Is this rude of hairdresser?

[LovelyCoconuts]

Hello

Hairdresser works alone in a salon. No receptionist.

During a 30min haircut she will stop to answer the salon phone 2-3 times. She clearly tries to keep the calls short and book in the client for their appt or whatever quickly.

I guess prices would go up if she had a receptionist but I compare it to say a beauty salon nearby - they just let the answering machine get the call if they're with a client.

YABU - this is a normal way to run a busy salon
YANBU - hairdresser should not take calls whilst with a client

Not really. I’m fine with that sort of thing. You’re paying for a service not for a set time with her.

I don't think I would be offended if a hairdresser done this to me, maybe she was waiting on a call that day? But if it was my salon I would personally let the machine get it and then return the calls at an appropriate time, the regular customers would know that how it was operated and as long as you do actually call back they would have no reason to be put out with leaving a message

Two questions that interlink

1. do you get the haircut you want
2. are you happy with the price

If the answer is yes...

Interesting as my hairdresser lets it go to voicemail and then calls back

No, a receptionist isn't required but it would unacceptable to keep stopping during a massage, or podiatry visit, or facial treatment to answer the phone, so why is hair any different? They all manage with an answering machine so I don't see why the hair dresser can't either and call back between the next client or during a break.
THB- If she was constantly answering calls and I was sitting in the salon even more time than needed- I'd find someone else.

Edited that I'm paying for a service and their time on ME. Not paying for their time to be doing other work at the same time whilst I sit there waiting!

I don't see why the hair dresser can't either and call back between the next client or during a break.

If she's calling clients she's not on a break. It's part of her working hours.

If she has to spend, say, an hour a day calling back clients who have left messages, she has to factor that time into her pricing structure.

Slightly off topic but I hate it when they don’t have apps to book appointments. One of my friends is a lash tech and she just books by text, but my availability is limited so it’s really annoying having to do the constant back and forth to try and work in a suitable time. I wish they’d all use them.

My hairdresser has no receptionist, if no one is free, the phone goes to answerphone and they call them back later.

It's normal for her, you're clearly aware of the situation, if you don't like it then go somewhere with a receptionist. A receptionist costs though, so if you're in the salon for an hour and you are the only paying customer for that hour, then your haircut would need to go up about £15- £20 at least to cover the salary of the receptionist just sat there answering the phone every 20 minutes because she would be on maybe £13ph plus all the add on employment costs that come with staff (NI, insurance, payroll costs). Personally I'd rather just keep the convenient and reasonably priced haircut.

Bless her, perhaps an online booking system would help her but I think it’s normal to do this without a receptionist. One of the salons I use for my kids when young had 2 hairdressers and they also used to do this, I didn’t take offence

Wouldn't bother me. Doing my hair takes as long as it takes. My old hairdresser had a setup a bit like this, though he did have a part timer working on the busier mornings. Now he's retired I go to a much bigger salon with someone covering the desk on rotation, and tbh the loss of the odd interruption isn't really a fair trade for the extra noise and the small talk required.

Beauty treatments are entirely different. No problem when my hairdresser answers the phone, it's fine so just accept it or go to a different salon

Totally normal.

Im a sole trader massage therapist, I ask my clients to message me using email, whatsapp, messenger or text literally no one calls me and I'm fully booked for months. The hairdresser could do that.

I just send all my availability for the next month I write it and just copy and paste it to clients

Once I might tolerate but not more than that.

its nothing to do with whether I like my hair and the price, constant interruptions are distracting, frustrating and ultimately mean I spend longer in the salon than I need to.

i wouldn’t be going back.

But when do you think she'll have time to listen to the messages and phone the other clients back, especially if she's fully booked that day? This doesn't happen at my hairdressers because they always have someone on reception, but I go to a salon with a team of stylists, and pay what I assume is considerably more than the OP does.

I see a sole hairdresser in his salon at home. He’s very good and charges accordingly and I doubt he’s answered the phone more than
once in the 6 or 7 years I’ve been seeing him. I usually book my next appointment when I’m with him and if I need to change it I’ll WhatsApp. If I’m paying for a service I don’t expect to be delayed unduly with his admin.

Your being unreasonable if she works alone as my hairdresser does ... she can't just leave the phone to ring out .. firstly she may lose custom and secondly listening back to many recorded messages wouldn't work.
You need to find more understanding it costs enough to start up and do this alone.

Difficult when you're a sole trader, can't really risk losing customers especially with the COL and people cutting down on non essential higher priced treatments.

I was looking for a new hairdresser this time last year. If they didn't answer the phone I moved straight to the next one on the list. Been with my new stylist ever since so it's not just one appointment that could be lost, it could be losing a potential new customer.

She listens to the messages at the begining or end of her working day. Like everyone else who has a job where they have follow up outside of their actual substantive tasks.

it’s not hard

So the hairdresser shouldn't answer the phone, potentially turning away custom, because you think it's rude??!! What sort of insulated bubble are you living in, it's perfectly normal and most of us don't actually care.

She listens to the messages at the beginning or end of her working day

Would you be happy if she put up her prices to clients to cover the extra hours she'd be working, or do you think she should not be paid for her time?

If I want to book an appointment, I don’t want to have to leave a message and then wait for them to call me back in the evening, at what may be an inconvenient time for me, possibly to be told she can’t accommodate me at a time that suits me.