Really bad experience and messed up my hair colour completely

Truly a terrible experience and I do not recommend at all!

I can't upload photos here unfortunately, but I have copied the messages exactly as transpired (excluding photos). If you want to see the disaster of a hair result, please checkout my google review posted on 2022/08/17 ------- (My message)

Hi Tess

I was going to wait until after I had washed my hair a few times to dull the red, to give my hair a fair chance. But every time I look in the mirror I see it and I can't stop thinking about it.

I am not happy with the end result of my hair. It does not resemble the picture in the slightest. I also had quite a few issues with the entire experience and not just the hair result.

I just wish I had the courage to say something when it was happening...

To start with, you messaged me and told me I could come earlier, but then you were super swamped and rushed when I got there and repeatedly told me you would be right with me. You continued to be swamped and rushed the entire time I was there.

You also told me I may remove my mask, as no one was going to be near me and you will be wearing a mask the whole time, but your assistant (who did most of the work) never wore a mask.

You, basically didn't do my hair. Your assistant did my hair. I don't know how much experience she has or how long she has been doing the bulk of your work and even though she did a fair job, I was expecting you to be the one to do my colour, since I booked with you. The way you had to explain to your assistant what to do, instead of doing it yourself or her knowing by herself what would be needed, does not inspire confidence and I felt like an experiment.

When you were consulting, you felt so rushed and were doing things before we had even finished speaking. I actually still had questions, but before I could ask them you would disappear and when you came back it was too late to ask because the work had already been done. I think if you spent a proper amount of time doing the consultation, I would have had a better chance at getting what I wanted.

I also asked you the price range in my original email and you still hadn't given me one. I was also very surprised at the total cost at the end. Considering how frequently you said that "this is free" and "I won't charge you for that", and my total was still almost R3000. So I am angry with myself for not insisting on the price range beforehand, but I feel that is something you should provide for new clients, especially if they had already asked about it.

And then the final product. Even though it doesn't look bad, it does NOT resemble the picture. At the end of our session you actually commented how close you got to the original picture and I just can't see it at all. The red is more like a bright pink red, whereas the picture is a more subtle deeper red, that blends into the rest of the hair which is blonde. The colour blending was also not as smooth as the picture and is more deliberately placed instead of it looking naturally blended. The colour placements were also not similar to the picture at all. I think you focused more on the red in the hair instead of the blonde, which is what I wanted. There is virtually no blonde in my hair, which was the main feature of the picture. Also, the colour was not spread evenly throughout the hair, so if it is parted literally anyway, you can see just plain hair with no highlights which looks very odd next to this vibrant redpink in other areas.

With all this said, I'd appreciate it if you would take some time, reflect on this and compare the end result with the initial requirement.

---------- (Her responses)

Hello ♥️please give me just a little time to respond section by section to your text. - I am at work And I do have a client almost ready to be blow waved - Hi

I hope you well ?

I’m very sorry for taking so long to reply

A hectic day

Just a question have you washed your hair as yet ?

I definitely don’t want you to be unhappy about your or your experience with me

And I appreciate you reaching out to me

I’m going to try my best to explain each of your paragraphs

A Saturday in salon is always crazy and I was absolutely surprised that all my clients where on time and everything was running smoothly

I also ran ahead of time hence I told you to come in early

Just before you came in Was a little boy who didn’t have an appointment Who mum just passed and his aunt asked if I could please cut his hair for the funeral Sunday and time got away from them

I couldn’t say no

Hence when u got there i politely told u il be right there

Usually in salon While the stylist is busy

The operator will start prepping the client

Please forgive me as I didn’t realise she didn’t have her mask on

And now that it’s not compulsory a lot don’t wear

It’s hard for us to color with a mask on

But I promise if u had asked her she would have put it on

So the operator is usually the lady who applies the color does the washing and massaging at the basin

We as stylist usually will do the foils And if the operator isn’t in

Or unless a client honestly Request that we do everything

Then I book much more time off for that appointment

Brigitte is an operator for 7 years

So before every color being app**** we have to tell them what we aiming for as the end result

There’s so many different ways if I just handed her the color bowl

🤦♀️she would have done a full color

U are more then welcome to google videos of how and what an operator do in salon to double check my answer

I humbly apologise for not letting u finishing speaking And I’m sorry u didn’t get to ask your questions u had

And if u would like to still ask them

I will answer gladly answer

So to give you a break down on what we did and what we charged for

We did a

full Head of color with a root smudge on long hair

We did half a head of foils on long hair

I toned the few to the red

The treatment at the basin was free

The curls were free

The cut and blow wave on long hair

2495 Was ur hair

And then u bought your product

I’m so sorry for not giving you a price ahead I honestly seen so many clients that day

And from now on I will Definitely give a full Quote on a in salon consultation

Please can I ask you to allow it to settle ? As in allow the color to settle and in this week

The color placements of any picture will change on the canvas we work with

If u are still not happy I value u as my client

And would like you to remain my client

Please contact me

And from me I would give u another full color A half a head of foils And free intense treatment at the basin

--------- (my follow up response)

Hi Tess

Your message was a jumbled mess to read, and you clearly didn't put much effort into your response. Which is rather disappointing, and I don't appreciate your excuses.

If it's a busy Saturday, then it is your responsibility to still give proper care to each client.

Clients that have an appointment should take priority over walk-ins, if you are unable to accept a walk-in without reducing quality to other clients, then you should not accept walk-ins.

Your confidence that no one without a mask will come near me, was completely misguided. You should respect a client's requirements around masks and ensure it's a policy followed by your staff, irrespective that the wearing of masks is no longer enforced by law.

I Googled salon operator and there were no concrete results that said they do colour. I also Googled salon assistant instead, which also did not mention doing colour. I have also been to many different hair salons in my life and the assistants never did colour.

But regardless of what the operator's responsibilities are, it is still your responsibility to ensure that the work being performed is correct and that your client is aware of who will be doing the work during the consultation.

If your assistant/operator requires constant micromanagement, otherwise "she would have done a full color", then clearly you need to be the one performing the colour. If YOU perform the consultation, then YOU should be doing the work. Otherwise, the vision cannot be executed.

The questions I had were about the work that needed to be done. So, it is too late now, which was the whole point.

Regarding the price. You are admitting that you overcharged me, because you took R3265 out of my account and I asked you how much the Leave-in Conditioner was. You said R550. Meaning R3265 - R550 = R2715

And you said in your reply my total cost was R2495, meaning that you overcharged me by R220.

You keep saying you had a busy day and you had so many clients, because you clearly overbooked your customers. So for you, it's definitely quantity over quality

I asked you to do my hair as close to the picture as possible, if you were unable to do that, then I should have been informed. But again, this would have been discussed if you did a proper consultation.

Can you honestly look at the reference picture and the final product and say they are the same?

Unfortunately, you have lost my trust and I do not want you to treat my hair again.

Most of these issues could have been avoided if you tried communicating, instead of making assumptions and not caring about my hair or my experience. -------- Her follow up response

*message deleted *message deleted Hi

Good morning

I hope this Monday week goes well for you ♥️

I’m so so so sorry You felt that way

the picture is where i was sitting and waiting at the hospital that night as my son got hurt

While I waited I typed So I could respond as soon as I could to you

I didn’t want you to feel that I read it and ignored it

But , again I’m sorry that you feel that my reply was “effortless and disappointing “

(And yes This is my personal problem and I shouldn’t be bringing it into the situation )

I should have just waiting for Monday to reply to your concerns a normal working day maybe I shouldn’t have rep**** In”jumbled mess”

Agreed to …”if it’s busy Saturday “

Agreed to “ clients that have an appointment “

agreed to “your confidence that no one without a mask”

And I will make sure if I say it I will make my operator has one on

I can’t agree to the salon operator part as that is what a salon operator does in salon Unless they not a fully operator a just a wash lady but that’s what an operator does

I’m sorry maybe the way I wrote it And the I way it was read

Instructions have to be given before any assistant/ operator starts on the client

The amount of 2495 is our cash amount And and the amount of 3265 is our normal price

So no I didn’t over charge you

We have a normal price and a cash discount which I mentioned

Anyone who knows me Knows I love what I do It’s definitely not quantity work that’s I do

I’m humbly apologise that you feel that way ------ ------ ------

At this stage I blocked her.

If you value your hair, peace of mind and money, then don't use this salon