I had an appointment at Neon Tiger salon on Monday, August 7th. My appointment was with Mel Hernandez, and she asked me for a picture of what my hair looked like at the time and what I was going for, both of which I sent her. I wanted to go from shoulder length brown hair to a short style, almost like a pixie, with a sort of blonde undercut. She didn't express any concerns about her ability to do my hair. I had done all this research about her work, and she had cuts like mine and beautifully dyed hair all over her Instagram, so I was confident in her ability to do my hair. I was also willing to pay a higher amount for it. Mel ended up charging me $195 and I tipped 25% before seeing the back. The total was $243.75.
As I was leaving the first time, she assured me it looked beautiful and took pictures to post on her Instagram. When I got home, I noticed that it was crooked above my ears and on the back, and the dye was three different shades of brown, blonde, and reddish rather than anywhere close to the blonde I had wanted. I texted her and shared my concerns to give her a chance to fix it. The second time I came in, she looked at my hair, said it was definitely crooked and said that she had needed a new razor yesterday. She didn't address the dye at all, beyond saying it looked great. She spent less than 10 minutes with me trying to fix it.
I left with it looking worse. It's shorter than I wanted it, and the back is shaggy and crooked still.
I've never cried over my hair in my entire life. I've cried three times so far. Mel butchered my hair, and she hasn't posted those pictures she took on Instagram, which tells me she knows it's bad. I paid almost $250 for something that looks like I did it myself. I'm going to have to go somewhere else to see what can be salvaged, although it will be nowhere near close to what I wanted.
I called the salon and spoke with the owner. To her credit, she was very nice and apologetic, although she did say that my hair looked like it had red undertones, and perhaps that's why my hair was red. She said that Mel was an independent contractor who rented space in her salon, and if I wanted a refund, I'd have to go through Mel. The owner offered to speak with Mel for me, and I accepted. The owner also offered to fix my hair, or if I was uncomfortable going back to Neon Tiger, I could meet her at a different salon she owns. I declined.
A short while later that same day, Mel texted me. She said " hello, I'm sending you a refund for the haircut and tip since you aren't happy with the cut. But the rest I have to keep for the cost of product and time. My owner is willing to have you come in if you would like to set up a time with her. Thank you."
And sent me a picture showing that a refund of $98.75 had been given.
She didn't offer an apology or even seem like she was accepting that she messed up my hair.
I'm not interested in meeting with the owner, as nothing can come from that. My hair can't be fixed immediately, it will have to regrow on its own.
Overall, I can't recommend going to Neon Tiger Salon. read more
