Hairdresser left me at the sink for 1 hour to do someone else's hair ...aibu?

[lookatmeeeeee]

I had an appointment at 9am this morning for a t section of highlights and trim and blow dry.
Arrive at 8.50 and she starts my hair at 9.10.
By 9.45 she's done the highlights and says she will leave them to say for 50 minutes.
At 10.30 am a lady turns up and my hairdresser tells her she is 45 mins late but will accommodate her.
So she gets the young apprentice to rinse my colour out 5 mins later.
She doesn't shampoo /condition or tone just rinses bleach off.
My hairdresser starts doing this lady's hair (full head of highlights)
I'm still sat at the sink at 11.30 am ...another 15 mins passes and she apologised and shampoos and conditions.
I finally leave the hairdresser at 1pm
Bare in mind this was literally a t section and trim.
Aibu to think it's pretty crappy to leave me sat there for a hour at the sink whilst she does the lady's hair (who arrived 45 mins late)
I arrive early and are expected to just wait.

I know I sound stupid
Going to the hairdresser is a big thing for me
I stumble over my words when she speaks to me
I'm scared il say something silly and she will think I'm a fool
Even just the anxiety of walking in and saying I have an appointment is hard

This happens all the time in the Afro hair salons I go to. Infuriating. And THEY get pissed if you dare to say anything.

@lookatmeeeeee you are not stupid

This was very poor service
I am glad your hair looks lovely !

It's so dangerous. I'd complain even if just by email or a review. There was a case of a woman dying due to the compression and there are cases of strokes etc. I know those are extreme but they should be aware of this.

Oh, OP. I'm so sorry. I'm actually raging on your behalf.

I'm glad your hair looks good.

I’m not trying to be dramatic but I’ve read that the awful position of your neck in the sink can cause a stroke. For that reason alone I would have really made a fuss at being left for an hour!

Awful, awful, awful!

I got left like this once OP on a Saturday when it was busy - after 20 minutes I got arsy and asked if someone was coming back. Turned out that the junior hadn't rinsed my colour off at all well and I got a horrid chemical burn on the back of my neck that was agony for about 2 weeks. I complained, put photos on their FB page that they then blocked me from and got given a free bottle of conditioner as a "gesture".

Never went back.

Ah OP, you're not stupid.
It's very easy for anonymous people on the internet to claim they'd punch the manager and burn the salon down, but a very different story IRL, especially if you're not a confident person or suffer with anxiety.

You were well within your rights to say you were uncomfortable. But whether you voiced that or not, they acted very unprofessionally and should not have allowed you to sit there like that. It's up to you, but an email of complaint would be justified if you don't want to call.

Glad your hair looks good & I hope you go back to the hairdresser, but maybe a different one next time...

Awful service but you have sat up to avoid a sore neck, walked over to get your phone, asked to be treated in a reasonable time, refused to pay etc.

I can’t believe you just sat there!

Okay, I now see you have anxiety, so speaking up at the time would be impossible.

email or message now to explain how unhappy you fee, and ask what compensation she thinks is appropriate.

Totally unacceptable

This is one of the reasons why I have an at home hairdresser. I got fed up of waiting for her to cut someone else's hair. They all did it. During colour process I understand that they have a window of time so they used to do a cut and blow for someone else. The number of times I was left for ages at the backwash with a "treatment" on charging me an extra tenner in the process. Usually a junior would wash my hair and then stylist would return to do the cut. It usually took 3.5 to 4 hours for half head cut and blow.

I'd not go back to this hairdresser because they should have done a proper wash really shitty to just wash bleach off then leave you an hour. That's extra bad service!

Oh gosh you should have called over and asked for a towel so you could have sat up at least. Poor service on their behalf, but you should have also just asked them for a towel rather than sitting so uncomfortable for so long

Terrible service I would be livid and not go back

@GroggyLegs aww what a perfectly written reply 🥰🥰

If you don't feel you can go back, leave an honest review on Google. She could have really injured someone doing that.

You sat there…

…for four hours.

You didn’t get up and leave.

You stayed. And then paid her.

You enabled this.

This is why these CF get away with it.

The other customer was late but it shouldn't have affected your appointment. They should have made her rebook

The sinks are the reason I haven't been to a hairdresser for years & before that I'd just have hair wet with a spray to be trimmed.

I'm short & the seats never seemed to be adjustable.

I'd rather have stood with my head over!

My hairdresser did this to me once … she booked someone I knew into my slot and made me wait a long time with my highlights in, and sat with my neck against that uncomfortable sink… Think she thought I wouldn’t mind her squeezing the other client in and waiting as I knew the other client… I was pissed though and my neck/ head was really sore from the sink…

I didn’t feel confident enough to complain though…

Yup I've read the same.

This can not be real no way djd you lie with your head tilted in the sink for an hour 😂

lots of horrible ableist messages here telling OP off for not speaking up. Someone with anxiety or ASD would find it impossible to do this. Try to think outside your own narrow minded little boxes once in a while!

That's is such poor service. Awful. Complain op. She obviously thinks that's OK and the manager needs to know. Ex hairdresser here and that would never happen in any salon I worked in.