I read about Alta Moda in the Good Salon Guide, so decided to try them to have my shortish hair restyled as I had been growing our a very short cut. I phoned and told the receptionist what I needed and she booked me in. When i went to the salon on a friday lunchtime in January 2011, I was a bit surprised to find it empty, The girl who was going to do my hair sat me down and asked what I wanted, I explained that me hair grows very thick at the back but is thinning at the front, I would like a style that was quite modern and that I could manage easily. She never ( like their website suggests) asked anything of my lifestyle and what I could do with my hair.
It was then washed, I wasn't offered a drink or anything, when the girl started to cut my hair I had to take my glasses off as they get in the way of the hairdresser, without them I cannot see any detail of what is happening. She hardly spoke whilst cutting, then she blow dried, she didn't say what I could use to keep it in style at home, no advise on what to use etc., When she finished I put on my glasses and nearly burst into tears, she had almost drawn a line across my head from ear to ear, then the hair had been taken backwards from the line and the rest pulled forwards, there were bits sticking out near my ears, absolutely horrendous, She didn't show me the back, just took the cover off and walked to the till. I paid and left as quick as possible.
I didn't know what to do but there was no way i was going back in their, I walked round the corner and saw the Toni & Guy salon, I went straight in,explained what had happened and asked if they could help. I sat and waited for 15 minutes then one of their salon directors came over and talked to me, she looked at the cut and said it was one of the worst she had seen. She said the back had been left full of bulk and that the cut made me look very old fashioned, she would never pull someones hair straight forward to hide thinning.
She managed to fit me in and re cut my hair into a lovely modern style, thinned all the back out and whisped the front to cover the thinning, she advised me on what products to use and how to look after the cut, what a difference.
I wrote to Alta Moda, explaining what had happened and recieved a rather sarcastic letter back, saying that my hair sounded like it was difficult to cut!! and that I should have asked for a more senior styist instead of the girl who did it, I would have done if I had been told that she was a junior with little experience. I did send them an email in response but they didn't have the curtesy to reply. I would never go to that salon again.
S.Henshaw read more