Very unhappy w/ extensions

I am reading the most recent posts, and I'm crying as I read them.  My hair is just so disgusting, I wish you all could see how dry and coarse it is, and how there is absolutely NO volume at all.  In fact, my friend had another bundle put in on Thurs last wk, and her hair was straight after she had it placed, yet her hair had more volume straight than mine did with curls!  I am still having a hard time wrapping my arms around the fact that the bundles of hair are only $40-48; $125 including labor.  At $125 a bundle, you could have 10 bundles put in at a cost of $1250.  I want to know where my $1500 went--GL or the salon, or both?  My friend had 7 bundles put in and was charged $1800.  She's having some more bundles placed and has to pay $125 for each bundle.  Something's just not right.  This stylist had the nerve to say to me that she makes nothing off putting in extensions and it's nothing for her!  I was appalled that she would say something like that, because she makes out like a banshee.  I tipped her $300, and I know my friend tipped her around $350.  She's probably making in tips from one install what she would make all wk!  She insisted that the salon didn't make any money off GL either.  Maybe not, but GL certainly is--or someone is.  I'm most angry with the fact that she initially told me last Wed that she would place an add'l 2 bundles since we used every piece of hair of the 5 bundles SHE recommended would be enough for my hair and she wouldn't charge me anything for those 2 add'l bundles.  Now she's suddenly singing a different tune.  She keeps telling me that she's going to "make it right" because "that's what she does."  She keeps reiterating that she's going to replace the 5 bundles at no cost to me, that she doesn't expect anything from me, but that I will have to pay for the 2 add'l bundles of hair because it's not fair that everyone else has to pay for all their bundles and I shouldn't have to pay.  She acts like she's doing a big favor for me, but the more I think about this, the more I don't think she is.  Sure, it's very kind of her to supposedly come in on her days off to do the reinstall, but interestingly enough, the days I've offered, she hasn't been able to do them (today, yesterday).  Her replacing the 5 bundles is not a favor.  That is what any good, ethical businessperson should do regardless of whether it's extensions or another product.  If the customer isn't happy or didn't get what they paid for, you replace it, exchange it, give them a credit, whatever it takes to make it right.  I am also angry that she initially told me that we could easily put 2 more bundles in to give me the volume I so desparately need and offered to pay for them herself, then changes her mind and decides I have to pay for them since it's not fair to other clients who did pay for all their bundles.  I feel since I'm more than likely not going to get any refund from GL, then GL should cover the cost of the 2 add'l bundles.  NOTHING should be coming out of my pocket!  If I have just 5 bundles put in per her recommendation, I will still be unhappy because my hair is so see through and thin and has no volume.  So, ultimately, I will still be unhappy because 5 bundles just won't be enough.  My friend who got extensions put in by her as well was unhappy for a brief time because her bonds were falling out, but she had another bundle of hair put in and now loves her hair because it's just so much more thick, and her hair is very shiny and silky.  It looks great.  When I told her about how the stylist is going to charge me for the add'l 2 bundles, she suggested that I tell her to take the $80-100 it'll cost out of the $300 tip I gave her.  I will mention that, but I'm sure she won't do that.  The other issue that concerns me is that I had to sign my life away to get GL extensions put in.  However, the only thing I got a copy of was the homecare instruction sheet.  All the other papers I didn't get a copy of, and they all state that I agree to not hold GL or the salon responsible for anything related to the extensions, the application process, or any other reason.  So legally, I don't know what recourse I would have since I did sign them.  However, I did not actually sign the papers until after I'd had them placed, as she forgot to have me sign them before.  So, when I was done and paying my balance owed, she had me sign all the papers at that time.  The only paper I had signed before was the deposit form stating that I was putting down a deposit of $750. I think because I signed those papers, I'm basically SOL.  I was telling my friend last night that basically the stylist has me in between a rock and a hard place.  I have to have them removed because of the condition my hair's in and I'm losing so many bonds.  But if I don't have them replaced, I will have to put out all that money again with someone else,and that's not money I have right now.  So, either have them removed and keep them out or have the 5 bundles replaced.  I'm sure my hair is somewhat damaged as the bonds are splitting and showing white and there is so much of my own hair coming out with the bonds, plus the hair from the scalp to the bond is so small in amt and hardly any there, and then the bond is so heavy.  That can't be healthy.  My own hair is about chin length, maybe a bit longer, but very fine.  I got extensions to basically add volume that I haven't had in yrs.  Sure, I wanted length, and the extensions did give me length, but look at the cost to me to get that length!!  I hate my own hair as it doesn't do anything and it's too short to put in culers or use a curling iron on, so basically I have the use of a round brush and a blow dryer to help me get volume and some semblance of a style.  So, get the reinstall done and hopefully the hair will be better and since she's prepping the hair, the bonds will stay, or don't and I'm out $1800 since I'm positive GL won't issue a refund.  I don't have any contact address or # for GL as there is nothing avail on their website (huh....did they purposely do that??).  So I can't even write a letter.  I do plan on reporting them to the BBB but w/o an address, I don't know that they will accept the complaint.  And I agree w/ the above posting......if I pay for the add'l bundles of hair and then GL does issue a refund to her or through her (for me) and she doesn't notify me, then she's really made out like a banshee, and I'd never know.  This girl is a friend of my friend who also got the extensions. I like to think that because the stylist knows my friend and did her extensions that she will be honest and do what she can to make it right, but so far I don't see any attempt to make it right. Replacing what is clearly bad hair is not making it right.  That is what is expected and should be done anyway.  I truly feel that when someone is deciding to get extensions your client base is frequently from word of mouth.  I for sure won't be recommending this girl until she does the right thing----replace the damaged hair and add the add'l 2 bundles w/o charging me.  Denver is not a high fashion city and therefore, extensions are expensive here.  The cheapest cost my friend and I found was $1200.  So, the cost I paid for my extensions wasn't out of the ordinary for Denver.  However, I think overall, when you look at a nat'l average cost for extensions, Denver is high.  I think after this is all said and done, I could have flown out to LA, gotten extensions, and flown back all for less than what I've forked out so far--not to mention the cost of the add'l bundles of hair and then maintenance.  I sure wish some of you experienced extensionists could talk to this woman and get your take on things from a truly professional point of view.  I also want to ask some other people that I talked to about doing extensions if GL said in their class that they couldn't charge less than $1500 or they'd lose their certification.  I am so depressed about this. The horrible condition of my hair has me embarrassed to go out and enjoy my hair or myself.  It's that bad.....  

Ski bumps

let me see if i can help sort through some of this with u

the cost of the hair and installation- some stylist break it down and some like myself, do a charge of the whole process, my cost include hair, shells, application, blending haircut and style and my gift to client is shampoo and conditoner a real nice brush, pick and lunch-

If a client looses more then 20 strands the first two weeks, OR has any problems i fix at NO charge. That is just me.

For the stylist to say she doesnt make any money doing extensions, is so not true, what u are paying for,(at least with me) is my expertise, artistic ability and knowledge of placement, and cut and my training of after care. I am a  liscensed professional and have earned the right to charge for my work. I am sure the stylist you went to would agree she has the same right to charge for her work. Placement is everything, check out the msg - scraggly ends by KURLZ- she too had poor placement by a place that way overcharged her.

For her to say she would not charge u and then turn around and change her mind is not right or ethicial. I certainly would call her on it, ( i like the tip idea) and DO NOT Sign any more papers. She should back her work like u say- reputation and word of mouth is everything.

Did u pay for services in cash? Credit card?

Appointments- As a very busy stylist, if a client had a problem i would get them in as soon as i could, i wouldnt put them off, nor would i drop everything to accomadate their sched, we would have to work together to get a time and date that would work for both. There have been times i would come in for a client on a day off.

As it was stated in other posts and i will repeat it again,

Extensions has become very popualr and everyone has gotten on the band wagon wanting to DO extensions and the main reason is for the money. Just because someone learns how to do extensions, doesnt mean they know how to properly install and remove and care for the client. My goal for all my clients is to give them hair, and keep the integrity of their hair in tact and healthy so they do not HAVE to wear extensions the rest of their lives, i love it when they want them out and their hair is longer and healthier then when we first installed them.

My attitude is treat others the way i would like to be treated as a client, person, friend and human being. Unfortunately, not all stylist practice this and fall under the stylist or folks that just see green.

 

when a stylist in my salon wants to learn extensions i ask them why. If they say i want to make the money like u do, i have told them this-

If your goal is money driven, you will not be blessed with clients, it just plain and simple wont happen, you have to have the right attitude and then you will get the clients you are supposed to have.

i hope this stylist certainly backs herself and pulls through for u. I would reccommend you go to her, have a heart to heart talk with her very calmly and see if she would work with u to make u happy.

good luck, i wish u were in so cal, i would certainly take care of you and your hair dreams....

S

TanglesRC--I may just fly out to SoCal which was my original plan anyway.  I ended up going to this girl because she was friends with my friend, and she seemed very knowlegeable.  We saw her getting extensions put in and it seemed neat, and they looked great.  Plus we figured that since she knew my friend, chances of her screwing us over were smaller.  I just wish I'd found this board before I got the extensions placed.

Sesame617---the other thing we were told to do with GL is to finger comb our hair!  That is typed up in our homecare instruction sheet.  I'm finding out though that brushing all the time isn't good and neither is finger combing.  Most of my bonds are coming out when I brush, and several have also come out when I take a rubberband (not a regular rubberband, but a ponytail rubberband) out of my hair. 

This is such a terrible horrible situation for you to be in....I dont have any great advice and I highly doubt that you/they are gonna come to a resolution that is going to be fair or satisfactory to you. And unfortunately...even if they do make it somewhat right...you are going to continue to pay big bucks for GL....for maintenance and so on and so forth. It doesnt sound to me like she is a very competent or experienced extensionist...and I dont have a clue about what kind of crap hair they have installed on your head. I think its outrageous that they mark up the hair like that...and that REALLY puts me off about GL. Along with many of their marketing tactics and things they say or mislead people about.

My suggestion to you....you and your girlfriend should buy yourself some wefts of Bohyme (excellent quality for the money) or some Elite remy from shrinkies.net and some pro-tac bonding strips....start doing each others hair. You will save yourslves TONS of money. The bonding strips are so very simple to do....after you get used to doing that, then if you want to try out a individual strand install....buy some pretipped hair(or tip your own) and some shrinkies and a wand...or some proshells....or even the preglued keratin tipped hair from yourhairshop...and you can do a similar to GL installation yourself!

I wish you all the luck in trying to get this resolved!

Club Salon--this salon I went to is GL certified as is the stylist.  I truly believe that I did receive a bad batch of hair as my friend got her extensions 3 days before me--same color hair--#2---and her hair is beautiful.  The stylist got extensions 1 wk before both of us did, and her hair is great.  We all have the same hair and mine is the only one that looks horrible.  My friend thought it might be me not using the styling tools correctly and so she did my hair one day and saw for herself that it wasn't me.  I am following the homecare instructions I rec'd, using the anti-tap.  I brush my hair as instructed.  I am doing everything by the book.  Even the stylist agreed that my hair was unhealthy and very coarse and dry and definitely different from hers and my friend's hair.  Remembering the install, I remember looking at the hair and thinking that it didn't look as shiny and silky as my friends or my stylists hair (we saw hers being done).  She had a lot of difficulty with tangling as she was putting the bonds in.  Of course I didn't think anything of it because I just didn't.  In retrospect, I realize the hair wasn't right.  The stylist also was in agreement that she had more problems with putting in my extensions than other clients.  I have attempted to get in touch with GL, but there is no way.  There is no link, form, or phone # on their website in which you can contact them.  I have asked for the local rep's name and I've not been given it.  GL supposedly wanted my hair for analysis and my stylist supposedly sent it in, but still no word from GL.  In fact, I spoke to my stylist today who said she called and was told that they didn't have any answers but would call when they did.  I finally got the owner of the salon involved (or my stylist did).  He called me yesterday and we connected today.  He was only told (so he says) that I was losing bonds.  When I told him the rest of the story, he seemed surprised and said he would personally be in touch with GL and get back to me.  We'll see.

As for the bundles of hair, you mention that they aren't $48.  Are they more?  She said they are $125 including labor, and w/o labor, they are $40-48.  However, I have been told so many things, that I don't know what to believe.  Is she lying to me and trying to hide something, or is she really clueless?  Since you are a GL certified stylist, do you know if GL tells their classes that they can't charge less than $1500 or they'll lose their certification?  There are other certified salons here that do charge less, and they haven't lost their certification.......Please let me know. 

Okay, I've listened to what everyone has to say and done more research than I could possibly ever do.  I finally got in touch with someone at GL who has been extremely rude to me (via email).  I still don't have any answers to my questions, and according to this guy at GL, they can't and won't do anything until they get in touch with the salon and stylist.  I told him that supposedly the salon and my stylist has already been in touch with GL, but he won't even listen to me.  The email I rec'd from him today was almost scathing.  I've provided him with all the information he asked for, so not quite sure what his problem is.  Additionally, I spoke to the owner the other day.  I told him how the stylist orginally told me that she'd replace my 5 bundles and add 2 add'l at no cost, then retracted that and told me I'd have to pay.  He agreed w/ me that she should not have offered to do the add'l 2 bundles w/o charge and then retract it.  After I hung up with him, she called me to confirm we were on for today and "the add'l 2 bundles are taken care of."  The owner was rushing me off the phone as he wasn't at his desk and didn't take notes, "but has a good memory."  He told me he'd call me the next day (yesterday) and have some answers for me.  He did call me, but I missed his call.  When I called him back, he was unable to talk to me because he'd left the ofc and told me that he'd "catch up w/ you at the salon tomorrow as he had had answers to my questions."  Well, here's the kicker......I went in today and my stylist took the extensions out and replaced all of them, + the 2 add'l bundles.  She barely spoke to me all day, I was not offered a bathroom break, a lunch break, anything to drink (everyone who came into the salon was offered a soda or water), and the rest of the staff were cold to me.  One woman was talking about me twice, as I heard my name and my stylist's name mentioned and they kept looking at me, then whispering and speaking in low tones.  To make it worse, I have had 7 neck surgeries, and my stylist knows this.  To make someone who's had major neck surgery sit for 8 hrs straight w/o a break is cruel and uncalled for.  She may be upset that she was doing this install at no cost, but she (and the rest of the salon) certainly didn't have to take it out on me.  I'm the one that was unhappy and had bad hair.  They should have been trying to make it as right as they can.  Also, the owner came in, introduced himself to me, asked how my stylist was holding up, and never spoke to me about any answers he had to my questions.  The other thing that got to me was that 4 people throughout the day came up to my stylist and asked how she was doing, did she need anything, and did she want them to get her lunch?  Not one of those 4 people ever asked me if I needed anything or if I'd like lunch.  In fact, I was on the phone and the receptionist came up and asked my stylist if she should get me lunch.  My stylist said "no, just drinks," but then was never offered anything to drink.  It's a damn good thing I'm not a diabetic!  The whole thing left a very bad taste in my mouth and I will NEVER go back there, not even for maintenance.  I will find someone else, as clearly, my stylist was bad mouthing me based on the way I was treated.  It was very uncomfortable, not to mention unprofessional.  I'm the one who has a bad experience with GL and my hair and get multiple msgs from the stylist, and I'm the one at fault???!!!  I even brought in my GL shampoo and conditioner to show her that it's different from what all her other clients' get.  The ingredients in my conditioner are completely different.  When I told her to compare the ingredients, she shrugged her shoulders and said "no, that's okay."  I just hope that this hair is good and works out better!  I guess time will tell.

that is the most disgusting treatment i have ever heard of.

so unprofessional and uncaring. i am sorry you were treated so poorly. They should take a long hard look at how they treat people.