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Salon messed up... Help!


PrincessMommy
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College daughter went to have her hair cut and colored today at a local beauty school that she's been going to for a few years.  She had it colored back in Dec. to a darker color than her natural, and now she wants to go lighter (darker really didn't suit her).  I explained to her before she left this morning that they can't go immediately from dark to blond, but that it would take a couple of steps.  She was fine with that.

 

The first time they colored it today she said it was clown orange.   After that she said she thought she should go back to the brown and forget going lighter.  They said "no no, I think we can fix it and it will look cute lighter."  So she sheepishly agreed.  6 hours later and $100 poorer it's not exactly clown orange, but it's bad.  Plus, there's a nice stripe right around the length of her ears,  with the darker, previously colored hair around the bottom and the lighter, uncolored hair on top. There are strange "blond" streaks here and there - mostly behind her ears (???), but mostly it's an ugly orange tint.  She's in tears.   

 

They want her to come back AGAIN on Monday to fix it again.  

 

I'm shocked they'd charge her and called to complain (the manager wasn't in!?).  

 

What should we expect and what should we do?  I've had bad hair days, but this one is bad and I feel just awful for her.   I'm trying to help walk her through this experience and learn to self-advocate.  Help me out here with what is reasonable and what may not be reasonable.

 

Thanks!

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They either fix the problem with one more chance or they refund her money so she can take it to a place that can fix what they messed up. Those are the only 2 acceptable options I would take. If it ended up on the next attempt they didn't fix it and still didn't refund your money I'd tell them you'd be filing a complaint with the BBB and contacting a lawyer in order to get your refund and damages (not that I actually would but just saying it could get them to handle the situation differently.)

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They either fix the problem with one more chance or they refund her money so she can take it to a place that can fix what they messed up. Those are the only 2 acceptable options I would take. If it ended up on the next attempt they didn't fix it and still didn't refund your money I'd tell them you'd be filing a complaint with the BBB and contacting a lawyer in order to get your refund and damages (not that I actually would but just saying it could get them to handle the situation differently.)

:iagree:  if this is a school - they should also have a teacher supervising first-hand to make sure it is fixed correctly.  going from colored dark, to light is more complicated than if it were her natural color, but should be doable.

 

I had a lousy cut, and someone else at the salon fixed it.  I wasn't charged.

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Yah, either they get one more shot to fix it (by one of the teachers preferably, and I might lean towards a refund for the stress and having to come back in along with the fix. They should offer the refund just for good customer relations I would think) or refund money and she can go elsewhere to fix it. And if the teacher can't fix it, well I would never step foot in there again personally.

If they offer nothing, I would be very public about how bad they messed up and their UNWILLINGNESS to make it correct. It's not that they messed up, it is how they handle it now. And the salon is open and no manager present???? That could be the issue right there.

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Yah, either they get one more shot to fix it (by one of the teachers preferably, and I might lean towards a refund for the stress and having to come back in along with the fix. They should offer the refund just for good customer relations I would think) or refund money and she can go elsewhere to fix it. And if the teacher can't fix it, well I would never step foot in there again personally.

If they offer nothing, I would be very public about how bad they messed up and their UNWILLINGNESS to make it correct. It's not that they messed up, it is how they handle it now. And the salon is open and no manager present???? That could be the issue right there.

 

yeah, I thought that sounded off.  They kept pushing me to email her... but I want to speak to her directly.  Emails can be ignored.

 

Thanks everyone.  My gut was that it was just so wrong to charge her the full amount for a disaster.  But, don't know what is reasonable and what isn't.

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I would send a generic e-mail to start a paper trail if a refund is needed later.  Don't go into details, just mention what happened and how it needed to be remedied.

 

Big hug to your dd, I hope this works out.

 

fyi...There is a product called color-oops or something like that; it removes color to the before state and then you try again.

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okay, I have a hairstylist friend who says that charging her was completely appropriate.  They colored it first, messed up, colored it again.   So she only got charged for once - not 2x.

 

Also, since it's a salon school, dd had to sign a paper saying she won't sue them if they mess up.  So, threatening them with that won't hold water.

 

 

 

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They either fix the problem with one more chance or they refund her money so she can take it to a place that can fix what they messed up. Those are the only 2 acceptable options I would take. If it ended up on the next attempt they didn't fix it and still didn't refund your money I'd tell them you'd be filing a complaint with the BBB and contacting a lawyer in order to get your refund and damages (not that I actually would but just saying it could get them to handle the situation differently.)

I wouldn't give them another chance to fix it. They might really damage it. I'd do my best to get a refund and head to an experienced professional.

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okay, I have a hairstylist friend who says that charging her was completely appropriate. They colored it first, messed up, colored it again. So she only got charged for once - not 2x.

 

Also, since it's a salon school, dd had to sign a paper saying she won't sue them if they mess up. So, threatening them with that won't hold water.

Irregardless of what the hair stylist friend thinks, I totally disagree. Why on earth should you pay for a messed up coloring job? I can see why a hairstylist would want to be paid, and if they had fixed it, I would have paid, but no way I would have otherwise.

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I agree with Pastel. Imagine I had asked a seamstress to hem a dress and it was just a touch too long when I went to pick it up. I'd ask her to fix it, right? Let's say she said she could do it right then and there while I waited. So then what if when she tried to fix it, she ruined it somehow? (Bleach spot or what have you.) I certainly wouldn't expect to pay for the first hemming, and I highly doubt she'd expect me to. You don't pay for something that was ruined and needs to still be fixed/replaced. Again, my opinion but I'm a stickler with things like this.

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I agree with Pastel. Imagine I had asked a seamstress to hem a dress and it was just a touch too long when I went to pick it up. I'd ask her to fix it, right? Let's say she said she could do it right then and there while I waited. So then what if when she tried to fix it, she ruined it somehow? (Bleach spot or what have you.) I certainly wouldn't expect to pay for the first hemming, and I highly doubt she'd expect me to. You don't pay for something that was ruined and needs to still be fixed/replaced. Again, my opinion but I'm a stickler with things like this.

 

 

I see it as a little different (not arguing, just discussing a different perspective),

 

Seamstress says 'difficult job, will take extra work, but we should be able to do it'.  Seamstress starts but 6 hours into the job, realizes that she is out of time and needs to finish another day.  Next day available is Monday.  She feels she can still fix it and asks you to bring it back on Monday, you agree.  The seamstress hasn't ruined the cloth, it just isn't finished yet.  

 

I don't think payment was necessarily due half way through a job, but on the other hand, the person working on it spent 6 hours on it.  $100 for 6 hours of work, plus product is a deal.  Yes, the hair looks like a mess right now, but it could just be in the middle of the process still.   Obviously, something is not right (the streaks sound horrible) but they do deserve one more chance to fix it.

 

When a person goes to a beauty school, they have to allow grace for the students to learn and fix their mistakes.  That is why it is a good price for the customer. It is expected that it will take extra time and that results are not going to be absolutely perfect.....reasonably good, just not perfect.  It is still a long ways from reasonable, but they are still trying to work with her to fix it, I think she should work with them also.

 

We weren't told why she was asked to come back another day.  Was it because they wouldn't have time before they closed, or was a more experienced person coming in on Monday who could offer advice. Did the hair need some resting time? The 2-3 day wait doesn't sound like it was out of malice, just because it was a weekend in between.  The hairdresser can't control that. 

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The issue with the manager not being present may be due to the type of manager you needed to talk to.. 

They are required to have a teacher supervising, but the manager isn't necessarily a teacher.  They could have different roles and thus why they wanted you to email her. The manager may not actually spend a lot of time in the salon.  They manager may not even cut hair, but just manages the teachers, deals with students evals/school requirements, staff, scheduling and dealing with unhappy customers etc.

 

 

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I see it as a little different (not arguing, just discussing a different perspective),

 

 

 

I don't think payment was necessarily due half way through a job, but on the other hand, the person working on it spent 6 hours on it. $100 for 6 hours of work, plus product is a deal. Yes, the hair looks like a mess right now, but it could just be in the middle of the process still. Obviously, something is not right (the streaks sound horrible) but they do deserve one more chance to fix it.

 

When a person goes to a beauty school, they have to allow grace for the students to learn and fix their mistakes. That is why it is a good price for the customer. It is expected that it will take extra time and that results are not going to be absolutely perfect.....reasonably good, just not perfect. It is still a long ways from reasonable, but they are still trying to work with her to fix it, I think she should work with them also.

.

The student hairdresser isn't getting paid, right? She's paying the school to learn.

 

I think it's the school's responsibility to either supervise the students and prevent drastic mistakes on live people or not let students who are not ready do procedures.

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The student hairdresser isn't getting paid, right? She's paying the school to learn.

 

I think it's the school's responsibility to either supervise the students and prevent drastic mistakes on live people or not let students who are not ready do procedures.

I have no idea what this schools situation is, what her level of expertise is, or who gets paid what. Sometimes students are paid, it depends on the way the school is set up and if the person is using the hours to count towards licencing or not.  

 

In other situations I have worked in with interns (not hairdressing but other fields) once the hours needed for licensing are fulfilled, the student can work under the guidance of a teacher for pay, until they take exams.  They usually just do it for extra practice or for the chance to earn some cash while still in school.  

 

 

But the school still has to pay its teachers, managers, pay rent, licensing fees etc.  Even if the student isn't the one getting paid directly, they are receiving a portion of that back off of their tuition.  If clients didn't help to offset all the expenses by paying for services, they tuition would be higher for the student. 

 

No matter what someone was supervising her and that person was being paid.

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I see it as a little different (not arguing, just discussing a different perspective),

 

Seamstress says 'difficult job, will take extra work, but we should be able to do it'.  Seamstress starts but 6 hours into the job, realizes that she is out of time and needs to finish another day.  Next day available is Monday.  She feels she can still fix it and asks you to bring it back on Monday, you agree.  The seamstress hasn't ruined the cloth, it just isn't finished yet.  

 

I don't think payment was necessarily due half way through a job, but on the other hand, the person working on it spent 6 hours on it.  $100 for 6 hours of work, plus product is a deal.  Yes, the hair looks like a mess right now, but it could just be in the middle of the process still.   Obviously, something is not right (the streaks sound horrible) but they do deserve one more chance to fix it.

 

When a person goes to a beauty school, they have to allow grace for the students to learn and fix their mistakes.  That is why it is a good price for the customer. It is expected that it will take extra time and that results are not going to be absolutely perfect.....reasonably good, just not perfect.  It is still a long ways from reasonable, but they are still trying to work with her to fix it, I think she should work with them also.

 

We weren't told why she was asked to come back another day.  Was it because they wouldn't have time before they closed, or was a more experienced person coming in on Monday who could offer advice. Did the hair need some resting time? The 2-3 day wait doesn't sound like it was out of malice, just because it was a weekend in between.  The hairdresser can't control that. 

Yes, but this isn't a dress we're talking about it.  It is a teen's hair.  Damage may have already occurred to the hair and further damage might occur.  It could take years to grow out.  I remember my sister getting a bad perm on her beautiful long blonde hair and it ruined her self-image through a large chunk of high school.  I guess I wouldn't take a chance on that since they don't seem to know what they are doing.  On top of that, yes, if the seamstress fixed the item on Monday, then on Monday she would receive payment, but not a second before.  I would not expect to pay for something that has not been completed.  And what if they can't fix the hair to OP's dd's satisfaction?  Should she still pay because they invested all that time ruining her hair?

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okay, I have a hairstylist friend who says that charging her was completely appropriate. They colored it first, messed up, colored it again. So she only got charged for once - not 2x.

 

Also, since it's a salon school, dd had to sign a paper saying she won't sue them if they mess up. So, threatening them with that won't hold water.

If they had managed to fix it the 2nd time then, maybe charging her, but even then I say no. It's still not fixed. No way should she have been charged, at least, until the job was done.

 

Once I had a hairdresser forget to put the setting solution in my hair for a perm. I had LONG hair. She apologized profusely and had me come back the next day to redo. In the end it turned out great, but she refused to charge me because she messed up nd I had to take another whole day to do it.

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Hi all... didn't mean to abandon this discussion but I left last night to take kids to camp and only just got back this evening.

 

My daughter really appreciates your input and perspective.  She's decided to give them one more chance.  I'm dubious, but she wants to go for it.  She told me she's going to be very specific about what she expects from them.   I'm not sure what she'll do if they still can't fix it tomorrow, but hopefully with the Hive's help she'll be a little more emboldened.   The one nice thing is that they did condition her hair very well and it's not a frizzie damaged disaster along with the bad color. 

 

I'll update when I can. 

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Hi all... didn't mean to abandon this discussion but I left last night to take kids to camp and only just got back this evening.

 

My daughter really appreciates your input and perspective.  She's decided to give them one more chance.  I'm dubious, but she wants to go for it.  She told me she's going to be very specific about what she expects from them.   I'm not sure what she'll do if they still can't fix it tomorrow, but hopefully with the Hive's help she'll be a little more emboldened.   The one nice thing is that they did condition her hair very well and it's not a frizzie damaged disaster along with the bad color. 

 

I'll update when I can. 

I really hope it works out and that your dd is happy with her hair.

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Yes, but this isn't a dress we're talking about it.  It is a teen's hair.  Damage may have already occurred to the hair and further damage might occur.  It could take years to grow out.  I remember my sister getting a bad perm on her beautiful long blonde hair and it ruined her self-image through a large chunk of high school.  I guess I wouldn't take a chance on that since they don't seem to know what they are doing.  On top of that, yes, if the seamstress fixed the item on Monday, then on Monday she would receive payment, but not a second before.  I would not expect to pay for something that has not been completed.  And what if they can't fix the hair to OP's dd's satisfaction?  Should she still pay because they invested all that time ruining her hair?

I was just continuing the analogy of the seamstress.  

 

 

Yes, the hair may be damaged.  It also may be saved due to the hairdresser stopping at the point she did. No one will know until Monday.  That is just the situation she is in....she will have to wait until it is fixed to find out. 

 

The client is the one who is choosing to ruin her hair by dying and then bleaching her hair.  Even with the best hairdresser and products made, it will be damaged.  That is what the chemicals do.  

 

A more experienced hairdresser may have chose different products or had a different skill set to reduce the destruction, but she choose to go to a beauty school and it is one of those situations that you get what you pay for.  The best teachers....may not be the best hairdressers.  They can be two very different skill sets!  Just because a teacher is overseeing students, doesn't mean that they will be able to predict every outcome.

 

 

 

I can see them going both ways on the payment.  At least with partial payment, the client is more likely to return to let them fix the job.  That is part of the learning process.  The hairdresser needs to know how to get out of the spot she is in, with the hair.  The best way to learn...is to do.  

 

If the client has spoke up and said, 'I'm not going to pay for this' she may have not had to. It doesn't sound like that is what she did.  Most adults will say they have had circumstances where they were charged for something that they shouldn't have paid for. Either out of shock (bad hair cut myself), or embarrassment, or whatever....just like the hairdresser needs to learn from this, the client does too.  

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One tip, she should make sure to get an experienced, almost graduated student. Even if she has to wait longer. That will be her best chance for a good fix.

 

A few years ago, dd and I went to a school. Dd was 2 inches shorter on one side, and that was AFTER the teacher tried to fix her hair. My cut was done by a student that had been there 2 weeks..... And I signed the "no fault" deal...

 

Needless to say, I coughed up more money and went to a regular salon for fixes and vowed to never go to a beauty school again!

 

 

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Update:

 

It looks so much better.  They took her back to the darker brown color and it's much more even all over.  It looks like they put in a few highlights to give it some contrast.  Definitely an improvement.  She's going to let it all grow out and then maybe - maybe - try for a lighter look some day. 

 

 

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