Hair salon rant

I just had my hair cut at a salon that I've gone to for a few years. I've always gotten great haircuts there, and the staff were always friendly. At other salons, even when I didn't really like the cut, I could work with the stylist for a quick fix, and I was always very polite and cordial.

This stylist was a bit rough with my head, pushing it up and down a tad hard, but not really too badly. A couple of times, she told me, "You gotta keep your head DOWN!", which I must admit annoyed me, but I said nothing. The style I got is the same one I've had for 2 years, and I wash and dry it every day, so I know how I need to do this--in other words, I need to use gel, not anything else. My hair doesn't work with anything else--it lays flat, which I hate the look of, and also how it feels. When she got ready to blow-dry my hair, I mentioned that I need gel. She insisted that gel would weigh my hair down, and she was going to use root lift. Ok, whatever works. I've never heard of root lift, but figured it may work due to the name. It didn't. My hair looked bad, and was flat, and felt annoying to me. She asked my opinion, and I told her (nicely) that I needed a bit of height, and could I just have a bit of gel on it. She got defensive. I finally got a little testy with her, saying, "Well, the gel would've worked; why is it such a problem to have it?" She became angry with me, raising her voice. I finally asked to talk to the manager. The stylist yelled at me, "There's my assistant manager; you can go and talk to HER!" The worthless manager just came over, and looked at me, saying nothing to either one of us. I told the so-called "manager" that the stylist had an attitude I did NOT appreciate, etc. She said nothing. I said to the stylist, "Just finish my hair; I want to get out of here." "Just GO, and DON'T bother paying for anything; just get out of here!", was her reply. I did, yelling that I'd never come back, etc. Hubby was outside, and asked what was wrong. Then HE (all 6ft, 1", 250lb., former Marine!) went inside to chat with them. He later told me that they were laughing at me, and complaining about me being a rude customer. (BTW, he paid the bill.)

These people were very un-professional, in my opinion. Even if I had been the aggressor in the situation, the manager should've stepped in, defused the situation, then offered to finish the service for the stylist (and, after I left, taken her aside, and spoken to her as a manager, not her buddy). Frankly, they also should not have taken the money for the service, or at least given me a coupon for a free haircut, etc., but I don't really care about that. What angers me is that the manager didn't take control of the situation, and try to make things right for a customer.

Thanks for letting me vent! BTW, I went home, washed my hair, AND APPLIED TO GEL TO IT, and it looks pretty good.

Hair salons can drive anyone insane. I recently changed hairdressers because my last one had a bunch of personal problems and the last cut she gave me I looked like I fell under the lawn mower. I am not one for going back and asking a hairdresser to fix a haircut - too confrontational for me. I just never return.

The worst thing that ever happened to me was my hairdresser at the time washed my hair and brought me to my seat. I then mentioned that I hadn't been that happy with the last haircut he gave me. He totally flipped his lid and told me never to come back. So here's me ready to go to the office with soaking wet hair! I had to walk around downtown Hartford and finally found another salon that would get me ready for the office!

The way that this stylist and assistant manager acted is beyond rude. That is inexcusable. I would have someone else call the salon and figure out how you can get in touch with the owner. I used to work in a salon and the owner would have definitely fired someone if they acted like that. The owner may not be aware of this stylists and assistant managers attitude and you should let them know what happened. If this is a corporate owned salon then I would write a letter to the corporate office.

I just thought I had problems.

I would call the BBB and lodge a complaint I would tell every single person you know never to go there. Hair salons are one business that should be concerenced with 100% customer satisfaction, the way those people treated you was beyond rude. I would probably call up there and ask to speak to the owner

Luckily my best friend of 12 years does my hair so I can tell her how I REALLY feel lol, but you should call back up there and talk to the real manager, not the assistant manager, she (or he) may feel a little differently about the situation than the assistant manager did..just a thought!

The OP could also post a negative review at yellowpages.com. I did that for an awful pedicure I got in the summer. I personally will not go anywhere that has even one bad online review.

Oh my gosh, thats disgusting, you are a paying customer, the flippin cheek of them and then to laugh, I wont tell you what I would have done but I wouldn't have kept my cool as much as you. I ahte hair salons as it is I have thick curly hair and a cut and blow dry cost me around £50, I have a mobile hairdresser and she charges me £5!!! Shows what rip-offs salons are. I tell you its getting bad when you can't even make a request when you are a paying customer!! Thats really got my goat, I would not leave it like this, I would take this further. xx

I would have had a fit and no way should this person have been paid. Your hubby should not have given her a dime. My sister had a problem recently with a permanent she received and got her money back. I did not go back to that salon either since we both went to the same one. I got my hair done at a different salon I found and I was very happy with the outcome.

By the way I use gel also, it helps my hair to look fuller as you said.

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH i would have gone mental wih them i would of waited till the manager came in and spoke to her/him

there isnt a lot of people i trust with my hair, and after one stylist burnt my head there are even less ill let do my hair lol

I would of flipped out! That's ridiculous!

I'm sorry you had such a horrible time! I would try and contact the owner and the BBB. I would also give them a very bad review on yelp. http://www.yelp.com

If it is a chain you need to contact their HR department or the Owner and have a chat with them about being unprofessional.

As for accepting the money...why wouldn't they? They were making fun of you and laughing about it and your husband offered them money? I can't really say I'm surprised they took it since they were so unprofessional to begin with, after all that I don't think they'd have the presence of mind to not accept cash.

I would be slightly upset at my fiance if he'd walked back in there and offered them money. You didn't go into detail so I can't make assumptions really, but it doesn't sound like he did much sticking up for you.

It's all about the money and not the result anymore, and any kind of hair cuts/styles are way overpriced anyways. I hope you go to a few websites, leave reviews, spread the word around, and definitely give the owner a call.

Somebody needs to get canned.

Originally Posted by Nekomania

If it is a chain you need to contact their HR department or the Owner and have a chat with them about being unprofessional.

As for accepting the money...why wouldn't they? They were making fun of you and laughing about it and your husband offered them money? I can't really say I'm surprised they took it since they were so unprofessional to begin with, after all that I don't think they'd have the presence of mind to not accept cash.

I would be slightly upset at my fiance if he'd walked back in there and offered them money. You didn't go into detail so I can't make assumptions really, but it doesn't sound like he did much sticking up for you.

It's all about the money and not the result anymore, and any kind of hair cuts/styles are way overpriced anyways. I hope you go to a few websites, leave reviews, spread the word around, and definitely give the owner a call.

Somebody needs to get canned.

Click to expand...

I agree he should not have paid them, but I didn't know he had done so until afterwards (I was outside, stewing). He said he was afraid they'd be rotten enought to get revenge on me by calling the police (they have our phone number in the computer, BTW), and getting me arrested for not paying, since it would bt my word against theirs--and they were sticking up for each other. He also said, "It's a guy thing. Even if you get mad, you curse them out, but slap down the money on the counter, and leave." I told him he doesn't understand women's hair salon stuff--I have, in other salons, seen women leave without paying when they had a bad experience.

I plan on writing a letter to their corporate office.

Originally Posted by MargeCat

I plan on writing a letter to their corporate office.

Click to expand...

good! the attitude you were shown was inappropriate & totally unprofessional!

Originally Posted by MargeCat

I plan on writing a letter to their corporate office.

Click to expand...

DO us all a favour and let us know which place it is. Word of mouth is the biggest way these places get customers, and guess what, biggest way they lose them too - and this place should.
Save another TCS friend from this place!!

Husband made a good point. They could have been nasty and called the police to say you left without paying.

I would complain then trash them to any and all who would listen.

I am lucky to live close to an Aveda Institute so I go there and have students work on me. I get my best cuts there. Last time I went, for $100.00 I got a cut, color, conditioning, three products and this awesome nail color.

I feel more comfortable letting the students there cut my hair than those at Best Cuts, Great Clips or any of the other chains.

I hope that their corporate offices do something. That is unbelievably ridiculous. I would have spazzed out like a psycho if a hair stylist treated me like that. Ugh I hope they all get fired because that's just unacceptable. I can't believe you were treated like that over hair gel for real that's just insane. If. I were you id make sure I did everything to spread the word about what happened and make sure you drop the name of the stylist AND manager. Grrrrr stupid people!

Wow, that's aweful! I would never set foot in that shop again! What a bunch of hussys! As other members have suggested, I would go on www.angielist.com, www.yellowpages.com, etc and write a review about that shop. I would also notify the better business buero in your area about the less than stellar service! You are a paying customer and that is simply unacceptable that the staff was soo rude and hateful to you! Goodnight; all you asked for was a little gel in your hair, not the moon If that lady gets sooo offended at a customers polite suggestion to add a little gel to their hair (which you've lived with for your entire life and know better than she does), then she is clearly in the wrong profession! Sorry you had a bad experience

I am very lucky that I have a hairstylist that I absolutely adore. Brian is the most flamboyant, happy person I know and he has been cutting my hair for years! (He even has pictures of his pet cat at his hair station...thought my fellow TCSers would appreciate that!) I swear he can seriously read my mind half of the time! Sometimes when I go in I really just have no clue what I want done so I'll tell him to just "go for it"...it always winds up looking great after he's finished with the cut/style. Other times I'll go in with a picture that I like/etc and he always seems to know how to work his magic to make my hair look good. I think a good hair stylist is one of the best things you can have in life for sure! We actually have a tradition of taking a picture everytime I go in for a haircut, so I probably have enough pictures of him and the rest of the staff to make an album by now I always take them cookies/etc at the holidays, and they are always soo kind to me and my family. The shop I go to is a small family-owned shop and they are all worth their weight in gold! I also love how reasonable they are on their prices.

(Funny I came across this thread today...my mom is actually taking my niece Taylor for a visit there this morning to get her hair cut! )

Originally Posted by MargeCat

I plan on writing a letter to their corporate office.

Click to expand...

There is absolutely no excuse for such poor customer service! Tell them everything exactly the way you told us. And since you've been going to this salon for a few years, you should have treated as a preferred customer.