Tengah salon charges customer S$2 CNY surcharge, says it's 'common' practice & amount is 'reasonable'

As a customer at Minna Haircare Studio in Tengah's Plantation Plaza was about to begin his haircut, he was informed that there would be a Chinese New Year (CNY) surcharge of S$2.

The customer told Stomp that he found this "unreasonable", seeing as CNY falls on Feb. 17, which is about a month away.

Only informed at start of haircut

According to Stomp, the customer visited Minna Haircare Studio at Plantation Plaza for a haircut on Jan. 18.

The customer shared that the surcharge was not stated clearly beforehand and there was no notice of the surcharge at the entrance.

He was only informed as he was about to begin the haircut.

Despite finding it "unreasonable" as CNY was still some weeks away, he proceeded anyway as he had "already arrived at the salon".

The customer's woes were compounded when he was later told he could not deduct the surcharge from his prepaid credits, Stomp reported.

The staff also attempted to persuade him to make a S$100 top-up in order for the CNY surcharge to be waived.

"I believe this reflects a serious lack of price transparency, and the salon should stop such practices to avoid misleading customers," he told Stomp.

CNY surcharge is common practice: salon

Regarding the CNY surcharge, a spokesperson for Minna Haircare Studio explained to Stomp that that it is a "common" and "widely adopted" practice within the industry.

The festive period surcharge is primarily due to higher operating costs and manpower considerations.

The spokesperson added that the salon exercises "due diligence" by informing its customers of any applicable CNY surcharge and its amount before commencement of service.

They also said that the current surcharge of S$2 is "modest" and "reasonable" compared to prevailing industry practices, Stomp wrote.

The salon also does not display notices of the CNY surcharge on the shopfront window as they are a "small independent salon".

Publicly displaying pricing details may result in competitors using their rates as a reference to adjust their own rates.

Prepaid cash credits for regular services

On the use of prepaid cash credits, the spokesperson said that those are sold at a discounted value for regular services, excluding festive surcharges, Stomp reported.

This was also explained by the salon's staff at the point of service, the spokesperson said.

While customers may choose to offset such surcharges by topping up additional credit, this is entirely voluntary.

"We will continue to improve on how information is conveyed to ensure customers feel informed and comfortable at all times," the spokesperson told Stomp, noting that the salon acknowledges the importance of clear communication and price transparency.

Mothership has reached out to Minna Haircare Studio for more information.

Top image via Plantation Plaza / Facebook, Canva