consumers have to send the clothes back before new clothes can be delivered. But the delivery takes at least two days,” Liu said. Taking too much time was the most-cited criticism of these wardrobe-sharing platforms.

“I rented about 10 pieces of clothing, but only three of them were satisfactory. I would rather use the money to buy new clothes,” said another consumer surnamed Zhao said.

The cost of delivery, an important expense, is on the platforms. If a consumer sent back clothes every day, the cost would be about 200 yuan, which means the platform could not cover its costs and still make a profit. It’s also difficult to guarantee the quality of the delivery service.

Another problem that upsets consumers is the size of the clothes. Many consumers received clothes that were not what they had ordered. A consumer surnamed Lin complained that she had rented two M-size dresses, but one of the dresses she received was a large.

The platforms claimed that the clothes were brand-name clothes and that they were procured from overseas and department stores. However, consumers found many of the brands were unknown to them.

“The pattern of the dress is basically the same as in the pictures, but the fabric is worn-out, the craftwork is poor and the overall quality is shoddy,” a consumer surnamed Zhong said.

In addition, several wardrobe-sharing platforms have emphasized that they ensure the clothes are clean and odorless. However, Liu complained that the hygiene of the rented clothes was unbearable for her. “I once rented three pieces of clothes and one of them had an obvious stain on it.”

People with sensitive skin could easily be infected by touching unclean clothes. For instance, if clothes carrying the molluscum contagiosum virus were not cleaned properly, the next people to use them would be infected. (Zhang Yu)