I booked a Full Foils service online, which the salon's booking site clearly described as covering…read morethe entire head. I also submitted example hair color and cut photos through the booking site at the time of booking, which clearly show full-head highlights. During the appointment, the stylist, "Dallas" also verbally confirmed that I had specifically booked the Full (not "Partial") Foil service and agreed to provide it as booked. Despite this, I found out after the appointment, upon closer examination at home with hand mirrors, that the back and nape were not foiled at all, and that along the nape, the cut was uneven, choppy and didn't fall nicely. There was a very obvious, unattractive delineation between the highlighted and unlighted sections of the hair. This was especially obvious because the haircut was short and layered in the back. It became apparent to me that only areas that were immediately visible to me from the front, in the salon, had been foiled. The stylist was, therefore, dishonest about the service that he agreed to provide, and for which I was fully charged.
Additionally, although I arrived early, I was forced to wait 30 minutes into my appointment slot while the stylist VERY slowly blow-dried another client's hair, with no explanation or apology for the delay. Despite this, I was very patient, polite and cooperative throughout the appointment.
I politely contacted the salon, by email, within a few days after the appointment (well within their advertised 7-day adjustment window) and provided photos showing the incomplete color service. I didn't mention the haircut because I didn't want it further damaged and shortened if they offered to correct it.
Their initial response was only a $20 refund offer, with no offer to finish the incomplete work. They also told me that I would need to drive to the salon (out of town for me) to collect the $20 refund. After several email follow-ups, the stylist eventually admitted to only providing "partial" foils and hesitantly issued a $140 electronic, partial refund to my original, credit card payment method. The process was unnecessarily slow, inconvenient and prolonged. Because of these delays, I was unable to schedule a correction appointment elsewhere in time for a holiday event that I was attending.
The salon owner cited their independent stylist arrangement as limiting her ability to help with the issue, despite the salon's policy stating that they can override when necessary. The stylist, surprisingly, made a point of telling me not to book with him again in the future (as though I would), even though I was very polite, non-confrontational, and cooperative throughout my email communications and had done nothing wrong. I got the impression that he didn't like having to issue an honest refund and unprofessionally took it out on me.
Takeaway for other clients: Carefully check the back of your hair (with two mirrors or photos) before leaving any appointment, especially for full foil services. Be prepared to advocate for yourself if something is missed, as resolution was not straightforward, correction appointments are not necessarily honored, and accurate and fair refunds are difficult. Be prepared for prolonged follow-up responses and to incur additional inconvenience and full-service expense to have incomplete services or unflattering results (at least from this particular stylist) corrected elsewhere.
The post-service handling and overall experience, even by the salon owner, were very disappointing. Overall, I didn't feel valued or respected as a customer by the salon owner and this particular stylist.
