New Delhi: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission recently awarded Rs 2 crore in compensation to a woman who was treated improperly and left with almost no hair after being given a wrong haircut at a salon in Hotel ITC Maurya in 2018. She was a model for hair products.
The order was passed by Justice RK Agrawal and Dr. SM Kantikar, who noted that ‘no doubt that women are very cautious and careful with regard to their hair’ and that they ‘spend a handsome amount on keeping the hair in good condition’. ‘They are also emotionally attached to their hair. The complainant was a model for hair products because of her long hair. She has done modeling for VLCC and Pantene. But due to hair cutting against her instructions by the opposite Party No.2 (ITC Hotels Ltd), she lost her expected assignments and suffered a huge loss which completely changed her lifestyle and shattered her dream to be a top model,’ the order read.
The complainant was planning on continuing her modeling assignments, which were primarily related to hair products. She was also offered a role in a movie.
She visited the salon at Hotel ITC Maurya on April 12, 2018, as she had an upcoming interview. The woman asked for her regular hair stylist, but he was not available, so another hairstylist was provided under assurance from the staff. The complainant was ‘shocked and surprised to observe that despite her specific instructions for long flicks/layers covering her face in the front and at back, and 4-inch straight hair trim from the bottom’, the hairstylist had ‘chopped of her entire hair leaving only 4-inch from the top touching her shoulder’.
Salon staff offered her free hair treatment, which she described as ‘dubious and resulting in damage to her hair’. Due to the hair treatment, her scalp was burned severely and there was itching and flaking. The chemical used in hair treatment has permanently damaged her scalp, the commission reported.
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The commission also noted that she worked as an executive and earned a good income. ‘She underwent severe mental breakdown and trauma due to negligence of the Opposite Party No.2 in cutting her hair and could not concentrate on her job and finally lost her job. This apart, the Opposite Party No.2 is also guilty of medical negligence in hair treatment. Her scalp was burnt and still there is allergy and itching due to fault of the staff of Opposite Party No. 2,’ the order read.
‘She stopped seeing herself in the mirror… and her social activities. She is a communication professional and (is) required to be involved in meetings and interactive sessions. But she lost her self-confidence due to little hair. She also suffered loss of income due to mental breakdown after the shoddy haircut and, thereafter, the torturous hair treatment. She left her job also… It is submitted that she has gone through the pain and trauma for the last two years after this incident,’ the commission recorded.
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