To be upset after hairdresser visit

[carlottavaldes]

I've been going to the same hairdresser for 3 years and we've always had a good relationship. I went in today for a consultation before my haircut and colour next week. I'm dark blonde and want to go lighter so I asked for balayage - I had it done by her two years ago for £200 so was expecting a similar price. Instead she quoted me £300. She also said that if I paid less it would look unfinished, blocky, dry, not shiny, and I would be disappointed - which made no sense, as I paid less last time.

I told her that, but she kept pushing and didn't suggest any alternatives (e.g. highlights) - it was basically "pay £300 or have crap hair". I know she's trying to recoup the money she lost during lockdown, and to make the most of people's desperation for haircuts at the moment, but a 50% price hike is ridiculous.

I had been really looking forward to treating myself and being pampered and instead I found myself being pressured and manipulated and told that my budget was no good, which was upsetting as £200 is a lot for me. I don't want to go back, even for a cut, but I'm struggling to find an appointment elsewhere.

Has anyone else experienced hairdressers hiking their prices to make the most of people's need for post-lockdown haircuts? I have a feeling it might backfire for them.

I need to show my husband some of the prices people are paying for their hair, he thinks I pay a lot but it’s no way near some of these prices.

@apooagnuandyou

Where the hell are all these hairdressers that are charging in excess of £200 for a cut and colour?!

Central London and South East for me. Expensive but well worth it in my case!

I pay approx £100 or just above for perm colour and cut.

more for highlights about £67 for half head.

SE London - but right near very posh area which straddles a not so posh area.

The owner and the stylists/colorists do a great job, have had their clients years but also get younger clients. The only slight criticism is she cut a few longer layers and shaped it at the face last week (when I'd have preferred to just have one length!) but that's by the by.

[quote Thiscantreallybehappening]**@Annasgirl

To be fair, OP wasn't expecting to pay £60.00. That is other posters just giving their experience.

Unless you are going to a top salon, which would probably be more than £300 whatever way you look at it £200 is a good budget. OP's hairdresser could have explained nicely the price increase for that service but then gone on to say but I could do foils/tint etc and discuss that with OP. Instead she basically said £300 or I will mess your hair up. I don't think that is very good customer service.

It's not so much the price increase but the way she spoke to OP.[/quote]
Yes, I agree about the attitude of the hairdresser @Thiscantreallybehappening. I meant all of the people who were saying the hairdresser should only be charging £60 or whatever.

I also know that living in a posh area I over pay - but I never begrudge it as I saw the long hours my mum worked and also the unpaid counselling she gave to so many women. BTW, my DM had her business in a tiny town and she would have been shocked at the £300 price - she was more in the £60 range . But I still hold that a hairdresser should not be called out for charging for her expertise - it is so often in women dominated professions that the pay and terms are so bad - see Nurses versus Doctors.

£300 hair cut? Mines £40 for a cut and colour. Doesn't look crap either. 😳

Find someone else. 50 percent increase is taking the piss and she knows it.

havent read but the other day wasn't there another thread for someone who had paid 300 for a balayage and hair cut> they were being charged balayage and full head of highlights I believe . it was in London as well

It takes up a lot of time, especially to do well. It's not like they can fit people in while your colour developed either like they'd usually do

I think you have a very reasonable budget to look around for alternatives. Could you look on a local online page for recommendations?

I'm fortunate to pay £50 for Tsection highlights and cut (would be £150 but it's a friend). I agree highlights or Tsection could be cheaper and look similar (I have full head highlights once or twice a year).

@Daydrambeliever

No one is owed professional hair services at their preferred price. Don't like it, there's always box color and DIY.

Or other less expensive hairdressers.

Right.

@EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall

It takes up a lot of time, especially to do well. It's not like they can fit people in while your colour developed either like they'd usually do

That's a good point.

As pp said below, why do we expect women to undercharge for their time and expertise?

I am a beauty therapist so on a lot of professional Facebook groups. There is a huge push at the moment for hairdressers and beauty therapists to charge their worth. A lot of hairdressers and beauty therapists are barely breaking even.
I think as it is a very female, working class job which traditionally the non academic do, it has been very under valued.
This is changing and we are pushing to be seen in the same light as other vocational trades the training is 2-3 years initially and then ongoing it can be very expensive. As is the tools, equipment and lotions and potions.

I've had balayage done for years and normally paid around £110 for the colour and the cut, usually including Olaplex and occasionally a toner if needed which isn't charged as extra. It's no more drying or damaging than highlights (which I've also had done in the past) but seems to take longer than a full head of highlights, so it definitely feels like my stylist is doing a good job. She's very young, very talented and actually listens to what I want and more importantly, don't want, which is something I am willing to pay for! But going by some of these prices, she's actually not too expensive despite being in the most expensive boutique salon in a popular tourist seaside town outside a fairly big city...

I have bayalge . Costs approx £60/70 . You are being very ripped off

My hairdresser (who is a blooming marvel!) has slightly increased her prices since Covid (I used to be £65-70 for my cut, colour, and blow dry, it was £73 last week) but I think that’s pretty reasonable considering she can no longer have someone else in while she waits for my colour to take. £2-300 is well outside most people’s budgets I would think.

Yes, I’m January 2020 I paid my usual £186 for a full head of highlight (top colourist), Olaplex, toner, cut and blow dry. Home Counties, very nice salon.

In July 2020, I had exactly the same colourist and treatments in the same salon...£309!! I nearly fell on the floor at the hike.

I haven’t been back. I’ve found a new colourist, which is actually better I think and the bonus is she comes to my home. I’m back to paying £154, so half the price of the salon hike.

My hairdresser has just gone from £60 - £70 for a half head 2 tone highlights, cut and blow dry. He charged £60 almost 18 months ago for a balage for dd. I’d expect it to be £70 or perhaps a little more now. Not up by 50%.

It’s not food, housing, nappies or medicine. It’s poncy hair colouring. Nobody really needs it so she can charge what the hell she likes as long as she’s up front about it, and you can pay it or not as you prefer.

Regardless of what can be paid elsewhere and whether £200/£300 is the right price, this hairdresser's attitude sucked. Essentially saying "Pay more or I'll do a crap job and THEN you'll regret it" is appalling customer service - the right thing to have done would be to explain that the service OP wanted was £300 but to discuss alternatives if your customer's budget doesn't stretch that far.

I get that she's got to make up for lost wages, but she's not going to do that by losing customers, is she? She might be able to fill her appointments now, when so many people are desperate to have their hair cut anywhere/at any price/anything to stop looking like Cousin It, but if she's got a shitty attitude she's not going to end up keeping those either.

Bullying hairdressers get right on my tits - I'd used the same place for about 10 years when they suddenly started hiking their prices, doing crap hair cuts/colours and giving me the hard sell for products/add-ons etc. Never went back.

Sack her off fully understand a small increased but thats outrageous she's taking advantage of the situation .

You say you've gone to her for 3 years so she should have established books and would off been able to get grant from government .

A lot of hairdresser have for years avoided tax and contributions the majority of money going straight in there arse pocket .

So they were entitled to nothing there own fault .

she'll be rushed of her feet and charge what she wants but it will settle down and people have long memories.

*thats outrageous she's taking advantage of the situation"

Don't push it, it's still a luxury service and there's no shortage of box dye, and no one will sack you if your hair become grey.

Yep, £14 increase on mine since a year ago, £5 increase since December. I actually paid £10 less for a t-section highlights and very quick trim than I paid for a half head last summer! I paid £90 for a 90 minute appointment plus waiting in-between while she cut someone else's hair and my colour set. Wouldn't mind but the chairs she rents out cover her rent and bills. It's getting too expensive. I'm spending £600 a year just on my hair!

Just come back from haircut. Gone upon £9. Was £89 for cut, colour, toner.

Spent £25-£40 for salon hair cut and blow dry.

Or £20 for haircut at home,.

@CoconutChair I'm sorry to hear you had a similar experience, and that's great that you found someone else, who is cheaper and better.

@BrightYellowDaffodil Yes, she rather shot herself in the foot with that. I think she was banking on me saying "OK I'll pay £300 to make it look good" but instead it just made me think I don't want to waste £200 on a bad hairdo!

Oh dear. I didn't mean to be rude. But to me if you are paying £200+ for a haircut you're hardly a price-sensitive customer. Agreed, big jump between the two figures, agreed if that's what she said about the potential outcomes then that's not right.

But having your hair done at a £200+ level is a luxury IME no matter where you live. And hairdressers can charge what they want. You can get something good done with your hair for a lot less than that in most places.

So if you're saying that an additional £100 makes what was a £200 haircut unaffordable, I wonder why you're spending £200 on a hair service every two years that grows out / fades anyway.

In that situation I'd find someone who could do something decent for say £100 - £130 (there's a lot of options around that budget), pocket the £70 and not even worry about the extra £100?!! Or have my hair done sooner next time?!

She can't really blame lockdown totally.

people have had 80% of their earnings paid (up to a cap) or a self employment grant based on previous earnings.

If she was employed by a salon she would have got 80%. If she is s/e she would still get some income.

My hairdresser has not changed her prices at all after the lockdowns.

She said when I last saw her, that pretty much everyone has has a shitty time with work, furlough and redundancies that she won’t be putting her prices up and she grateful she’s still got clients and a job.

Your hairdresser is a cheeky fuck and I’d be finding another one.