A 75-year-old woman in China’s Shanghai reportedly blew through nearly three million yuan (US$450,000) of her retirement savings on beauty treatments, leaving her financially drained and unable to afford rent after her daughter discovered the staggering expenses.
A 75-year-old woman in China’s Shanghai reportedly blew through nearly three million yuan (US$450,000) of her retirement savings on beauty treatments, leaving her financially drained and unable to afford rent after her daughter discovered the expenses. The elderly woman, surnamed Yu, had reportedly been spending her savings at a branch of Yongqi Beauty and Hairdressing Company and a medical beauty institution associated with the company since 2016.
Alarmed after discovering that her mother had exhausted her entire savings, Yu’s daughter approached a Shanghai television programme seeking help and answers.
According to billing records obtained by the daughter, Yu underwent a string of beauty procedures over the years, including skin-tightening treatments, thread lifting and meridian massages. She also paid for eyebrow and lip tattooing procedures.
However, the bills reportedly showed that several services were charged at prices 10 to 20 times higher than prevailing market rates.
One eyebrow-raising example was a multi-procedure lip tattooing session that cost 39,800 yuan (US$6,000). The invoices also showed that Yu underwent the same procedure multiple times, despite repeated tattooing not being necessary.
When asked about the spending, Yu said she had not paid much attention to the prices because she believed she was affluent.
Her savings had come from selling her home. But by the time her daughter uncovered the extent of the spending, Yu was reportedly left in such a precarious financial position that she could no longer afford to rent a flat and had even been forced to sell her jewellery.
300,000 Yuan ‘Intimate Care’ Procedure
The situation took another troubling turn when staff at the Yongqi outlet referred Yu to a medical beauty clinic called Rouyi.
The clinic reportedly charged her 300,000 yuan (US$45,000) for an “intimate care” procedure. Although Yu paid the hefty amount, she never underwent the procedure. Instead, the clinic later substituted it with other skincare treatments.
Rouyi’s invoices contained puzzling descriptions such as “happiness chair” and “space capsule”, which Yu herself was unable to explain.
The SCMP attempted to contact Rouyi for comment, but the telephone numbers listed on its invoices were reportedly non-functional.
Yu’s daughter also discovered that the clinic had billed her mother through Yongqi’s account, further raising questions about the transactions.
Store Blames ‘Appearance Anxiety’
A Yongqi staff member insisted that Yu herself had requested the frequent treatments because of her “appearance anxiety”.
The staff member also claimed that the prices had been clearly displayed and that Yu accepted the charges by making the payments.
The Yongqi outlet eventually issued a partial refund of Yu’s advance payment as a compromise.
The SCMP contacted the store’s management for further comment, but officials said the matter had already been resolved and declined to provide additional details.
Yu ultimately chose not to take legal action. The Yongqi store also remains operational, with no reported signs of an official investigation or suspension.
However, the case has raised questions over the protection of elderly consumers and pricing practices in the beauty industry.
While the store cited “clearly marked prices” in its defence, China’s Provisions on Clear Price Marketing and Prohibition of Price Fraud require businesses to follow principles of transparency, fairness and honesty.