You showed them the photo. You paid $450 for balayage. You walked out with patchy orange, a burning scalp, and hair that snaps when you brush it. The salon says “that’s just how your hair took the colour” and offers a free toner. You have already booked a corrective colour at another salon for $600, and a trichologist for the breakage.
This is not just bad luck. It is a failure of a paid service, and you can claim for it.
Hairdressing is a service under the ACL
Every salon in Australia is bound by the Australian Consumer Law guarantees:
- Due care and skill (section 60). Leaving bleach on too long, skipping a strand test, or over-processing damaged hair is not due care.
- Fit for purpose (section 61). If you showed a reference photo and they said “yes, we can do that”, the result must reasonably match.
Where the failure is major, or the salon will not fix it properly, section 267 lets you claim a refund and compensation for reasonably foreseeable loss.
What you can claim
- Refund of what you paid ($450)
- Corrective work at another salon ($600). You are not required to let the same salon that damaged your hair try again if you have lost confidence in them.
- Treatment costs: trichologist, prescribed scalp treatments, reconstructive hair treatments
- Extensions or a wig if breakage is severe enough to need them
If the salon caused a chemical burn, that is also a personal injury. For serious burns or hair loss, see a doctor and get it documented. That can become a much larger claim.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who owes you?
2. How much?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Where should we send it?
Evidence: do this today
- Photos in natural light, front, back and sides, dated
- The reference photo you showed them
- Your booking confirmation and receipt
- Any texts or DMs with the salon
- A written opinion from the corrective salon or a trichologist stating what went wrong (over-processing, wrong developer, etc.)
- Photos of your hair before the appointment
Do not wash or recolour before you have photos. Do not accept a “free fix” from the same stylist without something in writing saying it does not affect your claim.
Why the letter works
Salons live on Google reviews and Instagram. A calm, formal Letter of Demand citing section 60 and 61, listing your costs with receipts, and giving 14 days before a tribunal application is more effective than any angry review. It tells the owner that this will not go away and that a public tribunal decision with the salon’s name on it is next.
For a claim of $1,000 to $2,000, you can file a consumer claim at NCAT, VCAT or QCAT, or your state’s equivalent tribunal or court. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file. You will not need a lawyer.
What if they offer a partial refund?
Salons often come back with “we’ll refund the colour but not the cut” or “we’ll give you a $200 credit.” A credit is worthless to you; you are not going back. If the offer does not cover your actual out-of-pocket costs, say no in writing and restate your figure. You can always accept a lower amount later. You cannot go higher once you have accepted.
Claim Done drafts your Letter of Demand for $49. Done in about 5 minutes. You approve it before it is sent.
What happens when you send a Consumer Guarantee Letter
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.