To consider challenging paying this?

[Tatty3]

Long term customer of a local Hairdressers. Been going since it opened, for last 10 years.

My hairdresser is the owner and mentioned a few months ago that they were thinking about bringing in a deposit for every appt as people were cancelling last minute.

I booked again a month or so for this weekend. No mention of paying a deposit.

I've had an accident this morning and have had to get stitches in the top of my head which i cant get wet. I've messaged today to cancel, really apologetic with a proposed alternative time in a few weeks.

The hairdresser is asking me to pay because I didn't give 48 hours notice.

Would you pay? I want to support my hairdresser but if I pay now and don't get the service, I'm going to have to save up for a few months before I can afford to go again and I am in need of a cut. Also, this is a one off extreme situation. Then again that doesn't help her financial situation?

The thing is, if I pay it now, I'm not going to be able to get my hair done again for another 3 months (my usual timescale) and my hair will be insane by then.

So you've now cancelled 3 times in 18 months, so that's half the appointments you had booked?

It sounds like you can’t afford their new deposit scheme OP if you can’t afford to lose 50% for a cancelled appointment, and you’ll have to find a new one anyway.

In which case I wouldn’t worry about burning bridges with the hairdresser, tell them unfortunately you can’t afford it.

I assume they think it was an excuse.

A medical emergency is exceptional circumstances imo. I wouldn’t pay. Find a new hairdresser.

I’d agree with this. The whole point of a deposit is that it’s non refundable but most people will use it towards a future booking.

I have run a service business and unfortunately some people cancel, that’s the way of the world. it’s annoying but I would always see it as an opportunity to put a shout out for any last minute business and always sold the spot again. It frees her up for a last minute or a walk in, so if she’s any good she’ll fill it!

But either way….You don’t ask someone to pay a deposit AFTER they cancel, that’s madness! Can you imagine any other business (a restaurant for example) saying that because you cancelled your table booking you now have to pay a fee?!

If you’d already paid it I can see that they’d keep it and apply it to your revised booking but they can’t ask for it after the fact - that’s not a deposit that’s a fine!

I used to go for my colour too every 6 weeks, this has changed as my financial circumstances have changed and I now consider hair cuts as a nice to have rather than an essential so I save up for it. This usually takes 3ish months.

I sent the pictures of my positive PCR test from the NHS notification both times. She also cancelled two appts due to covid ,(one time she had it and once it had been in the salon and they closed for everyone to isolate)

The last time I cancelled was Aug last year.

I hadn't thought about a Dry cut. The area is quite tender but that might be a better option.

Medical emergencies should be exempt in my opinion , id move to another hairdresser if the pursue this

Exactly. Not just unlucky enough to get covid twice, but for it to coincide with a hair appt both times...and now something else...I'm not suggesting the OP has made excuses but it's understandable that the hairdresser might see it that way and wish to protect themselves financially.

Blimey, that’s a lot of Covid cases between you and her!

Id be tempted to turn up for your appointment and tell them to do what they can without getting your stitches wet or touching the area or in any way delaying your recovery from a head injury - maybe they’ll end up cancelling YOU.

Surely most people have had COVID at least twice by now? I think 4x would be the average for people I know.

I haven’t had it once!

Given you only had the accident on the morning of your appointment you couldn’t have given 48 hours notice. She’s being ridiculous.

I wouldn't pay this. I wouldn't worry about a previous cancellation 2 days before either that's perfectly reasonable
If she asks again I'd say you're very disappointed as you're a loyal long term customer who's had an accident. As pp have said you didn't pay a deposit on booking so it's tough shit now.

See, I can see this- I do think the last 2 years has been awful and an unusual time but I get that I've cancelled two appts. 1 with 5 days notice, and 1 shorter. Having said that, I didn't cancel completely, I rearranged on both times. But I get that she shouldn't be financially penalised for that.

But, if I was a problem customer because of the above, why not charge the deposit when I booked the appt?

My hairdresser and beauty salon I go to both have a very clear policy about paying 50% of the cost of the treatment if cancellation is within 48hrs, however they also take into consideration why you're cancelling eg emergency or whether you cancel regularly and it's their discretion. I think under the circumstances she's being unreasonable, but equally she is on the same financial situation and is now losing out on a wage she was expecting and had possibly budgeted for. It's a tricky situation, if it were me I'd offer her 50%

And if you refuse to pay and she's not happy about it she'll probably just not rebook you, you'll find she suddenly has no suitable appointments so think about whether you want the hassle of finding a new decent hairdresser.

Maybe it's area dependent. Do you have children in school and do you go out to work?

If the cancellation policy was in place and you paid a deposit then yes you should lose it. But you can't demand a deposit out of someone retrospectively. I wouldn't pay and would look for a new hairdresser, she's clearly not bother about customer loyalty.

Bit harsh on anyone judging people cancelling over the last couple of years tbh. 18 months ago Covid was still rife and we (the nation) still hadn't quite got a grasp on it.

I had to cancel appointments including hairdressers when the kids had suspected covid (they were clear but we had to get PCR confirmation), when the kids actually had covid, when DH and then I did, because we were told not to socialise with a positive or suspected positive test.

But also, this aside, whilst I understand the reason she had to introduce a non-refundable deposit, it is discretionary, if she charges you because you have stitches in your head, then she's a bit of a bellend tbh.

4 times?! Out of my entire friends and family only ONE has had it twice. Quite a few of us haven't had it at all yet.

They would have wanted you to cancel the first two times.
And then today is totally unavoidable.
How inconvenient will it be to find another hairdresser?

But no, she can't charge you retrospectively OP.

I wouldn't pay, and I wouldn't go back.

Fair enough to bring in those rules and tell customers (but they didn't at the time of your booking), but you'd expect them to show discretion for your situation. Quite often 'the rules' are for new customers only anyway.

With my salon, I frequently flex my appointments to suit them and vice versa - because I'm such a longstanding and flexible customer, I don't get charged for late cancellations (it's not hard for them to fill my slot, plus they understand I'm not a flake). However, if it's for a reason that's clearly my fault (like double booking myself), I always insist on paying. Not because they make me, but because it's the right thing to do.

For something like this, where I'd got in an accident, they would refuse to take my money, and if I paid anyway, they'd just comp me next time, so in effect, I wouldn't pay.

For something mutual - like a couple of years ago when we were heading towards another lockdown, and we were both thinking about getting out of the city early - I paid half. Again, not expected, not requested, but it felt fair.

I didn't pay during lockdown when the salon was closed, but I did start paying a hefty Christmas tip.

The best relationships work in two ways. I expect strict rules when there's no real relationship, but when you've been loyal for a decade, you should be past both sides enforcing T&Cs. It should be about both sides doing whatever is fair without being prompted.

Ask if the 50% will go to the next cut?

My hairdresser has a policy that last-minute cancellations/no-shows have to paid for, but happily waives it for regular customers (and also rang me the time I forgot, so I could run round). When I had an accident and couldn't easily wash my hair, I asked about going in just for a hairwash, and she said she'd do it for free as I was a regular.

However if it's a big appointment, on a Saturday, that's a sizeable chunk of her income disappeared, and it wasn't her fault either.

It might be worth posting on Facebook (your page/local groups), asking if anyone would like to use your appointment. If someone were to turn up saying "Tatty said they'd had to cancel, can you fit me in instead", it would be very churlish of her to charge you.