Mum claims beauty salon pressured 20-year-old NSF son to spend $3,300 to cure acne
A woman claimed that her 20-year-old son was pressured to spend more than $3,300 on facial treatments and skincare products after being approached by a beauty salon employee offering a free skin analysis.
Madam Lu, 55, a freelancer, told Shin Min Daily News that her son, a full-time national serviceman (NSF) surnamed Chen, was approached by a female employee while having a meal with friends in Yew Tee on July 6.
The employee allegedly invited him into the salon for a free facial analysis to assess his skin condition.
Madam Lu said when her son asked whether the treatments could improve his acne scars, the employee replied in the affirmative before introducing a facial package.
According to Madam Lu, the package included 10 treatments and was originally priced at $4,500.
The employee then told Chen that he could enjoy a significant discount and enjoy three additional treatments if he signed up that same day.
Hoping to improve his complexion, her son agreed to the package and transferred $2,520 to the salon.
Between July and October, he underwent three treatments.
However, Madam Lu only discovered the purchases on Oct 6, when her son made a PayNow transfer of $788 for a skincare product marketed as a “water glow” treatment.
The mother said she found out about the transaction through an email account linked to the family.
“I discovered that he had paid a large sum of money and questioned him. Only then did he tell me about the package and the $788 product purchase,” she said.
She subsequently contacted the salon to request a refund but was told that only the product purchase could be refunded, while the facial package could not.
Madam Lu argued that her son had always been careful with money and had never spent such a large amount on a package or skincare products before.
She questioned whether young consumers were being targeted because they might be less experienced in handling sales pressure tactics.
“I’m not saying that a 20-year-old adult cannot make his own spending decisions. But when a purchase involves a substantial sum, businesses should ask if they want to consult their parents,” she said.
Salon denies pressuring customer into purchases
The beauty salon’s Singapore regional manager, surnamed Zhang, 41, denied that her staff had pressured the full-time NSF into spending money.
She said the employee had asked whether Chen wanted to consult his parents before committing to the package, but he declined, maintaining it was his own money and he could make the decision himself.
Zhang added that the salon had offered an instalment payment option, but the 20-year-old said he could afford to pay the full amount upfront.
Regarding the refund request, Zhang said the $788 skincare product was still within its seven-day cooling off period, so the salon was willing to process a refund.
However, she said the facial package had been purchased in July and was no longer within the cooling-off period, so the salon could not provide a refund for it.
She advised Chen to approach the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) if he disputed the refund arrangement, adding that the salon is a CaseTrust-accredited business.
NSF says staff repeatedly promoted skincare products
Chen said he had signed up for the package because he wanted to reduce his acne scars and trusted the employee’s advice.
He claimed that staff kept recommending skincare products after each treatment, leaving him uneasy.
After each one- to two-hour session, his face would feel uncomfortable, which led him to want to go home quickly after booking his next appointment. The employee, however, would continue promoting products.
He claimed the products cost hundreds to more than $1,000 each, with staff telling him they could be used alongside the salon’s treatments for better results.
“I trusted that she genuinely wanted what was best for me. I had turned down her recommendations twice before, but I felt bad rejecting her a third time, so I agreed to buy the $788 product,” he said.
In response, Zhang said the salon’s staff recommended products based on each customer’s individual needs. “If they don’t need it, we won’t recommend it,” she said.
Salon denies targeting NSFs
The 20-year-old NSF further claimed that once they learned of his national service status, the salon staff emphasised that they had many NSF customers.
He alleged that they told him NSFs earn their own salaries and can decide for themselves whether to spend money on beauty treatments without burdening their parents.
“And after I signed up for a package, they did not give me a receipt,” Chen added.
Zhang conceded that the salon did have many national servicemen among its customers, but denied targeting them.
She also maintained that a physical receipt had been issued to Chen.
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