This particular example is definitely the fault of the salon (the training should have value), but as long as it is disclosed before the training begins, I don'

This particular example is definitely the fault of the salon (the training should have value), but as long as it is disclosed before the training begins, I don't see any issue, since people who know they won't finish the training are less likely to sign up, and of course it should be negotiable for well qualified applicants and exceptions should be made for things out of the trainee's control like family emergencies, etc. I am pro worker's rights and proud to live in a state with a decent balance of protections, but I am surprised at the amount of people in this comments section who seem to think that there is nothing an employee can do to hurt a company - I have personally heard some of my more "mischievous" friends discuss these tactics, and have seen the cost of grifters who use them to take advantage of companies, from fraudulent (but hard to prove) worker's comp claims, training/benefit poaching, outright theft, etc.