August 15, 2021, 03:26 PM
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A foreign worker has allegedly been cheated into paying S$1,450 for a hair appointment session at Boon Lay Shopping Centre.
The man, whose last name is Tiew, saw a banner on Organic Salon's glass door which promoted haircuts priced from S$2.
So, he decided to have a haircut and hair treatment at the salon.
However, after his first visit to the salon, he isn't planning to return anytime soon.
Tiew’s employer wrote to Mothership about the incident on July 22.
Was suppose to be charged S$228
Image of Tiew's hair after his appointment. Image via Tiew's employer.
According to Tiew's employer, Tiew went to the salon for a haircut (S$45), styling (S$45) colouring (S$39), and scalp treatment on July 20.
He was told that the scalp treatment cost S$99 which he agreed to pay for.
After the session, he paid without checking the receipt before heading to work, Yee said.
When he arrived at work, he received a text from OCBC bank informing that he was charged a whopping S$1,450 for the session, instead of the agreed sum of S$228.
A text message Tiew received from OCBC of the transaction of S$1,450. Image via Tiew's employer.
Shocked, he returned to the salon to enquire about the issue.
Shop returned S$725 "out of goodwill", police report made
Tiew went back and demanded a refund but the shop defended itself, claiming that the extra money charged was for future appointments.
But Tiew said that he did not agree to it.
The salon staff then allegedly tried to convince him to sign up for a S$1,450 package but he had no interest in it.
Eventually, the shop returned S$725 "out of goodwill” and said that the remaining money was for the services he received earlier that day, the employer told Mothership.
Still, his total bill was S$727 instead of the S$228 he was expecting to pay.
Image of receipt for hair services Tiew received when he went back to the store for a refund. Image via Tiew's employer.
Looking at the receipt, he was confused as he was previously told the scalp treatment cost S$99 but he was charged S$598 for it.
They then took out a price list that was not shown to Tiew earlier and claimed that they charge that amount for the treatment.
When contacted by Mothership, the salon did not address Tiew's case directly but said if customers have issues, they should go to the shop.
In hindsight, Tiew realised that the salon staff were acting suspiciously as they attempted to cover the screen of the NETS machine while he was paying and constantly asking him to pay while he was distracted during the session.
Tiew made a police report after the incident.
In response to Mothership's inquiries, the police confirmed that this report was lodged.
The police report was made. Image via Tiew's employer.
Not the first time
The said salon is rated one out of five stars on Google, with 25 reviews.
According to a comment left by one Shawn Goh in June 2021, the salon used to operate at Clementi but has recently moved to Boon Lay Shopping Centre.
Google review by Shawn Goh.
Google review by Roy LEE.
More recent reviews made by customers who supposedly went to the Boon Lay's shop also gave similar feedback about their experience.
Last year, Organic Salon was one of the three salons that were made to cease unfair practices by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) after receiving numerous complaints.
Past complaints about Organic Salon
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Top images via Tiew's employer.
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