Regis Hair Salon ripoff and damage Fort Wayne Indiana

A simple trip to a local Regis Hair Salon turned out to be a real mistake on my part. I'm typically not one to complain, but this was clearly negligence on the part of the employee. As well as I do not condemn an entire chain, that would be ridiculous. Although the company should be held accountable for, as well as refund payment in a case like this.

My appointment was for a highlight, and a cut. I had gone to this salon twice before, both visits with the same young woman. Also, past outcomes of my hair was what I was looking for, and why I had return.

I was promptly greeted, and I sat in the the chair and explained to the employee I was looking to have the same thing done I've had before. She goes to the back, and mixes up the solution. Everytime I'd had the highlights done, it was a foil wrapping process.

The girl comes back with the bowl of the solution and her brush and gets prepared. I recall she was back before I knew it, and I had my head turned slightly looking at something at the back of the store. I next feel the brush going across my scalp with the cold solution. I turned to her and said, "aren't you going to do the foil wrap?" She said "well I want to put this on first, and make sure to just get all your roots covered, so that it matches up with the ends of your hair.

I was concerned, but she made me feel like I could trust her, and continued on with the process. I expressed to her I did not want my hair all one color, and I look for a more natural look.

Originally the girl stated that it would not even be on that long, and that it will just help along the process. She had me sit in the open air and look at magazines for a good 45 minutes, periodically checking on strands of my hair. Also, she came by a number of times with a stack of previous client's cards searching for mine, and could not find it. She said, "I know I just saw it not too long ago". She came back and later and checked my hair, each time saying, "it's just not quite there".

After that 45 minute mark, she decided that I should go under the dryer for a while. Another 15 minutes later, she says "let's go rinse it out and see what we've got."

I was relieved at the very least to get this solution off of my scalp, due to the discomfort I was beggining to experience. She continued to wash and dry my hair off with a towel. She had me go sit back at the station.

When she removed the towel from my head, I caught a glimpse of the eye-catching hue of what my hair color is now to be. It was the brightest, yellowish-white, orange-y unnatural looking mess I had even seen. My heart dropped, and she acted as though it was gonna be alright, and said "we just need to put this back on again and you'll be right where you want to be...It'll be fine, trust me".

Granted, by the end of the time I had the solution of the first round, my scalp had that burning sensation. She stated that it would be like 10 minutes max, and it will be just right. She went to the back and mixed the solution, and returned with the bowl and re-applied the mixture.

Immediately my scalp began to feel irritated, and I expressed to her I don't know if I can take much more than this. She applied it very quickly, and said..."if it's too bad, we can just stop, but this won't be on very long" she sat me back at the dryers. It was a good fifteen minutes, and into it, my eyes began to water. As well as, an intense stinging sensation...around 12 minutes into it she came back, and looked at it and said "3 more minutes and we're done". I replied, "how about 2 and a half, jokingly" she laughed and walked back to the break room/supply area. When she had return, she directed me over to the sinks and rinsed my hair out, and dried.

We went back to her station, it felt like my head could be used to stop traffic. It was the earlier result, magnified with practically no pigmentation left to it at all. I had very fine ash-blonde to a somewhat brighter blonde all throughout.

Now, it appeared as though I dunked my entire head in a bucket of bleach. I said, "I did not come in here today to turn to achieve the look of an albino being, I'm real concerned right now" She said "you have nothing to worry about, I will now go in foil wrap with some blonde lowlights, and even it all out...trust me, you're in a good place right now." She said, "it won't take that long, plus it's not bleach, and it won't hurt anything".

She went and mixed up the solution. She returned, and this time with a stack of foil squares. I was not looking forward to this process, because my head already hurt. She went through and sectioned off, and pinned up, and began appying the rows. An hour later, she was all done. She went to the back, and I sat out in the open air at her station. Between 20-30 minutes later, she came back out and decided it was time to rinse them out. We went back to the sinks, and she did just that and directed me back to the station.

I could not tell from what I saw in the mirror, that had even been done. The strands that she worked on were so over-powered by that original color, it may as well of not even been done at all. It only appeared to look more orange honestly. She said, "now the fun part is the cut, and we'll be done!" I was thinking, "thank god, I am ready to get out of here".

I explained to her how I wanted my cut, and honestly she cut it exactly how I had wanted it. This process took nearly an hour, except for the fact of the color scared me. My head hurt, and I just felt in a state of shock. She said let me style it and show you some things you can do with it. The amount of time I had been at this salon was appoaching 4 hours. I work 3rd shift, and my appointment was at 3:00pm, it was now a few minutes untill 7:oo pm.

She grabbed some products, turned her curling iron, grabbed the blow dryer and began working. She applied mousse, and put it all over and rubbed it in, then began blowing my hair dry with a big brush. Then when it was all dry, she went on about this kiwi hair-glue stuff they had was the best. She was like "you don't need very much, it goes a long way". Also saying that it works great in combination with the curling iron. "Gives it that added shine, " she stated. She applied that stuff, and teased my hair out with it. I said " I've really got to get going.." I asked her about the lighting in there, and if it was playing tricks on what I was seeing. She said, "you know, we really need to get natural lighting in this place".

At this point it was almost 10 after 7pm, and said "ok we are done, meet me over at the register!" The topping of it all was the previous two visits totalled around $100, along with products I took home. The total this time, came to $117 dollars today! I looked at her and I was like, "what?" , I asked if they had a price increase. She said, "yes, it was a corporate decision to raise all the prices across the board, " she then said, "and you saved 20% on your coloring today". I was like whatever ...I brought $110 dollars with me to cover it, "just in case".

My only option was to put it an a credit card at that point. Someone had walked in and started to talk to her, and barely even said goodbye to me after I finished signing the print-out. No receipt was even given to me. I left the mall, and went straight to my car.

The only thing that ran through my mind was I need to go home and look at it there, and re-wash it. That, and I thought to myself "where can I go buy a hat to wear?." As well as, I work overnight tonight, and I need to rest.

I came home, and immediately went up to my bathroom. I grabbed my mirror, and began looking at it. It was an utter disappointment. I ran the water to wash it, and continued on to try and style it the way that I do.

I soon realized that no matter how I styled it, would not change it's hideous coloring. I drove over to get a second opinion from my mom, after I had spoken to her about my utter disappointment. When I saw her, she was even taken aback. We both agreed that the hair-cut was nice, and what I was after, but the color was all wrong on me. I left her house, and went straight out to a Meijer's and bought a hat, and tried to get home before I went into work that night yet.

I never got to sleep before work, because I had no time left, plus would not been able to sleep anyways because I was so stressed. Not to mention the fact that, one of the reasons I even got my hair done first of all, was because I had a function I was going to the very next night.

I showed up to work at my regular time, and had my hat on. Immediately my co-worker asked if I just got my hair done? I said yes, "but you don't want to look under this hat". She wanted to see so we went in the kitchen and let her take a look. She was like, it's so bright ... that was supposed to be a highlight? I worked my entire night shift, and all I could do was keep going over what had just happened in my head. My scalp hurt, and bad. It retained heat, and I just about started to feel sick about it.

All I wanted to do was have my hair feel back to normal, and not have to worry about this. As the night progressed, I was certain that I was calling the owner/manager to have my hair fixed, or refunded.

The only time I even had in my day to have my hair done was right after work, not that I even felt my hair could withstand it. I had absolutely no desire to go back in that place, but I had to do something. A hundred and twenty dollars worth of a hair-do, that in comparison with an $8.00 bottle of hair dye from a local convenience store was in competition with was just dis-heartening.

I called the minute I got into my car, and left work. I asked to speak to the manager, and upon reaching her, I began to explain to her what had happen. Also, that I needed it fixed immediately or something due to prior engagments arranged. When I was talking to her, right away, she knew who I was. She had been there the entire time the day before, and knew that what had happen was all wrong. She told me to come in and she'll fix my hair all up for me, meet me at 11:00 am.

I was relieved to know that she was going to help me out that morning, but yet at the same time dreaded even having my hair touched at all. Something had to be done. I went in, and met with the manager who would be working on my hair. I removed my hat from my head, and she was appauled.

Upon closer investigation, she looked at my scalp. Not only that, she called the other girls that were employees over to show them an example of what she called "tight scalp'. My head was hot to the touch, and she was even like this has to be painful. All the pores of my head were shrunken in, and she said I literally have no pigmentation left to my hair at all. She said there would be no way to put any strong solution on my hair, it would fall out. She said she would fix me up, and put low-light blonde (darker) tones on it to bring it back down. Also, that this was not harsh at all and would even wash out in a week or two of regular washes.

I was there for 2 hours that next morning, from 11-1. She foil wrapped it all again, and told me that it will be alot darker than I am used to, but she had to put some pigment into my hair. She was very helpful, and could only do what she could at this point, trying to be careful. She rinsed me out, and took me back over. I was so fearsome of the outcome, I just didn't know what to expect.

All I can say is that it was an improvement, a little funky, but I was just happy to not have my head feel like it was illuminating the room. It was kind of a mix between chunks of hair from the original coloring, and darkish blonde to almost and orange-y brown tones, but at least my hair felt a little softer, and not so shocking.

Ultimately, I still feel the heat coming off of my scalp today (2 days later) and am still adjusting to the darker coloring. I did not have my money returned, and still have mixed feelings about this. My main concern now is that it did not do permanant damage, and my hair will not fall out. Between those two days I spent over 6 hours of my time, and continue to feel the aftermath of the experience. My hair does not style as easily the way that I typically do it as well. I do apologize for the lengthy report, if anyone even continued to read it in it's entirety.

The manager said when I left, I do hope you come back and visit us again. I said, "that is highly doubtful, but thank you and I appreciate you trying to help me". I'll just end it at that.

Laura
Fort Wayne, Indiana
U.S.A.