As an infrequent yelper and former business owner, I'm truly only writing this yelp as a last resort. Despite reaching out to the Edo salon staff via email and phone in an attempt to provide my feedback, it's been a couple weeks and I have yet to get a response from Jayne or Chri.
As a business owner, I cared a great deal about customer service and while I see all the nice reviews here, it's important to know about the areas your business can improve. As Edo has now lost me as a client, they may want to learn from what happened.
I saw Emily for hair color twice prior to my July 30 appointment. I liked her a lot! I believed we got along nicely, connected as mothers of young children, and I was pleased with the results. She gave me exactly what I requested. She is talented at what she does, I love the organic hair color, but I now know she also lacks compassion and customer service skill. I have never been made to feel so awful and humiliated by a service provider in the 25 years I have been paying for $200+ hair color appointments.
On July 30, I had a heck of a day and right before I left for my scheduled afternoon appointment, made specifically for this day, my 12th wedding anniversary, my younger son with special needs had a particularly rough tantrum that made me leave the peninsula for SF a few minutes later than I had planned.
As I got on the road, I called Edo salon to let them know, out of courtesy, I was running 10-15 minutes late. The receptionist sweetly told me it was fine, to come still, and that she would see me soon.
So why did the receptionist tell me it was fine to come?
Well, as I was parking on Haight in front of the salon, after my 45 minute drive from the peninsula, I got a call from that same receptionist that Emily was now cancelling my appointment. I walked into the salon bc I had just parked and was there. Emily was no where to be seen. I begged the receptionist to ask Emily to reconsider due to the tantrum and the anniversary.
At this point it was 17 minutes after my scheduled appointment time. I was there exactly when I said I would be.
I get that I was late. I'm not an entitled person. I get that it doesn't HAVE to matter to people in any service industry whether my special needs child had a tantrum, that I had a terrible day, that this was the THING I had been looking forward to all week, that I had not even brushed my hair and was scheduled to celebrate my 12th anniversary in a few hours with my husband over dinner in SF. I know you are running a business and that sometimes you have to draw a line - but boy, why me? I tipped well, I was respectful, I did everything I could to be courteous.
How many times have I watched people show up so late, rudely with out calling ahead, get taken by the stylist anyways and that's why I'm being taken 20 minutes later. It happens ALL THE TIME.
But most of all:
1. When I called, why did Edo tell me to come?
2. Why couldn't Emily walk out and tell me how sorry she was to my face? This felt so humiliating to have the young, sweet receptionist running down to ask Emily 2x bc she felt bad for me (in tears of rage and humiliation) only to return with the unwavering no (x2!)
3. Why leave it to the young receptionist to be stuck In the middle?
4. Why add insult to injury when telling me the reason is bc I was double booked (not my fault) and that if I want to wait an hour I can pay $75 for a blowout! Thanks, but no thanks.
5. Do I get that same consideration when you are running late? Do I get to dock you the extra babysitter dollars I had to pay when I sat 15 minutes waiting for you when you were running late at my first appointment?
*****
SO...that's my rant. It is what it is. Edo will continue to run a successful business and I actually wish you all the best. You are a great looking salon and you do very nice work. I am going back to my old salon and I am of course going to be fine - it's just hair after all.
But just know, that day, unlike the mission of most salons to make the customer feel just a little better than they did upon walking in, Emily on behalf of Edo salon made me feel rotten. I got in the car and sobbed bc that day, my appointment and the subsequent rejection symbolized the giant house of cards that my schedule is and how hard it is to attempt and be successful at self care.
So in the interest of self preservation and going where I'm wanted as a customer, I will not continue as a client at Edo salon, because of Emily's behavior that day and also because no one higher up bothered to follow up despite my attempt to give feedback, and I most certainly will not recommend Edo to anyone I care about. read more