Bad Haircut/Grooming experiences?

Just something I thought about while reading Dober's thread: If you have been on the receiving end of a bad haircut (or picked up your dog from the groomer's and they looked like they had a fight with a 4 year old wielding scissors), did you say something to the stylist/company? Did they do anything as payment (have you not pay, give you a gift certificate, etc.) for the damage done?

This is one thing that always scared the crap out of me when I looked into being a groomer. What if the customer, for one reason or another, didn't like the cut you did, at all. What happens then? It's not like you can put it back!

I'm also intrigued about how companies handle this, just from a customer service standpoint.

Oh and first of all, this has saved me so much head ache. I ALWAYS write down and SHOW the stylist/groomer the lists of the things I want them to do.

Dealing with managers and he said/she said is stupid and frustrating. Write it down. Put it on the table in front of you at the stylist or GIVE IT to the groomer. Then nobody can say they misheard/misunderstood.

- Groomers, It depends
Is it a problem where the dog just doesn't look like the way I thought it would.. or that you totally ignored instructions?

If I told you to not shave my dog and you did.. I am getting my money back and you are getting 1 star on yelp. hell or high water lol

If I wanted a puppy cut for example and the guy did it but the cut isn't that well done.. eh. I'll say something like "Look, I'm not going to make a scene but this puppy cut isn't very well done. The ears are uneven, etc.." I will ALWAYS give reasons why so they can improve or at least know why I wasn't happy and I'll then probably find another groomer.
The clips we ask for on our dogs are NOT complicated, so really, I leave no room for giving them another chance.. our dogs aren't here to teach you how to groom lol you can do a BASIC puppy cut correctly or you can't.
but, regardless, they did DO the cut even if it sucks.. so I pay.

Groomers that take time to take the criticism, or who better yet work with me to fix what I think wasn't well done or give gift certificates or even just give a sincere apology or whatever.. don't get the pictures of their hack jobs or 2 stars posted on yelp. (which in the city. makes or breaks your pet grooming business)

- Stylists/hair salons.
Usually, these things don't happen. Between the 10 pictures I bring of the cut I want, and me watching them like a hawk, finding a place with awesome reviews on yelp and writing a list of what I do WANT.. usually, I don't have these problems.

For totally ignoring instructions (giving me bangs when I said not to. Cutting A LOT more then I said was ok) I speak with them and if necessary, the manager about it and do ask for my money back from the one who did the cutting.

For a cut that didn't look the way I wanted it to or wasn't well done.. I talk to them, try to fix it, pay of course but make it clear the things I don't like about it. A LOT OF PEOPLE fake smiles at hair salons and then go home and cry about their awful haircuts and I have no idea why lol it's their job to make you happy with it and MANY TIMES they are happy to fix what you don't like!!

Gift card for free mani pedi and fixing it the best you can? I may come back depending on the price/location of the salon.
Take it in a huff and force your opinion onto my hair.. I leave. never come back.

My last haircut was terrible, but I didn't realize until I got home. Uneven, too long in the back, choppy--ugh.

She styled it well, though, lol.

I'm just going to switch hairstylists. Weirdly, I wasn't upset. When I used to have long hair, I was a lot more emotionally invested in my hair. Now, it's not a big deal.

My sister is a hairstylist and does a pretty rockstar job every time; and if she doesn't, I tell her so and she fixes it. She did wax off half my eyebrow once lol. But we were at home and kind of missing some of the necessary tools. Solution? Give me bangs to cover it hahahah. But now you have me curious what she would do if a real client was unhappy.

Lucy got a horrible groom once. We specifically said DON'T shave her face, DON'T make her look like a poodle. She came home looking like this:



EEEEEEKKKK. I never knew she had such a long snout. I'm pretty sure my mom called and ripped them a new one, because that's how she does things. I don't think we got anything more than an apology. Not a super big deal, it is just a dog and it will grow back. We did switch groomers though because they clearly paid no mind to our instructions.

Years and years ago, I got a perm and she burned it. My hair was sooooooo frizzed and it actually turned sort of an orange color. Do ya think I said a thing? I was younger and too inhibited to make a fuss. I just wore hats I think until it grew out.

My daughter got her hair cut so badly once when she was in high school and didn't say a word. When she got out in the parking lot with me and into the car, she started crying and practically screaming, she was so unhappy. The girl really botched it...took way more off than she told her to. I tried to encourage her to go back in and complain and that I'd go with her and back her up, but she refused. Neither one of us had much back bone back then.

I don't remember anything too terrible in recent years...sometimes it's not quite the way I imagined it should be, but that wasn't usually the stylist's fault. I have a hard time describing what I want.

First time I took Rosey to the groomer, they cut off her ear fringe and her "mane". I was so mad... I never asked for them to cut her fur at all, albeit I didn't give instructions, but I also didn't add the "cut" option!

Though we just take her to Petsmart, so it really IS them learning... We just told them what we didn't like, paid and then left, it's not like it wasn't going to grow back

The first time I took Lucy to the groomers, I brought her home and Zach exclaimed, "They made her look like a boy!" (They had trimmed all her fluff off!) I laughed, it grew out quickly, and the next time we went back I just specified that they leave it a little longer.

I had a terrible color at one place last year.
I had been red for about 6 months and came in to go a bit of a darker red.
I told her she needs to be careful of my roots because they are hot.

Yeah i came out with orange hair and neon orange roots. I didn't pay and was not about to let them touch my hair to fix it either so i went somewhere else.

Then i had a awful cut there. I was going for an asymmetrical bob that kind of swooped from short to long except i am pretty sure Abe could have done a better job with some scissors. I had it fixed somewhere else and have never been back to that place.

I think they closed down this year and the stylist who had messed up my hair twice called to let me know she was moving to a different salon and it was all i could do to hold back a wise ass comment.

I have never had a bad grooming experience with Jack. His groomer is a friend of mine, and she's awesome.

I did have a bad hair experience at one of the ritzier places here - they cut WAY too much off, and gave me bangs. I complained, asked for my money back, or a discount, or a free cut next time - SOMETHING, and they wouldn't give it to me.

I'm a stylist, and always say something. I also encourage others to say something. Most salons should have a master stylist fix it, and if it is not fixable (can't put hair back on) they should refund money.

Oh, I saw the WORST groom job on a golden the other day as it was leaving the petsmart groomers. It looked like a 3 year old had taken scissors to its body. All the fur was hacked off (but not shaved) and it was uneven. Awful. The owner was giving the manager an earful and they were trying to defend the groom job. I would have been furious too if it wee my dog (especially because the guy apparently didn't ask for anything but the feet/ears trimmed). I think the only way to help the haircut would have been to shave the dog down.