Giving a bad haircut to a customer proved costly for Chennai-based ITC Maurya, who has been asked by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to pay Rs 2 crore in compensation to the woman in view of the trauma. She died due to the negligence of a hair professional in the salon of a five star hotel.
The complainant, a 42-year-old woman, had gone to the hotel salon for a haircut on April 18, 2018, ahead of an important interview. However, despite her instructions to flick the front and trim 4 inches from the bottom, the hairdresser at the said salon cut off her long hair. The woman said in her complaint that she wears glasses, which were taken off for a haircut, and that the barber even told her to keep her head down, and therefore could not see herself clearly in the mirror And saw him only after cutting his hair. Completely trimmed.
“To utter shock and surprise to the complainant, the barber cut her entire hair leaving only 4 inches from the top and barely touching her shoulders,” she alleged.
The salon apologised, did not charge her for the service, but did not take any action against the negligent barber either. The woman also alleged in her complaint that the general manager of the salon misbehaved with her when she approached him to look into the matter. Therefore, he called the then CEO of ITC Hotels, Deepak Haksar and apprised him of the episode, the court’s decision said. She said, ITC Maurya offered her free hair extensions and treatments, but she again faced negligence at the hands of salon professionals.
Her complaint against Hotel Salon said, “During the hair treatment, her hair and scalp were completely damaged with excess ammonia and there was a lot of irritation to the scalp.”
As per the court order, the complainant aspired to be a top model and had earlier modeled for brands like VLCC and Pantene, but due to her long hair loss, she could not fulfill her dream. Furthermore, the judgment stated, due to negligence she went through severe mental breakdown and trauma and could not perform at her workplace, where she worked as a senior management professional and eventually lost her job.
The court order said, “Due to the haircut against his instructions, she lost her expected jobs and suffered a major loss which completely changed her lifestyle and shattered her dream of becoming a top model. ”
The court has directed ITC Maurya to pay Rs 2 crore as compensation to the woman in view of her mental trauma and loss.
“No doubt women are very careful and careful about their hair. They spend a considerable amount of money to keep the hair in good condition. They are also emotionally attached to their hair,” the court observed. Said in his decision.
