“Did they intentionally overcharge us for the expensive one?”
Hair salon: “It’s a regular fee… not overcharging.”
A woman getting a perm at a hair salon. / schankz-shutterstock.com
A foreigner with limited Korean language skills visited a famous hair franchise in Gangnam, Seoul, and paid over $880, sparking controversy about overcharging. However, the business maintains that “there’s no problem as it’s a regular fee.”
This tip-off was posted on some online communities, such as Fm Korea, on the 19th.
According to the post, a foreign woman, Ms. A, visited a hair salon in Gangnam around 8 p.m. on August 31st. It was a branch of a famous hair franchise.
The order receipt that the foreigner Ms. A received. / Fm Korea
After receiving the service, Ms. A tried to pay with her global credit card, UnionPay, but the payment didn’t go through for some reason.
Ms. A asked for help from a Korean acquaintance, and her friend Mr. B, who rushed to the salon, paid the bill with his card.
However, Mr. B was shocked when he checked the receipt. The total was 1,010,000 won, over $880.
The receipt detailed the services: △ Setting perm 380,000 won ($332) △ Root perm 120,000 won ($105) △ Dye 220,000 won ($192) △ Scalp and hair treatment 350,000 won ($306). The total was 1,070,000 won ($936). The setting perm and dye were each discounted by 10%, so the total charged was 1,010,000 won ($880).
Suspecting an overcharge, Mr. B posted the receipt on an online community, asking for advice on whether the price was reasonable.
Some netizens suggested that the hair salon might have deliberately recommended expensive services to foreigners who weren’t fluent in Korean.
However, the hair salon had a different story.
According to the salon, the base price for a setting perm is 280,000 won ($245), but additional charges apply depending on the woman’s hair length. The same goes for the dye, with a base price of 160,000 won ($140). The root perm’s regular price is 120,000 won ($105). They claimed they did not overcharge.
The hair salon owner explained in a call with Wikitree, “We informed the customer about the price in advance and got her consent,” and “This customer’s hair is almost down to her buttocks. We provided service for 7 hours.”
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