Divine Hairdresser hairdresser, Edward Manier, to pay client Naomi Avramovic over ‘horizontal’ balayage

A popular Cairns hairdresser has been ordered to pay more than $700 to a client who lodged a claim over a dye job she described as “devastating” and not the balayage she asked for.

The case of a controversial balayage dye has been aired during a Cairns tribunal hearing with a stylist ordered to refund the client and pay for “corrections”.

A popular Cairns hairdresser has been ordered to pay more than $700 to a client who lodged a claim over a dye job she described as “devastating” and not the balayage she asked for.

Cairns businesswoman, Naomi Avramovic, lodged a minor civil claim against Divine Hair Whitfield stylist Edward Manier, saying the dye job she received at the salon in late 2024 came out looking like harsh horizontal lines, and not the “very blended, very soft” hand-dying that was characteristic of a balayage style.

She said she decided to take the matter to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal after Mr Manier’s initial offer of compensation did not eventuate.

“If you bought a t-shirt online and it arrived half stitched up, you would expect a refund because it is not what you paid for — there is no difference,” Ms Avramovic told the tribunal.

“Before this appointment, my hair was healthy, beautiful and point of pride, now due to excessive bleach and lack of skill, my hair is compromised and it will take years to recover ... I asked for a balayage and instead I received visible damage and long-term consequences,” she said.

'After' photos tendered during submissions of Naomi Avramovic's hair following a balayage dye by a Whitfield stylist.

“The experience has been emotionally exhausting and professionally damaging. I am a young woman whose appearance plays a role — and this man violated my trust and left me to carry the burden physically, emotionally and financially.”

Acting Magistrate Jon Ide, presiding over the QCAT hearing, asked for a definition of ‘balayage’ at the beginning of the proceedings and was told by Ms Avramovic that it was an “almost a seamless look going from a darker to a lighter colour”.

He said he accepted Mr Manier was a very well-regarded, skilled stylist, who had strong support and long-term clients, but said the result on this particular occasion was not “appropriate”.

“It appears to me that, looking at the photos that have been tendered with the application, compared to what a balayage treatment seems to represent is that, notwithstanding Mr Manier’s best efforts to do the work, and I’ve got no doubt that he is a very well-regarded hairdresser in the community ... I believe in this particular instance, the work wasn’t done to an appropriate standard.” Mr Ide said.

Acting Magistrate Jon Ide, acting as tribunal member for the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, accepted that Mr Manier was a skilled and well-regarded stylist but his work had not been ‘appropriate’ on this occasion.

His order was that Mr Manier refund $350 from the original appointment, pay $300 for the subsequent colour correction and the court filing fees — a total of $740.10.

Mr Manier told the tribunal he believed his work was good, and had made offers to address Ms Avramovic concerns, but had ultimately decided to leave the decision to the tribunal when the client continued to visit the salon, and communication broke down.

“When the client (first) came in, she had an incredible amount of hair and the colour was done in an orangey colour ... I had to do an incredible amount of work and use an incredible amount of product and I was really happy with what I’d achieved,” Mr Manier told the tribunal.

Mr Manier said he had lived and worked in Cairns since 1998 and rarely had an issue he couldn’t resolve.

Mr Manier told the tribunal he was happy with the job he’d done and said he had been asked to fix someone else’s mistake.

“Normally, I can work out anything with anyone so they are happy because that is my end goal to make sure they are happy.

“In this case, whatever I did to resolve the issue was not right.”

Mr Manier told the tribunal he was a “really good hairdresser in this town” and was not prepared to admit fault for something he had not done.

“All I did was my best to correct something that was already done before,” he said.

Ms Avramovic, who tendered ‘after’ photos to the court, said the experience was upsetting, particularly when another stylist told her a few days later that she may have to dye her hair completely brown, completely blonde, or wait for the ‘damage’ to grow out.

“I was devastated and sat there in tears, not wanting to change a hairstyle I’d looked after for many years.” she told the tribunal.

“I do not wish to harm him (Mr Manier) or his reputation. I just want the means to restore my appearance and my dignity and I can’t afford to do so without this money.”

Originally published as Divine Hairdresser hairdresser, Edward Manier, to pay client Naomi Avramovic over ‘horizontal’ balayage