Increase in Online Shopping Leads to More Shoe Purchase Complaints... "Most Are Quality Dissatisfaction"

Consumer Agency, Analysis Results of Damage Relief Applications

Status by Type of Damage.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] As online shopping has become a daily routine due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, consumer complaints related to shoe purchases have been increasing.

According to the Consumer Agency on the 20th, the total number of damage relief applications related to shoes purchased online from January last year to June this year was 924 cases.

Complaints about quality accounted for the largest portion at 49.8%, followed by refusal of purchase withdrawal at 42%. Among these, an analysis of 445 cases reviewed by the Consumer Agency's Shoe Product Review Committee found that 77.3% actually had quality defects.

Regarding types of quality defects, poor durability was the most common at 35.3%, followed by design (processing) defects at 18%, and sewing/contact defects at 16%.

Among cases of refusal of purchase withdrawal, the most frequent (25%) involved consumers who discovered defects immediately upon receiving the product and requested a refund but were refused.

Consumers spent an average of about 210,000 KRW when purchasing shoes online, with the types of shoes purchased being sneakers (45.1%), dress shoes/boots (24%), and sandals/slippers (11.5%) in that order.

The Consumer Agency urged consumers to carefully check after-sales service (A/S) conditions and return shipping fees when purchasing shoes to prevent damage, to keep related documents, and to thoroughly inspect for defects before wearing the shoes.