This location was shut down like many other salons for more time than the employees want it. All new stuff as of the beginning of 2021 and they are having trouble filling shifts so they are hiring. I met with Coral she was awesome. There is one employee that is abrupt, loud, off putting about her phone manners and Coral is aware. She sounds like she's having a bad day, but in fact, apparently from the other reviews on here, it seems like she's always having a bad day. Coral was very helpful gave me a recommendation and cut my hair to my specifications. read more

Coral is amazing! She is courteous, friendly and professional. She listened to my concerns which were many. I had about five colors (don't ask) my hair was super brassy and I nearly just made the biggest mistake asking to DYE my hair ALL DARK!! Coral settled my nerves and let me know what we can do to keep my highlights, do low-lights and deepen my base color!! I was pleasantly surprised that she was able to listen, give me her expertise opinion and the end result was amazing!! I will be returning!! Tip: use Groupon and also make sure you have them schedule enough time for all your service requests when making your appointment. Appointments are a must when doing more than just a hair cut even then I would not walk in. I went on a Friday morning and it was very busy!! read more

I am very unhappy with the result of my hair color done by Rosa. She had suggested the hair color for me ( after expressing I was looking for a light/medium brown) she recommended #7 after seeing the samples of hair I agreed.after what I believe she made me sit too long for coloring, she rinsed off my hair and found that my hair is BLACK ( almost purple black ) I expressed my disappointment and she ( in Spanish told the only other stylist to there) , who I believe is the manager. The manager came and looked at my hair and " said oh it's dark because it's wet!" Which it wasn't. I asked if there is something they can do to fix it , she suggested I get it washed with clarifying shampoo , which Rosa did - and not gently:( . Then they both told me it will get lighter after 3-4 washes . 6 + washes not a change and still not happy.. I felt like they didn't want to help me. read more

Don't even bother setting appointments cause they don't respect it. I had a small timeframe to get my haircut due to work and yes I was 5 minutes late due to traffic which I tried to call in and was only able speak to an automated voice that said they have a 7 minute late grace period which they didn't honor. Complete waste of time and I will never be returning to this location read more

No service was done, so there's technically nothing to complain about there. Complaining about the professionalism. Today 7/12/24 had an appointment at 9:30am. Came early and noticed there were people waiting outside for them to be open. Well, one of the ladies comes over to my truck and looks around it, I roll down my window and asked "can I help you with something?" She then proceeds to tell me that she thought I was her coworker and that they had changed keys and there was no one to open the shop. I then waited a little bit longer, only to see that the ladies left. I only now assume that they weren't opening for the day, so I left. Maybe perhaps have the one with the key open? Perhaps have multiple people with the key, in case something happens to the one with the key? Very unprofessional, especially the lady who was looking around my truck. read more

Coral completed my partial highlights. Andrea did my haircut I purchased the Groupon for both services you'll need to use them on separate days 58.50 partial highlights and 16.50 for haircut and paid an additional 35 for toner, 15 for royal treatment wash and treatment and 20 for long hair I believe. I asked for Ash colored, she did give me a money piece in the front and styled it beautifully. Overall I love this place, great vibes from Coral, Jackie and Andrea! read more

Fantastic Sams - Partial Highlights by Coral don't mind my flyaways I had my window down lol - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

Coral, very professional manager and stylist. Watched her listen to customers and made suggestions. But customers wins! I had my hair cut and then discussed gray natural. She suggested more modern haircut rather gray. Because coral said you are still to young looking for gray. But up to you. read more

We've been here 3 times for haircuts for my two sons. They have very different hair and styles and Coral has done a great job making sure they are each happy with the length and cut. She is very detail oriented and professional. read more

I purchased a Groupon for partial highlights and made an appointment. I drove the 30 minutes from home to the salon, where I was informed the stylist wasn't there yet. She arrived 15 minutes late, only to tell me that she couldn't do my highlights because I didn't have enough grow out. I went elsewhere and had the highlights done. I then returned several weeks later to let my daughter use the Groupon. Our appointment was at 11:00am. Upon arrival, we were informed that the stylist was supposed to be there at 10:00am, but "didn't show up." It sure would've been nice if they would've let me know she didn't show up when they knew about it at 10:00 and before we had driven all the way out there. Another wasted hour of driving round trip. They offered to get her in two hours later. I declined, as I have completely lost any faith that someone will actually be there and/or perform the work. This place is so incredibly unprofessional, I am truly surprised they are still in business. Don't waste your time, there's a decent chance no one is doing your hair. read more

I feel completely humiliated after my visit. We're having a bit of a hardship in my family but I really needed a haircut so I was gifted a Groupon for a wash, cut, and tousle dry. I showed my stylist before everything and she looked at it carefully, seemed to have a bit of an issue with it in the system but that's normal for most places with Groupons. She was really great, but towards the end of the cut she said she wanted to see how it lays when it's styled just to be sure and I said whatever you'd like (knowing she's already seen my Groupon so not thinking this would be outside of the offered service) so she used a blow dryer and flatiron. Once she started ringing me up at the end, another woman was helping her (I'm assuming the manager, red lipstick and dark hair, didn't catch her name), and now all of a sudden, my total out of pocket is $20. I asked just because she used a hot tool? And she said the blow dryer as well. Apparently a tousle dry is juuuust enough so you're not walking out dripping. I felt totally awful because now I needed to pay more than what I actually have in my bank account, having to give the difference in change, and I couldn't even tip the poor girl that cut my hair. I felt so awful because she really did a good job on the cut. I really just wish they would have been up front about the additional fee so I could have told her no. read more

I went in not really knowing what I wanted and left so happy with results. Coral at the Rancho store is a true find. She has coloring skills, haircutting magic and a fabulous personality! The service was on point and the cost wasn't a car payment. Excellent service and fantastic hair is what you will get with Coral! read more

My first time at this location and they did not disappoint. I wanted a quick touch up for my birthday and was attended to by Rosa. She really went out of her way to make sure my haircut was absolutely perfect. She's gave me a nice fade and line up. I highly recommend her. read more

Ashley said, sure I'll take care of that weed what call hair on your hear, trick she of course did not say such a thing, but she did take care the weed growing on my head. Anyways, Ashley took good care of me and gave me a #2 on the side and about a half inch of the the top. She even was so kind to trim my eyebrows which were starting to look for new zip codes. The whole time she was giving me a haircut, she had something clever to say and provided good conversation. She was gentle and considerate throughout my experience. The place was pretty empty when I came in and was well kept. Fantastic Sam's offers a shampoo with their haircuts. If you are a local and shop at Ralph's near door, on the back of the receipt, there us usually a $12.99 for a hair cut and shampoo for this place. Good haircut and I do look much perdier. read more

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I had Amanda to cut and colour all over. She is attentive and detail oriented with cutting my hair and did a great job, colour my hair it looks great. I would recommend her, Michael read more

Great service. Coral did my hair perfect. She was quick but very professional. I went on a Sunday and it wasn't busy so they were able to take me right away. read more

Update: I went back and got my hair redone by a girl named Bre (hope that's how it's spelled!) and she was really sweet and tried to fix it as best she could. It's a lot more purple now. I would actually go back to her. On another note: the stylist who did my hair the first time was there with no clients when I walked in. Looked at me but did not apologize or talk to me. I thought that was not good customer service. read more

Fantastic Sams - Updated hair color by Bre. Much more purple this time. - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

There was an eliminated OPEN sign in the window. Walked in and the only stylest there said "were closed". This was at 4:20pm. Per website they were not supposed to be closed until 6pm. Never again will come here! Poor customer service!!!! read more

I showed up to fantastic Sams at 9 o'clock when it stated it was open. It was closed until 915 when we came back and entered the establishment. We were the first ones in the door. And the stylist took a lady behind us first. She was the only stylist in the establishment and proceeded to write down our names knowing that we'd have to wait 35 minutes plus. I don't know about you but that's just bad business. Will never come back. read more

Terrible service. I was not acknowledged when I entered the establishment. When someone did decide to check me in, I was advised it would take 45 minutes to be serviced although I had an appointment. I am extremely disappointed with this place of business and will not be returning. read more

Excellent!!! Fantastic Sam,s treated me like I was a queen. I came in for a trim and I got my hair shampooed and blow dried. Excellent service. read more

I've been coming to this Fantastic Sams location for over ten years. I will not be returning. My daughter and I stopped in for haircuts last Saturday. The "stylist" checked us in. I saw Coral was free and asked if she was available. I explained that Coral had cut my hair previously and knew how to work with it since it's fine and ultra straight. She responded that she would ask Coral if she was available. I mentioned that if not, maybe she could ask Coral what technique she uses. Coral actually coached the last person who cut my hair. She seems to knows how to work with it. Well, that's the last this woman spoke to me. Coral wasn't able to do my hair since she had a client scheduled. I sat back down in the waiting since the stylist had disappeared. The woman then came to the front after a walk-in customer came in and took him back to her chair; she offered me no explanation as to why she left me sitting there. I asked what was up. Coral then came over and told me that said stylist wasn't comfortable cutting my hair. Excuse me? I asked if I had inadvertently been rude to her. I didn't feel that I had been. I don't know if this gal is just a Prima Donna working at Fantastic Sams and gets insulted if a client prefers to see a stylist they've seen before or if she just really didn't know how to cut my hair, but the entire situation was handled so poorly. If said stylist didn't want to cut my hair for whatever reason, that should have been communicated to me instead of just letting me sit in the waiting area wondering why she was taking another customer. The situation made me very uncomfortable. The visit gets worse. My daughter had asked her stylist for a very simple cut. For reference, she requested a straight cut, just below her shoulders with a slight face frame. No layers. Easy, right? She's had her hair cut this way for virtually her entire life (at this location) and never had any issues getting a nice cut. That ended today. Because of all of the other drama, we didn't notice what a terrible job her stylist had done. The back of her hair was ridiculously uneven, as was the face frame which. She called the store immediately after we got home and saw the botched cut. To their credit they did tell her to come right back in to have it fixed. Sadly, her stylist had to ask Coral to help her fix it! Honestly, it's not a complicated cut at all. Is Coral the only stylist that knows how to cut hair here? I don't know what happened to this place, it used to be wonderful. I suggest, if you do go, make an appointment to see Coral, otherwise cut your own hair. It will look better. read more

I came here for a quick trim and I'm never coming back. Jill did my hair and the length was okay but when I asked her to thin out my hair a little she took the thinning scissors and literally took a random chunk of hair and snipped and didn't even brush off the hair. So now my hair has random baby hairs coming out from the middle of my head and my chest and back is full of hair. Every time I run my fingers through, more hair comes off that should've been combed out or taken out of my hair before I left. Btw, she burnt my head with the blow dryer and then just stopped so I left the salon with completely wet hair. After I left I spent 10 minutes in my car brushing the cut hair out of my head, off my chest and my back. Why did I even tip her? I'm too nice. Totally unprofessional, especially for someone who's been doing this for 12 years. Very upsetting. Never coming back. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

Fantastic Sams - This is after 10 mins of brushing hair off myself. I left with wet hair and Jill didn't brush the hair off me after the cut. - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

0/5 Stars RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL!! I took my daughter for a highlights appointment and was told that they could not take us because we were 8 minutes late. The manager Coral Strong was extremely rude and unprofessional, she said in a very sassy attitude that she couldn't do anything to help us or accomodate my daughter for that day. Horrible work ethics. Save yourself time and gas and don't go to this sad looking salon. read more

I work long hours on an Ambulance and go to school. I don't have too much time to get a decent hair cut; so I was looking for a trim. Horrible customer service from this clearly unhappy woman. Literally felt rushed the entire time, and cold, distant attitude from the moment I walked in. I had a wonderful experience the first time I got my hair cut here, and this second time was just day and night. Don't come here. Side note: She asked if I wanted layers, I said no. Just trim the way it's naturally growing. Left side is lop sided :) Paid her $21 to make my hair worse. Should have just kept the dry ends at that point. read more

However cut my son's hair today was great but the vibe when I got there was weird .. not sure if there was an issue before and I walked into it but anyway .. good haircut and good price .. didn't use my groupon but I also wasn't asked if I was member which I was but I was in a rush so I just left read more

I went in with my two girlfriends and asked to get a wash, blow dry, and curl. We had varying hair lengths short, medium, long. My hair was the longest and I was quoted $55, I then opted out of getting it styled and was then quoted $35. My medium length friend also opted out of the style. When it was time for check out, I was honored my $35. My medium length friend was them charges $40. When I noticed, I approached the hair stylist and asked why she is paying more for shorter hair then mine? The hair stylist, did not acknowledge me, and continued to move on with the transaction. My friend being charged is very nice, and didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I was blatantly ignored. I am a very nice person, who does not like to confront, so I was not being rude or unjust in my concern and was trying to make sure my friend was not gettin ripped off. This upset me, so I made sure to write a review. Side note: I do want to give credit to my hair stylist, I forget her name, but she is from South Africa. She paid extra attention to my blow drying and made my hair look great! read more

Don't come here for hair coloring. They don't know what they are doing. I tried to get light partial highlights to brighten up my hair slightly and I left with chunky yellow streaks, a very obvious line of demarcation across my head, and hair that was so damaged, I had to cut off approximately 7 inches when I went to an alternative hair salon the next day to try to fix it. The only good thing is they gave me a full refund. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra $30 to go to a real hair salon. read more

Fantastic Sams - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Aweful unprofessional experience . I made an appointment well in advance for color. They recommend "Jackie", because they said she had the most experience with color. When I arrived for my appointment, they made me sit and wait for 35 minutes. Finally, when Jackie became available, she told me she can't do the color because "it takes too long" and she's not good at it! Really? You just wasted my day and lied to me! Avoid this Fantastic Sams and go elsewhere read more

Fantastic Sams - Fantastic Sams - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

My dad and I walked in while they were completely empty. They sit him down. Next a young female and a young male come in. The male wants to buy some hair products. The other lady working there took the young lady back and started washing her hair. The girl who is supposed to be working on his hair spends about 8 minutes helping the customer who wants to buy hair products while my dad just sits there. The lady finally comes over (not yet done with the product buying customer) to say she'll be with my dad shortly. He said "you have about a minute". Her behavior was unacceptable in any place of business. You don't seat someone at a restaurant and then without getting them drinks or even another word, help a to go order from beginning to end before handling the first customer!! This is extremely basic. If my father was alone he wouldn't have had patience. If she couldn't serve him she should have told him a few minutes. But when he came in, he was the ONLY person there. I'm writing this review as she works on his hair. I'll update if it's a good job or not. Regardless of the haircut this is a BASIC thing to get wrong! Update: she's going well with him so far so I changed it to three stars. read more

Came straight from work just to see that they closed hella early. The hours are already bad.. but they're still going to close?? Not cool

I am one happy customer! For years I have been trying to find someone to dye my hair according to my vision. It is stressful when you get hairdressers who skew your vision and your hair does not come out to the color you were hoping for. Alicia at Fantastic Sams made my vision come a reality! I absolutely am in LOVE with my hair. She took the time to listen to my needs. She is so talented! I will be sending my family her way, and I will be returning for my next cut and color!! read more

Fantastic Sams - 7 inches cut off and a color (orginally had blonde highlights) - Hair Salons Near Me - El Cajon, California

Anna is THE BEST!!! Seriously! I have been following her to whatever location she moves to. I would definitely travel to get my hair cut by her. I always, always get compliments. She is very skilled. And it grows perfectly until I am due for a cut again. I guess that's why she is the manager of 2 stores. Give her a try. I promise you won't be disappointed.? read more

Great experience. My husband had a bad experience at the location on Jamacha and Washington. He was turned away with 40 minutes until closing, see my previous reviews). So we took our business here, and received great customer service and a fantastic cut. We will now use this location regularly. Thank you! read more

I have been going to Fantastic Sam's for a long time now, and I've almost always been very satisfied. A little over a week ago I went in to get my hair dyed and I wasn't really happy with it, it was blotchy and not really the color I wanted at all. The lady was also not the nicest, but I made the best of it seeing i didn't really have enough money to get it fixed or the time. Then a few days ago, I got a call saying that there was a complaint on the woman who did it, and I was asked if I was satisfied. When I said no Renee (who wss incredibly nice and helpful) found a day for me to come in and I got my hair fixed by James (I believe, I'm awful with names). He was incredibly sweet, a great conversationalist, and he gave me a color that was closer to what I originally wanted (and it was free!). All in all, I am incredibly happy with everything, and how much they care for customers! read more

I'm in love with my hair!! Ashlee was amazing! We hit it off and looked at my inspiration. I was nervous going to such an affordable place doing something so bold, but am so happy with the result! read more

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The first time I started going here the customer service was fine for me and my cuts were good. The last two times I recently went in I was not impressed. I have long thick hair, so whenever I came in for a cut the two ladies that I've had made me feel like I was a bother because of my hair. I'm now writing this review because the last lady I got literally traded me with her other co-worker, and had someone else cut my hair. I really appreciated the other lady cutting my hair and taking her time. I honestly don't want to go back again for another haircut. I shouldn't be feeling bad when some one has to cut my hair. read more

Michelle did an excellent job. She understood exactly what I wanted done with my hair and delivered . She was precise, professional, friendly and personable. I highly recommend Michelle. read more

Whatever you do, do NOT bring your kid here for a cut. Simply wanted a bang trim for my toddler and the stylist Amanda gave her a mullet. It looks absolutely awful and I was in tears. She cut off the long beautiful strands on the side of my daughters head rather than just the bangs in the front of her face. I can't believe a place would employ such terribly trained people. I could've done a better job at home with my eyes closed. read more

Went today for a haircut and I showed her what i wanted and she did exactly that. I would recommend Michelle I definitely will be visiting here again. Thank you Michelle read more

Worst salon in rancho San deigo I would give this place -1 stars don't come by the girls are rude