Underwear with a smell found in a newly purchased bag... "Why is no one taking responsibility?"

Underwear and socks that appeared to have been worn by someone were found inside a bag delivered through KakaoTalk Gift. Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A netizen claimed that worn underwear and socks were found inside a newly purchased bag. The netizen complained to the seller, but the company reportedly avoided responsibility by saying it was a "purchase source issue."

On the 16th, a post titled "I bought a bag and received worn underwear" was uploaded on an online community.

The author, Mr. A, started by saying, "I purchased a ○○ brand bag through KakaoTalk Gift and when I received it, I found something blunt inside the side storage compartment of the bag. Thinking it was a free gift, I looked inside and found worn socks and underwear."

He said, "I was angry, but since exchanging or refunding was bothersome, I inquired with the seller, who said, 'We don't know either, it's a purchase source issue.' They didn't even tell me where the purchase source was, which made me even more upset," he lamented.

He continued, "Since it was a genuine brand product, I called the brand as well, but they said the company registered on KakaoTalk Gift is not related to the brand and claimed no responsibility. It wasn't like someone secretly put it in; the smelly underwear and ammonia socks made me nauseous as if I had drunk four bottles of soju. Why is no one taking responsibility?" he vented.

Conversation between Mr. A and the bag seller. Photo by Online Community Capture

Mr. A also revealed the KakaoTalk conversation he had with the seller.

According to the disclosed photos, when Mr. A questioned, "Are you reselling used items? How can there be used underwear and socks inside a new product?" the person in charge apologized but explained, "This is the first time we've encountered such a case, so we are embarrassed. We need to send the product to the purchase source to get a refund ourselves."

When Mr. A requested the purchase source's contact number, they replied, "Please understand that we cannot disclose the number. We can pass on the information to the purchase source, but it is difficult to inform you of their response."

Netizens who saw this reacted with comments such as, "Why can't they disclose the purchase source?", "This is unacceptable during the COVID-19 era," "How can we trust buying from now on?" and "Does KakaoTalk Gift not manage its sellers?"

Meanwhile, a Kakao representative stated, "The conversation posted on the online community was with the seller's customer center, not KakaoTalk Gift's customer center. After recognizing the situation, we temporarily suspended sales, apologized directly to the customer, contacted them first to understand the situation, and the issue has now been resolved."