Hair transplant clinic penalised

Chandigarh, October 8

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed a hair transplant clinic to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 and also refund a fee of Rs 52,000 to a consumer after he did not have hair growth after the treatment.

In a complaint filed before the commission, Rajesh Kumar Kaushik, an advocate and a resident of Thanesar, Kurukshetra district, Haryana, said he approached Studio-6 LifeStyle Clinic Private Limited, Sector 22-C, Chandigarh, for hair transplant. He paid Rs 52,000 for the treatment on December 28, 2017. Thereafter, he was taken into an operation theatre (OT).

He said the environment of the OT was not pleasant. When he asked about the doctor, he was told that the doctor was out of station and the persons present there were trained in hair transplantation and were doing the treatment of all patients. He alleged that the treatment was done by attendants and not the doctor.

After the treatment, he was assured that within three months, almost all new hair would start growth. He followed all instructions and remained in their touch, but there was no growth of hair even after three months. They told him to wait for three more months for the best result of the treatment. After waiting for six months, there was no growth of hair. Finally, he asked the centre to refund Rs 52,000, but to no avail.

The clinic denied all charges and claimed that the complainant signed a consent form before going through the procedure of hair transplant, wherein all procedures and any complications arising out of the procedure were explained to him.

The clinic said as every person responds differently to the treatment, the company could not assure the result with 100 per cent accuracy. Moreover, the complainant did not follow the post-surgery instructions. As a result, the required density was not achieved.

After hearing the arguments, the commission said the clinic charged Rs 52,000 from the complainant on account of hair transplant surgery, but it failed to give the desired results. In view of this, the clinic was directed to refund Rs 52,000 and pay Rs 10,000 compensation to the complainant for mental agony and harassment. The commission also directed the clinic to pay Rs 7,000 as litigation expenses.