So I went to a new hair salon for a haircut which I liked and they upsold me on a "Suavecito Hair Pomade" which I bought because I was out of hair product anyway.
The first red flag was the label/packaging of the container. The colour looked worn and the label was not aligned correctly.
I contacted "Suavecito" with pictures of the product and surprise surprise - they confirmed it was a counterfeit product.
I went back to the salon about 3-4 weeks later for another haircut with my receipt and the pomade (unused) and requested a refund which they denied. I explained that it was a fake and that it could damage my hair but they acted as if they were unaware. I know that they knew it was a counterfeit product because they spoke in their own language which I could partially understand and they looked very suspicious when I confronted them about it.
I'm wondering what my rights are and what else I can do. I've already contacted the ACCC and written a complaint letter. It was a $25 product which I'd like to get my money back but more importantly I don't want anyone else possibly damaging their hair (or worse losing their hair) because of this fake product.
TLDR: Salon sold me fake product, won't give me a refund, have contacted ACCC, what to do next?
For what it's worth, the salon was a Chinese hair salon and the product was a fake that was made in China. I normally go to a Korean salon where I have no issues but my hairdresser is on maternity leave.