Hairstylist Jonal Chong - Cheater
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I read today ST on the hairstylist was angry that he is a cheater. He claimed that he was the hairstylist of hollywood celebrities and even produced doctored photographs which he now admitted was false.
I am also surprise that CASE reported that it would drop the case if he stops the misleading advertisement. How can CASE take lightly such offence of deceiving customers. I hope other relevant authority will look into this matter and take action against him as a deterrent to others.
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why get so angry?
He's just a harmless hairstylist nia.......
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he change name to Anal Chong liao..................what a dumb ass..............if in the 80's still can bullshit a while............now how can !
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Jan 8, 2011
'I've never done Nicole Kidman's hair before'
Hairstylist Jonal Chong confesses that his claims of celeb clients are false.
THE man who claimed to be A-list actress Nicole Kidman's hairstylist has come clean.
Now, Mr Jonal Chong says he has never touched her golden tresses.
It is a reversal of the claim he has been making - a claim marketing experts say reflects today's obsession with celebrities as much as it does the beauty industry's competitiveness.
The 48-year-old managing director of Jonal Chong Hair Couture yesterday apologised to the public and pledged to stop using the actress' name in advertisements and fliers for his Orchard Central salon.
He also admitted to lying about American actress Katherine Heigl and British actor Hugh Grant being his clients.
Suspicions were raised when my paper reported that he may have doctored a photograph of Ms Kidman to make it appear like he was standing next to her.
Meeting The Straits Times near his salon yesterday, he made it clear he was angry about the newspaper reports, although he seemed in equal measure to be anxious for a way out of his trouble, now that the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) was investigating his claims.
After a while, he confessed he had lied, but still looked and sounded angry: 'I've never done Nicole Kidman's hair before. I'll not use her name for advertising anymore. I sincerely apologise to the public.'
Asked why he lied and whether the photo was doctored, he clammed up. When pressed, he stormed out of the cafe, only to return seconds later to demand if the paper would report that he had walked out on the interview.
Then he said pleadingly: 'I hope the public will give me another chance.'
He pointed out that he had not ridden on Ms Kidman's fame to charge high prices. Haircuts at his salon start at $13, and hair colouring and treatments at $38.
But he is sticking to his guns about having been a hairstylist in London from 1997 to 2005, and about having taken 'more than 10' hair-styling courses at the Vidal Sassoon School there.
No one might have questioned the photograph of him with Ms Kidman, except that an almost identical photo of her with director Alejandro Amenabar is available online, and is captioned as having been taken in Los Angeles in August 2001.
In both pictures, she is in a black dress with silver stripes; Mr Amenabar and Mr Chong appear with her in identical black jackets and blue shirts.
When the report alleging that the photo was doctored came out, Mr Chong claimed he did not know why the pictures were so alike, and said he would call Ms Kidman so she could clarify things.
Singapore Polytechnic marketing lecturer Andrew Lee said the hairstylist took a short cut to stand out from the pack in the beauty services industry: 'Celebrity endorsements capture the attention of consumers and break through the clutter of other ads. They also foster an instant trust for the brand. Many consumers view having the same stylist as a celebrity as a status symbol.'
But name-dropping can only get one so far, he added, because in the long term, quality and service matter more.
Those in the industry agree.
Mr Shunji Matsuo, who has a dozen salons in the region bearing his name and who has styled Hollywood actress Uma Thurman and supermodels Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, said a hairstylist with celebrities in his portfolio can get a jump ahead in his career.
He said of Mr Chong: 'He should not make up stories. Clients are important, but you can't make up your past and expect success. Honesty and talent are most important in our industry.'
As for Mr Chong's real customers, one of them, Madam Chia Swan, 53, has had her trust in him shaken. The housewife, who bought a $500 package at his salon, said he did 'wrong' to mislead people.
But new client Nori Safawi, 46, who also bought a $500 package, said: 'The haircut and service are good, and the price is reasonable. I'll come back, despite the problems the salon has.'
However, users of online forums like flowerpod.com.sg claim it uses hard-sell techniques and offers poor service.
Case told Mr Chong yesterday that it would drop the matter if he stops his misleading advertisements.
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Big deal, its not like he laundered millions of dollars and got away with just a $6000 fine. Let it go.
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will nicole kidman take legal action against him?
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Originally posted by dragg:
will nicole kidman take legal action against him?
The only problem is Nicole Kidman doesn't have a farking idea who he is.
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dun think she so free to deal with ah mao ah gou