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SmartStyle review: over charging 5

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8:16 pm EST
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Went in to smart style (Inside our local wal-mart) today for cut, color and highlights. As recently as feb 08 I was paying $50 to $60 for this same service at this shop, as well as another I frequented in another alabama city. Today I was charged one hundred and six dollars and ninety-six dollars for the exact same service! When I questioned it the manager showed me the price book and when I told her the price earlier in the year was nearly half, she said I "must have gotten it done on sale."

I called regis customer service who called the stylist to be sure i'd been "charged correctly" - the manager had already verified I had - and missed the point which was not a correct charge but an over charge. This price is exorbitant - local stylists in private salons charge $55 to $75 for this service.

Those of us who shop at wal-mart and its lessees have a preception of value for money. Smart style certainly doesn't offer that - and really, I am angriest at myself for not asking the cost before getting my hair done. "assume" still means "making an # of you and me (Especially me!) and never violate that old axiom:"let the buyer beware." by the way, that price included a three dollar charge for conditioner!

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5 comments
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Georgia denham
Robertsdale, US
May 02, 2014 2:05 pm EDT

as a stylist myself I will have my say in this and no I dont work for that company.
a color, hi-light, and hair style does take up to 4 hours. It all depends on what color you want on top of how light you want the hi lights to be along with how long and thick your hair is. The salon I work in the starting price for a partial hi light is 60, plus the color which is 50, then the haircut is 14, not to mention if your hair is past your shoulders its 15 extra or if its past your bra strap it goes to 25. All stylists in smart style go through continuing education classes, they are held at those salons. The price you got was cheaper than anywhere else and as many years as I have done this as a career I would have NEVER charged you 106 dollars it would have been way more. Esp since its my career, passion, and name!

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Debrataylor
Somerville, US
Jan 14, 2013 4:23 pm EST

I went to have a specific color done to my hair and a trim. I mainly wanted bangs but didn't get them. I wanted a copper color but I now have a pumpkin color. The left side of my hair is now longer than the right side of my hair and I have this hideous pumpkin color. I had not planned to get any waxing done but when the beautician asked did I want her to fix my eyebrows I first said no. The way she asked me about my eyebrows made me uncomfortable, wondering how bad are my brows. I let her wax my brows. I spent $80.00 last Saturday and came out of Wal-Mart looking worse than I did when I went in there.
The beautician that ruined me, spent most of her time talking to fellow employee's and going outside for a 10 min. smoke. I was charged $44.95 for the color I did not want. I was charged $15.50 for a hair cut that took all of 40 seconds to do.
I'm very upset.

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disgustedwithbadservice
Bradford, US
Feb 27, 2011 6:45 pm EST

How ridiculous! If a stylist gets paid $10 hour that is the line of work she CHOSE to do so cry me a river "secretstylist" let me guess you work for this horrid company and have to defend their antics too? Figures. To be charged $106 is a RIPOFF! It does not take 4 hours to cut, color, and add highlights unless you are incompetent. My stylist, an excellent beautician of 20 years, takes less than 20 mins to put foils through my entire head and then additional 25 mins for processing & 20 mins for a cut. I guess you could add 40 mins for a complete color & rinse too...that is only 1hr 45mins. Oh and her conditioner is FREE. She only charges $50 for a complete head of foils, shampoo & conditioner (scalp massage) and cut, blowdry AND style and I always get compliments on her cuts & color. Then again she is experienced, constantly upgrades her education through classes and seminars, and is not a low grade "cheap cuts" bottom barrel employee who barely made it through beautician school and feesl the need to overcharge to make up for her slowpoke speed.
Do yourself a favor, go to a reputable salon where they know how to give you phenomenal service. I've been to Smartstyle too in Walmart and had to visit the ER after my scalp burned because the beautician put the bleach directly on my scalp (any beautician knows you do NOT put the bleach directly on someone's scalp!) and the bleach bled under the foils leaving me with patches of brassy orange hair. So disgusted with their crappy customer services. I've seen pictures on other sites regarding Smartstyle showing actual hair loss due to over processing--why do you think they make you sign a waiver BEFORE you get your color or perm done? I should have ran away--instead I am siting here after a large dose of steroids to counteract the searing burning inflammation of my scalp and aloe vera gel on my head (my own gel of course the salon refused to offer anything to counteract the burning of my scalp) Buyer beware!

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secret stylist31
Portage, US
Jul 08, 2010 2:32 pm EDT

I agree with gatortastic. Getting your hair highlighted is a whole different service than getting it colored all over. For it to turn out good, the stylist has to be doing the services separately. So you would be charged for that. The stylists only get 40% commission. It takes about 4 hours to do all over color and all over highlights, plus a haircut. The stylist that did you still only made about $10 an hour for doing A LOT of work. If she charged you any less she wouldn't have even made minimum wage. Just because the salon is in wal-mart doesn't mean you can expect the service for practically nothing. The stylists need to make money too.

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gatortastic
Chicago, US
Jul 16, 2009 3:26 am EDT

I work at Smart Style, and each salon operates by different rules. A lot of people, myself included, charge about $50 for all over color, and $60 for highlights for short hair. That right there is $111, plus the price of the cut. I would have charged you more than that. The people you had before were definitely undercharging you. These people were just doing their job. $106 is EXTREMELY cheap to get your hair colored and highlighted.