A man who paid for a hair transplant and wound up with a glue-on wig has won a court battle to get his money back.
Edward Willett was left shocked after paying a whopping £4,000 ($5,200) for a cutting-edge 'hair system', only to be given what he describes as a toupee. And to top it all off, the glue used to bond his hair replacement triggered an asthmatic reaction.
After realising the mix-up, the fitness coach from Ipswich sued International Hair Studio (London) Ltd for misleading him during a consultation.
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During the court case, salon boss Richard Rowe told Central London County Court how they had made it clear to Willett he was in for a 'hair replacement', adding that the contract made no suggestion of hair follicle transplant surgery.
However, judge Paul Brooks ruled in the customer's favour, ordering the studio to pay Willett back in full, as well as an additional £1,887 ($2,469) in damages.
The court heard how Willett's parents helped him to pay for the procedure, having struggled with his receding hairline for years.
Speaking about the incident, the judge said that when Willett attended the salon for treatment in November 2017 - nearly a year after his initial appointment - he came to realise what he had paid for 'wasn't what he was expecting'.
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Judge Brooks added: "He was shocked and started crying, he said he was misled and there was misrepresentation, and that he should be entitled to rescind and get his money back.
"He expected he was getting a hair transplant and not a hair replacement, which he refers to as a 'wig' or 'toupee'.
"Mr Willett said he asked during discussions with the [studio] representative whether what he was being supplied with was a wig and he was told that it was not."
Willett - who specialises in offering personal training and fitness for elderly and less mobile people - admitted to signing the contract, but that he only took a brief look at it as he was feeling anxious.
He explained: "At one point, I asked the representative if what was being described was a wig and he said 'no'.
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"He said it wasn't a wig, it was a hair system," something Willett understood to mean a transplant.
His dad Colin Willett added: "The whole procedure was dressed up in fancy terminology, but it's a toupee and it cost £4,000. He was never told it was just a wig."
International Hair Studio must now pay over a total of £5,887 to Willett, including the £4,000 paid out for the treatment, plus damages and interest.
Topics: UK News