Ok, that subject line might be a little dramatic, but what an incredible turn-around this has been…read morefor me. Within a few minutes of receiving the notification from the corporate office on Monday, Alex, the St. Charles store manager, called me to discuss my previous experience. She started off by apologizing as she was unaware of how upset I was when I left the store. I explained to her that I was very frustrated and didn't want to cause a scene so I just left. She said that she appreciated that, but that it was still important to her to know where her stylist's opportunities for growth are, and that feedback like this is taken very seriously. She was politely adamant about giving the store, specifically herself and Mercedes, the opportunity to make it up to me. She worked with my busy schedule and was able to make time on my lunch break to have some cleanup done.
As I entered the store today, Alex was waiting for me and greeted by name with a smile. She let me know that Mercedes was ready and waiting for me, and offered me a beverage while she went to get her. While I did detect a couple of "is that the guy?" glances from some of the other employees, I don't think they were unwarranted. It was very clear to me that it was in fact of the utmost importance to Alex, Mercedes, and indeed Beauty Brands to redeem themselves. As I sat I briefly sat in Mercedes' chair, another stylist came by and again offered me a coffee / soda/ water, and let me know that she would be right out. I felt like royalty, and while I certainly don't expect this kind of treatment every time I go to get a trim, it made me feel like I mattered.
After a very brief wait, Alex returned with Mercedes and we all went over the haircut that I'd received together, as well as looked at the pictures I'd previously brought in to show Lisa. They discussed the means that were available to make some adjustments to the cut and lay of my hairstyle so that while they obviously weren't able to grow it back, they could get it back into something more manageable and stylish in the interim.
This next part is really important to me, as a customer and as a human being. Both Mercedes and Alex were able to empathize with me without disparaging Lisa. This is huge, and it's often something that's overlooked in the modern customer service experience. Often times it'd be easy for the manager to give me the "best friend treatment"... "Oh this is terrible! What was she thinking!" etc etc. This wasn't the case. While we were all sure that perhaps she hadn't been comfortable with the cut I was looking for, both Alex and Mercedes handled it with the utmost professionalism. None of the hospitality they offered me felt pretentious or condescending, and yet they were still able to sympathize with my frustration and make amends. Alex had to leave at that point as she was on a conference call, but said she would try and come back to check in if she could.
Then it was Mercedes' powers as a magical hair wizard that transformed my unfortunate mop into something that made me feel confident, stylish, and attractive again. She took her time to make sure that she got every detail just right, and wasn't afraid to speak up when I showed concern. She used her knowledge of the craft to set me at ease and explained the process from beginning to end, including a "now watch this" moment that pulled it all together in a way that I didn't think would be possible. She recommended some new product for me, something a little tackier to help keep the hair in place until it grows out a little more, and she left momentarily to grab some off the floor.
At this point, Alex came back from the conference call that was still going on to check in. She commended Mercedes on the adjustments that were made and offered up a suggestion of similar product for different occasions to pull it all together. At the register I was given an unexpected 30% off of my purchase, as well a 10% off coupon for my next visit, which I assured both of them was going to happen. That's right, I scheduled out my next appointment with Mercedes 6 weeks from now, and I left with that bounce in my step that had been missing a few days prior. They really, truly went out of their way to go the extra mile for me, and they should be applauded for it.
