Mira Bella Salon

Review: [redacted] promised on January 5th to refund a total of $49.25 to me due to dissatisfaction with a haircut and color performed on January 2nd. The amount was the tip I paid ($14.25) and half the cost of the color ($35).

On February 5th after I contacted multiple times via text and phone asking where the check was [redacted] submitted a refund via square of $35.

On February 16th after I called the salon owner because [redacted] never responded to texts or calls I received text photo proof of the $35 refund. When I asked about the remaining $14.25 [redacted] said she refused to refund because she had to pay a cancelled check fee of $30 - and decided she should "split" the fee with me.

I was never notified or asked if I was okay splitting the returned check fee - and I am not okay with it. I was promised a refund of $49.25 and should not be held liable for any feed incurred by [redacted] to fulfill a written promise - especially when no notice was provided to amend previously agreed upon amount.

There were other options to get me my refund that would not have incurred fees - she could have processed the refund in a timely manner or confirmed I'd received the check. She could have withdrawn cash. She could have issued another check or cash and asked me to bring in the other check if it ever showed up. I also have never seen proof the original check was sent.Desired Settlement: I want the remaining $14.25 of the refund I was promised by [redacted].

Business

Response:

[redacted] Mira Bella Salon [redacted] Revdex.com [redacted] Phone: [redacted] Fax: [redacted] Re: ID# [redacted] To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter in response to a complaint with the above mentioned case number. On Sunday, January 3, 2016 I made an appointment for [redacted] Early to do a color and cut in the hair salon where I rent a station. Normally I don't work on Sunday's however I was running behind for her original appointment on Saturday and the client said thatSunday actually worked better for her so we mutually agreed to an appointment on Sunday. It should be noted that I have done [redacted]'s hair on one other occasion and the color that was previously used was given to me by [redacted] who'd gotten the formula from her previous hairdresser. She later said her old hairdresser must have given her the wrong color formula because she felt it was darker than she expected. I discussed with [redacted] what her desired outcome was and she informed me that she wanted to “get rid of the red” in her hair. I brought out all of my color swatches and showed them to [redacted] and we discussed how each color would affect the red currently in her hair. [redacted] chose a color, a 5n, and I colored her hair. Afterward, I trimmed her hair to her specifications. When I was finished [redacted] was pleased with the outcome and said it “reminded her of her younger college years.” She paid the fee of $95 and gave me a tip of $14.25. Normally the fee for a color is $80 and a cut is $45, totaling $125, however, I only charged her $70 for the color and $25 for the haircut, giving her a discount of $30 for the dual service. On the previous occasion that I had done [redacted]'s hair, upon making that appointment and learning of the price, she was very concerned with it so I figured by giving her a discount I would be avoiding any kind of confrontation with her. Surprisingly, the next day, after doing [redacted]'s hair, she text messaged me and said her hair was too dark and she wasn't happy with it. I told her that it was a level 5n, which she chose, as we discussed during her consultation and that it would lighten as she washed it. She didn't think that washing it would lighten it enough so I gave [redacted] a few options. The first option was to do an all over highlight which would give the illusion of the hair being lighter. The second option was to strip all of the color and then recolor it a lighter brown. This option costs $75 per hour at the salon and I offered to do it for $45 per hour. [redacted] declined both of these options and wanted to know what the policy was for refunds. I told her that I would be happy to refund her half of the cost of the hair color, $35. She asked if she could get her tip of $14.25 back to which I agreed. I mailed the check within a week and assumed the issue had been resolved. A few weeks later Ashleligh text me on a Sunday asking if I had mailed the check. I was unable to respond to her right away because I had to check with my bank to see if the check had cleared. She continued to text me many times that week. At the end of the week she text me that she was calling the salon owner although I had told her numerous times that I was self employed. Upon contacting my bank once again, I was told that the check had not cleared yet and that I would need to put a “stop payment” on the check which would cost $30. Because I had never dealt with this type of situation before I conferred with the other hair stylists in my salon who all said normally they would charge that fee to the customer. I didn't feel comfortable doing this so I decided to split the fee with the customer, only charging her the “tip” amount of $14.25 and I paid $15.75. I then learned from another hair stylist that I could refund a customer on “[redacted]” if they had paid using that method so I refunded [redacted] $35 for half of the color service. After many more harassing text messages from [redacted] I took a screen shot of the refunded amount and sent it to her to avoid any further confrontation. [redacted] then began to complain about the $14.25 I had charged her due to my bank fee for the canceled check. [redacted] continued to harass me via text messaging saying she never agreed to pay for half of the canceled check fee and continuously called the owner of the salon who informed her that all stylists are self employed and rent stations from her. The stylists each have their own fees and refund policies. After I had refunded [redacted] the $35 on [redacted] she then began making threats to give me a “bad [redacted] review” unless I refunded her the $14.25 tip and to contact the Revdex.com. In summary, [redacted] declined any and all advice regarding her hair and insisted on a refund. I told her I would refund her half of the cost of the color service ($35) and the tip if she insisted on this, just to make her happy. I felt it was fair to charge her half of the canceled check bank fee because I had no way of knowing if she had received the check and lost it. I feel as though this entire situation could have been avoided if [redacted] had come into the salon and discussed the situation so we could come to a mutual resolution and I would’ve refunded her the agreed upon amount in person. I have no way of knowing if [redacted] lost the check or never received it. I feel if [redacted] wasn't happy with the service before she left the salon she should have said so at the time as she sat with me for 10 minutes waiting for her husband to pick her up, and she shouldn't have given a tip. I have done everything I can to appease [redacted] and it's more about the principle of the matter than the money. I have refunded [redacted] $35 and paid a $30 canceled check fee so I basically made $5 on an $80 service in which I did nothing wrong, I simply followed the clients instructions based on a tangible, visible 5n color hair swatch. As a professional I would be happy to refund [redacted] $14.25 however I will need her to come into the salon to pick it up as she will have to sign a “service refusal letter” stating that she is no longer allowed to do business at our salon with any of our stylists.