What to do in uncomfortable hair salon situations

Ever wonder what to do in these sticky situations?

You are on your way to the salon when there is a last minute phone call at the office or traffic is heavier than you planned. The result is; you will be 10 or more minutes late for your appointment. What do you do?
Call right away, apologize and tell your hairdresser or receptionist exactly how long you will be. Ask if there will still be time to get your service and if not, can you reschedule? Option: ask if it will be possible to get the hair cut if you forego the blow dry and leave wet. (Expect to pay the full price.)

You completely forgot your appointment.
Call, apologize and offer to pay for your hairdresser’s time. If you are a regular client, have a good excuse and are not inclined to do this all the time, your hairdresser may not accept the payment. However it is common to pay 50% to 100% of the bill. Hairdressers generally get paid only for the time they are actually working. They may have turned away other clients because you had an appointment at this time. (Imagine your boss telling you that he wanted you to sit at your desk for an hour but he wasn’t going to pay you for that time.)

You decide that you don’t want the hair service that you made an appointment for. Either you don’t need it or you realize that you don’t really want your hair done. What do you do?
Call as soon as you decide! Your hairdresser very likely has a cancellation list of people who do not yet have an appointment, but want in but as soon as possible. She may be able to fill your time. It is acceptable to cancel at least 24 hours before the appointment time.
If you don’t decide to cancel until the day of the appointment, call as early as you can, cancel and offer to pay for the appointment. It is unlikely that she will be able to fill the time on less than 24 hours notice.

Your hairdresser has finished your service and you realize that you don’t like it. What do you do?
Calmly tell her that this style is not what you envisioned and discuss what can be done to remedy the situation. You are entitled to have it re-shaped or re-tinted at that time. However. if your hairdresser is very busy and has another client waiting, she will be grateful if you consent to scheduling another appointment for repair– free of charge.

Your hairdresser does your hair the same way at every appointment and hasn’t taken your hints that you are ready for a change.
When scheduling your next appointment ask for15 minutes more for a consultation and explain clearly that you want something different. Arrive at your appointment on time and with a few pictures of some hairstyles. Discuss what it is about each style that you like as well as the parts that you don’t like. When you have received you new haircut ask for instructions on styling.
You are ready to change hairdressers. They aren’t styling your hair to your liking or their prices are higher than you want to pay, etc.
This can be very difficult because hairdressers and clients often build close relationships. Let your hairdresser know. Call, thank them for their service in the past and tell them why you will no longer be seeing them. If you don’t want to call, write everything in a note and send it to them. They may be hurt, but it is better to know the truth than to wonder what happened to you. Hairdressers are strong people. Remember, they have many clients and it has happened before and will happen again.
If you have pre-booked appointments, work with the receptionist and cancel all of them.