Malaysian Man Buys $1,000 Gucci Loafers, Gets Damaged in 3 Hours

November 14, 2018

A Malaysian man was left disappointed apparently after the soles of his “luxury” Gucci loafers peeled off within three hours of wearing them.

Identified only by his surname Lim in local reports (indicated in the receipt as Andy Ho), the unlucky owner purchased the fragile pair of shoes at Pavilion KL on Aug. 25, 2018.

According to China Press, Lim was able to purchase the authentic Gucci loafers at a special discount, paying only 3,901.50 Malaysian Ringgit ($928) instead of its original price of 4,590 MR ($1,092).

Lim wore the expensive pair of shoes three days later at a business meeting in Macau.

Unfortunately, after walking around in the shoes for just three hours, the soles began peeling off.

In an interview with local press, Lim shared that his friends who witnessed the embarrassing incident asked him if the loafers were knock-offs.

Lim then brought the terribly damaged shoes back to the shop on Sept. 3 to lodge a complaint.

He was hoping to get a new pair as a replacement but the shop attendant was adamant on sending the shoes back to the Gucci headquarters in Italy for further investigation.

“Two weeks later, a Gucci worker called me and said the problem wasn’t a manufacturing defect and it’s caused by the consumer’s behavior,” Lim was quoted as saying.

“They gave me two options. One, I can take it back and continue wearing the loafers; two, they’d help me stick new soles on the shoes,” he said.

Instead of choosing either of the options, Lim decided to file an official complaint to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia.

It did not take long before he received a call from Gucci Singapore offering him a full refund in exchange for him retracting the complaint.

Lim, who wanted to exercise his right as a consumer, refused the offer and proceeded with his complaint.

A Gucci representative claimed during the proceeding that the loafers were in excellent condition when Lim bought them, noting that the soles were made of genuine leather material.

Explaining that the excuse made no sense, the presiding chairperson of the tribunal sided with Lim at the end of the trial. The chair noted that if the shoes were indeed made with premium materials, the soles should not have easily peeled off since he wasn’t in traversing in a strenuous environment when his shoes got torn.

After the trial, the tribunal ordered Gucci to issue a full refund and an apology letter.

Featured image via China Press

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