Wrong to be charged? AIBU?

[OhSoAsd]

So I suffer with alopecia. I’ve been using a hairdresser for almost a year to fit and manage hair extensions. She has been well aware of my condition throughout. We get on fairly well :)

about 2/3 weeks ago, I decided to have the extensions taken out for a month or so to give my hair and scalp a break. She did this with no worries etc.
I decided I didn’t like having such thin useless hair and asked for them to be put back in, so an appointment was made.

I let her know the morning of said appointment that I do have patches, would she be able to cover and work around them? I made NO indication I wanted to cancel, I simply asked her advice.
she advised no not too and proceeded to say I’d be charged 100% of the booking because I didn’t tell her on Monday. Well I couldn’t tell her on Monday as I was unaware at that point. I can loose large patches/areas very quickly. Think chunks on pillow overnight type loss, and on other occasions it’s gradual so I don’t notice. especially with extensions in.

then in a follow up message, she said she saw some patches when taking my extensions out but hoped they’d be okay. I wasn’t told of these patches then. So again, I wasn’t aware.

so for one she KNEW I had patches, didn’t tell me, and continued to create a booking to have the extensions put back in but at the same time she’s now advising I don’t have them put back in. I also wasn’t the one cancelling the appointment, i only asked for advice. I made no indication that I wouldn’t turn up. I was asking if she could work around them.

I feel because she knew about the patches and didn’t tell me, proceeded to book me in for a re fit, and then advise not to have them put back in, that I shouldn’t have to pay?

i understand she’s now lost an appointment. But I’ve also previously changed appointments last minute to suit her as she doesn’t like waiting between appointments so moves mine. And I have turned up to every other one without fail.

AIBU? Is there a middle ground here?

If it's some kind of misunderstanding, could you explain you definitely do want it.

Tell her you're comfortable with her doing her best with what you've got and you were not intending to cancel.

Definitely don't pay for the booking if she's the one cancelling it. Surely it's up to you to choose to have extensions even if you do have less hair than some other people.

It almost seems ableist of her to refuse you. And very insensitive.

Hmm I think as you’re a long standing client who by the sounds of things is pretty flexible she should probably let it go as a one off. I can understand her frustration though as she’s effectively lost £100 or whatever. It’s a fairly long appointment to put in extensions, not like she was just doing a trim.

I think she’s being unfair and actually it’s her cancelling, not you. You advised that there is something she may need to navigate during the booking and she in her professional opinion advised it’s not the right thing to do. Unless her T&Cs state that if you have alopecia this isn’t the right service for you, then she would be the one that didn’t inform you. What would have happened if you just turned up on the day and she discovered this? I would imagine she would have sent you away and didn’t charge you…

I’d of 100% paid if I’d cancelled for no reason. However I didn’t cancel it, she did. And she withheld from me that I had patches and wouldn’t advise doing it with. Why book me in if she wouldn’t do it 😔

i understand she’s now lost an appointment.

But she cancelled, not you. You asked her to work around them - patches that she knew were there when she booked you in.

It'd be the greatest scam going to book appointments with abandon, then cancel them and keep the fee!

This was my thinking! I was only messaging to make her aware and ask what her opinion was, I never once said I wanted to cancel the appointment. She replied saying she wouldn’t advise it but has to charge me for the cancellation. But I didn’t cancel! Then followed saying she’d noticed them but didn’t tell me. I’m really upset as she’s been amazing up until now and really gave me confidence back with my hair. Thought I’d ask before making a decision as I didn’t want to before getting others opinions in case it was me in the wrong!

It's difficult. I think I would phone back and say you want the appointment you're paying for and for her to have a look and see if there's anything she can do for you.

It's not fair to ask her to do something she can't do with good conscience if she knows she can't do it well, but also why would you ever book an appointment there if they can advise you not to do anything last minute and keep the money.

i agree she shouldn’t be charging but I think by contacting her on the morning of the appointment rather than waiting for her to assess it when she arrived she can cast ambiguity on the situation.
Could she not rearrange the appointment for you at a later date when your hair is recovered? Surely this would be the best compromise.

Their policy is if I cancel or no show. Which I done neither. I also didn’t expect her to do anything, I simply sent a message asking her advice. And her advice was not too and SHE cancelled it in the reply message and said she wouldn’t advise be charging me. Made 0 attempt to think of something else. Didn’t offer to go in and see what could be done or see it in person

I'm not saying you were in any way in the wrong, I think their policy excludes you from their service.

While it doesn't make sense for you to get the work done if it can't be done well, if they will just tell you not to get it done on the day and then charge you £100 then you're of course not going to be able to accept those terms.