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The salon explained it incurred costs and the package had expired, but was willing to refund 50 per cent of the unused portion.
April 27, 2026, 06:09 PM
A salon in Jurong was accused of not promptly refunding a man the unused portion of a package that his late wife had signed before her passing.
The man, 50, surnamed Zhang (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that his wife died of lung cancer in September 2025.
She was 48.
He then approached the beauty salons, hair salons, and gyms in Singapore and Malaysia to process the refund of packages that his late wife had signed before she died.
The couple are Singapore permanent residents.
Found out about salon package
Zhang received a text message from a hair salon on Corporation Road in Jurong following his wife’s death.
He posed as his wife and asked about the package she had signed up for before her death.
He said the salon replied that the package consisted of five hair colouring sessions and five hair treatments.
The salon was not named.
On Nov. 24, 2025, Zhang revealed his identity to the store and made it known that his wife had passed away.
He learned that the package she signed in August 2023 cost S$990.
She started cancer treatment in September that year.
The doctor had instructed her not to utilise products that could cause irritation, the man claimed.
Zhang further said he believed that his wife never used the package at all as a result of the medical advice.
Asked for updates regarding refund
In December 2025, three months after his wife’s passing, the husband asked the salon for updates regarding the refund.
The salon responded that the matter would be raised with its management at the time.
Zhang followed up several times, he claimed, but the replies were that the salon was busy.
“I feel that if they really wanted to handle it, they wouldn’t have dragged it out for so long, it’s a bit irresponsible,” he said.
Salon agreed to transfer package or offer 50% refund
The salon told Shin Min that Zhang was told that the package could be transferred to another person or he could accept a 50 per cent refund of the remaining value of the package.
Zhang was unwilling to accept either offer.
But the salon pointed out that the two-year package had expired in July 2025, and the terms and conditions stated that a refund could not be granted as a result.
“We are willing to refund 50 per cent of the money out of goodwill,” the salon said.
The salon said it had to bear costs, such as the goods and services tax, operating costs, and the commission to the hairdresser.
Similar circumstances
The salon said it had encountered a similar situation before, where the package was signed by a woman who then passed away.
The package was transferred to the woman’s daughter.
This was the first time a transfer of the package or a partial refund were both rejected.
The store also indicated it had practised flexibility, as the package had apparently been utilised after it had expired.
When presented with the salon’s side of the story, the husband said he no longer wanted a refund, but for the salon to apologise instead.
