Sew St Louis Salon

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/06/22) */
This is a correspondence to a complaint filed by Ms*** *** against Sew StLouis and Celebrity Hair DepotMs*** (as well as her friends and family) have been patronizing Sew StLouis and celebrity Hair Depot for several years
She and her family members drive from Kansas City, MO to be serviced by us
Ms*** contacted me via Facebook on the morning of May 22, in regards to wanting to make a hair appointmentI informed her that I was on vacation and to contact the salon directly in order to make her appointmentThe manager of the salon, referred to as ***, informed me that Ms*** called the salon and requested appointments for people and her friend called shortly after to request more, totaling appointmentsBoth were informed that we were booked for the weekend and could not accommodate themYet, she pleaded with us to take her, even asking to come in an hour and a half before our scheduled opening timeThe manager reiterated that it was not possible for us to accommodate her, but she still drove from Kansas City to purchase hair extensions from our sister store (which she has purchased at least once before in the past), Celebrity Virgin Hair Depot, located next door to the salon
Celebrity Virgin Hair Depot is closed on Saturdays, however, clients are, instead, allowed to purchase the hair from inside of the salonMs*** came into the salon and purchased the hair extensions and went elsewhere to have them installed by another stylistMs*** not receiving a receipt was an oversightIt would not have been a big deal for us to print it for her or even mail it to her if she had called and made us aware that she did not receive oneBut, we were never aware of her not having one until she complained about the hairEven then, she did not ask for us to send her one
The evening of May 23, 2015, Ms*** contacted me again, via Facebook stating that she was dissatisfied with the hair extensions she purchased from usShe explained that the hair had an odor and would not "hold a curl." She demanded a refundI informed Ms*** that we have a "No Refund" policy, but that she could come into the salon for a complimentary shampoo (which would immediately alleviate the odor) and that I would be back in town that following week and would like to assess her hair personally to investigate the other claimsShe declined my offer for a complimentary shampoo, she refused to come back into the salon for us to physically see her hair, yet she still wanted her money back
We are the fastest growing independently-owned salon in the city of StLouisWe service XXX-XXX clients monthly, that's approximately 30,clients in our years of existence and we have NEVER had ANY clients EVER complain about the quality of our hair extensionsI explained this to Ms*** which is why I wanted to see for myself what she experiencingMs*** contacted me via Facebook for a third time expressing her dissatisfaction with my responseShe stated that she would not drive "another miles" to my salonShe simply wanted us to take her word and to refund her moneyBecause I was still on vacation and could not give my full attention to the matter, Ms*** was then contacted by ***, the store manager of Celebrity Virgin Hair Depot (which she failed to mention in this complaint)She also asked Ms*** to come in so that we could physically see her hair AND PROVIDE A SOLUTIONYet, she repeatedly refusedShe simply continued on a rant about wanting her money backShe offered to send photos, but a photo cannot effectively tell us anything in regards to the quality of the extensionsSince she also refused our complimentary shampoo, *** recommended that Ms*** purchase a particular shampoo that is specifically designed to eliminate odorShe refused
She then added a new complaint accusing our hair of being synthetic and having irritated her skin*** further explained to Ms*** that our hair extensions were unprocessed, made from 100% high-quality human hair, did not contain ANY synthetic fibers and that the mild odor was a result of the hair being treated prior to being shipped to the United States.(Our hair is virgin hair that is cut from the heads of other women in other countriesTherefore, before it can be shipped to the U.S, it must be treated for sanitary purposes)However, the odor can be easily eliminated simply by shampooing the hairBut again, she refused
After Ms*** did not receive her refund, she referred to our "Money Back Guarantee" we have posted on our websiteI personally explained to her that our "Money Back Guarantee" is something that we offer buyers who order our hair ONLINEReason being, purchasing hair online is risky because the consumer cannot physically touch it to feel the qualityTherefore, we give buyers the option to return the hair for a refund if it does not meet their quality standardsThis ensures their comfort when purchasing from us onlineHowever, there are stipulations regarding this offer (which is typical with all warranties on all products)The hair cannot have been installed, cut, curled, etcDoing so voids this warrantyWe do not offer this option in store because clients DO have the option to physically touch the hair and ask questions to ensure superb qualityWe actually have a "No Refund" sign posted inside of the store AND Ms*** has signed our salon's store policy during every one of her visits which also states that we do not offer refunds
More importantly, in the 4+ years that we have been carrying this hair and the literal THOUSANDS of clients that have purchased from us, we have NEVER had a SINGLE client EVER complain about the quality of our hairBut, if she believes to have an isolated case of a defective product, all we asked is for her to come in so that we can assess the situation to see whyBecause she had the hair installed by another stylist outside of our salon, there could have been other extraneous circumstances which could have damaged the hairIt is unreasonable for her to expect a refund without us having seen the physical product (the hair) and what may have caused the perceived damageFurthermore, she had the hair installed in StLouis by another stylistIf the hair was truly defective, why didn't she immediately call/come back into the salon instead of waiting?
Bottom line, Ms*** is demanding, unreasonable and much of what she is saying is simply UNTRUEHer initial complaints were about the odor and the hair "not curling"But once we offered her alternative solutions instead of a refund, her messages began to become more and more exaggeratedNow it has escalated to the point where she's saying that her skin and scalp are irritated and that the hair contains "white stings." Those are NOT strings, they are a FEW grey hairs (which is very common in unprocessed hair) which PROVE that our hair extensions are 100% human & not synthetic fibers
Also, she mentioned that I refused to reply to her messagesEvery one of her messages & calls were returned the SAME DAY! I have copies of our conversations AND she NEVER mentioned the fact that the manager of the hair store (***) even called her in an attempt to resolve the situation and Ms*** hung up on *** mid-conversationShe explained that the reason why she wouldn't come back to allow us to see the hair is because she lives miles awayBut in this complaint, she's saying that she lives miles awayAs I have stated before, she has been a client for several yearsShe sometimes even call and make same-day appointmentsOn a couple of other occasions, Ms*** had experienced an issue with her service at my salonOur policy states that clients have days to contact us regarding any issues, and if it's our fault we will correct it at no charge to the clientOn those occasions, traveling back to the salon was not an issueBut now that we are questioning the integrity of her current claim, she won't allow us to see the hairNow, all of a sudden, traveling is an issue
I, as well as the managers of my businesses, am noticing a trend where Ms*** comes in for our services and calls to complain (while making unreasonable demands), yet she continues to come backI believe that Ms*** is trying to get something for nothingBecause customer service is important to me and because she is so rude and demanding, I have been known to bend the rules in order accommodate herBut now that I am sticking to my store policy and questioning her claim, she files this formal (invalid) complaint against my businessWe have done everything physically possible to work something out with Ms*** and she has declined all of our attemptsShe wants her money back, but will not come back for us to see the perceived defective hair and will not consider other solutions

At Sew St. Louis, we are known as the "Home of the $50 Sew-In". This is NOT a false advertisement. We DO offer $50 sew-ins. However, our prices START at $50 and increase depending on several factors: including (but not limited to) the type of style the client wants, the condition of their...

natural hair and how many packs/bundles of hair they want sewn in. The $50 sew-in is very basic where the client must leave some of their hair out, a detailed cut and style are not included and only 2 bundles of hair are sewn in. Anything beyond this will incur additional charges. This information, along with our pricing and store policy is posted on our website and in our salons. We even do personal consultations with clients to explain the pricing differences because most clients want services that exceed the $50 price. Please review this information via the links provided:Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.sewstl.com/#!faq-1/x34omPricing and Services: http://www.sewstl.com/#!services/y5g64Store Policy: http://www.sewstl.com/#!store-policy/mq40k

As Ms. [redacted] was being serviced, she did tell the stylist that she had a sensitive scalp. The stylist was receptive and did all she could to be gentle. This included blowing out the client's hair and braiding as loose as possible without jeopardizing the quality of the style. According to Ms. [redacted],...

once the service was complete, she loved her hair and all was well. The next morning, Ms. [redacted] called the salon stating that she was in pain, therefore, she took her hair down at 1am. As a result, she wanted a partial refund because she felt as if she wasted her money. She admitted several times that she really liked her hair, it was just too tight. Tightness is common with sew-ins, but the issue is usually solved within a couple days as it loosens. Ms. [redacted] was obviously aware of this, hence the reason she took Excedrin headache medication before beginning her service. Ms. [redacted] was referred to our Store Policy, which states that we do not give refunds. But, it also states that we will happily work with any client within 72 hours to resolve any issues, including but not limited to: Diagnosing the reason for the tightness, re-doing the style and/or assigning a different stylist (if necessary), at no additional cost to the client. The policy also requires that clients rectify any issues with the stylist before leaving the salon, because once gone we are not responsible for sensitive scalp, abrasions, etc.  Every client, including Ms. [redacted], are required to sign saying that they agree to this policy before beginning service, and she did. However, since she took her hair down without giving us the opportunity to correct the problem (which goes against our policy), I explained to Ms. [redacted] that there was little we could do. Out of courtesy, I offered to give her a discount and assign a different stylist if she wanted to have it re-done. She refused. She still requested a partial refund. I then agreed to give her a 100% credit towards a new service if she wanted to have it re-done. She again stated how much she liked her hair, but refused. After a 40-minute conversation with Ms. [redacted], we went above and beyond to rectify Ms. [redacted]'s concerns, but it was not satisfactory for her. She wanted a refund, which was not feasible considering that she took her hair down in a matter of a few hours without giving us an opportunity to solve the issues beforehand. Please see our Store Policy here: http://[redacted]