Hair extension refund advice

[MaineAttraction]

Hi all, really could do with some advice on issueing a refund for hair extensions. I've done about 25 clients now with micro loop hair extensions with a few clients losing a few at the beginning, but my most recent clients losing miniumal loss. But one client I did over a week ago lost 13 in one day, so I went to re installed them, I noticed some of her hair had come of with them. I did ask the client if she knew any reason why her hair would fall out. And then she said this medication she was on had a hair loss side effect, which she did not mention at the consultation. I reinstalled the 13 which she had lost at her request. But just been contacted again by client saying that another 20 had fallen, which is a result of the medication. I'm defo going to remove them to prevent futhure hair loss but am I liable for a full refund of hair and installation or just installation???? Please help. Thanks xxx

 

[lancashirelass]

Hi
If someone had called me to say that there hair extensions had come out then told me they where on medication tat causes hair loss I would have advised the client that they need removing straight away and would not have fitted any new ones.

 

[MaineAttraction]

yer I know that sounds the sensible thing to do, and I defo should of took them out then. But it was only a small area which they came from and the client insisted she still wanted them, im new to all this so still learning the do's and dont's. This by far the worst thing i've done.
I buy the extensions after the client gives me a deposit, as I have no spare funds. So I need to know am I still liable to refund the money which I used to purchase the clients hair with???

I have said to the client i'll remove the extensions, and reapply when she no longer taking the medication at no extra cost. I know the client is wanting a full refund though.

Thanks for your advice xxxx

 

[lancashirelass]

What has she actually said to you

 

[smooth]

She should have told you about the side effect of the medicine as this means the loss of the hair is not a problem with you or your application. The refund is up to you but I would maybe just look at re-applying at a later date for the cost of the hair or just refund part or some of the profit if you are open to that. Legally you don't have to, but it is your decision at the end of the day.

 

[smooth]

Hmm sorry just thought I'd explain my last comment, no-one is entitled to a refund of services if they do not like it or are not that happy with the results. The only time they are is when they can prove that the service you provided was not as expected or described or if they can prove you have done something substandard.

 

[MaineAttraction]

Hi, thanks to everyone for there advice.

The full story is the client requested to have Black extensions with 2 side red panels. She did not state about being on medication. A few days later she informed me she lost about 13 and she had changed her mind about the red and wanted pink and asked if could change it. Thats when I went to change the extensions and reinstall the ones which she had lost. I noticed in some of the micro loop some of her hair had fallen out with them in one small area, I asked if she had any skin conditions or any thing she had not told me during consultation, or if her head had been itchy? she said she'd not noticed but she said coming to think of it one of the possible side effects of her medication was hair loss. which did ring alarm, but she said she'd been on it a few weeks and hadnt noticed any hair loss prior to the extensions. I said it might be a good idea to wait till her body settles down with the medication, but she was adamant she wanted it doing now. So me being stupid I did it. I only charged her a small bit extra for taking out the red and replacing with pink, which I could of charged her a lot more and avoided the area were the hair had fallen from.

She called me today saying she's lost another 20 and wants a full refund. I said I'll come as soon as I can to remove them to prevent even more falling out and I could replace them for free when her hair settles down, but she said no she wants all her money back. But I am not in a position to do that. I have visited the client 3 times with 1.5 hrs round trips so had had to folk out on petrol and child minders to do the jobs. I believe I have done an excellent job at installing the extensions and the loss is not due to a fault of my own.

Suppose all I wanted to know am I legally obliged to issue a full refund including for the hair, petrol etc.

I have not had any complaints prior to this.

Thanks xxxx

 

[nicolaluise]

If I was you I would explain to her that as she didn't tell you about the medication, you can only refund part of the money, covering your petrol and and any loss to you ... Ie the hair, at the end of the day it's not your fault that this has happened. Im sorry to ask this but did you go through a full consultation prior to installation and did she sign it? You've learnt a very tough lesson here and from now on Id say get all clients to sign a disclaimer. I really hope this comes right for you, sometimes these things happen for a reason and make you so much better at doing the already great job your doing! chin up. X

 

[smooth]

Suppose all I wanted to know am I legally obliged to issue a full refund including for the hair, petrol etc.

I have not had any complaints prior to this.

Thanks xxxx

I've answered that query above, the answer is no you don't so stick to your guns!! If she had told you about the problem with her hair and you still did them then you would be in the wrong, she witheld the information so you had no way of knowing. It's her fault, did she sign a consent form and fill in a consultation form?

 

[smooth]

If you want confirmation of this look at the Sale of Goods and Services Act

 

[endless]

Hi,
firstly, youve done nothing wrong here, youve done everything right!!

And no, dont give her a refund! what exactly would you be refunding?

Ive been doing extensions for almost 10 years, and ive come accross ssooo many clients, who simply change there mind, and realise that theres better thing they could of spent there money on, they have an image in there head of who they want to look like,and after theyve realised that extensions will not make them look like there fave celeb, they want there money back.

Simply call her, explain that you cannot refund her anything, as she paid for your time,and the hair, shes had your time, and she has the hair, so what could she possibly want refunding?

I state all of this in my consultation form,which i can send you a copy of if you like,that way the client knows from the start whats what, and that theres no point in even thinking of trying it on.

Im sure it wont be too long before youve built up a great, loyal client base,
please let me know if you need any more advice, i know pretty much all when it comes to extensions : )

Kate x

 

[MaineAttraction]

Hi all, yer I did a consultation but didn't cover about refunds etc. And didn't cover medication, which I am defo adding to my consultations as from now. I'll just have to take this as a valued lesson learned.

Thank you to everyone for their really helpfull advice, really appreciated xxxx:hug:

 

[lusciouslox]

Hi there.
it might be wise to for your reputation and peace of mind to remove them and have her sign a waiver that simply states that no further action wqill be taken.

as precaution you should ask the following on a waiver.
are they pregnant or have they been?
when were they last pregnant.
have they ever experienced hair loss ? if so when?
are they taking medication and dose it induce hair loss.
if unsure on any of they questions do not go ahead.
then have a return policy that states that there is no change of mind policy.
you should also cover hair care and maintenance and return upkeep , they must understand that hair extensions need regular upkeep.

once they understand the points they sign and agree.

sounds to me there is more than 1 issue here

if your loosing 13 extensions a week or even a month that's way too many.
with micro rings you should be only loosing 2 a month max. by now you would be experiencing bald spots.
especialy if hair is coming out with the some of the 13. if you dont have bald spots then it nots the medication.

the reason a say this because medication causes hair to be shed everywhere not at one point in a hair extension anchor.
the hair extension should be attached to ample amounts of hair. if you experience hair extension sliding out with hair attached there are 2 main reasons for this

she has not returned early enough to have them maintained and the natural hair is shedding causing the hair extension to aplly pressure on the remaining hair,then the remaing hair will not support the hair extension and result to being pulled out and leaving a bauld spot.

the other reason is if the extension are not clamped properly. this causes the hair with in the micro ring to slide. the bigger the micro ring the harder you must clamp. the harder you must clamp the bigger pliers you must use with longer handles giving you more leverage.
if not clamped correctly a micro ring will slide out either very fast taking no hair with it or slow with hair attached. the slower the slid or slipping the more hair it will take out.

the reason for this is that as more hair slides free the extension will depend on the other secure hairs for anchoring.

now i will give you a simple trial you may consider trying.
you may want to exercise this if you are unsure of a clients and the implications. this may help you forecast.

simply tell you client that you are unsure so you would like to try a few extensions prior to installing the full job.
once agreed you apply 5 extensions on either side of the scalp.

with in 3 weeks you should be able to see id the client has had hair loss from the hair shed in the micro ring. the general rule is to make sure that they are still holding onto ample amounts of hair and they are not causing stress.
if it seems that only natural shedding is present that i would be moving forward with the job.

sorry peeps don't get on here as much anymore . hope your all well

 

[laralou]

Hi,
firstly, youve done nothing wrong here, youve done everything right!!

And no, dont give her a refund! what exactly would you be refunding?

Ive been doing extensions for almost 10 years, and ive come accross ssooo many clients, who simply change there mind, and realise that theres better thing they could of spent there money on, they have an image in there head of who they want to look like,and after theyve realised that extensions will not make them look like there fave celeb, they want there money back.

Simply call her, explain that you cannot refund her anything, as she paid for your time,and the hair, shes had your time, and she has the hair, so what could she possibly want refunding?

I state all of this in my consultation form,which i can send you a copy of if you like,that way the client knows from the start whats what, and that theres no point in even thinking of trying it on.

Im sure it wont be too long before youve built up a great, loyal client base,
please let me know if you need any more advice, i know pretty much all when it comes to extensions : )

Kate x

hi kate

i am thinking about going on a course for micro ring extensions and this is something i worry about-is there any chance you could send me a copy of the consultation form so i can see what sort of things its mentions my only fear of doing the extensions is that if someone comes back unhappy just because its not what they expected i wouldnt know how to deal with it

please let me know
thanks
lara x

 

[SMRGxo]

You need to cover all aspects whilst doing a consultation! Especially medication that causes hair loss. The pill can even cause it (not alot of people know that) BUT always ask if client has experienced hair loss before or is on medication!

I wouldn't refund! Your time & product has been used! If you do decide to give one don't refund the price of hair only the fitting! X

 

[Snmlondonhair]

Hi,
firstly, youve done nothing wrong here, youve done everything right!!

And no, dont give her a refund! what exactly would you be refunding?

Ive been doing extensions for almost 10 years, and ive come accross ssooo many clients, who simply change there mind, and realise that theres better thing they could of spent there money on, they have an image in there head of who they want to look like,and after theyve realised that extensions will not make them look like there fave celeb, they want there money back.

Simply call her, explain that you cannot refund her anything, as she paid for your time,and the hair, shes had your time, and she has the hair, so what could she possibly want refunding?

I state all of this in my consultation form,which i can send you a copy of if you like,that way the client knows from the start whats what, and that theres no point in even thinking of trying it on.

Im sure it wont be too long before youve built up a great, loyal client base,
please let me know if you need any more advice, i know pretty much all when it comes to extensions : )

Kate x

Would u mind sending me a copy sweet? I have got a disclaimer form but I'd like to compare it to another extensionist to see if anything can be added xx

 

[KirstieLou]

I'm not an extensionist but I don't understand why your even questioning this? She should of told you she was on medication, she chose to have then re done even though you advised against it so she knew what could possibly happen. It take them out and leave it as that. I wouldn't even offer her a free set when she comes off her medication!! Your going to get walked over if you let her get away with too much x

 

[AcidPerm]

Yes, I think you should refund in full.

I also think it's likely that you would lose the case if she took you to the small claims court.

The fact is your consultation was poor. You did not ask about medication or advise about how medication might affect the extensions. This is an essential component of all consultations about fitting hair extensions. You also re-fitted them after she advised you about the medication.

A competent professional would have asked the question and advised the client accordingly. They also would not have re-fitted the ones that had come out due to obvious hair loss.

If the client then either deliberately mislead you about the medication or said they were happy to take the risk, then you have some degree of leeway. However, you still went ahead and re-fitted after the initial loss when a more experienced professional extensionist probably wouldn't have done.

YOU are the professional and as such the client is paying for your expertise, skill and knowledge. You cannot mitigate your loss by saying that you are inexperienced.

 

[Mercedeszelah]

You can buy consultation form sheets from lush us. You need to be asking about medication and any signs of hair loss while doing the consultation and then they need to sign it. Then if they have withheld info about their medication it's there fault.

 

[tanfastic]

Yes, I think you should refund in full.

I also think it's likely that you would lose the case if she took you to the small claims court.

The fact is your consultation was poor. You did not ask about medication or advise about how medication might affect the extensions. This is an essential component of all consultations about fitting hair extensions. You also re-fitted them after she advised you about the medication.

A competent professional would have asked the question and advised the client accordingly. They also would not have re-fitted the ones that had come out due to obvious hair loss.

If the client then either deliberately mislead you about the medication or said they were happy to take the risk, then you have some degree of leeway. However, you still went ahead and re-fitted after the initial loss when a more experienced professional extensionist probably wouldn't have done.

YOU are the professional and as such the client is paying for your expertise, skill and knowledge. You cannot mitigate your loss by saying that you are inexperienced.

Hi AcidPerm, long time no see, I fully agree with you on this one,

OP it is a shame but I also think that you would have a tough time proving yourself if taken to court. Sorry to be a scaremonger but we live in a compensation driven society and if she kicks her heels in it could look bad for you.

You did not do a proper in depth consultation and then replaced extensions after you became aware that her medication might be to blame. You will need to get the rest of those removed before the added weight starts pulling the rest of her hair out.

Unfortunately a lot of ready made consultation cards do not cover all aspects of a chosen treatment, mainly because they are quite generic. For instance at Sally's you can buy consultation cards and they look OK but you have to alter them so much to cover all questions you need to ask it is actually better to make one up on your PC or get them from the company you trained with. Another thing to do is to ask other girls and guys for samples of theirs and take as much from them to make your own up. Ideally you should cover health and medical questions when they make the initial enquiry either over the phone or when they pay the deposit. This way you can Google side effects of medications and will know if they are Ok to do extensions on.

I understand that it will be difficult to find the funds to refund but I think you will have to make a plan here, if you don't and she takes you to court you will be liable for a lot more, court costs, loss of earnings while at court, extra compensatin if her hair is now balding because the Professional did not ask the right questions at consultation.

I feel so bad for you, all I can suggest to give you a little peace of mind is if you are a member of the Guild you can call the Legal Helpline, it is free and they helped me greatly about a year ago.

If I were in your position I would get to see her ASAP, remove the hair. If she insists on a refund there and then you will have to bite the bullet and tell her that you will or wont. That is totally your own decision.

Do you offer any other treatments? Maybe offer her some cash and gift vouchers to make up the balance? I would not be happy with this but she might. If you don't have the money you will have to be prepared to make some sort of arrangement with her.

Remember when you do a great job your clients will tell a few close friends and family how great you are, when you do a "bad " job ( I don't mean that you did a bad job but the girl is losing hair and wants her money back, so in her eyes it was a bad job) the client will tell absolutely everyone that is willing to listen how awful you are. Bad rep spreads much quicker than good.


Good luck Hun and I do hope it all works out for you. Hard lesson learned but at least it happened early on in your career and you wont make the same mistake again.:hug: