Botched Beauty or Laser Treatment? How to Get Your Money Back (Australia 2026)
Last updated · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice
Yes, in many cases. A hair or beauty salon, laser clinic or cosmetic injectables clinic must provide its service with due care and skill under the Australian Consumer Law. A burn, a botched treatment or a course of sessions the clinic stopped providing can mean a refund, the cost of corrective treatment and other losses. If a doctor, nurse or other registered practitioner treated you, you can also complain to the health complaints body. Fastest route: write to the clinic, send a formal demand, complain, send a final demand, then go to the tribunal.
Can you get your money back from a beauty salon or clinic?
A haircut, colour, wax, facial, lash lift, laser session or cosmetic injection is a service. Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the business must perform it with due care and skill (s 60). If you told them the result you wanted, such as covering grey without going orange, or reducing hair growth on a particular area, the service must be reasonably capable of achieving it (s 61), unless it was unreasonable for you to rely on their skill. Products they sell you, from shampoo to a home peel kit, must be of acceptable quality (s 54).
The remedy depends on how bad the result is:
- Fixable problem (uneven colour, patchy tint): you can ask the salon to fix it within a reasonable time. If it refuses or botches the fix, you can have it fixed elsewhere and claim the reasonable cost, or end the contract (s 267(2)).
- Major failure (a burn, scarring, chemical damage, an infection): the ACL says a failure is major when the service “creates an unsafe situation” (s 268(1)(e)). You can end the contract and get your money back for any unused services, or claim compensation for the drop in value (s 267(3)).
- Losses on top: you can also claim reasonably foreseeable losses caused by the failure, such as the cost of a corrective appointment or a doctor’s visit (s 267(4)).
What a clinic cannot do: rely on a consent form or “no refunds” policy to cancel your consumer guarantee rights. A contract term that tries to exclude or limit those rights is void (s 64). Signing a consent form for a laser treatment means you accepted the known risks of a competently performed treatment. It does not mean you accepted a careless one.
What a clinic may say, sometimes rightly: that the result you got is within the normal range for the treatment, that you did not follow aftercare instructions, or that you did not disclose a medication or condition. That is why your evidence matters.
The most common problems with beauty salons and clinics
1. Burns from laser, IPL, waxing or chemical treatments
A burn is the clearest case of a service that was not performed with due care and skill, and it usually creates an unsafe situation. What you can claim: a refund of the treatment, medical and corrective costs, and a refund of the remaining sessions if you end the course. If the injury is serious, get legal advice about personal injury compensation, which has its own rules.
2. Botched hair colour, cut or chemical straightening
Hair that came out the wrong colour, broke off, or was cut far shorter than you asked. What you can claim: a free correction, or the cost of a correction at another salon if the first salon refuses or fails, or a refund where the damage cannot be fixed.
3. Injectables that went wrong
Lumps, asymmetry, migration of filler, or a reaction. Prescription-only cosmetic injectables must be prescribed by an authorised practitioner after an in-person or video consultation each time, not by text or online form. What you can claim: a refund and the cost of corrective treatment if the work was not done with due care and skill. You can also complain about the practitioner (see below).
4. A prepaid course of treatments the clinic stopped providing
You paid upfront for 10 laser sessions, and the clinic closed, lost its operator, or kept cancelling. What you can claim: a refund for the sessions you did not receive (s 269(3)).
5. Results that were promised and never came
“Permanent hair removal in 6 sessions”, “results or your money back” in an ad, or before-and-after photos that were not genuine. Claims about future results made without reasonable grounds are treated as misleading (s 4), and false testimonials are prohibited (s 29(1)(e)). What you can claim: a refund and any loss caused by relying on the claim.
6. Infection or reaction after treatment
An infection after microneedling, a tattoo removal session or piercing can point to poor hygiene or technique. What you can claim: medical costs, a refund, and corrective treatment, subject to showing the treatment caused it.
7. A treatment you did not agree to
An extra service added to the bill, a different product used, or a larger area treated than agreed. What you can claim: a refund of the unauthorised charge.
8. Membership or package charges after you cancelled
Many clinics sell monthly memberships with direct debits. If you cancelled under the contract and the debits continued, you can claim them back and ask your bank to stop them.
9. Defective products sold by the salon
A product that caused a reaction because it was faulty, or a device that stopped working. What you can claim: a refund or replacement under the goods guarantees, plus foreseeable losses.
Cosmetic procedures, registered practitioners and the health complaints bodies
Whether a health regulator is involved depends on who treated you.
If a registered health practitioner treated you
Doctors, nurses (nurse practitioners, registered and enrolled nurses), dentists and some other professions who perform cosmetic procedures are registered under national law and must follow their Board’s cosmetic guidelines:
- The Medical Board’s guidelines for doctors who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures (issued 1 July 2023) cover non-surgical procedures such as anti-wrinkle injections and fillers.
- The national guidelines for other registered practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (issued 2 September 2025) require an in-person or video consultation each time a prescription-only cosmetic injectable is prescribed, individual prescriptions, documented consent covering costs, deposits and the refund of deposits, and information before the procedure about how to complain.
- For anyone under 18 there must be a cooling-off period of at least seven days, with no money payable before it ends other than for an initial consultation.
Two different kinds of complaint are possible:
- Ahpra (the national regulator, 1300 419 495) looks at whether the practitioner is safe to practise. It can only deal with individual practitioners, not clinics, and it says plainly that a National Board “cannot award any financial compensation”. It will not get your money back.
- The health complaints body in the state where the procedure was performed can take complaints about practitioners and about clinics, and Ahpra says these bodies “may also help with financial compensation and dispute resolution processes”. In NSW this is the Health Care Complaints Commission (1800 043 159), and in Queensland all complaints about registered practitioners go to the Office of the Health Ombudsman (133 646).
If a clinic offers a refund in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement, the cosmetic guidelines say the agreement must make clear that you can still complain to Ahpra and the health complaints bodies. Read any agreement before you sign.
If a beauty therapist or laser technician treated you
Most beauty salon and laser clinic staff are not registered health practitioners. Ahpra cannot deal with them. Your claim is a consumer claim under the ACL: complain to Fair Trading in the clinic’s state, then go to the tribunal.
Can a consent form or waiver stop my claim?
No. A consent form records that you were told about the normal risks. It cannot take away the guarantee that the service will be performed with due care and skill, and any term that tries to is void (s 64). A clause that limits your right to sue in a standard form contract is also the kind of term the ACL lists as possibly unfair (s 25(k)).
What you can claim from a salon or clinic
- Refund of the failed treatment, or compensation for the drop in its value.
- Refund of unused sessions in a prepaid course or package, if you end the contract because of a failure (s 269(3)).
- Corrective treatment costs: another salon’s colour correction, a dermatologist’s appointment, dissolving filler, scar treatment.
- Medical and pharmacy costs caused by a burn, infection or reaction.
- Other foreseeable losses, such as travel to medical appointments. For time off work, pain and suffering or lasting injury, get legal advice: personal injury claims have their own rules and time limits.
How to work out the amount: add the price of the treatment (or the unused sessions), every receipt for corrective and medical treatment, and other out-of-pocket costs with proof.
Example only, round numbers: you prepaid $1,200 for 6 laser hair removal sessions ($200 each). Session 2 left blistered burns. You stopped treatment and saw a GP and a dermatologist ($250 out of pocket, with $60 of prescribed cream). Your claim: the $200 for session 2, the $800 for the 4 sessions you will not use, and $310 of medical costs: $1,310.
Evidence to gather
- Photos of the problem, taken as soon as possible and then every few days, with dates. Include “before” photos if you have them.
- Receipts, the price list or package terms, and any membership contract.
- The consent form and any aftercare instructions you were given.
- The clinic’s ads, website claims and social posts about results.
- Medical records, a GP or dermatologist’s note describing the injury and its likely cause, and receipts for treatment.
- Messages with the clinic: your complaint and its reply.
- The name of the person who treated you and whether they are a registered practitioner such as a doctor or nurse (ask the clinic in writing if you are not sure).
- For hair: a second salon’s written opinion and quote for correction.
How to get your money back: 5 steps
Step 1. Tell the clinic in writing what went wrong and what you want
Write to the salon or clinic owner with photos. Say what happened, what you want (a free fix, a refund, your corrective costs) and give a short deadline, such as 5 business days. If you need urgent medical care, get it first. Keep copies of everything.
Step 2. No answer, a refusal or a runaround: send a formal demand
Send our Consumer Guarantee Letter. It explains the consumer guarantees the clinic has failed, the amount you are claiming with your receipts, and a 14-day deadline. It is the letter a tribunal expects to see before you apply. Where the clinic simply owes you an agreed refund, the general Letter of Demand ($49) also works.
Send your Consumer Guarantee Letter – $49
Step 3. Complain to the right body
Every case: complain to Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs in the clinic’s state (table below), attaching your letter. It is free, it can contact the clinic, but it cannot order a refund.
If a doctor, nurse or other registered practitioner treated you: also complain to the health complaints body in the state where the procedure was done. Our Health Care Complaint ($49, start here) gives you a complaint letter to the provider and a statement to lodge with that body. It is a complaint, not a compensation claim, so keep your money claim going with the consumer letter.
Step 4. Still unpaid: send a final demand
Quote your first letter, the clinic’s response and any complaint reference numbers. State that you will file a tribunal claim if it is not paid.
Step 5. Take it to the tribunal or court
File a consumer claim in the state where the clinic operates. Photos, medical notes and receipts win these cases, so organise them well. Our Hearing Bundle ($97, start here) puts them in order with an index.
Prepare your tribunal application – $97
In WA, SA and Tasmania this is a court claim in the Magistrates Court, and the same product prepares it. For a serious injury, speak to a lawyer before you file.
Where your claim goes in each state
Your claim goes to the tribunal or court in the state where the clinic carries on business. If your claim would go to NCAT (NSW) or VCAT (VIC) and the salon is run by an individual or sole trader who lives in another state, that tribunal cannot decide it (Burns v Corbett [2018] HCA 15) and the claim must go to a court instead. QCAT in Queensland is a court of a State (Owen v Menzies [2012] QCA 170) and is not affected. Clinics run by companies are not affected.
| State | Where to file | Money limit | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), consumer claim | $100,000 | ncat.nsw.gov.au |
| VIC | Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), goods and services | No cap | vcat.vic.gov.au |
| QLD | Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), minor civil dispute | $25,000 | qcat.qld.gov.au |
| ACT | ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), civil dispute | $25,000 | acat.act.gov.au |
| NT | NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT), small claim | $25,000 | ntcat.nt.gov.au |
| WA | Magistrates Court of WA, consumer/trader claim | $75,000 (minor case up to $10,000) | magistratescourt.wa.gov.au |
| SA | Magistrates Court of SA, civil claim | $100,000 (minor claim up to $12,000) | courts.sa.gov.au |
| TAS | Magistrates Court of Tasmania (Civil Division) | $50,000 (minor civil claim up to $15,000) | magistratescourt.tas.gov.au |
Filing fees change each year and depend on how much you claim and whether you hold a concession card, so check the current fee on the tribunal or court’s own fees page (linked in the table) before you file.
In NSW, apply to NCAT within 3 years of when the problem began. In SA, send a Final Notice or letter of demand and wait 21 days before filing.
Consumer regulators and health complaints bodies:
| State | Consumer regulator (all clinics) | Health complaints body (registered practitioners and health services) |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Fair Trading, 13 32 20 | Health Care Complaints Commission, 1800 043 159 |
| VIC | Consumer Affairs Victoria, 1300 55 81 81 | Health Complaints Commissioner |
| QLD | Office of Fair Trading, 13 QGOV (13 74 68) | Office of the Health Ombudsman, 133 OHO (133 646) |
| ACT | Access Canberra, 13 22 81 | Health Services Commissioner |
| NT | NT Consumer Affairs, 1800 019 319 | Health and Community Services Complaints Commission |
| WA | Consumer Protection WA, 1300 30 40 54 | Health and Disability Services Complaints Office |
| SA | Consumer and Business Services, 131 882 | Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner |
| TAS | Consumer Affairs Tasmania, 1300 654 499 | Health Complaints Commissioner |
National: Ahpra, 1300 419 495, for concerns about a registered practitioner’s practice (not refunds). Ahpra’s Cosmetic Surgery Hotline: 1300 361 041.
After you win: getting paid
If the salon or clinic does not pay the tribunal or court order by its due date, you can enforce it. In most states the order is registered or filed with the court and enforced as a judgment, for example through a garnishee order on the business’s bank account, seizure and sale of its equipment or other property, or an examination of the owner about the business’s finances.
Tribunals do not collect the money for you. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the NT, an unpaid tribunal money order is first registered, recorded or filed with a court. In WA, SA and Tasmania the Magistrates Court decides the claim, so you already have a court judgment. Then you apply for the court’s enforcement tools.
| State | How the order becomes enforceable | Garnishee: bank account and wages | Other options |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Get a certified copy of the NCAT order (no fee) and register it with the Local Court (filing fee applies) | Yes: Form 69 with Form 70 (bank) or Form 71 (wages); no filing fee | Writ for the levy of property (Forms 65, 66); examination notice (Form 51 or 52) |
| VIC | Ask VCAT to have the order recorded at the Magistrates’ Court | Yes: attachment of debt (Form 71A or 71B); attachment of earnings (Forms 72A, 72B, with a hearing) | Warrant to seize property (Form 68A); oral examination (Form 67A); instalment order |
| QLD | File the QCAT order and an affidavit with a court (the Magistrates Court up to $150,000) within six years; free | Yes: enforcement warrant for redirection of debt (Form 76 or 77) or of earnings (Form 78), with Forms 9 and 74 | Seizure and sale (Form 75); enforcement hearing |
| ACT | File the sealed ACAT order and an affidavit in the Magistrates Court, serve Form 2.49, wait 7 days | Yes: debt redirection (Form 2.62 or 2.63); earnings redirection (Form 2.64) | Seizure and sale (Form 2.59); enforcement hearing (Forms 2.50, 2.51) |
| NT | Register the NTCAT order with the Local Court (certified copy and affidavit; no fee) | Yes: attachment of debts order; attachment of earnings order with a protected earnings rate | Warrant of seizure and sale; examination summons; charging order |
| WA | Already a court judgment; apply with Form 6 and the fee | Yes: debt appropriation order (Form 6, Form 2 affidavit); earnings appropriation order (individuals only, after an instalment order is broken) | Property (seizure and sale) order; means inquiry |
| SA | Already a court judgment; start through CourtSA, Enforcement tab | Yes: garnishee order (draft Form 148); wages protected to 90% of the weekly national minimum wage | Warrant of sale (Form 163); investigation or examination summons |
| TAS | Already a court judgment; file enforcement process at the registry ($49) | Yes: provisional, then final, garnishee order attaching a debt or earnings | Warrant to sell property; judgment summons and oral examination |
Questions people ask
Can I get a refund for a bad haircut or hair colour?
Often, yes, if the salon did not use due care and skill or did not deliver the result you clearly asked for. Usually you must first give the salon a chance to fix it. If it refuses or the fix fails, you can have it corrected elsewhere and claim the reasonable cost, or ask for a refund.
I was burnt by a laser or IPL treatment. What can I claim?
A burn usually means the treatment was not performed with due care and skill, and a service that creates an unsafe situation is a major failure. You can claim the treatment cost, medical and corrective costs, and a refund of unused sessions. For a serious or lasting injury, get legal advice about personal injury compensation.
Does signing a consent form mean I cannot claim?
No. A consent form shows you were told about the normal risks of a properly performed treatment. It cannot remove your consumer guarantee rights, and any term that tries to is void under the Australian Consumer Law. Careless treatment is still a breach, whatever you signed.
Can I get a refund for unused sessions in a treatment package?
Yes, if you end the contract because the clinic failed: it closed, stopped offering the treatment, or a session injured you. You recover what you paid for the sessions not yet used. If you simply change your mind, your contract’s cancellation terms apply instead.
Who do I complain to about a botched cosmetic injectable?
If a doctor, nurse or dentist did it, complain to the health complaints body in the state where it happened, and to Ahpra about the practitioner’s practice. Ahpra cannot award compensation. For your money, send a consumer claim. Our Health Care Complaint ($49) prepares the complaint: claimdone.com.au/services/health-care-complaint/.
Can Ahpra get my money back?
No. Ahpra and the National Boards deal with whether a registered practitioner is practising safely. Ahpra says a National Board cannot award any financial compensation and cannot deal with complaints about clinics. Health complaints bodies may help with compensation and dispute resolution, and a tribunal can order the clinic to pay.
Can a beauty salon refuse a refund because of a “no refunds” policy?
Not when the service failed a consumer guarantee. The ACCC says a business cannot take away your consumer guarantee rights by displaying a “no refunds” sign. A salon can refuse a refund if you simply changed your mind after a properly done treatment.
The clinic promised results I did not get. Is that a refund case?
It can be. If the clinic claimed specific results, such as permanent hair removal in a set number of sessions, without reasonable grounds, the claim is treated as misleading. Fake reviews or testimonials are prohibited too. Keep screenshots of the ads and claim a refund for the treatment you bought because of them.
Is there a cooling-off period for cosmetic injections?
For people under 18, yes: the cosmetic guidelines for registered practitioners require at least seven days between consent and the procedure, with no payment before then other than for an initial consultation. The guidelines do not set a cooling-off period for adults having non-surgical procedures.
What should I do straight after a bad treatment?
Get medical care first if you need it. Then photograph the damage with dates, keep every receipt, write down who treated you, and email the clinic describing what happened. Ask your doctor to record the injury and its likely cause.
How much does it cost to take a salon to the tribunal?
Filing fees for small claims are modest: $64 at NCAT in NSW for claims up to $10,000, $67.40 at VCAT up to $15,000, and $164.30 at QCAT for a $5,000 claim. Start with a formal demand, which is cheaper and often needed anyway. Send yours at claimdone.com.au/begin/?service=consumer-guarantee.
Sources
- Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2 (Australian Consumer Law), ss 4, 18, 23, 25, 29, 54, 60-64, 267-270
- Ahpra: Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (issued 2 September 2025)
- Medical Board of Australia: Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures
- Ahpra: Other health complaints organisations
- Ahpra: Reporting concerns in New South Wales or Queensland
- Ahpra: Non-surgical cosmetic procedures (information for the public)
- ACCC: Consumer rights and guarantees
- Tribunal, court and regulator pages listed in the tables above
Checked 19 October 2026 by the Claim Done legal content team.
Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information. For a complex or high-value matter, speak to a lawyer or a free community legal centre.