Washing-Related Garment Damage to Children's Clothing and Consumer Complaint Behavior

유.아동 의류 제품의 세탁과 관련된 소비자 피해 사례 및 불평 행동 연구

As the materials being used in children's clothing become diverse, the number of reported problems related to various aspects of washing and wearing is increasing. Many customers experience great dissatisfaction when using these children's garments due to their lack of professional knowledge in washing, fabric, and detergents. Thus, this paper focuses on various cases in which housewives have experienced product damage after washing their children's garments according the prescribed directions. Of particular interest is how the consumers respond to such damage in garments and how their experiences with garment damage affect the sellers of these garments. A total of 292 housewives with children less than 8 years old living in Seoul responded to our survey, out of which 83 reported to have suffered negative consequences. By analyzing the 83 responses, the following results were found: First, the problems reported by the housewives in regards to washing children's garments were mostly related to the durability or color change problems. Secondly, the most favored means of response to garment damage were 'complaining directly to the seller' (16.7%) and 'complaining at the customer service department of the manufacturer or seller' (13.5%). Thirdly, among the actions they requested to the seller/manufacturer, 'ask for an exchange' marked the highest. Lastly, respondents admitted that their experiences with garment damage as well as the attitude or response of the manufacturer/retailer to their complaints would influence their repurchase intention.