Hairdresser cancelled appointment at my appointment time

[TheAfterthought]

I'll try and keep this as concise as possible!

I had an appointment with my hairdresser today. I arrived at the salon and messaged her upon my arrival (Salon is on the first floor building and door is number coded for access). I waited a couple of minutes expecting the door to be open and greeted by my hairdresser. Instead, I receive a text message from her informing me she's unwell and been unwell all week and not in work today and that she's really sorry and will offer me a discount next time if I want to rebook.

Being unwell is one thing and I hope she feels much better soon. That said, texting me AFTER I confirm my arrival for my appointment is what's pissed me off. I arranged my day around this appointment. She says she's been ill all week so I would have thought she knows herself enough to know she had no plans on going into work while still feeling poorly and would have had the courtesy to message me much sooner (without prompting).

She works in a salon with other hairdressers. If she was so ill surely she could have asked one of them to call me and let me know, apologise for the inconvenience and rebook me in at a later date? Or offer to book me in with someone else the same day or later date as no idea how long she will be off sick for? Even as options that would have been appreciated to have been asked. Peter of thise options were offered.

I haven't replied to her message yet because I'm pissed off and I don't want to say anything mean to her because she's unwell. I don't think I can hide a sarcastic tone at the moment.

If this illness was an emergency then I would have understood, emergencies just happen. But she's been ill for a week and not had the thought or if she did, she didn't action the thought to contact me.

I'm unsure whether to give the hairdresser the benefit of the doubt. She's done a good job with my hair cuts previously. I'm a fairly new customer so only been to her twice before but I have been happy with her work. Or, should I find another hairdresser and take my business elsewhere?

I'm geared towards not replying and going elsewhere. Customers shouldn't be treated as an afterthought. It's not a way to run a business. Having worked in customer service for too many years lol 😆 I know how I don't like to be treated and I wouldn't treat a customer that way no matter how long they were a customer for.

I'm interested in outside opinions about this because I'm fed up and long term don't want to act in haste without considering further input.

YABU: Give the hairdresser the benefit of the doubt and rebook the appointment and make use of the discount.
YANBU: Find another hairdresser and take your business elsewhere.

Thanks for reading 😊

I don’t believe she had an emergency- more like she didn’t want to do my hair again, as she probably sensed from my reaction that she hadn’t done a great job, the cut was untidy, and the highlight colour wasn’t left on long enough, despite having written instructions from my usual hairdresser who is on maternity leave.

If she only texted you after you pressed the button to be let into the salon, then she must have been in the building, surely? Unless she lives in the place where she works? How come none of the others answered the door either if she works with others. Something not quite right, for sure.

Glad you have decided to go elsewhere

I'm quite laid back but this would piss me off no end @TheAfterthought.

I go to the hairdresser every six weeks or so but it takes a little planning around the kids being in school or making sure DH is home with them. Similarly, you had planned this appointment around an important job interview on Monday. And for something like a restyle or colour or cut I think a lot of people tend to schedule their appointment prior to a life event or a date or what have you.

Everyone feels poorly from time to time so I wouldn't begrudge her that in the slightest but it's the lack of consideration that would make me so cross. You took time out of your weekend to honour this appointment and she didn't even have the courtesy to let you know. My guess she is hungover and didn't plan ahead/think any further than feeling ghastly. It's rude and unprofessional.

Wait until you feel a little calmer and then tell her why you won't be coming again. And good hairdressers aren't that hard to find. I think the relationship is based on trust to some degree and she has shafted you so it wouldn't ever be the same anyway.

Good luck on Monday!

She sent the hairdresser an SMS

So what about what may be going on in her life?

She was ill all wk and had Op's number, she should've let her know. Bollocks to her.

Thank you - yes I realised that after I posted - but too late to amend what I had written. Was coming back to say I had made a mistake!

Actually @TheAfterthought The above poster has a good point! Did she have your number before you texted her? Assuming she did, yes, absolutely right to ditch her!

I used the same hairdresser for ages. Loved him. Hair always looked fab and it wasn’t cheap! I booked twice for appointments close to events only to get a call earlier in the week to say he was no longer going to be about and I could either have someone else do my hair (lower ranked but still not cheap!) or reschedule. Neither was acceptable. The first was annoying but it happens. Twice in a row - not good customer service. I took my custom elsewhere and now have my hair done at home for a fraction of the cost!

She should give at least 50% discount.
Mind you I've forgotten a hair appointment and she's always just let it go - I've never actually been charged.

Yes she did have my mobile number. All communication has been by text message. I always include my name on messages too so she knows who the message is from. She confirmed my appointment by text. There's a an audit trail of communication.

Hmm, it would depend upon a few things; is her pricing good?
Does she do your hair the way you like it,
Does your gut instinct tell you she's telling the truth?
I put with a certain amount of flakiness from my hairdresser, because she's really cheap, she does my hair EXACTLY how I like it and I hate going to fancy salons.
If none of those applied then yes I think I'd probably text ok thanks and then bin her off.

I agree with a PP that she's hungover and made up the "been ill for a week" BS to justify herself. Why on earth would she confirm your appointment to then tell you she's been ill all week.

She sits on a throne of lies.

😂Well, yes, that's a summary of the OP's situation, other than summarising it though not sure you've helped OP in any way......

OP, I'd cut my losses and go elsewhere, but if you really want to give her one more chance I'd screenshot that offer a discount so she can't deny she said it when it comes to paying for your next appointment.

Her message says she's been poorly all week and off work today. So it's not clear if she's been off work. If she's been ill and knew she wasn't going into work today she should still have let me know. Even if it was early today but before my appointment. That would have been the least she could have done.

The pedant in me would want to send a message saying "sorry to hear you're ill, I hope you're feeling better soon. Unfortunately, I won't be returning as I used a days annual leave for this appointment which was for an important occasion and I have been let down. It's just not cricket".

The rational, responsible adult in me knows no good would come of any response and as Mumsnet says "no response is a response".

There's no button to press on the door. I have to message her to let her know I have arrived and she comes downstairs to unlock and open the door to let me in. The salon does have a main phone number but nobody seems to answer it. So all communication is done via the hairdresser direct by text message.

😃 That's a perfectly, diplomatic reply. I'll keep that mind 😊

I think this is a brilliant response, particularly if the hairdresser has genuinely been ill and you really want to make her feel like sh*t.

Also, it'll be great for making sure it'll be too awkward to go back to her in the future, should it be that it doesn't work out with other hairdressers. Well done.

How strange that they don’t have a doorbell or door entry system.

It's ok for her to let me down and make a fool of me by continuing to allow me to believe my appointment was going ahead. She must have know before today she was too ill to work so she could have messaged me to let me know.

I don't flip flop back and forth to hairdressers. Like any other industry, if I get s poor servicez I shop elsewhere. In this case, I was let down but it could have been avoided in that I coildbhave been informed ahead of me running around like a blue arsed fly to get to my appointment while she's probably still in bed! Nice way to treat a customer!

I had the exact same thing today. Booked two months ago. Had hair extensions yesterday booked colour and style for today. She had already moved it from 8.30am to 10.30 am. I was fuming. Can't do it for two weeks now. I said I would go elsewhere, but noone else in town will colir hair extensions so I have to go twenty miles. Very sad.

Well it all depends on how ill she was and if this is a regular thing. Sure, you've posted a lot of words on this thread, but very few confirm what's actually gone on, because you don't yet know.

I can see why you're put out, but you are making it sound like it was entirely personal. We've all been in your position over something or another, and annoying as it is, it's up to us as adults to reason it through. Saying she's made a "fool" of you is going a bit far - you make it sound like all the other hairdressers were looking out the window laughing at you.

It is regrettable that some businesses and trades in my experience seem to treat their working life like a hobby that can be picked up and put down as they wish. “Sod the customer, I’ve got something I’d rather do so I’m not going to turn up as arranged.” Makes my blood boil.

I hope you settle on finding another salon. She does not deserve your custom ever again.

Did I say anything about hairdressers looking out of the window laughing at me? What planet did you pick thst fictional detail from?

You may accept being let down and be more flexible when making an effort for an appointment to he told the appointment isn't going ahead. What other information do you want to know? If the story isn't meaty enough or dramatic enough for you, then that's a you problem.

The story is: I turned up for my appointment, hairdresser is a no show because she's allegedly unwell or so her message says. She could have messaged me. She is also an adult and a professional amd needs to behave as such in a situation where she needs to let her client, me down.
Some people may feel a certain way about hairdressers, but they fo a job like everyone else and if they aren't up to scratch in theor service then other hairdressers are available who are conscientious and value their clients. Simple.

Did I say you had said anything about hairdressers looking out of the window laughing at you?

I said that by saying the hairdresser made a "fool" of you, you made it sound like they were, as an example of how foolish you thought you looked.

I was also saying that so far you only know thatbtge hairdresser said she was ill but didn't cancel. You still don't know how much of a lie it may have been or conversely how ill she really was.

I will, however, apologise if you thought I was saying your thread lacked drama - you'e provided plenty of that.