Man claims 'frugal' 71-year-old mum pressured to buy more than $1,200 package at Clementi salon

A man has accused a hair salon in Clementi of hard selling a prepaid treatment package to his 71-year-old mother, who he said is "usually very frugal".

The complainant named Leon told Stomp that his mother had visited Salon One at Block 449 Clementi Avenue 3 for a haircut on Jan 3 and ended up paying for a 12-session scalp-treatment package.

He alleged that a hairstylist conducted a scalp analysis after finishing her haircut and repeatedly persuaded her to have a scalp treatment for $99.

Leon alleged that his mother subsequently bought the package because of hard selling.

In a negative review left on the salon's Google page, he said his mother, who works as a cleaner, was "pressured" into the sale and did not tell her family of the incident until they checked her bank account statement.

He uploaded pictures showing the $1,294.92 Nets transaction and a magnified image of her scalp presumably taken during the analysis process after the haircut.

"Most worryingly, she mentioned that the staff asked her to sign a document — which we believe was the Terms & Conditions — claiming it was merely 'for GST purposes'," Leon wrote, adding that his mother did not receive a copy of the document.

"It is heart-breaking to know that someone who works so hard for her money was targeted and misled in this way."

The man said he has lodged a police report and submitted feedback to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).

Salon One reportedly told Stomp that it had offered the customer a refund and considered the matter resolved.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Salon One's director Tan Yawen said on Feb 26 that the company takes such feedback seriously and does not condone hard selling practices.

"While our team may inform customers about available treatments or packages, all purchases are made at the customer's discretion," she said.

According to a staff member of the Clementi outlet, the customer's family had insisted on a full refund for the package, which included the cost of the scalp treatment that she received on Jan 3.

Tan said they subsequently offered a refund out of goodwill but did not receive a response despite repeated attempts to contact the customer.

"We remain open to resolving this directly with the customer and are committed to maintaining professional service standards at all times," she told AsiaOne.

The Stomp report said Leon confirmed the refund offer, but said he has not accepted it as they are waiting for Case to review the incident.

Case president Melvin Yong confirmed to AsiaOne that the association has received a report, and are currently assisting the consumer.

"Case encourages consumers to patronise CaseTrust-accredited beauty, spa and wellness businesses, which adhere to a strict “no selling” policy during treatments and provide a five-day cooling-off period for prepaid packages," he added.

"I hope by sharing this, other families can remind their elderly parents to be wary of such tactics," Leon said in his Google review.

The salon chain's Clementi branch has a Google rating of 3.1 stars.

AsiaOne found at least 10 other reviews, some dating back to six years ago, claiming that they had experienced hard selling by salon staff.

One review left a year ago by a customer said the scalp treatment was effective but there was "lots of hard selling and it's really scary".

[[nid:723966]]

lim.kewei@asiaone.com