Luscious Salon

Good afternoon,I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience you are dealing with in regards to the gift certificate purchased from [redacted]. As you are aware [redacted] was an independent contractor renting a booth at my salon. You will need to get this issue situated with her as she is the owner of...

her business. I wish I could be of further assistance but unfortunately it is out of my hands. I see you have all the contact info for [redacted] as well as the gift certificate that stated it is only valid with her. The only advice I can possibly give you is to possibly pull your own bank record to show her. She was under a contract while working at luscious salon and that signed contract also stated the salon is not liable for any claims against her. She also was required to have a business license of her own since she is technically her own business owner. I hope you are able to get this resolved with her.thank you,[redacted]

Review: I visited [redacted] at Luscious salon (115 South School Street, Lodi CA) on 2/4/14. I had visited her for the 1st time about 4 weeks before for highlights and a haircut and everything had turned out good. On 2/4/14 I asked her to add some more highlights. She began to mix up the bleach for my highlights and then proceeded to put it on my hair. She then went and sat on the waiting area chairs with her phone. At first everything was fine but then my hair started to itch. 40 minutes had passed and I asked her to come check my hair. She was caught up on her phone and seemed annoyed that I asked her that. She came over and checked my hair and then said I needed to go under the dryer for another 25 minutes. After a few minutes I wanted to tell her that the dryer was really hot but she had disappeared out the front door of the salon. When she finally pulled me out from under the dryer I had a feeling something was wrong. She proceeded to rinse my hair and bring me back to her station. She grabbed a brush and the blow dryer and started to blow dry my hair. As soon as she took the brush to my hair chunks of the blonde highlights started falling out. I demanded her to stop! She wouldn't and just kept brushing it. I got out of the seat and went to the mirror and touched my hair. It was falling apart in my hands. I immediately started to cry. She then took her scissors and started hacking away at my hair. She said the she was going to cut off the hair before it breaks! So now not only is my hair breaking but she has cut all the new highlights short. She then told me that breakage is "normal" and said I owed her $95. I was stunned and felt sick. I couldn't believe she was still charging me after what had happened. I reluctantly paid her and left. When I got home my hair looked like cotton candy. It was so frizzy and fried. When I touched the blonde pieces they continued to break off. The next morning I sent [redacted] a text saying that my hair was still breaking. She said again that it was "normal" and that she could do a treatment on it. I came in to the salon for what I thought was a professional treatment. But it was actually just a conditioner that I could get at the grocery store myself. She did put it on and left it for about 30 minutes. I cried at the salon and she knew how devastated I was. I left the salon with my hair still breaking and looking fried. My hair continued to break off until Friday. On Sunday I looked at my bank account and saw she had cashed my check. I sent her a text saying that I felt that I deserved a refund and that I did not think that it was fair that I had to pay for her over processing my hair. She sent me about 7 texts back saying that it was my fault that it happened because my hair was damaged before she did the highlights. I couldn't believe it, now she was turning this situation on me. This has been one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life, as it would be for most women. I couldn't do anything for 2 days after because I was so filled with so much anxiety. I couldn't even go to work. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. She shouldn't have been negligent and left the bleach in my hair so long, but after I definitely shouldn't have been charged and blamed for what happen. It is not okay.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of my $95.

Business

Response:

[redacted] first came into my salon wanting a haircut and highlights. Her hair was very damaged and needed to be cut much more than she allowed. She left from that appointment happy. Several weeks later she came back in and showed me a picture of how blonde she wanted to be. Because of the damage she had previously, I told her it would be a process and we would need to do a little at a time. She had previously box colored her hair and she was aware of how damaging that was and how hard it is to highlight. She was aware of this when we started. I applied the highlights and let her process no more than 20 minutes. I lifted her hair to a golden blonde color. It was very dry and I explained to her that she would need to be extremely gentle with it and deep condition it.When she sat back down in my chair she kept running her hands through it and pulling at it. I told her hair is most weak when it is wet and to let me dry it. She apologized for overreacting. We dried it, she paid and tipped me and left. The next day she text me concerned with the health of her hair. I was very concerned as well. I explained a lot to her about how hair heals and she agreed and said she had done research as well. Their is a lot of factors that come into play and some are completely out of my control. I explained that when hair is box colored sometimes it reacts differentley when a professional color is applied. I can't foresee everything. She was also a new client and I was unfamiliar with the history or the products used on her hair. She agreed and was completely fine that day when she left. I wanted to help her get her hair back to health so I had her come in for a free repairing treatment. This treatment is not an ordinary conditioning treatment. It is a keratin repair treatment that I charge $50 for and did at no cost to her. She was also scheduled for a second treatment. I feel horrible that her hair is damaged, but It was also damaged when she first came in. With that said I would like to address the letter she wrote. First of all, she was never processed for 65 minutes. I have video surveillance to prove that. She never once cried at my salon either. She actually was very understanding and willing to do the treatments necessary to get her hair back to health. Her hair never fell out! I also didn't cut anything but the very ends that day. She was adamant about keeping her length. After all of this I sent her a text to ask her how her hair was doing and she said it was great! I was quite surprised to receive another text a week later furious that I cashed her check. I am sorry but I work for a living and to support my family. I do deposit checks on a daily basis. As for her refund, I told her that I do not give refunds for a case like this. I did the service she requested even after I warned her, and then I made every attempt to help her, out of my own pocket. I am not blaming her in the least, but I am also not going to take the blame myself. The way I figure it, she wasn't charged even close to what she should have been. I was out the money for the treatment I did, the product I used and the hours I spent with her in my chair. The statements she made in her report were lies. I have every text message and video surveillance and witnesses to prove it. I didn't do anything wrong and don't deserve to be treated this way. I will stand by my name and my business and fight for whats right. In all the years I have done hair I have never once even had a complaint of this nature. I am a certified colorist and very knowledgeable in my trade. I have owned my salon for 7 years and have received numerous awards. I find it odd that someone would resort to filing a complaint against my salon.

Sent on: 3/4/2014 11:09:17 PM

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:

As you can see from Ms. [redacted] response there is a serious lack of understanding, acceptance and empathy for the situation she caused with my hair. I have worked in customer service for several years and have learned that if you make a mistake, intentionally or unintentionally, that you do everything in your power to make it right with your client. You do not dismiss their feelings and act like you have no ownership in the situation as Ms.[redacted] has done repeatedly. For Ms. [redacted] to say I am lying about this situation is honestly really hurtful and I know she knows how devastated I was about what happened with my hair. I as well have texts, pictures, and eye witnesses that will prove that I am not lying and will show how traumatized I have been from this situation. I also have a statement from my current hairdresser who saw the damage a week after the incident caused by Ms. [redacted] and will testify to the hack haircut I was given by Ms.[redacted] as well as the severe breakage and damage that my hair was in after I visited Ms. [redacted]. I have never filed a complaint against a company or person before and I have no benefit in filing one now. The damage has already been done to me, and I don't want this to happen to anyone else. My hair was over processed by Ms. [redacted] and instead of her trying to rectify the situation she made me feel even worse and blamed me for what happened by saying my hair was already "damaged". This is not professional or appropriate by any business standards and Ms.[redacted] needs to understand that.