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I took my almost 3 year old for her 2nd professional haircut yesterday. She has long blond hair and usually I just hack away at her bangs at home and let the back grow long. But since she is getting older and since it is right here before the holidays, I decided to get a real haircut with some shape so she would look nice in pictures.
My problem is the guy that cut her hair did a terrible job. Her bangs look worse than when I do it and he didn't make the edges around her face wispy like I asked. Now I know I took her to a quickie hair salon and only spent $15 so I shouldn't expect perfection but this is very disappointing. We went to the grocery store in the same strip center right after so I noticed the uneven bangs as soon as they dried. I took her back immediately and he fixed it with no problems, but once we got her home, I noticed they were still weird looking and her hair just didn't frame her face the way I explained I wanted it. She had the same cut last time and it looked great, so her hair is not the problem; it's definitely the cut.
Next time I will make them dry it so I know if I like the cut on the spot but I need to know what to do in this case.
I am a very non-confrontational person so when I do complain about a problem, either I don't say enough to get the problem solved or I go overboard and sound like a raving lunatic. The way I see it, I have several choices. I can a) hack at her hair myself to try and fix it b) go back to the same salon a 3rd time and request another stylist fix it and possibly insult the guy from yesterday c) go back to the same salon a 3rd time and have the same guy fix it again if he is there d) go somewhere else and pay again to get the haircut fixed after calling the first salon to complain and possibly ask for my money back e) go somewhere else and pay again to get the haircut fixed and do nothing about the other salon f) live with the crappy haircut Or another option that I haven't thought of?
What do you think I should do? It is a small problem in the grand scheme of things so I feel silly asking but here I am doing it anyway. Thanks for any comments you have! [edited to adjust paragraphs for easier reading]
posted
My dad refused to pay for a haircut that he got once when he specifically told them not to do something, but to do something else, and they did it the way they wanted to anyway.
Then he went somewhere else and paid them to fix it. He only paid for one haircut-- the one where they listened to what he wanted and did it right.
In this case, I'd go back and insist on having someone else fix it.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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If the stylist couldn't get it right after 2 tries, I don't think you should give him another try. Depending on your level of comfort, I would either try to have another stylist at the same salon fix it at no cost, or just take the $15 on the chin and go somewhere else. You have to imagine somebody can make the haircut look nice.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I'd call the salon first to make sure that the store manager is onsite and on duty. Then I'd take your daughter back over there, ask to see the manager, and demand that another stylist - not the guy who messed it up in the first place - fix it at no additional charge to you. And then I would never ever go back to that location again.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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My husband, who shaves his head and has no idea how to tip, gave him $5 before I could stop him. That is part of why I am fuming I think.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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That happened to me the only time I had my eyebrows done at a salon. The woman didn't listen to what I wanted at ALL (shaped, but still thick), and she tried to wax them into thin, thin lines even though my eyebrows are coarse and will go every which way if they're too skinny.
My mom tipped her as we were leaving because I didn't have the guts to say, "This looks horrible" in front of the lady.
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Oh she certainly doesn't care. I only care since we were going to take her to get a portrait done this holiday and I wanted her to look nice.
<thinking of the scene in Medium were Bridget insists on wearing her bike helmet for school pictures> I guess it really doesn't matter much. But at the same time, when you go to a professional for something, you expect them to do their job.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'm pretty non-confrontational, too--but I'd probably try to go back when the same stylist isn't there, explain the situation, and ask to have another stylist re-do it.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I would do what Goody suggests. I have done that. They usually are cool about it. Although, a lot of salons have a 24-hour policy. I'd hurry back to get it fixed today if the cut was yesterday.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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I went to a place I had never been to and they did a horrible job cutting my hair. It was uneven and did nothing for my face. I called the place to ask for my money back, drove there to pick up my refund, and then went to a place I knew would do a good job.
I am usually not this confrontational, but I have always had a thing about my hair. I was also in a fiesty mood.
I do not think you should just let this go. You paid for someone else to cut her hair under the assumption that they knew what they were doing. They obviously did not know what they were doing so I do not think you should have to pay.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I've found that bad haircuts are the norm, and it's really hard to find someone who can cut it well every time. I finally found someone like that 20 years ago and I have always gone to him since then, driving all the way across town at times, and following him from salon to salon wherever he went. I would expect a $15 haircut from a walk-in salon to be bad. I would accept the loss and go to someone recommended by a friend whose hair you think looks good. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:I can a) hack at her hair myself to try and fix it b) go back to the same salon a 3rd time and request another stylist fix it and possibly insult the guy from yesterday c) go back to the same salon a 3rd time and have the same guy fix it again if he is there d) go somewhere else and pay again to get the haircut fixed after calling the first salon to complain and possibly ask for my money back e) go somewhere else and pay again to get the haircut fixed and do nothing about the other salon f) live with the crappy haircut
They all sound like reasonable responses, except maybe "c". Unless he was suddenly imbued with the spirit of good haircuts, that's just a blind alley.
The only other thing that I might suggest, so that your Christmas pictures come out all cute, is have your husband shave the little angel's head. And your's, too. Then you will all match. <-- bald, yet happy
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I'm also in with Goody. She gives great advice.
I would absolutely make them fix their mistake. There's no good reason why you should have to fork out more money elsewhere to get it fixed.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Thanks for all the replies. You are really just telling me the same gut feeling I already had but am just too chicken to carry out. Tonight the more I looked at my poor baby's butchered bangs, the more angry I got. I am calling tomorrow morning to speak to the manager and try to get someone else to fix it. I won't let the last guy near her head with a ten foot pole!
I'll let you know how things turn out.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Whether you pay $15 or $50, you have a right to a competent haircut. That _is_ the service you're paying for, after all. Students might charge little or nothing for a service if they're doing it as part of their training, but if the professional is supposed to be fully trained, they should do an adequate job. This guy didn't.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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I feel for you. My hair is long so I only get it trimmed about once a year. I went to a place and told the stylist that I wanted six inches cut. This is enough to even it up and remove the split ends. I suppose I should have been worried when she didn't know how long six inches was, but we agreed that it was about the length of her comb.
I had my husband measure when I got home, and she had cut off 12-15 inches! I'm a big non-confrontational chicken, too, so I didn't do anything about it.
I hope they fix it or give your money back. Good luck!
posted
See, this is why I cut my own hair, and have for the last decade or so. I've had enough problems with butchered cuts, and when I cut my own, I actually get compliments, whereas when I go to a professional, I never do.
Go figure.
I also cut Fahim's. Although it's a little crooked right now, but he wouldn't let me fix it. He's impatient that way. Five minutes or less...
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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My sister is a hair stylist and says if you can avoid it, don't go to the quickcutplaces because those are the people that didn't do very well in cosmetology school.
That said, yeah, Goody's got good advice.
And my sister's good at what she does, dammit. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I had one of the best haircuts/colorings ever when I went to Wal-mart. And I asked for something ridiculously complicated. Well, the color was more complicated than the cut.
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Update: Julia has an appointment tomorrow with the assistant manager. She says she is not sure if she can fix it without seeing it first but she did seem very concerned over the phone. I'll let you know more after her appointment.
I agree though; no more quicky salons. I will just suck it up and pay more next time.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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mack, I have no doubt that your sister is good, nor do I doubt that there are good hairdressers out there. I, unfortunately, have had a very difficult time finding hairdressers who knew what to do with my hair and/or knew how to listen to instructions. My hair is very thick, wavy, and I have a low hairline, and I suppose the combination just confuses them. Or, at least, most of the ones I've had.
I used to have an excellent hairdresser in one city I lived in, and I followed her around for a decade. But then she moved 3 hours away. never found another one after that that I liked.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:My sister is a hair stylist and says if you can avoid it, don't go to the quickcutplaces because those are the people that didn't do very well in cosmetology school.
Not to malign your sister -- who is great! -- but I have actually been very happy with the haircuts my kids get at Supercuts. And back in the days when my hair got cut by someone other than me, the haircut that came out the farthest from what I wanted (I asked for a pixie cut, and she did an (then highly fashionable, but I hated it) asymmetric short cut, not a pixie at all) was from a fairly expensive salon. I was usually quite happy with the cuts I got at the local beauty school (from students in training).
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I should mention that I have gotten my haircut at the same location myself when my own stylist was unavailable. My stylist did her hair last time but it was hard to coordinate a time with her for my daughter. She is actually a teacher I work with and she does everyone's hair right in her classroom. It's a great deal and she is fantastic but getting my daughter up to school over 45 minutes from her daycare is a pain. Next time I will suck it up and make the drive I guess.
On another interesting note, I have mystery shopped a Supercuts before, and while the lady was very nice, the shop scored badly because she did not push products or ask any of the necessary questions. Also my sideburns were very uneven which really sows up on my short hair.
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When I was a little girl in 6th grade, we went to a SuperCuts. I had hair most of the way down my back, and asked for a shorter haircut. She seemed to know what I meant, and got started, after having me remove my coke-bottle thick glasses, leaving me totally blind. When she was finished, I had a boy's haircut, less than an inch long, buzzed in the back. Everyone thought my mother had two boys, and until the hair started to grow back and puberty set in, I'd get the weirdest looks in women's bathrooms.
Haven't been back to SuperCuts since.
Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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In college, I once got my hair cut by someone on a job interview. She applied to work at the salon where I had my appointment, and the owner explained that they were deciding if they should hire her and wanted to see her in action. There would be no charge for the haircut, and if I wasn't happy, I could come back at any time to have someone else fix it. I looked over the job applicant's portfolio (snapshots of other heads she'd cut) and went for it.
Was it the best haircut of my life? No. But it was about average. Oh. And they did some highlights, too. Those I covered over myself with Miss Clairol, since I couldn't get used to them.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I took her in this evening and the manager fixed her hair. She did a wonderful job and was sweet with my daughter and even gave her a toy. I couldn't be happier and I will just make appointments with her next time we need a haircut.
Thanks for all your comments!
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Emma got a haircut today (her first pro haircut, I'd just hacked at her bangs once before) and I thought of you. Glad it worked out.
Hmmmm, maybe those pics need their own thread. Because, you know, I only have to finish making twelve gifts, wrap them and several others, and bake two cheesecakes tonight.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I did all of my wrapping, 2 loads of dishes, 7 dozen cookies, and picked up the living room and the kitchen. Now I am going to sleep. Good luck with Emma.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I apparently have a haircut that is easily screwed up, so I now drive nearly two hours to have my sister cut it.
This is love and trust, because when my sister was a baby, I snuck into her room and cut her hair. My sister has yet to get even.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I've just (a year or so ago) found a stylist I really like. He cuts my hair well (he cannot mysteriously make it not my hair, which is what I would like). He actually seems to proccess the information that I don't do anything to it other than blow drying it every once in a while and tailors the cut toward that. You'd be amazed at how many people out their can't comprehend that simple fact. He also (and this is pretty important to me) makes me feel comfortable while he's cutting. Most stylists always talk to me and try to draw me out and expect me to be someone I'm not (someone who spends at least an hour every morning on their hair, for example) and generally make getting my hair cut a very depressing experience for me. But he talks to me about what classes I'm taking, not what parties I'm going to. He also loves Firefly and Serenity and RPG computer games and finds D&D boring (as do I) so we have a ton of stuff to talk about that doesn't make me feel awkward.
And for all of that a normal cut is only 25 bucks! Every other nice place I've been to has been $40.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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