Horrible haircut Toni and Guy - long rant!

[higgle]

This morning I'm feeling like having a real moan.

Due to a cock up over dates I couldn't get an appointment with my usual hairdresser on a day that suited me. I though I'd go to Toni and Guy in Bristol for a restyle and colour and foolishly thought that "the" "style director" there might give me a new look that was abit more edgy that the haircut I usually have - sad delusion.

Having agreed to pay an eye-watering amount for these services and with an assurance I'd be out for 12 noon I turned up to be told I was due at 9.20 not 9am - I knew then I'd not be out for 12.

My usual hairdresser is top notch at colour, and I asked the colourist at Toni and Guy to use 3 colours and that I wanted my hair darker but rich in tone - I even explained what the 3 colours usually used were. He didn't show me any charts, said it would look lighter and proceeded to use 2 colours only. They didn't even check how it had taken before washing it off, and now my hair is brown, plain boring brown exactly as nature provided me with, but with a tiny glint of cheap red if you shine a light hard on it.

Bad enough, but when "the style director" (who then told me it was just a grade and there were several of them) got started, it went from bad to worse.

I wanted a new haircut and mentioned 3" off and lots of choppy layers, she told me it had only grown an inch and a half and proceeded to administer a pudding basin bob. I kept saying that I didn't want a sleek blow dried look and she carried on doing that, only spending a few moments on the layers after I had pointed out she had not cut them at all.

I couldn't just sit there - I spied a lady about twenty years older than me leaving with a horrible bob like the one I was being given and started to cry - the stylist said it was nothing to do with the cut but to do with the products applied and I couldn't have it sorted out if I had to be gone by 12. She then dragged the poor colourist in to hear what I thought about the colour and lovely chap that he was I could only say the truth - that it looked plain brown with no sign of any highlights at all.

When I got home DH said it didn't look as nice as usual - he was struggling to find something to say actually. TBH I look like some of the old ladies who use the care service I run - flat bob seems to be all the rage with the 80+s these days, especially the very religious ones.

I'm dreading going to work tomorrow - my colleagues know I was off to spend £££s on an edgy new look, they will laugh their heads off. It looks like a DIY job and an application of brown Nice and Easy.

They did give me £20 off because I wasn't happy - so it "only" cost me £126 !!!!! But quite frankly I feel violated - should I spend some time writing a vociferous letter of complain to the manager about it?

Can anyone recommend a hairdresser in Brisol/Bath or Cheltenham ( or area in between) who will actually listen to what I want and deliver me something that looks half decent?

Perhaps I should forget all about it and head off to M&S to buy a nice long flowery Per Una skirt to complete the look.

What did I do to deserve this - I turned up at the appointment wearing a shortish jumper dress, boots etc - all carefully chosen to give them an idea of the sort of look I like.

Sorry for length of this rant - I'm so fired up about it I feel like heading back to the Salon on Monday with a placard saying "don't go in if you don't want to look like this!"

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/856046-to-think-that-the-39-art-director-39-of-this this is a thread I wrote on same subject !!

'hairdo of the week'? Please NO! What a strange idea

Like 'soup of the day' but for hairdressers.

I was just going to say I remember a thread about this before. I hate Toni and Guy salons (though love the haircare range)

don't salons like T&G have a 'range' of styles each season that they're taught to do and you basically always get one of those or a variation of? That's what I was told. Great if you want the latest style, crap if you want something different.

I stopped going to Tony and Guy because they were too safe in colouring. I usually liked the cut but they blow dried my hair too flat which made it look thin and lank by the following day.

I won't step foot in a T&G from the moment I went in there for a 'trim up' before my 18th birthday (had hair below shoulders) and they proceeded to hack it off into a bob!! Didn't do it gradually either just a a quick grab and hack :( otherwise I would have said something!!

I wonder why anyone goes to Toni and Guy's anymore - they are well know for this kind of crap. Not much help to you but I can recommend a good place in Bath if you still need somewhere?

I have your hairstyle ..............it cost me £1

Lovely ,swingy ,dark brown, glossy bob.

Im an expert at cutting my own hair and bought a Wella colour in the pound shop.

Go me - just as good as T&G

sorry to hear about your misfortune.

i am a hairdresser who has heard awful things about toni and guy. from what i know they have haircuts of the season and are told to work within them restrictions. i also think lots of the hairdressers are very inexperienced, young foreign language students. it is a brand that is struggling at the moment and is known for being 'student' salons. also their haircare ranges are bloody awful, especially tigi, it has to be the worst 'proffessional' range i have ever worked with in my 20 years exp.

i think independant salons are much much better, you get a personalised service and can build up a relationship with your stylist, you are not just another name on the computerised systems.

as far as your hair disaster goes, i would recommend you get a full refund and take yourself off to another salon to get it rectified, they truly do not give a shit in places like toni and guy and you probably wouldnt be happy with whatever they do now.

it sounds like your going to have to have bleach hi-lites as only bleach will lighten previously coloured hair but make sure you have a toner also to get a nice colour and not just yellow blonde hilites. as for your cut, yes lots of layers, maybe get the stylist to cut your layers in your hair after its been blowdried, that is the best way to get choppy layers as you can see easily where to leave and remove weight.

you could always pop to my salon in london! ill look after you!! ha! i do have a guy who comes all the way from bath every 6 weeks actually!!

good luck

Gosh, that really is a long-winded way of saying you didn't like your haircut and colour.

Sorry you had such a bad cut, you expect to get more than you expected when you pay that price!

I can personally recommend blushes in chelt or glos- not rock bottom cheap but very very good.

If you don't like the hairstyle, or a meal for that matter do not pay for it.
Write your name and address on a piece of paper, explain why you aren't paying and leave.
If they threaten to call the police tell them to go ahead, the police will want proof that you had the means to pay but are refusing, if they can be bothered to attend at all.
It's so much harder to get satisfaction once you've parted with the cash.

I ranted about T&G on the other thread already.

My sister,many many many years ago used to go to Savy in Bath (Milsom St?) but they may not be there any more.

I have had my haircut and coloured at T&G for about 15 years. Really happy with it and have so far escaped one of their standard cuts. But my mam had her hair done by the style director at a different T&G before Christmas and it was bloody awful. I complained and she got it sorted for free.

Really sorry to hear of your experience OP. I know how bad hair woe can be :(

I've been in the same situation ref T&G, many years ago.

You could go back I suppose, and see if you can get any further redress, but I would not let them attempt any correction.

Personally I would put it down to experience and resolve never to go near a Toni & Guy again.

Bonomini in Bristol is quite good, but personally the best I can recommend is Richard Ward in London. I have been going there for almost 20 years (not to Richard himself) and have been very happy with their excellent cutting since way back when they were Neville Daniel. It's pricey - but when you consider that you spent £146 (before reduction) and feel like you did OP - it is worth a little extra - and the mileage you get from an expert cut means you need it cutting less often.

The Cavern hairdressers in Bath are great.

I have heard many times that T&G are shit. Don't know why there are a couple of sarky comments saying that you are vain/overreacting. Maybe some people like wandering around looking crappy but you clearly don't, and why should you?

I probably am over reacting - but it is a big thing going to a new hairdresser and I just thought that if I went to Toni and Guy they were a big name and I would get a proficient colour and a slightly more exciting haircut that usual. The fact that they weren't even polite to me has really riled. I will let everyone know how I get on with the complaint.

I went to Toni and Guy late last year because my usual hairdresser was booked up until after Christmas. It was the worst haircut I have ever had.

The girl ruined four years of me growing my hair out by chopping really random layers into my hair.

I complained at the time and they wrote to me and offered me a free haircut but NOTHING would have made me step back in there. There was more to this but I don't want to relive it all again.

Write and complain and ask for a refund, not a free hairdo.

The manager (James) from the Bristol T&G cut my hair for years. I used to travel miles to see him and always felt safe in his hands. I've never had anyone else cut it there, so can't comment. But if you allow them to sort it, I'd reccommend only letting him do it.

Thankfully I've found someone local who makes me feel just as confident in them and the whole thing now costs a lot less!

I wasn't happy with the result of a colour from there (Bristol T&G) once and when I rang they were totally accepting of it, no dramas, so no need to gear yourself up for a fight. I simply arranged to go and have it sorted for free at a closer branch.

Good luck.

I made the same mistake as you. I went to T&G when I was heavily pregnant, feeling really dowdy and and wanted to treat myself. I spent a long time talking to the stylist and explaining what I wanted, but I felt that she didn't listen at all. I left with a really frumpy, mumsy haircut that cost a fortune. And they didn't even offer me a drink- I had to ask for one.

Rubbish - I'd never go to one again.

OMG It sounds exactly like what happened to me just before christmas and I posted it on here. I spent £90 after have my long blonde hair turned into a pudding basin brown bob. I rand them and said that I was very upset and that had saved up to treat myself yet had been crying and look awful. I said it was nothing like I wanted and the girl who cut it was totally out of her depth. They said they had to speak to their area manager etc and I could go into another branch and they would sort it blablabla.... but I said I had lost faith and they gave me a FULL REFUND!!! I just explained if I had bought an expensive item of clothing and it didn't fit or was wrong or faulty I would take it back for a refund . . . make sure you get all your money back. Over the phone was better as didn't want them all judging my dodgy haircut!!!

Years ago I had my hair cut in Selfridges - at that time they had a cheapy place downstairs and an expensive place upstairs, both parts of chains, think maybe even of the same one.

I was at the cheapy one (just finished being a student, wanted a respectable cut for job interviews etc). Woman cutting my hair was doing a really bad job - she couldn't get it level and would take a bit off one side, then the other side was too long so she took a bit more off and so it went on.

In the end I just told her to stop, it was getting much shorter than I had asked for and there was no guarantee that she would ever get it level (save cutting it all off completely and definitely didn't want that!) - I didn't even let her dry my hair other than give it another towel dry so I didn't go out with soaking wet hair and I combed it through myself.

I complained at the time, got a discount on the price which was something. I then wrote and complained again to Selfridges and the salon and pointed out that it must have been bad if the manageress had seen it and agreed it wasn't level and had given me a discount.

They then wrote back and offered me a free restyle with their top stylist from their expensive salon - with the proviso that he was often out doing photo shoots etc so could go to his no 2 if we couldn't get dates to match.

Did get to see him though and for some mad reason decided that if I was seeing a good hairdresser that it would be the time to go for a change and got talked into having my hair cut short. I had short hair as a child and hated it, couldn't grow it quick enough once I was allowed to. No idea why short seemed a good idea - everybody loved it when it had been done but once I had washed it and started to do it myself in the morning in a hurry to get to work (no handy keen-to-impress stylist to hand!) it just wasn't the same, I looked in the mirror and saw my mum looking back at me rather than myself

took years to grow back again - never going short again...

mind you I went to my mum's hairdresser (little town, local gossip centre, lots of ladies of a certain age that have been going there a looooong time) to have hair done before my dad's funeral - not really sure why but on the morning of the funeral he opened early to do my mum, my sister and my hair so we would all be nicely turned out during the day and I swear I came out through a time warp, big 60's bouffant-y curl things and all 'set', didn't feel like me at all but wasn't really the time or in the mood to quibble. Only other time I went there was to get my hair done before my sister's wedding which was in the same town and despite asking for something very different came out with the same 60's bouffant number

sorry op, got sidetracked. Definitely worth complaining to head office as well as the branch that screwed up - and asking for a refund - if the person that did your hair was the top stylist at the branch then you don't want to submit to somebody theoretically less talented than them and there is no way they will know if you are able to get to a different branch easily to have it done - why should you pay more to travel a long way with no guarantee of success? I know it is only a hair cut and it will grow back - but sounds like it will take time to grow back to the length you want it and you are going to feel less confident and 'not me' for all that time!

Of no use I know-but when hair hasn´t been coloured in the way you want-because they haven´t listened, why you you then let anyone near you with scissors?

And why do people pay?

(Although why anyone pays more than 100GBP is beyond me tbh)

diddl - I could not see that the colour had not come out properly until the cut had been done - my hair was wet and it was only when she started to dry it I could see that it was all one colour with no variation of tone, when he started to colur it I thought what I now think was incompetent arrogance was just because he was the "colour technician" and he knew what to put on to achieve the desired effect. I don't think it should be necessary to pay more than £100 either, but I desperately needed my hair sorting out that Saturday because I have to chair an important meeting next Saturday and I wanted to look nice, so I thought it was better to pay £146 than get it done somewhere cheap..... fool, money etc. agreed.

Haven't got time to read all this, but I had exactly the same experience as you. I wrote to the manager, they offered me a free appointment with the manager of the Essensuals branch of T&G who put it to rights. They were very soothing, but I have to say I've never been to T&G since. I just think they're overrated. If you're in Bristol, there's a guy on Gloucester Rd called Jamie (the salon's called Jamie's) who's just fantastic. Recommend him instead for the future.. good luck! I hate it when I don't like my hair, it's difficult to hide it.