Complaint Review: Melissa's Hair Weave and Hair Replacement

I have never experienced such poor customer service from a business before in my life and from the owner at that.  Saturday, may 14, I had gone in to inquire pricing for braids.  Let me preface I had started going because I live in Dover and my boyfriend lives in Cecilton, whom I visit frequently.  I was looking for an alternate salon away from Dover and the young lady in the first chair on right (my apologies for not remembering her name) was an absolute sweetheart. She ha helped me in the past.  She directed me to whom i found out to be Melissa's area (the owner).  I will bullet this and put it in a nutshell.

1.  I asked her for pricing for the braids..by the time I left,  still never got that info from her.

2.  I asked if she had time to do a quick wash, dry and straighten.  Now keep in mind i had my weave in for almost 2 months.  I told her this.  She eventually said, "come on, I will do it".  I said ok great.  Not thinking it was going to take 2.5 hours...YES ...2.5 HOURS for a wash.  20 min to half hour while she was on the phone the whole time and doing god only knows what.  After she man-handled my head it was another almost 45 min to an hour under the dryer. She finally sat me down in the chair after her doing someone else’s weave and still sat another 15-20 min  while she checked out that person, and socialized and still on the phone.  Even another customer saw me starting to get agitated.  I told her i was now running out of time a very quick straighten was fine.  She replied, " Well that is all you are going to get, i don’t have time, I have to be at my other salon"  Her tone of voice was very condescending and the fact I, me, was inconveniencing her.  Keep in mind she CHOSE to do my hair. I was in the chair for every bit of 4-5 min, no more while she straightened my hair.

3.  Get to the counter and she spent another 5-10 min socializing and talking to other people.  She then told me a price of $65, and of course my immediate response was, "65$?  (in shock), FOR WHAT!???" That is when she started talking down to me, again as if I inconvenienced her. She proceeded to tell me that I did not have good quality hair, it was matted, which it was after she washed it, (if that is what you call washing)(she squirted shampoo in my hair, rubbed around the edges and left me sat, then rinsed out). Remember I had already told her how long it was in.  She then told me that I was ungrateful for her doing my hair. 

If it were not for the children in earshot i would have said something more but even if not, two wrongs don't make a right.  I was not going to stoop to her level by having a screaming match.  She hardly let me get a word in.  2.5 hours later I finally walked out of there with nothing more than what I could have done at home for free.  But I thought I was trying to do local business a favor and give them business but I can promise I will never set foot in there again.  I feel sorry for the others that work there because its her attitude that takes business away from her stylists.  It’s a full circle.  The salon was dirty as hell, children running around all over the place as much as I love children, they needed to be kept under control.

It’s a shame that people go into business like Melissa and they lose touch with the business sense, HOW to talk to people and KNOW when to not take on more than you can chew.  I am a business owner myself and honestly she needs to go back for business 101.  I have never seen an owner look as bad as she did.  Even if she was not feeling good, try to do something with your own hair.  When I first met her I would have NEVER in a million years though she was the owner.  As an owner, you have to learn when to say no.  It’s not always about the ole mighty dollar.  I would have been MORE appreciative by her telling me she did not have time because of whatever, instead she took me and she was rushed, then made me feel insignificant by trying to make me think I was cornering her to do it.  SHAME ON YOU!  Dear Business Owners:  Word of mouth goes a long way, especially negative.