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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask for a refund for my hair?

236 replies

HairRaisin · 11/06/2022 21:06

I went to a local independent salon this week to get a balayage and cut, first time since before DC was born end of 2021 so I was very excited! I’d never been there before but the salon owner/stylist had good reviews.

At end of cut and colour the stylist insisted on curling my hair, and with the mixture of the curls and the soft salon lighting I didn’t notice how choppy and uneven it was. As soon as I got home and had a proper look I realised that she had done a really bad job and it’s not the natural looking balayage I’d asked for.

I’ve since been messaging the salon owner to let her know how unhappy I am, and have also been back to show her what I’m not happy with.

Not only did she play down how bad it was, but the only option she is currently offering is for her to ‘fix’ my hair by trying again, however I don’t trust her to try again and have instead asked for a refund so I can get it fixed somewhere else. She has no employees, it’s just her, so there’s nobody else there that could try to fix it.

Looking at what she did the first time (which took 4 hours, and cost me £160) I haven’t got the confidence in her to fix it, so I asked for a refund, but she is currently refusing - although asked for the weekend to seek advice on what her next steps might be. So she might decide next week to refund me, or might decide that she legally doesn’t have to since she has offered to fix it - and that’s that.

Not sure if photos will do it justice? But it’s choppy, patchy all over including underneath, yellow and grey in parts, and all a little too Friar Tuck. Plus the cut is uneven too! I’ve been left feeling quite sad after being so excited for this first little treat since DC was born!

AIBU to want a refund so that I can get this fixed somewhere else?

AIBU to ask for a refund for my hair?
AIBU to ask for a refund for my hair?
AIBU to ask for a refund for my hair?
OP posts:
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8
cansu · 11/07/2022 18:25

Cut is awful. Maybe you will need to say you will be posting pics and reviews if she does not refund you.

chipsandpeas · 11/07/2022 18:40

cansu · 11/07/2022 18:25

Cut is awful. Maybe you will need to say you will be posting pics and reviews if she does not refund you.

fuck sake read the whole thread

Pancakeorcrepe · 11/07/2022 19:14

Your hair was lovely before! This mad bint absolutely destroyed it! I’m glad she eventually refunded you,well done for insisting!

bumbledeedum · 11/07/2022 23:20

So pleased you got your refund OP! Well done for being so persistent. I hope you've also posted a factual review of her on Google, Facebook etc

sunglassesonthetable · 12/07/2022 07:04

Great news OP. They didn't have a leg to stand on. Well done for persisting.

Augend23 · 12/07/2022 08:05

I'm so pleased you got your money back OP - I can't believe how badly they behaved.

LookItsMeAgain · 12/07/2022 08:24

I'd wonder what the Consumer Advocate thought about the situation? I mean refusing a private individual is one thing but generally speaking when a consumer programme (particularly one that either goes out on radio or TV) gets involved, the supplier/vendor in the wrong usually works out quite quickly that there is no way out now and stops fighting yet this particular hairdresser just kept on like a dog with a bone!

I'm delighted that you've found a better hairdresser and that you've got your money back from the wonky hairdresser.

Original poster
HairRaisin · 12/07/2022 09:26

LookItsMeAgain · 12/07/2022 08:24

I'd wonder what the Consumer Advocate thought about the situation? I mean refusing a private individual is one thing but generally speaking when a consumer programme (particularly one that either goes out on radio or TV) gets involved, the supplier/vendor in the wrong usually works out quite quickly that there is no way out now and stops fighting yet this particular hairdresser just kept on like a dog with a bone!

I'm delighted that you've found a better hairdresser and that you've got your money back from the wonky hairdresser.

He was brilliant and really professional but I did feel bad knowing that he’d been given an earful from the hairdressers partner over it! He was clearly really shocked at their behaviour! He ended the radio segment saying that he hoped the hairdresser would seriously think about how she handles complaints in future, and that she should take a course in balayage 😂

OP posts:
LookItsMeAgain · 12/07/2022 12:57

Why stop at balayage...looks like the first hairdresser needs to go back to the beginning and learn how to cut hair to begin with. Balayage is a ways away at this stage.

Purplefoxes · 12/07/2022 13:31

HairRaisin · 11/07/2022 18:06

Hi all, just popping back with an update to say that I did successfully get my refund! I don’t think I would have done, had it not been for @Purplefoxes suggestion about getting in touch with a local radio station which runs a consumer advice segment!

I reached out to the programme and they said they’d like to have me on the show, and I’ve now been on the programme four times over the last few weeks as things have progressed!

The presenter is a consumer rights expert and kindly contacted the original hairdresser on my behalf in attempt to get my refund, however she ignored his attempts to contact her. He then did a bit of digging and found her partners phone number, as he helped her set up the business, and contacted him.

During that call, from what the presenter said, the partner agreed that the hairdresser had done a bad job on my hair, but said since she’d offered to try and fix it, in their eyes, I wasn’t entitled to a refund. He also got quite nasty with the presenter from the sounds of things and some name-calling and swearing ensued!

The hairdresser then messaged me on WhatsApp (after having ignored my last two messages) saying that I had incited a journalist to harass her and her family and if it didn’t stop then she would instruct her solicitor… she also demanded that any future contact from me come from my lawyer!

A few days later I went back on the radio show and they invited a lawyer onto the programme who confirmed that I was entitled to a refund, and reassuringly told me that my contact with her to date did not constitute harassment (bearing in mind my contact with her was a few messages immediately after the first appointment, one return visit to the salon, and two follow up messages over the following week which she ignored).

The lawyer said that the next steps I should take were to send a ‘Letter of Claim’ to the hairdresser - essentially giving one last chance for her to refund me before taking her to small claims court! So I went ahead and wrote a letter, outlining everything that had happened, and asking for my money back.

About a week after sending the letter I got an email from the hairdresser who essentially agreed to issue my refund ‘without prejudice to liability and in full and final settlement of the matter’.

So I’m happy to say that I’ve got my money back, and I’m looking forward to my next hair appointment at salon number two in a few months time when there’s enough regrowth to have another correction! The first correction really is a huge improvement but there are still patchy areas and the colour is still uneven in places - so I’m hopeful that the next visit will really sort it out! My hair is definitely damaged, but with some decent quality bond building and hair repair products I can now brush it through much easier after washing it!

Thanks again all for all your reassurance that I was right to seek the refund! And again to @Purplefoxes as without your recommendation I would have had to probably just give up hope of getting my money back!

I'm so pleased for you @HairRaisin that they were able to get a result, that's excellent news! It does not look as though the hairdresser showed themselves in a great light but at least they finally refunded you, least they could do for such a terrible job! Perhaps next time they will be more cautious before they try to pass off poor work on a customer. Or ideally they retrain...better still as something non customer facing 😂 I hope you are happy with your new do, it looks lovely again so glad you were able to get it fixed. I've learnt so much from listening to consumer radio driving between sites for my job, glad it's been put to good use! X

Original poster
HairRaisin · 12/07/2022 18:27

Thanks @Purplefoxes it really was a great idea to reach out to them! Agree that she didn’t show herself in a good light. I think she took it quite personally and got overly defensive. It really wasn’t ever personal though!

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