Woman gets 'uneven outcome' after paying for $160 hair treatment

A woman was completely dissatisfied after spending $160 for a hair dye and treatment at a salon.

Stomper Regina told Stomp that she visited Organic Express Hair Color Lab at Shaw Plaza on July 28.

She added that the salon was having a first-timer promotion.

"That very evening, when I was out shopping with my daughter and in the changing room, she commented that my hair looked unevenly dyed under strong lighting," she said.

"It was really obvious that the top part of my hair was brighter than the lower ends of my hair.

"On Saturday afternoon (July 29), I took a photo of my hair on the balcony (under) the sunlight so it was visible where the uneven parts were, and reached out to Organic Express Hair Color Lab via WhatApp to discuss my dissatisfaction and provide the photographic evidence.

"I told them I’d like a refund as I need to spend additional money to re-dye my hair.

"In response, the salon requested that I return to their establishment to discuss the matter in person.

"When I did so, I was met with a dismissive and condescending attitude from the person (James) who had dyed my hair.

"I later found out that he is also the shop’s supervisor.

"He sat me down and asked me to show him where the uneven dyed areas were.

"I told him it was all visible via the photo that I had sent.

"Despite my insistence, he continued to belittle my concerns and demanded to know the exact location the photo was taken.

"I told him it was taken on my balcony with the sunlight shining in and he sarcastically suggested that I return the following day during daylight hours so that we could inspect the problem outside the shop - under the sun.

"He mentioned he would even provide me with a mirror!

"There were no customers in his shop at the time, and his staff just looked on while he used a condescending and sarcastic tone on a paying customer.

"I told him sure I would pop by tomorrow and we could examine it under the sunlight, (but) when I couldn't give a fixed timing, he retorted back in Chinese: 'You cannot just pop by anytime as we will all be very busy'.

"When I requested to speak with the manager of the shop, he said he is the supervisor and that I can go ahead to complain about him and the shop, it’s fine for him."

Regina said the supervisor's "rude and unprofessional behaviour" was deeply disappointing and unacceptable.

"As a paying customer, I expected to be treated with respect and courtesy, especially when addressing a legitimate issue with an undesirable outcome," she said.

"The supervisor’s response was not only sarcastic and disrespectful but also demonstrated a lack of accountability and commitment to resolving customer complaints.

"No attempt to resolve the situation was made. He was extremely defensive from the get-go."

Regina said that the salon refused to give her any refund or solution to her situation.

She added that she wanted to share her experience as "customers deserve better treatment and services from businesses".

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesman from Organic Express Hair Color Lab said: "Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

"We deeply regret to hear about the customer's experience at our Shaw Plaza salon, as it does not reflect the high standard of service we aim to provide at Organic Express Hair Color Lab.

"We are committed to look into this matter seriously and will be contacting the customer to address her concerns."