benny j.
Yelp
Until this recent experience I am about to relate, I would have given Meche a 4 or 5 star review. A big plus at this place is that, despite being a super busy salon, they have always found solutions when things have gone wacky with the schedule...and this is both on the side of clients and on the side of hair cutters and stylists. We all get behind for whatever reasons, and I have indeed been known to be tardy (average no more than 10 minutes). Conversely, I have also sat between 20 and 55 minutes waiting for a colorist or stylist who has fallen behind, and I have also twice been completely forgotten while sitting in waiting , directly across from the reception desk. Once, after an hour and 15 minutes I politely asked what the hold up was and the apologized and said that I "slipped thru the cracks" .
On this current occasion, I was 16 minutes late and, as per usual, I had been frantically calling the salon to let them know, but of course I only got a voicemail which never picks up until you've already arrived.
Upon walking in, I was given sheepish looks by the usually friendly front desk staff, and told that "we tried to call you " ( upon checking, there were zero missed calls from Meche) Then I was informed that my colorist "only has 15 minutes left to see me" and , as that would not be enough time to color my roots( that's the only color service I get ), they would need to cancel
me and they would need to charge me $75 for said cancellation.
I'm not going to say I was angry, but I was a bit shocked in that I was there, and this was a colorist who had once left me waiting 35 minutes. As far as a legitimate "last minute cancellation ", there has never been a question of a charge for that, and I have had to do so 1 or two times in the past 3 or 4 years I have been a client. Each time I've always been genuinely quite gracious and understanding about a charge . I average two visits here per week for a shampoo and blow dry and I love the staff and respect cancellation fees as I have the same policy in my business. I attempted to reason with them by pointing out that it should then be equitable for a "tardy charge" as I'm now calling it. if I'm sitting waiting long stretches at a time when I "only have so much time" before my next client, should there be a rate adjustment for my loss of that hour? . (I am a professional, as well, who sees private clients. I have a policy of everything being equitable, because my clients come first, I am grateful for them and their devotion, and ....I look at the "big picture " . And if I make them
late I make sure to accommodate their rate.)
On this day I agreed to get the shampoo and blow dry (which was scheduled for the "after the color" time as my hair was desperately in need of at least that ) and to come back in a few days for the color and another blow dry . When I got into my stylists chair after the shampoo and he saw that my silver root growth was in out of control (in the summer months , hair grows twice as fast!) he kindly asked if I wanted another colorist to do it before he styled it ! I answered that it wasn't offered to me and I assumed that indicated that there was no one else available. He quickly went and arranged it, however, and though it was a rush for him to squeeze me in a bit later than scheduled, it was accomplished simply and smoothly because someone took the initiative and thought out of that sad, unfortunate, stuffy box.! I was so grateful and I did not even mind that my bangs didn't come out too nice! Rushing is difficult as I well know. Haha! The color came out beautiful too btw.
Management, please take a moment to read this and know that it really matters that you instruct (or remind?) staff that "policy" has to go both ways. Also, being "penny wise and pound foolish" is rarely a winning prospect. Offending good and steady and nice clients isn't great practice and not worth the peanuts you saved in doing so. I was also quite surprised to learn, on this occasion, that someone was actually available to do my color, yet the desk crew was so thrown off and clearly embarrassed about having to charge me that fee they never thought to check or offer. It was clearly awkward for them to have their hands were tied like this. Again, likely this is the reason they neglected to attempt to accommodate me with another colorist. As I stood at the desk and heard that " cha ching" sound coming from my phone's gmail informing me of the $75 charge that had just gone through, I assumed it was a dead end. I certainly would have felt more comfortable if one of them at least tried to help out by attempting to ask an alternate person to throw some color on some roots. This is all I ever need insofar as color. It actually does take a colorist 15 minutes come to think of it!
