Owner of salon behind $4,799 package defends incident, customer's daughter explains Facebook post

One man thought he was getting a $2 discount on a $5 haircut. He ended up spending $4,799 on a hair treatment package.

Fiona Han, 32, took to Facebook on Wednesday (Nov 20) to accuse New Gen Studio, a hair salon located at Block 101 on Yishun Avenue 5, of coercing her father into purchasing a hair treatment package by showing him "worms" on his scalp.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/fiona.han.12/posts/10215899349981462[/embed]

The salon was also put on blast last year when a woman accused the staff of pressuring her grandmother, who had intended to only get a $2 haircut, into doing a $99 treatment.

But Joe Zhuang, the 31-year-old owner of the chain of four salons, has spoken out to defend his company against the allegations. 

CUSTOMER INITIALLY WILLING TO PAY

In an interview with AsiaOne on Nov 21, Zhuang clarified that in both cases, the customers were aware of treatment costs and had done the treatments of their own volition.

"He was actually happy to have the treatment done," Zhuang said of the senior Han, who had willingly paid for the 12-treatment package, only to return that evening asking for a refund with his family in tow. 

Although Zhuang was not at the salon on the day of the recent incident, he listened in over the phone when the family visited.

After Han and her husband, Khye Chan, 32, negotiated with staff, her father eventually received a refund of $4,500.

He was charged $299 for the treatment already done that afternoon.

Han and Chan, who had filmed the entire encounter with their phones, then agreed to delete the videos.

"They were happy when they left so I was surprised to hear about them posting about it," Zhuang said in Mandarin, showing us CCTV footage of Han's father and Chan shaking hands with his staff before leaving.

SALON FOUND "WORMS" ON SCALP

Speaking to AsiaOne on Nov 21, Han explained that she proceeded to post on Facebook to prevent other elderly people from falling into "similar scams".

According to Han, her father had only intended to get a haircut but a hairstylist offered to do a scan of his scalp in a separate room.

The hairstylist then showed her father "worms" on his scalp.

The man was "so frightened by the sight of the worms" that he agreed to pay for the hair treatment package.

In a video that the senior Han recorded of the scan, a black creature that resembles a mite can be seen wriggling on a white background.

Even after receiving the refund from the salon, her father remained troubled over the "worms" on his scalp, said Han.

As a result, she made an appointment for him to visit a dermatologist on Nov 20.

To her surprise, the doctor said that there was no sign of any "worms".

The dermatologist was allegedly "puzzled" by the video of New Gen Studio's scan and said that it was "impossible".

"This is not about the refund. We have already received a refund, but there is still a mismatch of facts," Chan said, adding that the family spent over $200 on the dermatologist visit.

HARMLESS MITES?

AsiaOne has reached out to dermatologists, but the "worms" seem to bear a resemblance to Demodex mites, which are commonly found in human hair follicles. 

They typically cause no harm. In fact, most people with Demodex aren't even aware that they are carrying the mites. 

Demodex, which are too small to see with the naked eye, only become a cause for concern in large quantity, said Michelle Trautwein, an entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences.

With an infestation, patients might suffer from red or sensitive skin.

When asked about the video of the "worms", Zhuang confirmed that it was filmed at his salon and maintained that there was no way the salon could fake it.

He also said that the manager of the Yishun outlet was new and has been reprimanded.

"I told my staff that the customer is always right. Even when the customer is wrong, they are still right. When elderly customers change their mind and ask for a refund, we will just give in to them even if we lose money," he said. "Our reputation is worth more. It can't be bought with just a hundred or a thousand dollars."

Since Han's Facebook post went up, Zhuang said that his salons have been getting harassment calls.

"When posts like that go up, people will comment wishing death on our family, calling us cheats," he said. "If you are cultured and can judge for yourself, you won't write this type of silly things just from one post. These are things that the uncultured will write."

Loy York Jiun, Executive Director of the Consumers Association of Singapore, confirmed that they have received five complaints against New Gen Studio from January 2018 to October 2019.

"The complaints mainly involve the hair salon's sales tactics. Consumers were pressured into purchasing costly haircut or hair treatment packages," he said.

Loy advised consumers to take note of the following when patronising hair salons or beauty parlours:

1. Seek medical consultation before committing to any costly hair or beauty treatments. It may be more appropriate for the skin/hair condition to be treated by a medical professional.
2. Say no to aggressive sales tactics and it is your right to take time to consider the package before committing. Purchases made on a moment of impulse may not be financially viable in the long run. Many consumers have regretted signing up for costly packages on the spot.
3. Patronise CaseTrust-accredited hair and cosmetology businesses, which offer a five-day cooling-off period for purchases. These businesses are also committed to a 'no selling' policy during treatment.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com