Wow. Thanks for the support! The only reason I posted this was so that others could see unreasonable people with unrealistic expectations are all around. I never mentioned names or gave any info about the salon or client. I've never had a situation like this in 35 years of cosmetology. The results after they shampooed it were awesome considering I was dealing with pumpkin orange and banana yellow. Guess I thought this was a forum where we could vent. Thanks again for the sympathy.
Feel like giving up
- Thread starter Jen101991
- Start date
Help Support SalonGeek:
cassies97
Well-Known Member
But really, you could've left it at 'okay see you Wednesday' but after the mother had said she'll see you Wednesday, you carried on to tell her showed the picture to your colleagues which I don't really think is relevant to her.
Sorry but I would have lost it if I was the clients mother. Wednesday at 1.30 would have been pretty uncomfortable after an exchange of that nature. Although I'm guessing by one of your messages that appt was no longer an option. Please don't send that last message if u haven't already.
The last paragraph was for other hairstylist. I'm not sending the last message at all. If the color faded after one shampoo, which isn't evident in the picture, further coloring will either not take or turn grey-green. What wasn't included in the texting was the hour long consultation where the mother was told repeatedly the clock couldn't be turned back. That her daughter's hair was severely damaged and results could not be guaranteed. She wanted a miracle that couldn't be achieved. She wanted her daughter's hair back to the color it was before the damage. Level 6 beige blonde. The daughter would have been devastated by hair that dark and solid. Daughter and mother mutually agreed to having lowlights woven in. The mother was told she would still be able to find some orange in her hair if she looked for it. Her daughter received the best color result possible. The mother was the one that got personal when she didn't like hearing the truth, which was told repeatedly during the service. I would rather have had this done through texting than have it happen in the salon. I'm the 4th person to work on this head. The hair was over-highlighted then bleached caped. Can you imagine her response if her daughter's hair turned grey-green? She only heard what she wanted to hear rather than listening and understanding what I was telling her. When hair is that trashed you can only do so much. I hate that it didn't last but I did everything professionally possible with what I had to work with.
ColourGirly
Well-Known Member
Are those her only options? Wash in wash out or grey- green?
You should have not responded- and if you work in a salon why are you messaging someone on text anyway!??
You should have not responded- and if you work in a salon why are you messaging someone on text anyway!??
Because texting is how they communicated with me from the beginning. If the hair has been over bleached, much less twice before I got it, it will usually react by not holding color, which is what she's claiming or grab dull and dark from being over porous. I'm avoiding a further possible issues by refusing to compromise her hair any further than the four treatments it's received. Sometimes time is the best way to grow something out. Besides it would be different if the current result was unattractive. Another service could result in further damage and an unwanted color.
ColourGirly
Well-Known Member
Just keep it professional, I feel you have crossed the line here.
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2011
- Messages
- 10,907
- Reaction score
- 6,919
I have some sympathy for the OP in this case. It could be a cultural thing and texting back and forth might be viewed differently by US self employed stylists?
In the UK, it would be generally viewed as very unprofessional to enter into a texting exchange with a client other than to arrange an appointment. We also still call them clients and not guests. It's about ensuring a discreet distance between the client and the professional.
Fact is, she does sound like a very pushy mum, similar to ones you see on those awful pageant programmes. Just trying to live vicariously through their children.
If you've done all you can do, explain her options at the appt. on Wednesday and let her decide what she wants to do. I can't see the need to refund her as it looks like you did a good job to me from your description of her hair before you began working on it.
You might find it a lot less stressful to limit the texting though. Good luck!
In the UK, it would be generally viewed as very unprofessional to enter into a texting exchange with a client other than to arrange an appointment. We also still call them clients and not guests. It's about ensuring a discreet distance between the client and the professional.
Fact is, she does sound like a very pushy mum, similar to ones you see on those awful pageant programmes. Just trying to live vicariously through their children.
If you've done all you can do, explain her options at the appt. on Wednesday and let her decide what she wants to do. I can't see the need to refund her as it looks like you did a good job to me from your description of her hair before you began working on it.
You might find it a lot less stressful to limit the texting though. Good luck!
Thanks for showing me some love. This mom is definitely like the ones you see on Dance Moms, stage moms and pageants. I'm the 4th stylist to try and help her daughter but she's wanting her daughter's hair returned to how it was before all the chemicals. Might have been possible before all the bleaching fried her hair. As upsetting as this has been for me, I not willing to risk being sued if I recolored her hair and it grabbed and turned green, grey or black. She's wanting a level 6 ash on this head. It's not worth the risk. In the US we all use texting etc to connect with our clients. It's also a record of who said what. I've been up front with her from the beginning about what her daughter's hair is capable of achieving. She still doesn't listen and thinks that someone can do a miracle. Yes it definitely got out if hand. I only brought in the other team to back me up that it wasn't a good idea to do anything else at this time. That the hair should rest. It was after that, she got personal and started attacking my professionalism. If the color faded after 1 shampoo, further coloring wouldn't make any difference. (Which is not evident in the picture. Remember this hair was orange and yellow!) I used a level 8 semi-perm (which is permanent dye without ammonia) for the lowlights. I foiled every piece of orange I could get without making it blotchy. I'm sorry I ever made the post to this forum. I only did it to help the person doing the extensions see that even a 35 year veteran in the industry can still have a difficult client that can't be pleased. Having a face to face on Wednesday would have resulted in me being attacked in the salon. And wouldn't have changed my professional opinion that the hair should be left alone. The mother would have still gotten personal etc. Why bring that drama into the salon and give her mother and audience? Here's the result that she's complaining about. After it was shampooed. Yes there's still warmth in there as I explained there would be while the service was being done. You can't un-cook a steak.
