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Hairdresser messed up my hair, am I being unreasonable asking for a refund?

48 replies

ajc1994 · 01/10/2024 12:02

So I had my hair done on Friday, I'd had a patch test consultation and showed pictures of what I'd like. She seemed confident she could achieve it and I picked the colours of blonde and brown I'd like. However during the appointment all was going well until she removed the foils and bleach had bled through to my scalp everywhere, I had big splodges of yellow/white bleach on what was supposed to be some highlights with more highlights through the front than the back (money pieces) but all subtle and nautral looking (like the photo). I questioned it and she said dont worry i need to just touch up the foils, so then put more bleach on the same pieces (after an hour of bleach already) and painted directly onto my scalp everywhere on the front third section of my hair. after another hour she removed and the whole first third of my hair was completely bleached one colour and orangey blonde. Again I questioned it and was told it'll look ok with a toner, it didnt so she tried covering it with a light brown/dark blonde to match the roots of the rest of my hair, but covered all the strands totally, so once removed the orange had gone but it was then much darker than the rest of the hair. It looked better but wasnt what I wanted or like the photo at all, she apologised as knew she had messed up but tried to fix it. 5 hours had passed and I had to get home to my baby at this point so I paid the £80 and left and accepted her apology as it didn't look awful by the time I walked out. She later text me that evening apologising, I accepted the apology. My scalp was very red by this point but assumed it would go down over time. However one wash in the next day the brown dye came out completely and it looked awful immediately, orange, bleach patches appeared right though and I have chemical burns that have shown through now they have scabbed, from the 2 rounds of bleaching toner and colour in one sitting I assume (never had this issue before in my 20 years of being a blonde). I emailed photos and explained it all and requested a refund, the same girl apologised admitted it was bad and said 'Im sure I can fix or do something with it'. I asked if another hairdresser could do this instead, she declined so I asked for a refund or partial refund at least, as I didn't trust her to fix it if she couldn't after the first 2 attempts. Since the salon are ignoring me and won't deal with me. Attached are photos. Am I being unreasonable? What should I do? I don't think I should have to pay £80 and be left with this mess to fix elsewhere.

Hairdresser messed up my hair, am I being unreasonable asking for a refund?
Hairdresser messed up my hair, am I being unreasonable asking for a refund?
OP posts:
Seeline · 01/10/2024 12:06

I would revisit the salon and ask to speak to the manager. Go armed with your photos, and re-iterate that the stylist has admitted that mistakes were made. I would want a full refund after experiencing physical harm!

FanofLeaves · 01/10/2024 12:07

Refund?! She’s lucky to get away with only a refund! She’s given you burns and done a shit job for God’s sake! Giving a full refund should be the least of their worries.

Leopardprintlover101 · 01/10/2024 12:22

If she’s burnt your scalp I would be going to the doctor for a medical exam and a report, and contacting a solicitor.

Fraaahnces · 01/10/2024 12:27

I would go to the GP and ask for something for the chemical burns and a medical certificate to take to the hairdresser. I would flap that in her face with the photos and ask if she wants to refund you $80 or be taken to court.

SeenYourArse · 01/10/2024 12:51

ajc1994 · 01/10/2024 12:02

So I had my hair done on Friday, I'd had a patch test consultation and showed pictures of what I'd like. She seemed confident she could achieve it and I picked the colours of blonde and brown I'd like. However during the appointment all was going well until she removed the foils and bleach had bled through to my scalp everywhere, I had big splodges of yellow/white bleach on what was supposed to be some highlights with more highlights through the front than the back (money pieces) but all subtle and nautral looking (like the photo). I questioned it and she said dont worry i need to just touch up the foils, so then put more bleach on the same pieces (after an hour of bleach already) and painted directly onto my scalp everywhere on the front third section of my hair. after another hour she removed and the whole first third of my hair was completely bleached one colour and orangey blonde. Again I questioned it and was told it'll look ok with a toner, it didnt so she tried covering it with a light brown/dark blonde to match the roots of the rest of my hair, but covered all the strands totally, so once removed the orange had gone but it was then much darker than the rest of the hair. It looked better but wasnt what I wanted or like the photo at all, she apologised as knew she had messed up but tried to fix it. 5 hours had passed and I had to get home to my baby at this point so I paid the £80 and left and accepted her apology as it didn't look awful by the time I walked out. She later text me that evening apologising, I accepted the apology. My scalp was very red by this point but assumed it would go down over time. However one wash in the next day the brown dye came out completely and it looked awful immediately, orange, bleach patches appeared right though and I have chemical burns that have shown through now they have scabbed, from the 2 rounds of bleaching toner and colour in one sitting I assume (never had this issue before in my 20 years of being a blonde). I emailed photos and explained it all and requested a refund, the same girl apologised admitted it was bad and said 'Im sure I can fix or do something with it'. I asked if another hairdresser could do this instead, she declined so I asked for a refund or partial refund at least, as I didn't trust her to fix it if she couldn't after the first 2 attempts. Since the salon are ignoring me and won't deal with me. Attached are photos. Am I being unreasonable? What should I do? I don't think I should have to pay £80 and be left with this mess to fix elsewhere.

Hi so I’m a hairstylist myself and you absolutely need a senior colourist/manager or basically one of the most senior members of staff to fix this for you entirely for free OR a full refund today. This is unacceptable and really bad and should not have happened at all.

BruceAndNosh · 01/10/2024 13:07

I'm amazed that you paid her to start off with!

ajc1994 · 01/10/2024 15:07

Thanks everyone for your replies. Only reason I had paid was because with the semi permanent brown over the top it didnt look too bad in the salon (bare in mind it wasnt day light by the time I left). Until I got home and lifted areas up where I could see bleach spots and my red scalp and then after the first wash, I think it was so built up with toner and dyes initially it was hard to see. Thankfully I have got it fixed now at a different hairdressers as its about to be my 30th and Im going on holiday so I needed it fix asap. But I will call and email continually until they respond.

OP posts:
SoNiceToComeHomeTo · 01/10/2024 20:04

A refund is thee we least you should get, the stylist seems incompetent.

FanofLeaves · 01/10/2024 20:59

They need to refund and I’d expect them to cover the cost of getting it fixed to be honest. Otherwise I think you should escalate it. Completely understandable you wouldn’t have trusted the same person to do it and their response to that was completely inadequate as in they chose to ignore you! Be a pain in the arse, they are hoping you’ll be cowed into just leaving it and moving on.

AmandaPleaseDotCom · 01/10/2024 21:07

Unacceptable the she took your money tbh.

They SHOULD give you a full refund and fix it for free but I wouldn't even want to trust them with my hair again!

AmandaPleaseDotCom · 01/10/2024 21:07

What was your hair like before and what was the photo you showed?

ajc1994 · 01/10/2024 23:29

It was all my natural light brown same colour you can see at the roots towards the back on my hair in the photos in the OP, a dark blonde light brown colour. Photo I showed her was a similar colour my natural but with a subtle blonde balayage and some slightly bigger blonde pieces at the front

OP posts:
ajc1994 · 01/10/2024 23:32

These are the before pic and inspo pic I showed her

Hairdresser messed up my hair, am I being unreasonable asking for a refund?
Hairdresser messed up my hair, am I being unreasonable asking for a refund?
OP posts:
NittyLittleThing · 01/10/2024 23:33

I’d be asking for a full refund.

I know there’s the argument of “well you need to pay for the stylists time etc.” but the stylist admitted fault and apologised to you.

Then once you have a refund, research some well established professional colourists who specialise in colour correction with a good reputation.

Cardinalita90 · 02/10/2024 00:06

We can't see the ends of your hair in the "after" shot but what is visible looks nothing like your inspiration photo. Glad you had it redone and definitely keep on at them - the fact that you got nothing like what you asked for is ground enough for requesting a refund let alone the scalp burning and being there for 5 hours!

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 02/10/2024 00:16

Yes - you should get a refund (possibly with a small deduction for the costs of all the products they’ve had to use trying to fix their mess up - but imo a minimum of half what you paid should be given back). Can you ring and ask to speak directly to the manager rather than email? Or even better - go in person and show them the brassiness and (more importantly) the scabs! If you get nowhere, then leave honest reviews (preferably with pics) on every social media you can find…

Some level of brassiness is eventually expected if lightening more than a shade or so imo - because darker or cooler toners are usually only designed to last a few washes (I assume you were told you are expected to keep using your own at home). BUT they should have warned you if they couldn’t lift your natural colour without leaving that level of warmth - and the chemical burns are ridiculous! 😡 At least judging by the photos your hair itself doesn’t look too fried - and if it helps you feel better your colour at least looks more copper (which some would love, though it isn’t what you wanted) than orange.

Left · 02/10/2024 06:43

I think they should fully refund you plus the cost of correcting hair colour elsewhere. Essentially they caused damage which you had to pay to put right.

If the salon are ignoring you then try small claims.

ajc1994 · 03/10/2024 14:29

Update, I finally got a response:

It is very difficult for us to determine what appears on photos and therefore I would invite you to come to the salon when you have time so we can look at the area and also go through how you would like your money piece for us to advise the best way to achieve this.

The manufacturer has advised that the bleach actually contains camomile to soothe the scalp and there has never been a single report of scalp burns reported.

I cannot see that the issues you have reported relate to the treatment, therefore we will not be able to offer any refund. However, please do come in so we can discuss any alterations or advise how to achieve the look you are looking for.

Best wishes

Pathetic! Burns aside, how can they say the bad hair dye job was unrelated to the treatment I got?!

OP posts:
MillshakePickle · 03/10/2024 14:50

Until the area is healed, DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT reapply any colour to the area. You may get an infection if the wound is open or weeping. You may also get further chemical burns due to previous sensitivity from the first colour. A minimum of 2 to 3 weeks before any other colour is applied.

You can 100% get chemical burns with bleach (any kind) left on the scalp, and the usual processing time should never exceed more than 50 mins. Very rarely is a double application needed, the second application would only usually need half the amount of processing as the colour has already lifted.

I would push for a refund and contact which ever manufacturer supplies their colour, i.e., loreal, Matrix, etc. They should give this information freely along with your colour notes. If they won't refund, I would ask for them to reimburse you the cost of having your hair fixed else where after you've healed.

At this stage, based in the colour requested and your end results, you will not be able to achieve your desired results. They maybe be able to break up the area with apply foils in semi. I would not reapply any bleach for at least 6 weeks. The length of processing time you've had x 2 plus nother application may most likely result in breakage.

Get onto their social media if they refuse to refund. Name and shame the salon and the manufacture if you can not get any help through them. You have a potential lawsuit on yours hands if you choose to pursue it.

Chemical burns are a serious fuck up and I have only ever seen them twice on overly eager stylists insisting on over bleaching their own hair.

Dotto · 03/10/2024 16:19

They sound like fucking idiots. Compose a Letter Before Action giving them 7 days to refund you. State the facts clearly and concisely. Post via registered mail. They are hoping you'll piss off. Chamomile indeed! What an insult..

LaurieFairyCake · 03/10/2024 16:45

It's too late now, you went and got your hair fixed somewhere else

You can't prove the burns or the hairdresser who fixed it wouldn't have done a re colour. No reputable hairdresser would fix someone scalp that had chemical burns before it healed.

It's awful for you, I'd be furious Flowers

anon2022anon · 03/10/2024 16:52

I would 100% be telling them that you will not be letting them touch your hair as they have caused you physical damage, that you have had messages apologising for causing issues from the hairdresser, and unless they refund you by 5pm tomorrow you will be sharing photos of the hair, the damage, and the messages, naming the salon on social media at the weekend, and looking into small claims action. If they wanted to remedy the action, they should have done that same day.

Stupid words and actions on their behalf for a small sum, as with hairdressers recommendations and reviews matter so much.

Smittenkitchen · 03/10/2024 16:52

I admittedly don't know anything about hair dying but I can't really tell anything from the photos. The stylist does know what she did wrong though and how bad it was.

offyoujollywelltrot · 03/10/2024 16:57

I'd be putting them on blast on social media, with the note that they have so far declined to give you a refund.

Get yourself go a doctor to have the burns recorded on your medical record.

BrendaSmall · 03/10/2024 16:59

£80!!!

no way would I even consider that hair dresser who’s charging such a cheap fee for what you wanted!