Crying and walking out of hairdresser

[Calmondeck]

I don’t usually place much importance on haircuts but today’s was a big one. My first haircut post brain surgery. I was partially shaved for the operation so have rocked a very misshapen head for the past 8 months. Now I have multiple bolts holding my skull together, and I guess the psychological significance of getting to cut off all of this old hair that remains and starting afresh 8 months on felt big. I researched top hairdressers in my city and booked aiming to make it a special afternoon. I explained to them in advance the scaring and bolts issue. I arranged childcare.

After 4 hours, an hour of which was spent waiting for the hairdresser, and an hour waiting with wet hair while they forgot about me at the sinks… i just got quietly teary, realised I had to leave in order to cross the city and make it home to breastfeed my baby before bed…

now walking through the city with wet hair so disappointed. First world problems I know.

was I ABU for leaving?

This is awful. If you are anywhere near Hertfordshire I can highly recommend a wonderful hairdresser who specialises in cancer patients, so is very used to dealing with patchy areas, scars etc.

No you are not being unreasonable!

It was a momentous moment for you , something sensitive and personal and you explained that yet they provided an appalling service ! Waiting for an hour when you have an appointment is terrible and to still have wet hair 3 hours after that ?! What on earth were they doing ! Definitely put a complaint in .

I hope you are feeling a bit better now x

You absolutely should write to them OP, that would be terrible customer service even outside of your particular situation.

Hairdressers need to stop double booking and focus on one client at a time, it's so unprofessional.

'Look good feel better' is the beauty industry charity. Have a Google, they offer free services.
I am sure the famous Sam McKnight is connected with the charity but obviously he is London based.
Any number of hairdressers on this thread would help you. Please don't think everyone is like this. Empathy is a requirement of all hairdressers and beauticians.

I hope you can find a nice, caring hairdresser, maybe one who works from home in her own salon.

@Calmondeck I am so sorry this happened to you. I would suggest that instead of looking for a 'top class' hairdresser, you phone round and go for a more local, smaller one.

Many years ago, I also spent more than 5 hours in a VERY classy hairdressers as a treat as I wanted my hair permed for a special event and my baby was just a few months old. Didn't have to wait to be seen too long, hair washed. Sat for ages then hairdresser came to say they weren't happy with the wash and it needed to be washed again. Spent an hour after it was washed again, sitting waiting on the hairdresser to return. Had it permed/cut - and then had it washed off. Then left to sit in the downstairs part of the salon. They forgot about me! I too had a bus to catch, so in total I was away from home for around 7.5 hours altogether, didn't have mobile phones then and couldn't get hold of the person who was babysitting for me. Absolute nightmare.

Once it was eventually done, it was absolutely horrendous and looked terrible - all at a premium price. Got it sorted at a local small hairdresser who charged a LOT less

Honestly, my heart breaks for what you’ve been through and how strong you are coping with a baby and recovery. You have my absolute support for however you choose to handle this.

And I hope this isn’t offensive…one day miming breastfeeding at the hairdressers will be a very funny story!

P.S. Your husband is a legend. You both are!

I wish I had enough money to fly you out to a celeb hairdresser for a nice relaxing, luxurious experience @Calmondeck

I wanted to say 1st: you are one amazing, brave lady and I sincerely hope life is onwards and upwards for you from now on, you deserve it. 2nd: what b&st&&ds the hairdressers were, especially as you'd made a point of telling them your circumstances beforehand.

They deserve a rotten review and I agree with the previous poster who said to write them a letter (if you feel up to it). Some businesses out there don't deserve any customers if this is the best they can do in caring for their clients.

Wishing all good things for you from now on.🌻🌷

Sorry this happened to you OP. Were you informed in advance how long your appointment would take? You mention colourist so I assume this wasn’t just a cut and restyle but colour also?

I use a not-very-cool looking local hairdresser to avoid this sort of issue.

In reality they are a really well established business (25 plus years locally) who take care of their staff and thus can offer consistency.

My little girl had her first post-cancer hair cut there, and later on, after it had grown back they did her hair cut for donation to Little Princess Trust too (both cuts gifted to us by the owner, whose own child is a paediatric cancer survivor).

I went there after I got my hair stuck in the vacuum cleaner and had to be cut free, leaving a very lopsided do (they only laughed a little bit!)

They do everything from an old fashioned set under a hood dryer to really technical balayage. One of the stylists lives in the fancy gay quarter and commutes out to the unfashionable suburbs because he has a better quality of life with less time pressure and more varied customers.

Find somewhere like my little local place OP, they’ll make you feel like a superstar, not just an afterthought.

Search local FB groups and if possible, go early-midweek, when they’ll be quieter.

My place would happily do your hair with the pram in the corner (Bfing under the gown might be tricky)!

Just wanted to add that your husband and little one sound great too (little one sounds a dab hand with the craft scissors - watch out)!

Take care, xx

I was so sorry to read this op. I hope you get it sorted (and get a grovelling apology from the salon). Take care.

Thank you x

Oooo yes, I should also mention that I am a mystery shopper. I've had loads of horrendously expensive haircuts complete with free glasses of wine, and some small local ones. Supercuts obviously vary from salon to salon, but provided the best cut of all, and generally the smaller less well known salons were actually better!

OP,

The salon’s behaviour is not acceptable in any way, even less for a client who is vulnerable. Shame on them.

If you are in London I could recommend a couple of fabulous places or an amazing lady I know who will go to you. Just DM me.

Blimey, that's really rubbish. Well done for setting yourself up for a good day and I'm so sorry it didn't work. I'm certain that there are better hairdressers out there.

Perhaps you should take your two year old up on his offer!!!

Seriously though, that is shit. Our hair cuts are very important to us, even to me. I prefer the dentist to the hairdresser! Although I have gone back to a cheaper hairdresser and feel pretty comfortable there. It is not the price but I have to feel comfortable there.

Perhaps when you are feeling a bit better you can look for another hairdresser? Check locally or as near as you can if anyone has dealing with cancer patients?

I've been to a couple of 'posh' saloons and felt uncomfortable in them. I now go to a local person who works from her home and feel happy and comfortable with the cuts I get there. Definitely look for someone like that who may have a good word of mouth reputation. I hope you get the cut you deserve by someone considerate soon x

I am so sorry to hear this OP - how can they forget someone at the sinks for that length of time - were they washing other peoples' hair next to you? Did none of them think to ask what was going on?

I hope you find somewhere much better and please do complain to them. I doubt you want to go back there now, but they should be told how they made you feel and how incompetent they were.

My DH is trying to cheer me up rejoicing that the shaved rockstar look turned disheveled washed-up rocker look lives to see another day

Your DH sounds awesome! 🙌🏽

Even if they hadn’t known your history and even if you didn’t have that medical history it’s still incredibly poor service.

it happened to me when I was 19 and I didn’t walk out and I still regret that I sat for almost 2 hours with wet hair in front of a mirror (well it had dried at some point) and didn’t complain. In my case they didn’t forget me but there was some big incident with another customer and my hairdresser was apparently needed. Didn’t go back.

@duckcalledbill You might have missed this bit the op wrote explaining why they couldn't speak.

I explained in advance to them my injuries not just to save some poor apprentice at the sink the shock of feeling different bits of skull pieced together, but because I had to relearn how to speak post surgery and my brain is still switching speech on/off unpredictably

This is what made me saddest, I was conserving energy just being patient and could appreciate how bustling the salon was on a Friday, but when I realised I would have to leave, I also lost speech, so embarrassingly I had to mime to them that I was leaving, had to feed my baby, etc

Sounds awful. What was happening during the other 2 hours?. You said you were there for 4 hours. How big was the salon. I'm surprised they didn't need the sink you were sitting at. Surely, if you had been sitting there for an hour, you wouldn't have still had wet hair? , the stylist didn't even notice you getting up to leave, The whole thing sounds outrageous.