‘Long, beautiful hair totally ruined’: In complaint against salon, Chandigarh resident awarded Rs 50,000 compensation

He alleged that his granddaughter’s “long and beautiful hair” was totally ruined by the salon by their “irresponsible attitude, lack of knowledge and lust for money”.

The salon — as per allegations — delivered an “extremely poor and defective hair cut” completely contrary to the instructions given. The hair cut was “uneven, unprofessional, and caused severe distress, embarrassment and loss of appearance,” the complainant claimed.

He also alleged that he paid 22,000 for the services, but the salon “refused to give/issue total bill/invoice” and failed to provide any corrective service or refund despite repeated requests. It was further stated that the conduct of the salon caused “harassment and embarrassment” to the young girl.

In its written reply, Femina Plus, Luxe Salon, denied all allegations and termed the complaint “misconceived, legally untenable and infructuous,” claiming that it contained “concocted stories” and was filed only to defame them. It was also argued that the complainant was not a consumer since the bills were issued in the name of the granddaughter, and not in his name. The salon further contended that the bill amount was only Rs 7,640 and not Rs 22,000 as alleged.

However, the commission rejected these objections, observing that the complainant had paid for the services and therefore qualified as a consumer, while his granddaughter was a beneficiary consumer. It noted that the salon should have issued the bill in the name of the complainant, who had paid the consideration.

On the issue of billing, the commission held that the salon failed to issue complete invoices and held it “guilty of unfair trade practice for not providing complete bills for total payment”.

It further found that the salon not only issued bills “in the wrong name and for less amount but also provided wrong hair treatment and wrong hair cut for which the innocent girl has to face embarrassment and harassment in public”.

Relying on a Supreme Court judgment in ITC Limited vs Aashna Roy, the consumer panel reiterated that deficiency in salon services, including haircut, is actionable under consumer law and compensation must be awarded where negligence results in mental agony and loss of appearance.

Taking into account the circumstances, the commission taking into account harassment and emotional stress suffered on account of deficiency in service, directed the salon to pay the compensation of Rs 50,000.