A disappointing Haircut

Last month, I visited a unisex beauty parlor close to my house. My intention was to get my eyebrows shaped. When I opened the glass door of the salon facing the road, I saw a guy in the waiting area informally seated and playing mobile games.

The saloon is transparent enough that I could make out there is only one staff who is occupied with a customer. I sat next to the guy playing with his mobile and took a magazine to read. The fellow inside inquired to me the purpose of my visit. For my reply he gently told me to wait for 10 to 15 minutes and he will serve me next.

I patiently waited. After about 5 minutes a lady came with her daughter for a haircut. A pretty girl around 4 to 5 years old with beautiful hairstyle but badly need trimming. The guy who was at work inside assigned the guy next to me playing with mobile the cutie's haircut. I was shocked to know that he was one of the staff and takes only haircuts.

I could feel the arrogance and attitude and was wondering who manages this saloon, why can't they train these fellows to engage customers properly.

Anyway I kept waiting and the girl was accompanied by her mom for haircut. In a while I too was called inside when a female staff who was out for lunch returned to attend me for threading of eyebrows. The girl was seated next to me in a Mickey Mouse chair and she was making funny faces looking at herself in the mirror, signing, talking to herself and asking several questions to her mom. Her mom was trying to communicate to the hairstylist how she expects her daughter to look like.

Quite normal but the guy is nodding his head to whatever she says and is going on trimming her hair and is asking her mom in between "Aur short?" At some point he stopped and said "Done". The lady kindly asked, "you don't set it with a dryer?". He took the dryer and set her hair to normal. I didn't find anything stylish too, but her mom's face turned pale. She was disappointed and told him "this is not how i expected it to be". For that the hairstylist responded, "Mam this is only possible with your daughter's hair."

She was confused and said, "this is not the first time I am taking her for a haircut, she looked so pretty in her old hairstyle and now... now you look at her, this doesn't suit her face".

Very usual, the hairstylist said, "if you have complaints you may speak to our manager." She said politely, alright please call him. I always get opportunities to witness such incidents, my eyebrows was done in 10 minutes and I was waiting for my friend who went to the nearby supermarket in the meantime. Thankfully all these services are available on Sundays.

Now, the manager came in asking what the problem is. The lady trying to explain what happened, manager questioning the stylist, manager looking at the girl says, she's looking perfectly alright. Now the mother raising her tone a bit, "how can you say that?, have you seen my daughter before haircut, this guy destroyed her original style instead of trimming it." The stylist replied to the lady, "it's not the look that matters but the way we cut it, I have properly cut it to ensure that the length is proportional and it is in shape."

Then the lady argued, "but it must suit her face right?" Immediately the stylist said, "you didn't tell me how I should be doing it." She said "it's the stylist's ability to customize it based on the face of an individual and that's why you are appointed here as hair stylist. If I can do it, I wouldn't have taken my daughter here, I will do it myself. Can you do something or not".

The manager intervened and said, "Mam, I understand your emotions but we can't do anything on it, he is the best stylist in our salon and I agree to what he says. Kindly settle the bill and leave without creating a scene." She said, if I mean to create a scene, I can do it better, but you guys are not at all professional." She settled the bill and said, because it's hair which will grow again, I am leaving now, never will I visit your saloon again and will not let any of my acquaintances."

My friend turned up and I was about to leave. At that moment I heard the manager shouting at another staff who received the payment from another customer by debit card which did not deliver a printed receipt due to some printer error. Literally scolding him for not asking the customer to get the cash, instead took the risk of handling the task in his absence. I just left but thought, when the manager leave the cash counter unattended, he must have given clear instructions to the staff on how to deal with customers rather than shouting at them in front of others later.

I just told myself, I am not going to visit this parlor again for any thing whether it's haircut or for any other beauty related services. Is this the way to deal with complaints. It was really disappointing to see that people are opening service centers for their sake and not attending to the need of customers.

Who is to be trained here? The Manager? The stylist? Is there any mistake with the customer? All these can be dealt by proper communication. That lady knows very well that, a destroyed hairstyle cannot be retrieved and even paid for the service availed in full amount. I kept on thinking the whole day, in what all ways she could have been pacified and If I were in her place what I would have done?

#haircut #customersatisfaction #servicequality #servqual #communication

#staffmanagement #leadership #salon #training