"Wore It Once, Then This? White Spots All Over 4.15 Million Won Prada Jacket... 'Full Refund Ordered'"

Dozens of White Spots Appeared Immediately After Wearing
Prada’s 60 Percent Refund Offer Was Rejected
Korea Consumer Agency: "Product Defect Recognized"

When repeated occurrences of white spots appeared immediately after wearing a luxury padded jacket costing more than 4 million won, the Korea Consumer Agency decided that Prada, the manufacturer, must provide a full refund of the purchase amount.

Prada padding jacket with white spots. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 20th, Yonhap News reported that the Consumer Dispute Mediation Committee under the Korea Consumer Agency made this decision in a dispute mediation case filed by a consumer, identified as "A," who demanded a refund after white spots appeared on a Prada padded jacket.

In November 2023, A purchased the padded jacket for 4.15 million won at a Prada store located inside a department store in Seoul. However, after wearing the jacket once, A claimed that dozens of white spots appeared in various areas of the product.

Over the course of about a year, A requested after-sales service from Prada four to five times, but the issue was not resolved. During this process, Prada responded by saying the cause was "unknown" or that there was "no defect," and also reportedly refused further management, stating, "We cannot take responsibility if the problem occurs again."

When negotiations for a refund or compensation showed no progress, A requested a review from the Korea Consumer Agency in January 2024. In addition, a request for review was filed with the Textile Product Review Committee at the agency in January last year.

The Textile Product Review Committee concluded that the issue appeared to be a defect caused by poor product quality and stated that, as the seller was responsible for the defect, appropriate compensation should be recommended in accordance with consumer dispute resolution standards.

Although Prada stated it could not trust the findings of the Textile Product Review Committee, it reportedly proposed to refund only 2.49 million won, equivalent to 60% of the purchase price, considering the period of use, in order to resolve the dispute amicably.

However, A refused this offer, arguing that the problem arose immediately after purchase and that the product could not be properly worn, and subsequently filed a formal mediation request with the Consumer Dispute Mediation Committee.

The committee determined that a product defect was recognized, citing the fact that the consumer had made multiple attempts to resolve the issue but the same phenomenon recurred. It also stated that it was difficult to consider the product as having been used normally and decided that Prada should return the full purchase amount of 4.15 million won. This decision was reached approximately two years and six months after A purchased the product.

However, it has not yet been confirmed whether Prada has agreed to this mediation proposal. A representative from the Korea Consumer Agency stated, "We are currently in the period of confirming whether the business operator accepts the mediation decision, so it is not yet known whether the mediation will be finalized." In response to a Yonhap News inquiry regarding this matter, Prada replied, "The inquiry and its contents have been forwarded to the relevant department."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.