Haircut goes wrong: redressal body orders Rs 2 Cr compensation

New Delhi: A model who approached a salon in a hotel for a haircut received bad hair, which was against her instructions, ultimately destroying her appointments.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has recognised it as a lapse from the part of the hotel ruled decided that the hotel, ITC Maurya, must pay a compensation of Rs 2 crore to the model Aashna Roy.

Though Supreme Court set aside the NCDRC ruling and suggested the body reconsider the case, the consumer redressal body confirmed the ruling of payment of the said amount, the Bar and Bench reported.

The incident from which the case stemmed happened in 2018 when Aashna was about to appear for an interview when she entered a salon for a haircut at the ITC Maurya Hotel in New Delhi. Because of the absence of her regular hairdresser, another stylist got assigned.

When she asked for a simple haircut, the stylist took more than an hour and “chopped off her entire hair leaving only 4 inches from the top and barely touching to her shoulders”, Bar and Bench quoted Aashna. She was in shock since it was against her instructions.

Realising the damage, the hotel offered the model free hair treatment, and the model accepted the offer only after strong persuasion. But the hair treatment also turned out to be a disaster, according to her. Hair turned “hard and rough”, and my scalp got itchy and burnt.

Later, when she sought assistance from the hotel staff, they behaved abusive, rude and disrespectful, threatening her, she alleged. The hotel management also washed their hands, which prompted her to file a petition seeking damages worth Rs 3 crore for harassment, humiliation and mental trauma, along with a written apology.

After NCDRC awarded her the compensation, the hotel approached Supreme Court, which directed the body to reconsider the case, setting the compensation amount in February this year.

The body had observed then that the model had lost her prospective assignments, suffered a huge loss, and “shattered her dream to be a model”.

In its latest order, confirming its initial order, NCDRC said that the outset stated that the top court had affirmed the finding of deficiency in service by the hotel and hence attained finality, Bar and Bench reported.