Complaint Review: Smart Style Salon - Winona Minnesota

Not that I am perfect by all means, I am still green when it comes to all the things I must know to perform job. My suggestion is to make sure that the stylist is really listening, and like another person had said about a razor haircut is that the razor will leave the ends wispy, it is a very uneven haircut when grown out, my suggestion would to either do a scissor hair cut or a clipper on the sides and scissors on top, Number one, razor haircuts are the most difficult do and learn I still have trouble with mine, but that is only because i am very percise. with a razor there is not that comfort zone. and she shouldn't have used force to keep his head down, but in order to get that back, she had to. And when I was employed at Smart Style my worse nightmare was the parent that hoovered, I hated in school, it made me nervous. So if you were over her like moths surround light, she may have forgotten the consultation, and yes she did chose the clipper over the razor becuz it was quicker, but she may have had a duh moment where clipper became a razor and she just wasn't thinking right, she may have been having a bad day...and when you have those nothing goes right. Don't hold it against the company, take your son back and if she is working have another stylist do politely tell the stylist of her mistake so she won't make it again, it is a constant learning experience, for us stylist. And like the other guy said, we are taught the basics in school and it is weather or not we choose to retain the information, but I have made my mistakes and I have come to learn that there are times when someone is going to love what I do and there are times where I will be in a rush specially when working by myself and trying to get everyone in the time frame I gave them, it is by all means not the easiest of jobs, that is why so few make it through school but throw in was she by herself was that list packed with patrons, did she seem like nothing was going right when you walked in. and put yourself in her shoes, how was your non verbal communication were was it domineering like i said before it adds in to the equation. But a razor hair cut is not a even haircut, it removes bulk from thick hair, makes the style that flips out it in the back, helps provide a face fringe on longer haircuts and in medium haircuts and long haircuts it gives the illusion of the shaggy look, hince the wispiness of a razor haircut. I know what she did, you said even, half inch, razor haircut, she thought you meant, half inch gaurd clipper haircut to make the cut more even. Always have a ten minute consultation if not longer when going to a stylist, find one you like and keep going to them four to five weeks from the last visit. It wasn't a matter of she did what she only wanted to do, and judging from what you said about the choppy haircut of the scissors, sounds to me like your son has baby fine hair, if he is a blonde this will show the line of demartation which on baby fine hair is hard to rid of, and gives it a choppy effect. if the scissors give a choppy effect to the hair they need sharpening cause i will stress it shouldn't. And please take into concideration if they were short handed in the store she was probably on her sixth day without a day off, she did what she felt in her opinion needed to be done. I am addressing this even though I no longer work for the company and they had wronged me in so many ways, they have a bad rep for being a chop shop, and if you don't want to go where they stress on fifteen minutes on a haircut tops, go to a independently owned salon or a more upscale salon where they take their time. You are not going to get perfection at Smart Style, take it from someone who was basically told to get management I had to do fifteen minute haircuts and they must be perfect. I did not work in the one in your area, but it is pretty much the same concept, bring in as much money as possible, fifteen minute haircuts or less.

I think what the client meant when she said "razor cut" was a blended clipper cut, not a cut using a straight razor. That's where you use the "buzzers" around the sides and back only and the scissor cut the top and blend the two together. Small children probably wouldn't tolerate a straight razor because of the pulling and the tearing sound. Any good salon teaches its stylists to repeat back what the customer said it different words to both show that she was listening and ensure that they have the right idea. Any good salon will also advise the stylists to ask how long it's been since the last hair cut and show the client with their hands where the length will be cut. This ensures that both people know what's going to happen. 1/2" can mean very different things to different people unless you've got a ruler handy. If you stylist did neither of these things, she either did not receive proper training (which is the salon's fault), was nervous (which is also the salon's fault...they should train new hires prior to putting them on the floor so that they are comfortable!), or simply did not care to do her job correctly. As a stylist, I consider any miscommunication to be the STYLIST or SALON'S FAULT because it is OUR job to figure out exactly what you want before we start chopping away. Even if you don't know how to say what you want or even if you misspeak, it's OUR job to communicate with you because WE are the professionals! Oh, and as far as that stuff about beauty school and razor cuts....maybe it's different in MN, but where I live, in CO, your education prior to working varies depending on the school you attend and who your instructors are. Beauty school prepares you for your licensing exam and little else. As far as razor cuts go, I don't think they are any more difficult that, say, a flat top or skin fade. It's just a matter of finding someone who's been lucky enough or persistant enough to find a good instructor. ....and in my humble opinion, NO haircut should cost $50! When you pay that kind of money, you are paying for the experience, not the cut. There are good and bad stylists in every salon.

I said that maybe SHE still misunderstood you, or missed some words and decided rather than ask you to repeat yourself, or even did you want 1/2inch off or it a half inch long. She just went with what she thought she heard. I had that happen once and since then I ALWAYS ask the stylist, to repeat back to me what I would like done. I've also asked people before to repeat themselves because I've missed something, and rather than assume what I believe they asked me for, I rather ask them to repeat it.

This is to Cory. First of all a Hair Stylist is a Hair Stylist no matter where they work. All Hair Stylist went to school and were all taught the same things. Whether or not that person wants to retain what they were taught is the choice. I don't care if you if you work at a Hair Salon that is located in Wal-Mart or not. Get a Clue.

Actually this was not our first visit to Smart Style. Another stylist at that shop was the one who introduced me to the idea of using a razor cut. She did a good job. We paid about $12, I think, for the razor cut. As far as I am aware these cuts are common and not expensive. I have had them done all over my town. I live in Winona. If we have it it's common. My son is 2 years old. I do not want his hair cut straight. I want the razor used because I like the blended look, not hard lines from scissors. He is a baby and I want him to look like a baby, not a grown child. I was very thorogh with my explanations to the stylist. She understood what I wanted. I told her specifically "I only want you to cut 1/2 inch off." That is clear. I did not say "Leave 1/2 inch" I said "cut 1/2 inch off" I really believe she was just in a hurry to move on and didn't care about the cut I wanted. What kind of stylist tells a mother she will only take 1/2 inch off with a razor and then buzz cuts it when the mothers back is turned? That is the problem. If you went there for a cut and said "take off one inch" and the stylist cuts off five would you say "I guess she didn't hear me correctly. Oh well!"

Who ever told you that a razor cut would even out a haircut was ridiculous. Razors make wispy lines, sissors cut straight lines. Have you ever cut a piece of paper. The lines always come out straight. Although the stlyist did not follow your directions, that was rotten of her. I as a manager of an Iowa Salon hope to heck you did not pay. When you pay you are telling the stylist she did a good job, and then you can't really complain about it even though she did not follow directions. Go back speak to the manager, she should make things right.

With all of your instructions to her maybe she missed the part where you wanted 1/2 inch off instead of the length being 1/2 inch. Though she should have doubled checked with you exactly what you wanted done. (I've had people triple check with me what I want done before they cut my hair.)

I don't know much about haircuts but expecting a razor haircut, at Smart Style, in Walmart, seems a little far fetched. And for what, $6 or $7 dollars? I thought razor cuts were the most expensive type. Years ago, they were $50 or more. It's getting harder and harder to find anyone who knows how to do it properly and well. It sounds like a serious communication problem, which isn't your fault. You don't say how old your son is. Was this his first haircut or had you used a different stylist at a different location?

I don't know much about haircuts but expecting a razor haircut, at Smart Style, in Walmart, seems a little far fetched. And for what, $6 or $7 dollars? I thought razor cuts were the most expensive type. Years ago, they were $50 or more. It's getting harder and harder to find anyone who knows how to do it properly and well. It sounds like a serious communication problem, which isn't your fault. You don't say how old your son is. Was this his first haircut or had you used a different stylist at a different location?