Louis Vuitton Korea Faces Backlash Over Foul-Smelling Luxury Items; 10,000 Inquiries in One Month

Louis Vuitton faces mounting complaints from Korean customers over products emitting an unpleasant odor. Amid 10,000 inquiries in a month, the luxury brand scrambles to address varying compensation and alleged poor customer service.

Louis Vuitton Korea is getting complaints due to alleged foul odor coming from the LV products. In particular, many customers mentioned that a $2,000 bag they purchased from the LV stores smelled bad.

According to Business Korea, shoppers have also aired their grievances over the stinky luxury products on online communities. Many shoppers are requesting refunds, and while Louis Vuitton is still trying to figure out the cause of the problem, the controversy continues to grow,

“We are currently assessing the situation,” the company reportedly stated.

In any case, the foul smell is said to affect certain items produced in a specific year, but the exact period was not mentioned. Moreover, the dissatisfaction of Louis Vuitton Korea’s customers is said to be increasing even more because the compensation being awarded to complainants differs from store to store.

People are seeking refunds or exchanges, but there are store outlets that deny the requests. The refusal fueled criticisms of the brand, with some saying they were neglected and customer service has been very poor.

“Each staff member had to attend to at least 25 customers per day for bad smell complaints between late June and mid-July,” Korea JoongAng Daily quoted an anonymous store employee as saying.

Based on the reports, Louis Vuitton HQ is already aware of the issue related to odor in some products, including its Marignan and Pochette Metis line. But despite knowing, the brand did not announce this to customers; they just heard about the issue via media and online posts.

Meanwhile, one of the common complaints is that a $2,000 Louis Vuitton bag smells like crushed ginko nuts. This scent has been described as similar to animal excrement or rotten butter.

Then again, it was suggested that the smell came from a quality-enhancing substance that was applied to the soft canvas in the bag. This discharges an unpleasant smell when exposed to heat and humidity.

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