I had an extremely bad experience with Bennett Career Institute. I arrived at my scheduled appointment on time. However, there was a 30+ minute wait after the scheduled appointment time for someone to get started on my hair. I wasn't upset but the unexpected delay would make me late to an appointment afterwards. I was in communication with the front desk to cancel the appointment, she had me submit the cancellation ticket to the lead instructor Ms. Angel Brown who became extremely unprofessional and hostile, acting like she was about to fight me and yelling disrespectfully even though I remained calm. The Front Desk staff was Tara Gregg and Reon White was there to witness everything as it happened. I let Ms. Gregg know that I would be filing a complaint. Afterwards I emailed Roberta Bennett whose email address was listed on their website (who turns out to be the owner's sister). She reported the incident to the owner, Chet Bennett and to Ms. Brown. After a chain of email exchanges, I eventually spoke to Chet Bennett in person and told him exactly what happened as it happened. He apologized and said he would speak with her. I decided not to continue going there for appointments anymore, but almost half a year later I called to schedule an appointment (not for me) but for my daughter. The receptionist, Ms. Gregg, was very rude and just hung up on me. I went in person and spoke with another staff person who eventually told me that they would not offer any hair services to my child. The staff person apologized and didn't understand why the owner was handling it this way. Instead of hanging up when I called I don't understand why it was not clearly stated over the phone, or even better, half a year ago when I first reported the incident. It seems so childish and petty to hang up the phone on a customer instead of directly stating they are refusing to service my daughter because I complained about a staff person (Ms. Brown) being confrontational. The lack of professionalism, customer service, and accountability was shocking. Customers deserve to be treated respectfully. I would not recommend this place to anyone. I rarely rate 1 star, but just know that when I do it is very well deserved. read more

Bennett Career Institute - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Horrible!!! sadly to report, the hair beauty school should be overseen by a more professional instructor, she's rude and that's not good for our African American culture who I prefer to patronize but it's hard when they treat the patrons like trash. asked the instructor to show the student how to mold my hair and her response was not tonight I'm tired so you show her and you can speak with the owner if you like. This is my second bad experience the same instructor in this establishment. It's so sad that you want to support but when treated like this its hard to come back.... Is this what we should expect when it's a school that been in the comm for over 30+ years, NO this should not be acceptable or allowed.... Bad the attitudes and unprofessional behavior is disgraceful...The instructor Ms. Boyd is the nastiest, bully and disrespectful person and makes the establishment look bad if this behavior continues. Horrible and sadly I will not come back. I wish the star could zero for failed because it would be just that and not one. The owner knows of this behavior based on the reviews. Address it and not allowed these type of people to run your business they will run it down. read more

Everything-Great location, Fantastic highly professional informative knowledgeable skillful services provided by Front Desk check-in & Barber Side Salon services provided by Amazing take This business is INCLUSIVE! A ROLE-MODEL to others around this great Country of ours & the Globe! read more

horrible experience! if I could give it 0 stars I would. I specifically showed the female barber a pic of how I want my hair and beard to look even explained it to her. she went completely against what I requested and fucked up my hairline. The haircut was so bad it made me wanna relive my days of having a shaved head. Then her supervisor kept rushing her. I informed the instructor he just made excuses for her. Guess they don't teach their students to follow simple instructions.... read more

The lead instructor was absolutely rude and unprofessional. I told my student stylist that I was unable to detangle my hair prior to the appointment. She washed it un-combed anyway. My hair was extremely matted by the time she was done with my wash, but I was certain that she knew what she was doing by the way that she proceeded. Don't get me wrong. I thought she was professional and was doing her best, but I did tell her that I did not untangle my hair before the appointment. When the lead instructor came over, she was rude and told me that because my hair was matted that I would need to be charged extra in the middle of the appointment. I explained that I've never had to pay extra and normally the stylist combs my hair before they wash. She was aggressive about the $10 which I had no problem paying. Having my hair combed out prior to the wash would've not resulted in me losing so much hair. This was the worst appointment ever due to the lead instructor not properly helping her student navigate process. Have the lead Instructor told her to comb my hair before the wash my hair would've not been matted, she would've not had to struggle to comb through my hair after the wash, and I would not have lost so much hair. The amount of hair that I lost during this appointment Was heartbreaking and I will never return to this location again. As a woman struggling with hair loss during period menopause this was traumatic and painful. I don't blame the student, I blame the school and the teachers. I even had to help with combing my hair during the appointment. I lost so much hair as a result of this. read more

Highly recommend this hair school. Got my hair dyed & trimmed by a student working on the barber side! Excellent job & so pleased with the results! I will be back! Thank you diligent staff! read more

Great place to have haircare services. I have recommended this place to many of my friends and family.

As a repeat services customer I observed: The prices have gone down, students work hard to brag but no professional attitude is learned. Cycles of students pass here with one perminent instructer, DC Smart as some of them acted adolescently crazy. Having patronized similar colleges when I lived in the United States had better skills or options. read more

Bennett Career Institute - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Had a very positive experience!!-- I came here to receive a facial because I have been kind of stressed out and really wanted to relax for an hour. I was helped the minute I walked through the door. As luck would have it the Bennett Career Institute was having a special on basic facials. Every student and staff working there was kind and made sure I had a wonderful experience. I look forward to continue coming back here and will try their Salon Service some time in the next few weeks. *shout out to aestheticism student Courtney who gave me an amazing and relaxing facial!! Keep up the great work read more

Very professional stylists. Front desk reception is very helpful and very knowledgeable.

I was looking for moderately priced hair styling in a salon setting, so I thought I'd consider going to a cosmetology school. After viewing Bennett's web site, I decided to give it a try. I was in luck because on Fridays they offer half-off chemical services and I was planning to get a relaxer. The building itself is unassuming, but conveniently located right of Michigan Avenue. I arrived a little after 11 o'clock and parking was a challenge so be prepared to search for a bit. When you walk in the lobby, there is a small room to the right where you go to pre-pay for your services. Upon paying, you get a ticket which you take to the instructor in the salon area. It's first come first serve so depending on how busy it is you may have a wait. My wait wasn't long, only about 5 minutes, the student came and got me asked me a few questions and then we got started with my services. As I mentioned, I got a relaxer, their standard brand is TCB, but I upgraded to Affirm (extra $5). The student took her time and did everything pretty much by the book. An instructor perused the room from time to time checking on every one's progress. One thing I liked was that each student is dedicated to one client, so there's no waiting time while you're being serviced. All in all, I'd say it definitely worth the time and money. I was very satisfied with how my hair way styled when I left. I got several compliments while I was out running errands. But be warned, they're students so you services may take a while. read more

I was a frequent visitor to Aveda until their constant cancelled appointments made them a little to hard to rely on. I didn't immediately come here but I am glad I came. There are things to note. You pay first before your service. My wash and blow dry was 22 dollars. Have cash of your own to tip because of their location ( nice but in a residential neighborhood ) they don't have a lot of cash. They randomly assign you to a student. But in my case African American with natural hair blown straight they were fast and very professional. I realize because of there no appt policy going on a weekday is far superior than Saturday read more

I gave four stars because the students I had on both recent occasions were good, and behaved professionally. The other staff however, were both rude, disrespectful and unprofessional. The woman to whom you pre-pay was a classic example of screaming, unprofessional behavior. The "supervisor" is no better -- I was surprised that someone who should set an example to the students was so loud and disrespectful. These two need training in basic customer service skills; how you treat customers is part of the whole salon experience and these women are crude and unpleasant -- a disappointment. read more

One word. A horribly school don't wased u money u won't learn anything that Bennett is interested in only one thing n that's ripping u off. It's a shame that a minority is not really there 2 help u but just about MONEY.. T school is also very dirty.. Has a hair styles n makeup artist, that school was t worsted investment 2 my learning.. I had to go n learn in another school.. read more

I decided to give Bennett a try for a hair cut as I usually go to the Aveda school in Chinatown but they cancelled my appointment. The prices were are definitely great HOWEVER they are not set up or experience to deal with all types of hair. If you are african american then this is the place for you -- they have a ton of experience and do a fabulous job from what I could see. I am a straight haired blond with a short hair cut and instead of turning me away they said it was good practice for the student. It took 4 people with 5 opinions to help the student, I got one of the worst hair cuts in ages and it took almost 2hrs. Be warned! read more

I paid $120 for a full weave to be sewn into my hair. After a week the weave came out in the back and the top had been glued in, instead of being sewn. I went back and showed one of the instructors what my hair looked like. The instructor spoke with the owner who decided to have them re-do the weave free of cost. The second time the weave was put in. The student stated my hair was uneven. I asked her could she trim it. She asked the instructor on the floor who told her to go ahead. I had no idea the student would cut my hair so short that she could not grasp it, to be able to cornrow my hair to sew in the weave. Although I paid to have the weave sewn in, the student had to glue the weave in the back of my hair, where she cut it too short. When I left Bennett, I was satisfied with my hair. I have a scalp condition which is very close to psoriasis. Due to my skin condition I have to keep my scalp oiled, if I do not, I will get sores in my head. This is one of the main reasons I get weave sewn in and not glued. Needless to say, I oiled my scalp and the glued in weave came out. But that was not the only problem. After one week, you could see the ends of three (3) different weave tracks, through my hair. I then had to buy glue and glue down the ends of the sewn in weave tracks. Not to mention, the top of my weave had been closed up by being glued in, instead of being sewn in - again. I had been gone on business to California for 10 days. Because of jetlag I was not able to go to Bennett Career Institute to show them my hair the next business day, which was a Saturday. So, I went on the second (2nd) business day, which was a Tuesday. I was told by one of the instructors that they would re-do my hair because it was done very poorly. When I went to get my hair redone I was told that I would have to pay the $120 again. I asked to speak to the owner. I was not allowed to talk to the owner directly, but the owner sent word out that I would not be given another free service. Bottomline, DO NOT EVER GET A WEAVE PERFORMED AT BENNETT CAREER INSTITUTE in Washington, DC!!! read more

Wonderful establishment with well rounded instructors and faculty members on the spot to take care of your needs. The prices are unbelievable with regard to customer care. I just want to thank the staff and management for an outstanding time. Donovan read more

I enjoy come here for their hair services. The students listen to what you want and the instructors monitor what the students are doing. I have not had a bad experience here. read more

Worst school ever they are only about the they care less about students i was assaulted by teachers and the teacher i had was very lazy didn't get up to teach anything and they wonder why hairstyles and cuts wasn't done right... I was going to this school in hopes to experience all types of hair like i dreamed of but instead all they work with is African American hair which i already mastered then u had half the staffs that did not keep professional at all this school is a waste of time until they get it right i do not prefer you come here as student or to get styled if u are not of african American race read more

I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for Bennett Career Institute. The school is great, The staff and teachers are great and the students are friendly and helpful too one another. I am thankful and blessed and couldn't have chosen a better school to attend. Thanks Greg C. read more

I totally agree with one of the comments posted below. This is a good place if you have African American hair. It's cheap. But for any type of hair, the students do not know what to do and they are extremely slow. It took me more that two hours to get one of the worst haircut I have ever had. Now I am looking for a good hair salon to fix it. read more

A Dream Fulfilled! Thank God for Bennett Career Institute. As a 20+ plus year stylist I came to BCI in October of 2013 and I hit the jackpot! I was blessed with an awesome instructor Ms. Shadonna Carpenter who helped me align my skills with the theory behind hair styling and poured her years of experience into me. I am so confident about my future as a stylist because of her and the BCI staff. Thank you Mr. Bennett for exposing me to international hair shows, encouraging me to compete in competitions, teaching me salon business, and for allowing me to be a stylist at New York fashion week. What an experience that was I felt so honored to be a part of that. Ms. Bonita Branch helped me reinforce what I learned from Ms Carpenter and how to trouble shoot any situation I ran into in the salon clinic. Today is Saturday, April 18, 2015 which is my last day of school and I'm so excited and trying not to cry from the overwhelming joy I feel. Mr. Tompkins YOU DID IT!!!! read more

Here are the Cons: limited parking, on Wednesday evenings, especially Friday evenings and Saturdays can be a shortage of students, some students dont really pay attention so you will definitely have to speak up, because of the location be prepared to bring cash - yes credit and debit cards are taken but if the credit card machine is down it is hard to find a nearby ATM. Here are the Pros: convienently located next to Brookland CUA on the red line, two nights a week the hair clinic is open, on Wednesdays and Fridays half off on any chemical service relaxers, perms, color, work is done by students but as I say you will have to speak up! otherwise most of them are nice, there is a supervisor on site, waiting period is not to bad it is first come first serve so I just hope to be assigned to a student who has been truly studying any concerns about your hair it is best to bring it up before the student begin service... I have been going for almost ten years and trust me there are occasions whereas the student has done a superb job and I get someone who is not quite there yet... I usually get the basic - if you are looking for advance level of cut, color and styling well it is best to go to a salon. All in all I would recommend this school read more

I decided to try Bennet and ON the first trip I loved my hair and received complements because the lady Ms jones, knew what she was doing. The second trip was good also, but lately I have been assigned to ladies who seem to not know what to do or how to style my hair. So I think any profession you choose you should be passionate, with no ATTITUDE, remember that you are a SERVANT and you are serving those who come into Bennet school. If you don't want to learn to do all types of hair and styles, you lose. Everybody is not wearing weaves, dreads, or cornrolls. Some are wearing their own natural or permed hair. So be willing to learn , grow and get rid ofthe attitude, or find your true passion. It may not be doing someones hair, because you have to have self control in any profession dealing with any body. God blessed all of us with a calling. If you have no passion for this profession, find what your REAL calling and passion is!! read more