[UPDATED on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 1:00pm: The article has been updated with a statement from CASE.]

A customer of a hairdressing salon in Bukit Panjang was unhappy after she was charged S$521 for a "package" on Dec. 4, despite originally intending to just get her hair dyed for S$125.

The salon had previously been investigated in 2021 for advertising misleading prices for haircuts, and charging other customers for unsolicited services as part of a package.

After the customer's son had a confrontation with the salon, she was eventually refunded S$90.

Her son, Justin Tan, subsequently detailed the unpleasant experience in the "Complaint Singapore" Facebook group on Dec. 4.

The incident

Tan claimed in his post that the salon in question is K Salon, which is situated along Bangkit Road in Bukit Panjang.

He wrote that his mother first visited the salon on Dec. 2 to check their prices for hair dyeing services.

She was initially quoted S$125 based on her hair length, but was persuaded by the manager to buy a package worth S$250.

The balance would purportedly be used for other hairdressing services in the future.

Tan's mother agreed and made payment on the spot, but only returned two days later to get her hair dyed.

After that was done, she was asked to fork out an additional S$271 for three sessions of hair bleaching treatment.

The total amount that she paid for the package came up to S$521.

After his mother called him regarding the salon's charges, an unhappy Tan rushed over to confront the staff there.

They supposedly agreed to refund S$100.

However, upon reaching home, his mother counted the money and realised she had only been given S$90, Tan added.

Tan concluded his post by warning potential customers to steer clear of the store.

"Just by naming your salon with a Korean branding does not give you the right to overcharge customers," he wrote.

Not the first time

This is not the first time K Salon, has come under fire by customers.

The salon, under its previous branding as Natural Salon Pte. Ltd., was investigated by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS).

The agency found that the salon had employed unethical business practices between May and August 2021.

Natural Salon had advertised haircuts at S$2 and S$3 on a banner outside its storefront as an "opening special".

However, customers were only told after getting the haircut that the stated price was for members only.

They were then charged the non-member's price of S$35, and told they would have to pay a membership fee of S$200 to enjoy the special rate.

The salon also demanded payments for unsolicited hair-washing and scalp-scanning services for members who just wanted to get a haircut, CCCS noted.

And on one occasion, the salon quoted a customer S$99 for a hair cut and hair wash, but later charged the customer S$772 for the service as part of a package without their prior consent.

Following investigations, the salon took down the misleading banner, refunded the affected customers, and submitted a written undertaking to CCCS to implement more ethical payment practices.

In return, the regulatory body issued the salon a warning before closing the case.

Recent users not impressed

Following its rebranding, K Salon has attracted a number of one-star reviews on Google, mostly within the past year.

One user claimed that his haircut resulted in a haphazard shave "looking like Tharman's pineapple", while the stylist badgered him to take up further treatments.

Another user wrote that she lodged a police report about the salon's payment practices.

Mothership has reached out to Tan and the salon regarding his recent Facebook post, and we will update this article once we hear back from them.

11 consumer complaints received against said salon in 2023: CASE

In response to Mothership's enquiries, Melvin Yong, CASE President, confirmed that the regulatory body had received a complaint against K Salon (Natural Salon Pte Ltd), involving the complainant's mother being charged an additional amount for treatment though she was not informed about it beforehand.

As the complaint is pending resolution, CASE is unable to comment further, Yong said.

Yong added that from Jan. 1 to Dec. 5, 2023, CASE had received 11 consumer complaints, including the complaint above, against the salon.

Consumers complained that they were subjected to pressure sales tactics when they patronised the salon for hair-related services, and said the salon charged them a higher amount than what was quoted previously for additional services or treatment, without their consent.

Yong pointed out that these are unfair practices under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA), and said that consumers who encounter such practices may approach CASE for assistance via their hotline (6277 5100) or website.

He also encouraged consumers to patronise CaseTrust accredited beauty, spa and wellness businesses as they offer a five-day cooling-off period for refund of unutilised services if they do not wish to proceed with their packages.

"CaseTrust accredited businesses are also committed to ensure a stress-free treatment with a “no selling” policy during treatment," Yong concluded.

Top image from Justin Tan / Facebook. Quotes edited for clarity.