Cleaner/receptionist did my hair at the salon

[Brood]

An incident happened at my hairdressers today and I’m wondering if I was the unreasonable one. Before I get into that, I have been going to this salon for about 15 years. I attend between once a week and once a month.

In the past year, there have been issues I’ve been unhappy about. I’ll name two.

I like to get my hair blow dried on Sunday to do me for the working week. On one occasion, the stylist called over a girl working there cleaning the salon and told her it was an opportunity for her to learn. She blow dried and curled half my head of hair while the stylist did the other side. I paid full price but the side the unqualified girl did fell out before I got home.

Another time this unqualified girl rubbed in my colour and washed my hair even though I was booked in with the professional. I again paid full price but my colour wasn’t done right - she missed bits and didn’t put it at the start of the root and I had to wash it myself after 2 days.

I booked in to get my hair done today. The stylist was about 30 minutes late starting - this can be pretty typical, which can be a bit irritating if I’ve rushed to get there on time & could have been getting a coffee in the time I’m sitting waiting. It’s even more annoying that no staff members approach me to inform me how long the delay will be instead walking by me ignoring me.

When the hairdresser eventually came out, she sat me down & cloaked me up & went off to mix my colour. Then she disappeared into the staff kitchen. The same girl from before who works on reception and helps out sweeping the floor etc. came over and started rubbing in my colour independently. She got it all over my face, in my ears and down the back of my neck. After about an hour she came back to wash it out. During the wash, she applied very little pressure and I could tell when I got up the colour wasn’t properly washed out, she applied no conditioner and my hair was full of knots.

The stylist I was booked in with came over and told me this girl was going to start to blow dry my hair. I told her I would prefer to wait until she was ready to do it explaining I had booked in with her. I stressed that I had booked in with her for my colour and wash too. She said she was running behind. I told her if she didn’t have time to do it, I’d prefer to go home and do it myself. I then got up and went to pay. She followed me and I explained that when I ring a professional hairdressing salon to get my hair done, I want it done by a professional. I was told on the phone a professional would be doing it.

I explained that I had got my hair done before at hairdressing colleges and booked in with a student there where I would be charged half price. I explained that the girl who did my hair was not a student, had no hairdressing training and if I wanted an unprofessional job, I could do it myself and save my time and money.

I also said that it should be made clear on the phone if there is no professional available and that it’s not fair to the customer or the girl to be put in the position we were put in.

They asked me if they could clean the dye off me as it was all over my face and neck. I pointed out that it was that way because I had been placed in the hands of someone who wasn’t a professional

The stylist said sorry but I didn’t feel she really meant it. She said things got backed up and she felt it would be better for me to get my hair done with someone rather than no- one. I mean, really?! The manager seemed horrified but she was fully aware of what was going on. I think she was more horrified that they were being called out on it.

Am I the unreasonable one in this situation. Is it too much to expect that if I book in to get my hair professionally done and I am being charged professional prices that I get a professional job?

I came home with wet hair full of knots and spent about 15 minutes removing dye with nail varnish remover. I had a planned date but ended up cancelling it

Do you think this is ok?

That’s what I was hoping. They act like it’s no big deal. I wonder how they’d feel if they showed up for a medical procedure and the receptionist was brought in instead to have a go because the doctor was running behind. I don’t understand how I even need to explain this to them.

I didn’t see that thread with the woman who got skin burns but I have had bad experiences myself in the past. I have a scar on my face from an unqualified laser technician and that was dismissed as well. The stylist was MIA for the whole appointment - apart from when she came over to tell me the receptionist/cleaner would start to blow dry my hair - so she wasn’t even supervising. There’s just no respect or duty of care

Because I’ve had a personal relationship with the salon over the years, it’s really hard to report them or write a bad review even though if something happened to another customer and I didn’t say anything, I’d feel partly responsible.

Hopefully the manager will take action now. It was a bit of a scene in the salon with multiple people standing around and someone turned the radio off during this heated conversation.

I asked to change all my appointments to the stylist that I have a good past experience with. It’s not just me who goes to this salon but all of my family go there too and I book in all their appointments. I’ve booked family weddings with them. If I go elsewhere, so will everyone else. I’ll give them a chance to put it right but i definitely won’t be tolerating anything like this again

Thank you so much. That’s exactly how I feel. It seems to be chanced in this salon. The owner’s daughter in law was doing hair at one point about ten years ago when staff was low even though she’s a trainee carpenter by trade. I had my hair done by her a few times and got suspicious when it wasn’t done well. I thought they’d moved away from this practice. They used to act like I was being unreasonable when I’d request a stylist

Lesson learned. Find another hairdressers.

That has happened before. I usually tie it up for those activities in a way that it’s won’t be a mess. Some of the best blow dries are almost like a Brazilian blow dry, they last. This is probably one of the reasons I keep going back. My favourite stylist there does an amazing blow dry and cut

I have a friend, fully qualified, very experienced in all aspects of hair. She hates the dumbing down of the industry, poor quality college training and paying for an 'experienced' stylist and then not getting the service. I walked out of a salon as the drying was left to someone without a clue and when another salon took the piss with a quick trim and not a cut / care I paid for.

totally agree a good blow dry will last a week. even a beauty writer wrote an article on how a good blow dry will.last one week. I only wash my hair once a week anyway but if got a good blow dry don't need any dry shampoo towards the end of the week. love it and if could afford it would get it done every week

This happened to me, my hair is really porous and the untrained member of staff took so long trying to dry my hair cos my stylist was busy seeing to another client that my hair ended up a frizzy mess. I was fuming and haven't been back.

I stopped going to my regular hairdresser a few years ago due to this.
Not untrained but really new trainees, the hairdresser would do my foils, then trainees did everything else til the stylist came back and trimmed it quickly before shoving me out the door. Just hated it, my hairs so damaged they always hurt me drying it and attacking it with a brush 🤣 also meant I never got a good wet cut & couldn’t ever have my hair curled because they needdd it straight to cut.

definitely in the right to bring it up & call them out, I just stopped going there & now have a salon with no trainees! I know they need to learn somewhere and I’d be happy for them to do bits but they were just left to do it all & it was never a nice experience.

I didn’t keep having bad experiences. I had maybe 15% of bad experiences in the whole time I’ve been going there. The most recent experiences though and the fact these instances aren’t once offs are becoming harder to brush off

15% bad experiences is a lot of bad experiences, especially when you are paying a lot of money.

YWNBU to complain but I would have objected as soon as the girl came over and started putting colour on.

Don't go there again and tell them why.
It's not acceptable.

Trainees do have to learn at some point but it needs to be done under constant supervision from a trained stylist and you'd expect a reduction in price. So if she was a genuine hairdressing trainee and you were asked and agreed to it, it would be ok as long as a trained stylist supervised and corrected any mistakes. But she isn't even a trainee hairdresser. Ridiculous.

How can a blow dry last a week, my hair is lank after one day and needs a wash for sure after 2, it smells too. Don’t you shower daily? Somewhat missing point of point I admit

No its not ok and you are not being unreasonable...! My hairdresser would never do this. Yours is taking on more bookings than she can cope with and frankly it is greed because she is then expecting full payment for an unprofessional service!

This is bonkers. Find a new salon and someone good at their job, then only book them by name. I dont care who washes my hair but after that it must be the person I've booked and pay a premium for.

So would I...! My hairdresser does such an amazing wash, cut and dry and it will last perfectly 48hrs. I'm always devastated that despite perfect cut I can never 100% recreate it 😫

it's a skill ain't it 🤣
on hols recently and got my hair blow dried in the hotel she went phew when finished and pumped her arms 💪 I have very long thick hair and can not get it right at home and I have every tool you can get
I treat myself once a month to getting a blow dry. it drives my husband mad

Another one here fascinated at the blow dry that lasts all week.

yes! 😂

I must be lucky as the juniors are my salon are apprentices. When they start at the college they start on general sweeping, hair washing, reception duties but then as they progress through their course they get more. Often they help apply a colour and are shown how to do it before getting left straight away. Our salon doesn’t have anyone who only cleans, does coffees and washes hair. They’re all trainees. And often even the qualified people will do those jobs depending on bookings.

I’d complain. I only complained once when I got home and my colour hadn’t taken at my routes. In the salon it looked like the lights were reflecting but at home it was clear. My grey roots now need a different mix after a new skin test and leaving on longer.

Hairdresser/salon owner here, this is appalling and definitely shouldn’t be happening. The whole service should be done by the stylist (with the exception of an apprentice possibly shampooing) you are perfectly within your rights to complain. Definitely shouldn’t be someone unqualified doing a colour service even if it's just a root retouch. Shocking

Lol 😅 and good for you!

Absolutely not ok... I'd be fuming xx

To be honest I’d want details of their insurance, pretty sure their liability insurers have no idea they have unqualified members of staff providing treatments to members of the public!!

I’m amazed you went back more than once after what they did. Don’t go there again.

At my hairdressers there is a lady who does reception, sweeping, tea & coffee and shampoo/ conditioner/ toner.
She trained as a Hairdresser years ago but then trained and qualified in another profession. She has now semi retired and helps in the salon as her relative owns it. HOWEVER, she never puts colour on and never blow dries, styles etc. And, as I said, she actually qualified as a hairdresser previously. For them to have a girl, not even training to be a hairdresser, or supervised in any way carry out these things is absolutely insane and negligent.

My thoughts also. Certainly would not have went back a 3rd time after first 2 occasions.

I think they are trying to put you off booking an appointment. Take the hint and don't go back. They should be hony and just say they don't want you as a customer. Sorry to point this out to you, but you're clearly not getting the message