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59 file complaints against shuttered hair salons

SINGAPORE — Customers of a well-known hair-salon chain, The Scissorhands, have been left in the lurch after all its seven outlets closed suddenly.

A man outside the shuttered The Scissorhands Salon in Clementi. Photo: Daryl Kang/TODAY

A man outside the shuttered The Scissorhands Salon in Clementi. Photo: Daryl Kang/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Customers of a well-known hair-salon chain, The Scissorhands, have been left in the lurch after all its seven outlets closed suddenly.

The Consumers Association of Singa­pore (CASE) said that as of 6pm today (Sept 2), it had received 59 complaints against the salon and its affiliate, Shizahanzu.

“Consumers are advised to file a claim with the Small Claims Tribunals as soon as possible, as the company is still live on ACRA,” said CASE’s executive director, Mr Seah Seng Choon, referring to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.

“They may wish to contact CASE if they require further assistance,” he said yesterday.

The Scissorhands, which began operations in 1994, was founded by Mr Leong Pang. The chain is run alongside Shizahanzu, which is also under Mr Leong.

Attempts by TODAY to contact Mr Leong were unsuccessful.

Several customers whom TODAY spoke to said they were shocked to find the salons closed when they arrived for their appointments last week.

Ms Cherie Tay, who had paid more than S$2,000 for a package at the salon, said she had been told to go to the Suntec City branch for her hairdressing appointment, as the Bedok Point outlet had moved there.

“They allowed me to fix an appointment, but before I could go for it, I received an SMS last Friday stating that the salons will be closed from that day on,” the 34-year-old said yesterday.

Ms Tay has set up a WhatsApp group with 14 other Scissorhands’ customers, hoping that their strength in numbers will make them “more effective and efficient” in seeking redress.

Ms Chloe Chong, 25, who last year signed up for a package worth S$1,299, has several unused sessions left. She said she had been unsure about signing up for that package, after having used up the sessions on an earlier package.

“The salon said they had the licence to prove that they were very strong and would not close down, so I decided to proceed with the (payment),” she said.

Another customer who wanted to be known only as Ms Yang, recently signed up for an SG50 promotional package worth S$1,000 on her first visit to The Scissorhands’ Clementi outlet in July.

“I called the salon to book an appointment, but when I visited the outlet in Bukit Batok Central last Wednesday, I found it closed. No one had notified me about the closure of the outlet. It was too sudden,” she said today.

Ms Yang, 37, then approached the staff at a nearby Shizahanzu outlet, but was told that they were shorthanded that day and needed a day’s time to find her package details.

However, when she returned to the salon the next day, she found it closed as well.

The 15 women have filed their claims with the Small Claims Tribunals in the past week, and one of them is expected to have her hearing held next Tuesday.

“For me, one thing is to create awareness. From (the hearing), I hope to get a refund,” said Ms Yang.

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