"They Said It Would Be Sent to Paris, But It Went to a Domestic Repair Shop"... Dior Reported to the Fair Trade Commission After All [Luxury Price Story]

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[Financial News] A dispute has escalated into a legal battle after it emerged that a limited-edition Christian Dior bag, which had been described as being repaired at the Paris headquarters, was in fact repaired by a private shop in South Korea.
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According to Yonhap News Agency on the 20th, Pyeongjeong Law Firm said it had filed a criminal complaint with Yongin Dongbu Police Station on behalf of customer A against the CEO of Christian Dior Couture Korea, officials at a Dior store in Gangnam District, Seoul, and representatives of a domestic repair shop on charges including property damage and fraud.
Earlier, in 2016, A purchased a limited-edition bag for about 7 million won at a Dior store in a department store in Haeundae, Busan. The bag had been unveiled on the 2016 Dior fall/winter runway show line.
After using the bag for more than eight years, A visited a Dior store in Gangnam District, Seoul, in December 2024 to request repairs after two or three beads on the bag's exterior decoration fell off.
At the time, a store employee explained that "the bag had to be sent to Paris, France, for repair," and A left it there, believing that explanation.
However, when the repair, which A had expected to take only a few months, was still unfinished after more than a year, A protested at the store on February 24. The store then replied that "the product will arrive soon from Paris" and returned the bag the next day, saying, "The bag repair is complete."
About a month after getting the bag back, on March 23, A happened to see a video posted on the social media account of a domestic repair shop.
The video, uploaded on March 16 under the title "Repairing a fallen decoration on a Lady Dior bag," showed the process of attaching beads to a bag with the same design as the one A had purchased.
After seeing the video, A repeatedly called Dior's customer service center and the store to verify the facts. It was then revealed that the bag said to have been repaired at the Paris headquarters had actually been repaired by a private shop in South Korea.
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A then began legal action by sending a formal notice to Dior through legal counsel.
Pyeongjeong Law Firm, acting as A's legal representative, reported Dior to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) for allegedly violating the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising.
According to Dior's after-sales service terms, when a customer requests service, the company must first have an expert inspect the item to determine whether there is a defect. It must then inform the customer whether the defect is covered by warranty, whether it can be repaired, and the estimated cost and time required before beginning repairs with the customer's consent.
However, A's side claims that a Dior store employee did not follow those procedures and instead independently decided to send the bag to the Paris headquarters for repair.
If the KFTC's investigation finds a violation of the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising, Dior is expected to face a fine.
Dior is also reported to have offered A a refund through Pyeongjeong, along with a proposal to "send the bag back to the Paris headquarters for repair."
A Pyeongjeong official said, "In addition to the police complaint and the report to the KFTC, we will continue taking follow-up measures, including sending a formal notice to Dior's Paris headquarters to inform them of the seriousness of this case."
Meanwhile, A's side plans to determine through the police investigation where and how the bag was stored during the 14-month repair period, and to file additional complaints if any other illegal acts are found.
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter