If I could give 0 stars, I would. Here's what happened:
About 3 weeks ago, I got my hair trimmed by the manager, Roger. He asked if I get highlights (I do) and said that a few times a year, other stylists come in from around the region to do seminars on up-and-coming trends. They were planning on doing a seminar on balayage, a type of highlight, and if I would agree to be their "model," they would do the treatment (usually $150) for free!
I was thrilled. After dealing with my car breaking down and my laptop breaking (all in one week), this was exactly what I needed and couldn't afford.
I told Roger I would check with my boss to get the time off, since it was on a Monday at 9 a.m. My boss said it was fine, and I called him to confirm.
I arrived the day of the treatment at 8:45 a.m. The girl at the desk asked if she could help me, and when I explained why I was there, she said, "Oh, um.......Roger isn't here today, so we might not be able to do your treatment TODAY, but......um.........here, just have a seat and we'll take care of you! I'll come over and explain in a sec."
So, I was confused, but sat down, thinking they would do some other treatment. 10 min goes by. 20 min goes by. The girl takes a phone call at the front desk. I overhear her say, "Oh, yeah he's no longer with us. He quit last night."
She then started to cut a customer's hair who had just walked in.
I put two and two together and realized she was probably talking about Roger, the manager who had offered me the treatment.
Suddenly, a group of stylists gather around another girl who was sitting in the styling chair. One of them starts to put dye in her hair and explains what she's doing.....the balayage treatment.
I am confused. Wasn't I supposed to be doing this? And why is no one talking to me or making eye contact with me? Why do I feel like the "inconvenience" they hoped wouldn't show up?
The girl I had spoken with at the front desk finishes cutting her client's hair. I walk over and ask if I should leave, since it's obvious they've already started the treatment on someone else (and since it's now 10:00 and I've been sitting here for an hour). She goes," Oh! No! It's OK! We'll take you right now!"
I'm ushered into the backroom where a different girl starts washing my hair. I ask if Roger quit and she says, "Yes, he did with no notice. But don't worry -- we're going to give you a shampoo and blow dry for free!"
Um. I already washed my hair this morning...
At this point, I am livid. People are telling me how "pretty" my hair looks to try to raise my spirits, but it's obvious they had no idea I was coming since Roger quit and were trying to scramble to figure out what to do with me.
After the girl finishes drying my hair, I ask to speak with the manager. The Art Director from Santa Barbara who was performing the balayage treatment comes outside with me. I explain that I had to call off work for this. I either need to use my vacation time for a shampoo and blow dry or go unpaid for the two hours it took to wash my hair. I also said that I work in HR, so I understand how frustrating it is when someone quits with no notice, but that this was not handled correctly. If someone would have just been straight with me the minute I walked in, I would have walked out and not been a burden to them, which is how I was treated.
The Art Director explained that she was so sorry and they would make it up to me. She took my information and said someone would reach out. It's been 2 weeks. Nothing has happened.
For their lack of courtesy and professionalism, I'll never go here again. I also plan on writing a letter to corporate, describing what happened. read more