NCRDC confirms order of Rs 2 crore compensation to model for a faulty haircut by high-end salon

A five-star hotel salon in Delhi has been ordered by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to pay Rs 2 million in compensation to a hair product model who accused one of its employees of giving her a faulty hairstyle that led to a loss of modeling assignments and caused her mental trauma.

The NCDRC upheld its earlier order to award compensation to the model and rejected the salon's appeal against it in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had asked the NCDRC to reassess the compensation amount, stating that it should be proportionate to the loss suffered by the model.

The model had claimed that the faulty hairstyle had ruined her modeling career, causing her to suffer from depression and humiliation. She further stated that she had lost out on future modeling assignments and other jobs due to the bad haircut.

The woman filed a supplementary affidavit as directed by the Supreme Court, providing details of her professional pursuits, including modeling and film careers, which she claimed arose out of a bad salon haircut. She increased her compensation to Rs 5.2 million, considering her prospects and profile.

The NCDRC noted that "compensation" has a broad meaning and can extend to compensation for physical, mental, or emotional suffering, injury, or loss. Women are very careful and cautious about their hair and are emotionally attached to it, spending a considerable amount of money to keep it in good condition. The NCDRC found that the model had suffered a huge loss due to the loss of her long hair, which had completely changed her lifestyle and shattered her dream of being a top model.

The NCDRC ordered the five-star hotel salon to pay the model Rs 2 million in compensation along with interest from the date of filing the complaint in July 2018, within six weeks from the date of receipt of the order copy.

The NCDRC stated that its finding of deficiencies in service by the salon had been upheld by the Supreme Court and had thus attained finality. This case highlights the importance of providing quality service to customers and the potential consequences for businesses that fail to do so.