Very disappointing customer experience
I had an appointment at Choka’s Black Hair in Amsterdam at 14:05. The appointment was scheduled to take approximately 25 minutes. I arrived early, as I am accustomed to salons that expect clients to respect appointment times - and quite rightly so. In many salons, clients who arrive even 5–10 minutes late risk having to reschedule. I therefore believe the same respect for time should work both ways.
While I was waiting, another client arrived at around 13:35 and was attended to without anyone acknowledging me or checking why I had been sitting there for some time. When I indicated through my body language that I was surprised by this, I was told that they had assumed I had come in with the previous client. By then, however, I had already been sitting there for approximately 20 minutes.
What bothered me most was not simply that the salon was running late. Delays can happen anywhere. It was the complete lack of communication. My appointment was at 14:05, and by 14:30 nobody had apologized, explained that they were running behind schedule, or given me any indication of when I would be attended to. At that point, I decided to leave.
Professionalism is important in every profession, but especially in the service industry. Respecting a client’s time, acknowledging them when they enter, and communicating when there is a delay are basic elements of good customer service.
Choka’s Black Hair has recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, which is an impressive milestone and suggests considerable expertise and experience in the profession. Unfortunately, my experience today did not reflect the level of customer service and professionalism I would expect from such a long-established salon.
Technical expertise may well be there, but the customer experience and service standards need significant improvement.