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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shocked that hairdresser cancelled my appt because I was late!

343 replies

Adnerb95 · 22/08/2017 22:51

1st time at a new hairdressers this afternoon. Appointment was at 4:15pm for a cut and blow dry. I work 20 mins away, left in plenty of time but there had been an accident and so major traffic delays. I ended up arriving at the salon 8 mins late to be told by the stylist that she wouldn't be able to do my hair now, because she had another client at 5pm"and the turnaround is very tight".

I was almost speechless - never had that response before on the (rare!) occasions over the years when I have been a few minutes late.

It got worse. I was desperate to have a haircut so suggested that we forget the blowdry and I just have a dry cut. "We don't do that" . "Well, why not do a wet cut? That way, there is still plenty of time, since you won't be blow drying my hair, before your next client"

"We don't do that"

.??????????????.

I think this is not only ridiculous but completely unreasonable or is it me?

I have emailed the owner in advance of posting a public review to give her a chance of responding. In the meantime, I have now booked with another salon for a couple of days time (checked their policy - "we wouldn't cancel an appointment unless a client was at least 15 mins late")

Not only do the first salon have a very disgruntled customer who will certainly not recommend them, but they have lost my business for the next 4/5 years, probably. I was looking for a replacement for my lovely hairdresser of the last 7 years who has left for Scotland. So pretty naff commercial decision as well.

OP posts:
LadyWithLapdog · 22/08/2017 23:09

Nicknacky - I mentioned the loo as that would have taken a few minutes. No one works so tightly to schedule (out of 45 minutes, not a quick men's haircut) they can't afford to be civil and accommodating especially when the OP suggested a perfectly reasonable compromise.

Yes, she was late. Shit happens. A shorter hair wash and head massage would have made up some of the time.

Ellisandra · 22/08/2017 23:10

You were late, and it seems you're the bad review happy type.

Perhaps they deliberately don't do anything but full wash/cut/blow dry, because that leaves your hair the best way... and they think they're likely to get complaints from people who ask for corners to be cut, and then get the arse because it isn't all salon swishy?

Different industry, but my friend is a painter decorator. She has been asked to do half jobs - like, you do the woodwork but I'll do the walls myself. She really really tries to avoid those as much as she can afford to. She says each job is her advert for recommendations, and a half job is not a good advert.

Odoreida · 22/08/2017 23:10

If the people waiting were repeat customers and you were a new customer it makes perfect business sense to do this.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 22/08/2017 23:10

Surely worst case is the junior does the blow dry?

Nicknacky · 22/08/2017 23:11

lady let's not exaggerate, no one spends more than a min or two at the loo in the hairdressers during a 45 min appointment. Nowhere near 8 mins!

hamsterloverlover · 22/08/2017 23:12

they were crap find a better hairdresser

Ellisandra · 22/08/2017 23:13

My hairdresser doesn't always have a junior working. It's just her and a part time junior.

LadyWithLapdog · 22/08/2017 23:13

Of course not, Nicknacky. But it's equally ridiculous to be so unpleasant about 8 minutes. The OP offered alternatives.

StrangeLookingParasite · 22/08/2017 23:13

Why should you make everyone else that day late because you are running behind. Other people have commitments ie childminders and nurseries to collect from etc who will fine them.

Eight minutes??
Seems awfully petty to me.

MrsMargoLeadbetter · 22/08/2017 23:14

@Nickynacky I think @Ladywith means that there probably is some wriggle room in the 45 mins allotted for the cut. If OP was on time and then needed a loo break, the outcome would have been the same.

DiscoDiva70 · 22/08/2017 23:15

From experience, cut and blow drys take atleast 45 mins (after shampooing) so she had already given you a very tight time slot. She shouldn't have booked you in at that time in the first place if she had someone at 5:00.
Especially as she'd never done your hair before!. And if you'd booked over the phone and she hadn't seen you then she wouldn't know exactly how long she'd take anyway to cut your hair properly!

Nicknacky · 22/08/2017 23:16

mrsmargo in that case the hairdresser would have had to allow for the lateness AND a loo break therefore making her even later.

captainprincess · 22/08/2017 23:16

You were late but you suggested a very reasonable compromise, ridiculous they wouldn't just do a wet cut and no blow dry.
I think you have had a lucky escape with an attitude like that. Hope you get a response.

Mummyoflittledragon · 22/08/2017 23:18

I won't see someone who is 10 mins late
She was 8 mins late so not great, but should be fine. I thought even gps will see patients who arrive before 8 mins late.

Shoppingwithmother · 22/08/2017 23:19

In my experience people who are late always say they were less late than they were though when they complain 😉

Ellisandra · 22/08/2017 23:21

Shopping I thought the same Wink

faithinthesound · 22/08/2017 23:21

Eight minutes is just eight minutes.

But five people taking eight minutes is forty lost minutes. Forty lost minutes is another appointment she could have taken.

You weren't the only person she saw that day. You don't know if you were the only person who was late. Maybe there are a lot of people who think "it's just eight minutes, it doesn't matter". Well, it adds up. Maybe it doesn't matter to her, but at the end of the day, all those "just eight minutes" people will matter to her.

She had to draw a line somewhere. You happened to be on the wrong side of it. Either own it or don't (you sound like you'd rather pout and blame her, so I'm picking you won't own it), but don't blame her for setting a boundary that ensures everyone gets a fair chance at having their appointments on time.

If you post a bad review because SHE kept to the rules when YOU were the late one, that will be a hugely twattish move.

HeyRoly · 22/08/2017 23:23

Lots of professional hairdressers don't like to do wet cuts, that's quite normal. They need to dry the hair to see if they've done a good job or not.

This.

Whenever I get my hair cut they blow dry and invariably do more cutting. The blow dry doesn't signal the end of the haircut so I can see why a wet cut wasn't an acceptable compromise for them.

GabsAlot · 22/08/2017 23:23

whats that saying if your on time your already late

but yes does seem a short time slot for a new customr u dont know what style how much is coming off etc

Viviennemary · 22/08/2017 23:24

Cancelling if you were only eight minutes late is very harsh indeed. If it was twenty minutes then it would be more understandable. Find a different hairdresser. They sound horrible.

LadyWithLapdog · 22/08/2017 23:28

MrsMargoLeadbetter - I was MargoReadbetter till I was temporarily banned last autumn (I was putting some people right on a politics thread). I'm still trying to get my old name back but I don't know how.

northernruth · 22/08/2017 23:31

YABU, 45 minutes is tight for a haircut and a good hairdresser will want to check a cut after blow drying to see how the hair lies. Your lateness will make the next person late, and they both might have to get to a nursery or childminders for 6 - try explaining to a nursery that "it's only 8 minutes".

I'm often late, but less so since I had it pointed out to me that lateness means I care less for the other person's time than my own, i.e. I'd rather they had to wait for me rather than I arrive early and risk having to wait. I now allow much more time to get to appointments etc

Marcipex · 22/08/2017 23:34

What rubbish, 8 minutes isn't a big deal.

My rudest ever attempt with a hairdresser....it was a walk- in salon and it was empty. I asked her to trim the ends of my shoulder length straight hair, surely not too onerous.
She said she couldn't as her scissors were not sharp enough for my kind of hair.
My hair is very ordinary light brown straight hair. My DH and I both just stared at her. At first I thought she was joking but she wasn't.

321zerobaby · 22/08/2017 23:35

Hairdresser ps normally have lots of tricks for coping with time keeping. They'll keep the next client waiting 5/ 10 minutes, make them a tea or coffee, ask the junior to do a slow shampoo, lots of massaging in the conditioner etc. They could make a shampoo last at least 8 minutes to make up the lost time.
And what happens if the next client is late too? They'd have lost out on your business for nothing.

HeddaGarbled · 22/08/2017 23:37

I think they were being a little bit unreasonable but not totally unreasonable. I suspect if you were a regular, you'd have a got a bit of leeway but turning up late for a first appointment got you off to a bad start.

They are reasonable to refuse to do dry cuts or let you leave the salon with wet hair. Both of those would not unable them to do a proper job and IMO would be unprofessional.

I think you are reasonable to email to complain but I think you would be unreasonable to leave a shitty public review. That's just vindictive.

It sounds like they are busy so I don't suppose their business will go under if they lose your custom for the next 4/5 years.

I do understand why this was irritating but I can also understand the hairdressers' position.