His dream was to dress like a Hollywood superstar in the manner of George Clooney or Michael Douglas. And that's why he chose to buy a suit from the renowned Italian menswear brand Canali. However, rather than feeling like one of the world's best-dressed men, this particular customer, surnamed Wu, ended up feeling like a fool.

Last September, Mr Wu ordered three suits at an outlet of Canali in the Peninsula Hotel on the Bund.

The three garments cost him more than 90,000 yuan ($14,562) in total. However, when he tried on these custom-made and measured items three months later, he found that the shoulders were all about 8 centimeters too wide.

When Wu pointed out the problem, the store director agreed with him but said that Wu would have to pay for any further changes to be made because of the complicated work involved.

Unable to resolve the dispute, Wu filed a complaint to the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission. When the commission later spoke to the store director, he gave the bizarre excuse that the customer's "irregular body shape" was partly responsible for the miscalculations.

He confessed that the customer's complaint was "reasonable" but added that his own boss, based in Hong Kong, did not take the complaint seriously and that he was therefore powerless to act.

The commission also said it could offer no help, which was basically an admission that it is toothless when it comes to protecting consumer rights.

One also has to question the ethics of a famous brand like Canali, not to mention the negative publicity that will result for the company from such cases.

According to an interview with Canali by Beijing News, China has become the third-largest market for the company, accounting for 20 percent of its global sales.

However, overseas luxury brand outlets in China are struggling somewhat at the moment. The truth is that many of their customers are rich enough to travel abroad and to shop at these brands' flagship addresses in Europe - and that's what many of them are doing.

A spokesperson for Prada said last August that the company was considering raising prices in Europe by 10 percent, but will not be raising its prices in China.

And LVMH also expressed their concern about slowing growth in China during the first quarter of this year.

The question is, have these businesses ever wondered why Chinese customers are so keen to purchase items overseas, when they can seemingly find the exact same garments and accessories on their doorstep?

For sure, the cheaper price of luxury brands abroad is one undeniable factor, but Chinese consumers also take quality and customer service into account. And it is these "local" factors that make all the difference.

A CCTV report this March revealed that certain high-end automobile marques - including Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz - that manufacture vehicles in China, have been using asphalt-based noise and vibration dampening plates which contain known carcinogenic materials.

Such asphalt-based components have long been outlawed in the US and Europe.

The fact is that many overseas brands don't take enough care when it comes to making sure their names and reputations are protected in the Chinese market. Sure, these companies can make lots of money from franchising rights, but when things go wrong, it is their name that will be tarnished across the world.

If these high-end brands want to continue making money from the world's top spenders in the luxury market, then they need to start making sure their services and products are uniform in all their markets.