Hair-raising times as Singaporeans fume over poor service, pushy sales tactics at salons
Complaints against hair salons rose to ninth-highest among industries between January and June this year, surpassing even airlines
A trade association has called for the regulation of the hair industry after hair salons entered the Consumers Association of Singapore’s (CASE) top-10 list of most complained-about sectors for the first half of this year.
The Hair and Cosmetology Association of Singapore (HACOS), which represents more than 300 members in the beauty, hair, make-up and nails industries, said stronger oversight and minimum competency standards are needed to raise professionalism and protect consumers.
Complaints against hair salons rose to ninth-highest among industries between January and June this year, surpassing even airlines, which placed 10th, according to CASE figures released on August 5. The motor car industry received the most complaints.
This marks a return for hair salons, which were absent from the top 10 in the same period last year.
However, the number of complaints in the first half of this year was 167, lower than the 170 in the first half of 2024, CASE president Melvin Yong said.
Prepayment losses were also lower – S$5,619 (US$4,386) this year compared with S$21,810 last year.
Yong said the complaints were largely about high-pressure sales tactics, misleading or false claims, hidden charges for add-ons and poor service.