What really annoys you when you visit a salon?

[hippy-chick]

yip, same here, hate standing like a twerp at the reception whilst the hairdressers all pointedly look away so they don't have to see to me.

i stopped going to my last place because:-

a) they always ran really late
b) they barely acknowledged you when you came in
c) they talked to each other and not to the clients
d) they would stop what they were doing to constantly answer their mobile phones and talk loudly to their boyfriends/friends
e) the hairdresser's boyfriend came in whilst she was doing my hair, she went over and started cutting his hair
f) she burn't my head with the straighteners
g) they would walk around the salon eating their food, especially hot super noodle (what is it with hairdressers and super noodles?)

 

[Debbies Gellies]

Anyway-the thing that bothers me the MOST is sanitation. I did most of my training(2 years full time) in america and after which you take your state board exams. They are VERY strict on sanitation. I'm talking-if you drop a comb on the floor you get a NEW fresh comb, the one on the floor goes into the barbacide. Maybe that's a bit extreme but better safe than sorry.

Here not only does my hairdresser drop her comb EVERY time, she obviously doesn't wash it very often and doesn't get a new comb for every client. I'm starting to think it's the norm here because that's what they did at the hairdressers I worked at when I moved here(Regis) and now when I go anywhere to get my hair done they all do the same thing. I'm on my 5th hairdresser and they all seem to have 1 comb they use all day and it just grosses me right out! Yuk. I tell you, if I could cut and highlight my hair myself I WOULD!

You took the words right out of my mouth I could not agree more!!
I dont go to hairdressers becuase of this I do my own. I have been to them but I cant remember the last time. I buy colourant at the chemist and do it at home and cut my own hair.

 

[Zingara]

Lack of friendliness is one thing, but I hate over-friendliness and assumption too, and for this reason alwasy try and keep a distance with my cleints.

I used to go to oe salon...regularly, for waxing, facials etc. It was 2 or 3 minutes walk for me. The owner and therapist was similar in age to me and had always been very friendly - chatted to me about her boyfirend, kids, life etc. One day I arrived for my appointment to find there'd been a cock up on bookings and was asked if i could be bumped back by half an hour. They were very polite, and the other lady had travelled quite a distance, so i smiled, acquiesced and came back half an hour later. They thanked me profusely and knocked a couple of quid off my bill.

Sadly that then set a precedent....within a few weeks they were bumping my appointments all over the place, changing time and date, everytime a new client called.....basically because they 'didn't think it was a problem for me' I made a couple of subtle comments, getting more pointed each time, then finally I just came out with it and told them how it pee'd me of, and it improved slightly and then got worse again....so i just left and went elsewhere.

Shame....they did the best brazilian I'd ever had there....and the Dermalogica facial was out of this world. I've never got glowing skin anywhere else, the way i did instantly from that salon, but I just can't abide being messed about like that. Maybe I cut my nose off to spite my face, but what else do you do?

 

[fozzyo]

One of my real pet hates, and I know I've mentioned this a few times on here, is when I go to a Spa for a massage they insist that I wear disposable underwear if I don't want to wear my own. No - when having a massage I prefer to wear no underwear! I don't get the need for it, the therapist should be experienced enough to use towels / drapes appropriately and they can be no hygiene issue as towels should be changed after each client.

The other one that a lot of you guys have touched on is the attitude of the receptionist. I've been to so many hairdressers / salons where I just seem to get treated as a 2nd rate citizen compared to other clients. Sometimes when I go for a treatment yes I look a bit of dishevelled mess - scruffy jeans, t-shirt etc. But I'm going for a treatment, not an occasion for dressing up.

My experience as been it is often the Salon's / Spa's / Hairdressers that think they are special / classy / high-end are the worst ones for the attitude problem. I am currently on holiday doing a tour of Asia, and have been lucky enough to have a treatment at one of (if not the) best Spa in Thailand (at the Mandarin Oriental). We walked in and straight away we were made to feel so welcome and special and looked after - exactly the same way everyone else is, no matter who they are or what they look like.

I am now in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong (its our fave hotel chain) and while I haven't had a Spa treatment here Mr FozzyO has, we went to the Spa on the day we arrived to have a look at the swimming pool (wasn't open the last time we were here) and I decided to buy an oil burner and some oil there. Mr F booked himself a 2 Hour Time Ritual treatment for the following day. When he went down to the Spa he was welcomed back by name, asked if I would be joining him in the Heat Treatment area or later on and again looked after and made to feel special.

To me that is part of a Salon / Spa / Practice visit. When my clients come to my private practice I like them to feel looked after and special, hot towels, cold drinks etc.

A smile doesn't cost anything, but is worth a thousand pounds in our industry,

Mat

 

[PinkPotions]

Don't get me started on this lol...

As mentioned before being snorted at because i'm not dressed head to toe in designer gear with big sunglasses gets to me. If i'm going for a treatment you'll get me how you get me, i might be dressed in jeans and a t-shirt but i'll be clean! So please don't look at me with that look that says 'Oh no another one who thinks i can work magic and make her pretty!'

Also i find it's the receptionist who makes you feel small then you see her swap eyes with your therapist and before you know it they are all bitching with their eyes. You know what i mean!

I can honestly say hand on heart i have NEVER been made to feel welcome at a salon and i've tried everyone in my area, therefore, i am friendly reincarnated to my own clients. But it would be nice if i could enjoy a treatment once in a while but i refuse to even try and pamper myself now because i usually feel worse after the belittling treatment than i did before i went in!

 

[pazzy]

There should be a Gordon Ramsey kitchen nightmares tv programe but aptly named 'salon nightmares' judging from what is being said already.

The program could highlight rotten salons - bad customer care - and bad business.

Gigi for the nail salons - I think!!!!


Would be good to watch.

xx

 

[Lynne Baker]

It seems that many of us are miserable about the appalling treatment we receive at the hands of receptionists. Never backward at coming forward I always take the salon manager aside and let them know how I feel about a therapist/receptionist/treatment if I'm particularly happy/unhappy.
How many of you are asked to give feedback at your salon? I regularly send my clients a feedback form (usually in email form - and for the snail mail ones I send a prepaid envelope) with the incentive of being entered into a prize draw for a free full body aromatherapy massage so that I can be sure that I'm providing the service THEY want at the standard THEY feel is outstanding.
A couple of my regulars tell me that I'm the only therapist they go to who is genuinely interested in their opinions

 

[hippy-chick]

don't change it!

its what keeps us ahead of the game! we treat clients how WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED, and its what keeps our clients coming back for more.

Like Calla said, it doesn't hurt to complain, and the older and wiser I'm getting the more I am willing to do it.

I popped into the 'posh' hairdressers when I was on holiday in my home town visiting my mum. The receptionist was on the phone, didn't acknowledge me, asked the person on the phone a myriad of questions about her holiday etc. I was kept waiting for 5 minutes without a look, and she still continued.

I walked out and left the door wide open so she had to get off her arse to close it, plus her boss was watching all of this so hope she got hauled over the coals for it.

 

[bombini]

Ive just thought of another one that really annoys me to and actually we should all make sure this doesn't happen to us to !!

If I go for a treatment I expect my therapist to know her products. I nearly always tell them I am a therapist to start with this and whenever I don't mention it I seem to have a rubbish treatment.

A few months ago I decided I would go for a Decleor facial (Which i am trained in) at the spa i used to work at, didn't receive a consultation and the therapist told me the treatment would begin with a 'quick back massage' it is not a quick back massage its a back diagnostic which is a key part of the decleor treatment so already I was starting to get annoyed !! She then used the wrong products for my skin, im oily and she used dry skin products ?! Didn't mix the mask up properly and left it on for just over 5 mins :irked:

I left feeling more agitated than when I walked in and came to the conclusion she must of been new and not yet been on training, why she was doing facial is anyones guess so I was not impressed when at Christmas a friend of mine was talking about this therapist and she has been working there for the last TWO years !!!!

So basically if any of you (not suggesting you are) don't know your products, treatments inside out like you have been taught and do a treatment on a therapist that does know them, it will more than likely make you look like you haven't a clue what you are doing.

 

[Lynne Baker]

I think that some of the blame for poor receptionists has to lie with the salon owner/manager. They must realise that the reception area is the public face of the salon and if it lets down the rest of the salon then it's undoubtedly going to affect their business. Too many reception desks are built like little fortresses too: very high frontage with the receptionist almost hiding behind it. It sends out the message (to me anyway) that this is my domain, and you're only welcome into it if I let you.
I appreciate that space is usually at a premium too, but having a cramped, untidy, reception area doesn't create an inviting impression.
I wonder why it is that salon owners/managers allow their staff to be unfriendly and unprofessional?!

 

[beautyseeker]

I can honestly say hand on heart i have NEVER been made to feel welcome at a salon and i've tried everyone in my area, therefore, i am friendly reincarnated to my own clients. But it would be nice if i could enjoy a treatment once in a while but i refuse to even try and pamper myself now because i usually feel worse after the belittling treatment than i did before i went in!

Hey you should go to the one I go to. People are always made welcome, it has a very friendly atmos. The owners are an older couple with very high standards from their stylists - I dont mind who cuts my hair in there it always looks good. They are friendly without being over familiar and if someone is having a laugh everyone is included.

I wont go anywhere else now - its not fancy pantsy by a long shot just clean and good. I have been to some so called high end salons and hated every min of it and felt over charged so never went back.

 

[soriminah]

When I had enhancements years ago, I went to this one place a few times and she would spend most of the time on the phone. Phone stuck to her ear chatting to friends, family, boyfriend while doing my nails. Annoyed the crap out of me but she was fantastic at enhancements.

 

[marioned]

I once booked an appointment weeks in advance for getting my hair cut the week before my daughter's wedding. (I like to "settle in" to a haircut!) When I turned up at the salon I was informed the sylist I'd booked with was on holiday, and the only person available was the girl that had just finished her training! No explanation of why they hadn't contacted me! Needless to say I didn't stay and haven't been back!

 

[alpina]

What used to really annoy me was at the salon I used to work in. We had paper thin partition walls between treatment rooms. I'd be trying to do a relaxing facial or something on a client, it always seemed to happen when I had elderly clients too. My boss would be in the room next door talking really loudly to be heard above the radio about her sex life, friends drug use, etc.

I would be so embarrassed and my client would be looking shocked and really uncomfortable by it all. I couldn't say a thing about it because she was the boss, so she was always right and I was wrong.

As a client it probably wouldn't upset me to hear these things, but would seem totally unprofessional and probably would put me off going back to the salon.

 

[stampy]

I don't like it when a therapist doesn't carry out a consultation. I've been to a few who have just begun a massage using aromatherapy oils without asking anything about my health, whether or not I'm pregnant etc, or indeed what I want from the massage. I've just felt like I'm on a conveyor belt, not to mention the dangers of working on someone without a consultation!!x

 

[blossom]

Gosh, when you think about it, there's a lot that you can get wrong, from a therapist/salon owner's point of view! But then, attitude is all part of the job and yes, I think every point mentioned here has bugged me too as some stage and often determines whether you visit a certain salon/therapist again.

For me, the main bugbears are:

not being greeted promptly at reception (and with a SMILE- but a genuine one, we can all tell the difference lol);

being ignored while the tech or hairdressers chat between themselves;

treatments being rushed (again this has mainly been hairdressers) - once I felt like I was on a conveyor belt being rushed from one place to another with barely time to speak - and the stylist was so rough, she hit me on the nose three times with her brush while drying my fringe and I had backache all the next day from trying to keep myself upright, she pulled so hard to blow dry the long bob straight,she kept pulling me almost horizontal! :irked:

For me, once I am an established client (and I'm very loyal once I've found who I like), I can excuse the odd "off" day etc, as long as things are good 95% of the time.

 

[VHunter]

I don't mind waiting 10min sometimes. It's not the hairdressers/whatever's fault if a client is late, it happens. Or sometimes we don't know of something that a client might want until they arrive.
10minutes is a reasonable amount of time to wait.
Life gets in the way of living and all that.

BUT

For ANY appointment: hairdresser, doctor, WHATEVER....

There is NOTHING I hate more than waiting longer than 10minutes when I have set an appointment. An appointment means that you will see someone at a specified time. If I get stuck waiting 30min or an hour or whatever.. it drives me INSANE!!!!!!!!!

 

[beautyseeker]

I
There is NOTHING I hate more than waiting longer than 10minutes when I have set an appointment. An appointment means that you will see someone at a specified time. If I get stuck waiting 30min or an hour or whatever.. it drives me INSANE!!!!!!!!!

Too true V - I am never late for anything, never have been because I know how annoying it is and hate people who are late and dont even bother to phone, I mean we have mobiles now there IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT CALLING:irked:.

 

[mcmog]

A horrendous visit to a hair salon last year just about sums up all the things that annoy me! A bit long so sorry...
My appointment was for half past four. At five past five I was still sitting on a sofa waiting for someone to tell me what the hell was going on! The stylist appeared, obviously in a REALLY bad mood. She didn't apologise for keeping me waiting just said "I'll get someone to shampoo you it'll be five minutes". I was tempted to leave then and I wish I had!
She screamed at some poor junior, I couldn't hear why over the noise of blowdryers but this poor girl who was all of 16 or 17 came to shampoo my hair and could barely speak to me as she was trying not to cry. The shampoo was fine and the junior put me in a seat to wait for "Stylist". Ten minutes later, she finally appeared, didn't really listen to what I said and just started chopping. My phone was ringing at this point, normally I would have switched it off but I was supposed to be meeting my boyfriend at half past five ie NOW! I rejected the call but she obviously read the text over my shoulder saying that I'd been kept waiting and would have to call when I got out, then turned incredibly snotty, rushed my cut, used thinning scissors which ruins my hair (celtic frizz!) and was so busy arguing with the stylist at the next chair she cut herself and bled everywhere whilst finishing my hair!
This girl was obviously having a bad day and if she'd been gracious about it I wouldn't have minded, but she gave me a crap haircut and crap service and I know I should have complained but I just wanted to get the heck out of there, which I finally did at six o'clock!

So - I was kept waiting with no apology/explanation/cup of tea for AN HOUR

The staff were unprofessional, bawling at each other on the salon floor

She didn't listen to what I wanted and acted like it was MY fault that she was "having to rush"

Crap haircut.

I'll never go back there, I've told all my mates and I know where this girl works now and though the salon is okay I'll be avoiding her like the plague!

 

[Blue Rose]

What really annoys me is when the therapist/hairdresser doesn't listen to your request.

I went for an Aromatherapy Back Massage many moons ago. Told her I had aches & pains, liked rosemary and had to drive 30 mins to get home so didn't want too a relaxing blend. What do I get? Jasmine & some other sleep inducing oils which weren't particularly suited for aches & pains. The massage itself was BRUTAL. She was so firm I thought she was going to break the couch :lol:. Needless to say, I didn't go back.

The hairdressers recently: I told her I wanted to go darker than I am at the moment as it gets expensive being blonder (even very dark blonde like me) and I need to conserve funds atm. I wanted to be more my natural colour.

What do I get? A very nice colour BUT not near my own colour so now I have obvious roots that will need doing again soon grrr.

Why don't these people listen?

Rant over