We recently wrote about hopelessly outdated beauty procedures that are still done in salons. For example, Hollywood eyelash extensions, nail tips and pumped-up cheekbones.
This, of course, has not been fashionable for a long time, but in most cases it does not harm health — both mental and moral. Masters say that consumer terrorism is growing stronger, and disgruntled women write angry reviews after going to a hairdresser and complain to Rospotrebnadzor.
We have collected several stories of unsuccessful visits to a beauty salon and talked with the masters about the experience of communicating with inadequate clients, and also asked an expert how to get the money back and protect ourselves if something terrible has already happened.
«I made a perm and called an ambulance»
Olga Chipenko came to do the chemical styling, and ended up on a three-week sick leave.
— I went to the hairdresser, made a biochemical perm, and at home I felt bad. The next morning everything was swollen, I called an ambulance, they took me to the burn center of the regional hospital. They wanted to leave there, but I have a 10-year-old child at home, so I went under surveillance. The burn was II degree: head, forehead, ears. Bubbles appeared on the skin. Now I already feel better, but then I was in a terrible state. I believe that the solution was diluted incorrectly or it is an underground product. Let me emphasize that I did not have an allergic reaction, but a burn. The skin was burned, — Olga told the NGS correspondent Ilya Kalinin.
The victim paid 2050 rubles for the service in the salon. Olga Chipenko came to the hairdresser with a complaint the next day, but did not find the manager on the spot. As a result, the money for the perm was returned to her and she was asked not to write a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor. But Olga could not agree on full compensation for the three-week treatment with the management of the salon.
«Advice, like from a pimply beautician»
Another example. The woman was unhappy with the services of the studio of face and body aesthetics, so she wrote an angry review about this on the Flamp service, but received a harsh response from the representatives of the salon — as a result, the court awarded her about 80 thousand rubles for moral damage and legal costs.
According to the information on the website of the database of court decisions of the Russian Federation, the client of the studio asked to compensate her for moral damage. As follows from the court’s decision, she came to the studio for an initial appointment worth 3,000 rubles: it included a consultation, a procedure in a cedar barrel, anti-cellulite massage and body wrap. After that, she shared her impressions on the Flamp review site under the nickname GALLA.
— I drank herbal tea, underwent scrubbing, massage and wrapping. I will dwell on the last two in more detail, since the scrubbing did not make much of an impression. At home, in the bathroom, with a coffee scrub in my hands, I do it longer and more thoroughly … The massage is done with a can, all over the body, the front and back surfaces … I must say right away, it hurts a lot, » the dissatisfied client wrote, at the end of the review noting that the studio’s proprietary methodology turned out to be ineffective.
The studio answered the girl rather sharply:
— The client comes first of all for the result … And why you came is a question. You came with bruises (black), the location of which indicates that you are already going somewhere for body shaping. Of course, it will be terribly painful for the bruises to massage. Or did you think — no? Perhaps you even go to a friend who asked you to drop by us, find out everything and add a fly in the ointment, » suggested representatives of the company on the Flamp website.
— And lastly, how do you, just starting to engage in your figure, already recommend everyone a gym and a balanced diet as a panacea? You will achieve success first in body shaping, go through everything on your own experience, and then advise, and then advice, as from a «pimply beautician» or «fat nutritionist» — added the company, considering the review «customized».
«So I became bald»
We recently published stories of women who decided to transform, but as soon as they saw their image in the mirror, we immediately realized that it was a mistake. It’s not so offensive when I did horror with my own hands, but it’s completely bitter when the nightmare on my head is paid for according to the price list.
— I went to the salon, where a sleepy master met me at noon. It even seemed to me that she was really asleep when I came. With sluggish movements of her hands, she began to create «beauty» on my head. I was also embarrassed how exactly the curls were done to me, but I am such a person: I completely trust the person who assures that he is a master and “did it a hundred times”. As a result, I wore a hairy helmet on my head. At home, my whole head was itching, and the next morning, with tears through laughter, I realized that I could not go to work like this. As a result, I had to cut everything off. So I became bald. Okay, just kidding. All I lost was time, money (5,000 rubles) and a little self-esteem, » the girl said.
Dasha did not return to the salon and demand compensation for an unsuccessful hairstyle. This example is not unique, people often feel uncomfortable in conflict and therefore are silent about the painful consequences of beauty procedures.
«You are acting as a guinea pig.»
Most network establishments are trying to extinguish Internet scandals in the bud — they ask a disgruntled client to call back or write them a phone number and the date of the visit. Nevertheless, sometimes the employees of establishments cannot restrain themselves and begin to respond to attacks. For example, a client under the nickname rreedd31 left a review, in the comments under which a real squabble broke out. The dissatisfied woman was supported by another visitor to the salon with the nickname 777 — she also spoke about the unsuccessful procedure. And away we go — the official response of the beauty salon turned out to be very harsh and ambiguous.
In the training center of the same name, the correspondent was told that such a service is no longer there. Still, the aftertaste from the reaction of employees remains rather unpleasant.
Is the customer always right?
But not only clients are dissatisfied with the services of the craftsmen, but the craftsmen also often complain about inappropriate treatment from the latter.
They share that some clients arrive an hour earlier without notifying them by phone. And if there is not enough waiting space in the salon or at home, this can become a problem. Also, the masters are perplexed when they take relatives or girlfriends with them to the procedures.
— They come with their husbands, who will sit and wait, and it turns out that there are three of us during the procedure in the office. This is not very comfortable, you need to warn about this in advance. The same goes for children. I understand that there are force majeure events, but it is imperative to warn about them. A 4-year-old boy won’t sit quietly on the couch for two hours. As a mother of two, I tell you this, » the manicure master Anna M.
Hairdressers are annoyed by last minute cancellations and latent dissatisfaction. This is when a client came for a change of image, he liked everything in the salon, at home he felt uncomfortable and dashed off an angry review on social networks.
— This happens often. Almost none of the dissatisfied clients voice the problem immediately after the procedure. Negative feedback (feedback — author’s note) comes over time, and it is much more difficult to work with it, — says hair stylist Pavel P.
Also, several masters noted that in Russia it is still customary to treat beauty professionals as «service personnel» in the worst sense of the word.
— Fifa comes, pokes right away, they say, let’s hurry up and drive me for tea. If the salon and management are normal or work for yourself, then you can make a remark to such a client, and if she does not calm down, send her home. But not everyone approves of such methods. Many managers profess the principle that the client is always right, even if it is humiliation of the dignity of the master and outright consumer terrorism. I had a case at work: on a pedicure, a client threw candy at the master, you know, there are such free candies, and she was politely calculated after the procedure and released. This is not uncommon, — says a hairdresser with 15 years of experience Tatiana F.
Expert opinion
Astrik Rashoyan, partner of the EKVI legal agency, explains that the assessment of the services of beauty salons is very subjective.
— The same hairstyle can delight the hairdresser, and the client — rejection. Cosmetic procedures can have an effect the first time for one client, while another will need 5-7 visits for this. Therefore, the result of the work of the master often does not meet the expectations of the client. In this regard, the claim for compensation due to “dislike” will not be justified, and the master can only change the hairstyle / manicure if he wants to, ”says the expert.
The lawyer notes that other consequences occur in a situation where the master rendered a service with an obvious defect — he burned his hair, cut a clump of hair, did not paint his nails, used a remedy that caused severe swelling or allergies.
— If your situation can be corrected here and now (for example, to paint your nails or straighten crookedly trimmed bangs), then you need to correct it right away — that is, require the salon to correct the shortcomings. You will save energy, time and nerves. As a rule, salons meet halfway without objection. Another situation is when the shortcomings of the service cannot be quickly corrected — you need to wait until the hair grows back or the swelling disappears. In such a situation, the client has the right to demand compensation for harm. Conscientious heads of salons will not bring the client’s claims to publicity or to court, therefore, at least they can offer the client any rehabilitation procedures. If the salon does not admit its mistake, you can go to court with a demand, — Astrik Rashoyan comments.
It is advisable, according to him, to take a check for payment for services or acquire testimony from witnesses that the haircut-coloring was done in this particular salon, and contact the consumer protection department — this is the case with the administration of each district.
Astrik notes that customer claims in such disputes are difficult to prove. In order to have a chance of winning in court, the consumer, like any participant in the process, must prove that the service was provided by the salon of poor quality.
— For example, before going to the hairdresser, take a photo before the procedure. At the hairdresser’s, register your visit — for example, by paying a check. Fix the result. When providing a cosmetology service, the cosmetologist must find out if there are contraindications to the service, diseases, and allergic reactions of the client in order to understand whether it is possible to provide the service at all. To do this, in serious beauty parlors, a questionnaire is practiced, where the client indicates the presence of diseases, allergies, etc. But on the way to beauty, questionnaires are filled in how? Quickly! And as a rule, rarely does anyone honestly write about their diseases or reactions, or does not know about them at all. Then the master has nothing to blame if the client himself gave permission to use the tools and techniques, says the expert.
If, before starting the procedure, you did not sign a paper that you were warned of possible contraindications and side effects (or there is no video or audio recording proving that you are familiar with such a list), then if such a list occurs, you have the right to demand a refund and compensation for damage, Astrik advises Rashoyan.
If the beauty salon refuses to solve your problem, you need to demand a check from them and draw up an act on the provision of the service on the spot with the signature of the salon staff or witnesses. Next, you need to contact a medical institution, which will record the severity of your condition and its possible causes. The lawyer recommends contacting Rospotrebnadzor with these documents.
