I hate Great Clips

[mommy68]

Anyone else really dislike this place? I took my 6 y o there the other day for a trim and before we got there she was in a wonderful mood, we had just had lunch together, went shopping. Wonderful mood. This is a child that has always liked getting her hair cut. She loves being messed over and getting a new cut. She gave no indication that she would be hard to trim or that she is an unruly child, none whatsoever. She's very well behaved in the chair.

First off, the hair stylist automatically looked at her like "oh no, a kid" when we walked in. She didn't even say hello or tell us her name. I think something was telling me to just leave anyway because there were two people in line before us, but I stayed and waited it out. Next time I will listen to my gut!! Once she took my DD back and I tell her how I want it trimmed - I go to the front and sit down and can hear her telling my DD to "act like a big girl" in a very harsh tone of voice....while she combed her hair SO rough, to the point where my DD was in tears and sobbing uncontrollably. The lady was jerking down on my DD's head while combing it. I hear my DD whining aloud so I went back and stood there with her. I was getting ticked and tried so hard not to be rude. I couldn't do it. I said to the girl "you must not have any children, or girls anyway." And she said "well, my boyfriend has two little girls" as if that makes her experienced I guess. I meant she doesn't have girls with long hair that hate it when they get tangles. : Anyway, when done we were at the front and the girl said "in the future you might want to consider BRUSHING her hair before you bring her in to get it cut." And my response?....."In the FUTURE I plan to take her to my hair stylist, who is a professional."

And yes, my DD hair had been brushed that morning along with a ton of detangler being put in as usual. But we had been out in 40degree, bone chilling, windy weather and she had probably formed tangles from playing in the chic-fil-a play room and being out in the wind. she has thin hair and that happens to thin hair. An experienced hair stylist would know this and most definitely would NOT complain about it.

I will never go back to Great Clips again. Ever. I've had similar experiences the last few times I took my DD to different Great Clips around town. I'm seriously starting to think that these people are taught in beauty school how to be rude to parents and young children??? It's happened to me one time too many at this point.

I wish I knew how to complain about them locally to the owners but I have no idea.


.

[LuxPerpetua]

I hear ya! I cut dd's hair because she is still too young to go to a stylist (and there's no way she would allow anyone but me to touch her hair anyway!) but I've been to GC for myself. They were the rudest people I've met and the cuts were some of the worst I've had. I'd willingly pay twice as much and go less often if it meant I got a better cut--which is what I do now.

I love your response to the stylist, btw! Great thinking on your feet. I wish I could be that witty! My responses always come to me 10 minutes too late. I'm sorry your little girl had a rough time. Bless her heart!

[acsammel]

I take my boys to Great Clips all the time. They are great with kids at our location and we have no problems with them.

[mytwogirls]

I was once in a hurry to get my hair cut and stupidly I went to GC. It was HORRIBLE, the girl stunk, (B.O.) and she gave me the worst cut in the world, and I just wanted a damn trim. I agree, you get what you pay for, and I have a great stylist now whom I would not trade for the world.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I deal with GC for myself because I have straight long hair and the easiest cut in the whole world, so I can't see spending more money for a "real" stylist. But DD goes to a speciality kids salon because she loves the fuss and hair ribbons and I know she will always be treated like a princess. DS goes with DH to the new Sports Clips in town. I could do without the sylists in tight "ref uniforms" but both guys are happy with their cuts and like to watch the sports TV they have.

For your specific situation, I would complain to the manager. She was rude and she hurt your child. I would probably also have actually made her stop at the point where she was clearly hurting your DD. Just "thank you but this clearly isn't going to work today" and leave. You don't have any obligation to let her finish what she started. I wouldn't have even paid for the cut, especially if she was still in the combing stage.

[meemee]

i am so sorry you had that experience.

i personally have had great experiences with three GC i have been to and four of their hairstylists.

in fact i think at around 2 while watching me have my haircut, my dd asked for her first hair cut. she and the hairstylist communicated about teh cut she wanted. i kept myself out of it.

i know there are some bad hair stylists at GC out there, but for me i thankfully have never come across them.

[mommy68]

Originally Posted by mytwogirls

I agree, you get what you pay for, and I have a great stylist now whom I would not trade for the world.

I definitely agree with that.

I put in a complaint and haven't heard back yet. The people from the main office wrote me and said they can't do anything because it's a privately owned franchise. So I doubt I'll even get a reply from them.

[Jmo780]

Poor girlie, I am sorry she had to go through that!

I have had nothing but bad experiences with GC as well.

I went for myself once. I told the lady I wanted about 4 inches cut off, just straight across, and the longer I sat, the more anxious I got. I walked out of there with about 8 inches off, my hair layered and I was so upset.

I took my dd to a different GC months later, and asked for a few inches trimmed off. Walked out looking like she didn't do anything at all.

They were not polite either time we went either.

I went to Regis one time for color/style and was amazed at how awesome they were there.

I will never go back to GC again. I'd rather pay $30 for a haircut/style that I like, rather than $6.99 for crap.

[zeldamomma]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. We've used a variety of cheap, no appointment places, and have always had good experiences. The stylists are patient with the kids, and very gentle. I'm really shocked that the stylist was yanking on your daughter's hair. :

My experiences at kid-only salons have been almost universally bad-- the stylists all seem burnt-out on dealing with kids, and take a million shortcuts instead of giving my kids a real haircut.

ZM

[lindberg99]

The Great Clips here is fine, except for they cut your hair VERY short. So I only take my 4 yo there because he likes to get his hair cut really short. I take him there and he's good for months after!

[Sasharna]

I haven't had this experience. I took my son to several more expensive barber shops and the ladies at Great Clips were the only ones who finally made him comfortable. I always give a huge tip, because I'm so happy with them.

[mommy68]

Originally Posted by lindberg99

The Great Clips here is fine, except for they cut your hair VERY short. So I only take my 4 yo there because he likes to get his hair cut really short. I take him there and he's good for months after!

Yeah, they do cut it very short. My kids always come out a lot shorter than what I ask them to do. But I don't mind that so much as long as they are treated decently.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I've never been crazy about Great Clips.

Around here, we have a place (Kids' Hair) that is like a GC for kids. All they do is children's hair. They have child-sized equipment, the stylists are used to working with kids who wiggle, fuss, cry, etc, and are used to working with kid hair (which is different than adult hair). The kids can watch TV while they get their hair cut (which is a HUGE treat in our family) and play with toys while they wait. They even keep the water in their spray bottles on a warmer.

It is slightly more expensive than GC, but the couple of bucks is worth having a decent haircut in a low-stress environment for the kids. And they have coffee for the parents.

[milkybean]

A GC employee cut my sons long curls off, when I only went in to see if they could somehow cut the front of his hair without making it look like girlie bangs.


I should have known when I realized the lady cutting hubby's hair said she had worked at a kid's salon for years, and the lady cutting DS's hair said that she has 3 boys and "doesn't believe in long hair for boys".

Snippo went the scissors, and DS had cute Seattle-girl "pixie" bangs halfway up his forehead.

In retrospect I should have just left right then, but at the time I was having a VERY hard time with the "oh what a cute GIRL" comments (I don't know why, weak at the time I guess) and couldn't deal with how they would increase with what she did, and I just told her to cut his hair.



I, however, got a GREAT cut at the same place, from a woman who had the second biggest nasty attitude since the lady who did my hair for my wedding. For me, nasty attitudes = GREAT hair cuts and styles!

Alas, the attitude lady was fired, probably on the day she gave me such a terrific haircut, since she was being yelled at for some sort of clock in/out problem, and no one would tell me where she went.


However, I've had problems at the kid's haircut places DS likes to go to, too! I tell them exactly what I want, and they always do just fine until I start to trust them and turn away, then out come the clippers, and all the nice work falls on the floor. He has wonderful thick hair, but they just want to buzz it all off, and that takes away the good texture and it just doesn't look as nice as it does when I cut it. Problem: I don't have a race car cutting chair in my house, and he won't hold still for me, though he will for them!

[octobermom]

We had a horrible experience at a master cuts. We had one near our home I liked prices were great and the staff kind but when they bulit the new bigger mall across town it moved out there and staff changed.. Unknown to me I took my then 3 year old out there for a trim. The lady alos acted like becase she was a kid she'd have trouble then proceded to force a brush through a knoted spot and when DD began to cry kept telling her you just need to grow up and be brave. She ended up ripping a huge chunk out. The whole thing was horrible and the cut reeked (but I wasn't going to let her touch her more). We have never been back since.

Deanna

[Lisa85]

I've had good and bad experiences at GC. You really can't bash an entire chain with thousands of stores off one experience with one stylist who made one mistake. As a hairstylist,I firmly believe the amount you pay, the location you go to, and the name on the building mean absolutely nothing. All that matters is the stylist. There are good stylists at GC and bad ones at Aveda.

[granolalight]

Originally Posted by Lisa85

the amount you pay, the location you go to, and the name on the building mean absolutely nothing. All that matters is the stylist. There are good stylists at GC and bad ones at Aveda.

ITA

Sorry your dd had such a bad experience! :

I've always taken my kids to the little salon in the back of my favorite consignment store. My ds gets to sit in a truck and drive, which he loves. And she usually has a movie playing too. She is so gentle and sweet; he fell asleep during his first cut when he was 11 months old, can you believe that?