I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was mind-boggling
I rarely leave negative reviews, but after this experience I feel other clients should know what happened.
I booked a smoothing treatment because I've had them successfully for many years. My goal wasn't perfectly straight hair, it was manageable, wash-and-wear hair with reduced frizz which I was told the product they were using would do.
Before my appointment, the stylist (who I won't name out of kindness) knew my hair had recently been professionally toned because we discussed it beforehand. She recommended I have the toner done before the smoothing treatment, and I followed her advice. During our later conversations, the salon distinguished between "color" and "toner." I'm not a hairstylist, so I referred to it as color, but I later confirmed with the salon that it was, in fact, a toner.
Immediately after the service, my hair became significantly more frizzy than it had been before. It now requires a full blowout just to look remotely presentable, which is the exact opposite of why I paid nearly $280 (includes a 30% tip) for the treatment.
I reached out hoping the salon would help determine what went wrong and, more importantly, help me fix it. They offered a complimentary blowout to assess. Complimentary like they were doing me a favor. Of course with a professional blowout it would look ok, however the point is that I should not have to do a professional blowout daily to get smooth hair after a smoothing treatment. Instead, over the course of more than a week of text messages, the explanation evolved several times. Initially I was told it was too soon to evaluate the results and to wait. Later, after I reminded them I had my hair colored prior (which was actually toner) I was all of a sudden told the issue was hidden structural damage that could not have been identified without microscopic analysis. Mind you this was a week of conversations before they landed on that mountain. Other explanations included previous services, toner, and ultimately that nothing performed at the salon caused or worsened my hair. They took ZERO responsibility, never had me sign a waiver prior to treatment and came at me that I signed one last year at an appointment. I'm sorry who remembers what they signed a year ago? They are supposed to provide that at every appointment for this type of treatment.
To the salon's credit, they ultimately refunded $120 after a lengthy back-and-forth although that was $158 less than this cost me. I did not want money, I wanted my hair fixed. They also recommended bond-building treatments such as K18 and Olaplex after I specifically asked for guidance on anything that might help repair my hair. I appreciated finally receiving some recommendations, although the salon did not offer to perform those treatments or provide any corrective service.
What disappointed me most was not the partial refund, it was how the situation was handled. I was told the owner called once while I happened to be on a cruise and had no service, but beyond that, everything was handled through lengthy text exchanges that became increasingly focused on defending the salon's position rather than helping resolve the problem. The entire process became unnecessarily stressful.
As a customer, I believe that if a salon ultimately concludes someone's hair was not a suitable candidate for a chemical service, that assessment should be made before the treatment, not after the outcome is unsuccessful. That's part of the professional consultation I relied on when deciding to move forward.
The explanation that was hardest for me to understand was that my hair's condition supposedly could not have been identified without microscopic analysis. If that is truly the case, then it raises the question of how anyone could determine the service was appropriate to perform in the first place. I was never told there was a possibility the treatment could leave my hair significantly worse than when I arrived. Had that risk been discussed, I never would have agreed to proceed.
Everyone's experience may be different, but mine left me with hair in worse condition than when I walked into the salon, a partial refund that did not cover the cost of correcting the problem, and weeks of frustration trying to get meaningful help. I genuinely wanted a solution, not an argument, and unfortunately, that's not how this experience ended. Some may have better experiences and that is great for them. However, if you feel the service was not as expected, don't expect them to do anything but defend themselves endlessly. Their customer service is really sub-par in my opinion. This was very poorly handled.