Today we had an incident that had me just a bit upset! There are many arguments that could be presented and really it's not so bad...but it still comes down to what I, as his mother wanted and didn't want. I took Cade to get a haircut today, let me re-phrase that, to get a trim...I have slacked off on getting his hair cut recently and it was starting to grow into his eyes...well obviously at that point it is time to trim it up...but I had put off getting his hair trimmed because I was in talks, trying to find a photographer to take some "head shots" of him. When my hair dresser trims his hair, for a couple of weeks after, it just looks funny to me. But after it grows a bit, it looks good. Well I was planning to send these shots off to talent agents in Wilmington. I can't tell you how often strangers tell me that he belongs on tv...he gets tons of attention...and his hair is what makes him stand out from other children...It's his "it" factor, what makes him unique.
Well our normal hairdresser works at a Salon that is a higher end salon and requires more training than what a normal hair dresser comes out of beauty school with. So it is hard to get in to see her. I can't call one day and expect to get in any sooner than a week later. I didn't think about it until his hair was in his eyes, so it would have been another week or more before I could have got him in to see her. I needed a trim too, so I took him to the new Fantastic Sam's over by our new Wal-mart. It is only up the road from me and since I was only getting our hair trimmed, I didn't see anyway anyone could mess it up.
So we go in and there are no customers at all. I tell them that I want to get both of us trimmed. Well because he was sooooo good and sat in the chair all by himself with hardly any hassle, the other hair dresser decided that she would cut my hair while his hair was being cut. Of course I had that little voice in my head saying, "no, don't do it!" I really have no idea why I don't listen to that voice, usually it's always right, maybe one day I will learn. But I had told the girl cutting his hair that I just wanted it trimmed. In my little world a trim means take just a bit off the ends...I've had my hair cut by many, many different people in my life and a trim has always meant the same thing no matter who cut my hair. Kind of like the universal symbol for poison is a skull and crossbones, I think the word trim has a universal meaning as well.
We can argue both ways here, I should have never left him being that he was that young and there should be some kind of store policy most especially when dealing with children that young. But I was only a few seats down from him, there was no one else in the store...I was right next to him....and I only told her to trim it!
So I get some chick that acted like she has never cut hair before in her life! I had a stacked style that was shorter in the back, but came around and was longer in the front coming to a point. I decided that I wanted to grow it out and have been. So I washed my hair this morning when I had a shower. I didn't straighten my hair, instead I left it wavy because I knew they would only be re-wetting it while it was being cut. So she asked me if I wanted it washed and I said no I have already washed it. So I told her that I wanted to have layers put back in my hair and I wanted my swoop bangs cut back in and said that I didn't want the stacked style any longer, I wanted my hair to be the same length all the way around. Well she proceeds to cut my hair without wetting it and while it was wavy and had no idea how to do swoop bangs. I was getting frustrated because I just knew it wasn't going to be right!
Imagine my surprise when I look over and all of my baby Cade's hair was gone! Every last curl! Talk about shock and awe...that was some shock and awe! I was furious, but I paid and left and didn't know how to handle the situation. I mean on one hand, the hair was gone, there is nothing they can do to put it back...but on the other hand, I said trim!!!!Not cut all his hair off!
So I got home and was nearly in tears just because of Cade's hair...and I don't cry over hair because I know hair will grow, no big deal...but I started straightening my hair and realized after it was all straight that it looked like a two year old got a hold of a pair of scissors and took chunks out of my hair. Actually I looked like someone had turned me upside down and put me in a paper shredder! Which would make sense because you shouldn't cut someone with dry wavy hair when they style it straight! So of course my hair wasn't straight! That pretty much did me in, I started crying! My baby's curls were gone...my hair was all chopped...now what...
So I called the manager and went in to the other Fantastic Sam's across town. I showed her a picture I had of Cade on my phone, which clearly showed his curls and just how much hair he had. She told me she didn't see anything wrong with the cut, it was a little boys cut, that it was actually still a bit long even to her, and that to her that was a trim. I said no, that's not a trim! That's a whole new hairstyle from what he had. And she told me that for boys they cut their hair short...so she was making me feel as if I was keeping it too long, like he looked like a girl. He didn't look like a girl! He had long curly locks! I made the point of his hair being his thing, that I was going to have his pictures taken, and the whole talent thing...But my most important point was that he is my son. He is not even two yet. I was not ready for his curls to be gone...and because I was in such shock and speechless, it never even occurred to me to grab a lock of his curls...so how do you put a price on something like that, that most people consider priceless?
She fixed my hair, if you want to call it fixed...but I wasn't worried as much about my hair as I was about Cade's. I just really felt that a decision was made to cut his hair off and I wasn't the one who decided it. I wasn't ready for him to have really short hair. And the stupid manager, in trying to make a point, told me that the type of hair he had, in her opinion would no longer curl. So I suppose she was trying to point out that his curls would eventually not be there anyway. But all she did was point out that his curls weren't returning and I had missed my opportunity to get a lock of his curls...yeah thanks cause that just made me even madder...
But then I decided, who is she to say what a little boy's hair should look like? In her opinion it should be really short because she is probably married to a marine. And I can just hear Cade's two grandpa's now, lol! And I agree, little boys should have short hair...Kai has always had short hair! But the fact of the matter is, it is not for her to decided what little boys should look like. His hair should have never been chopped the way it was...and isn't the customer always right? Isn't that supposed to be the way that it works? I never once asked for my money back, but she said she would review the tape and if his hair was long she would refund my money. I said, I just showed you a picture. She said I believe you, but I have to investigate it. Well how about, two separate "hair dressers" jacked up both of us, and you should refund our money for that simple fact alone! Because what it comes down to is I asked for his hair to be trimmed, not cut!
And we could even argue about the whole talent agent thing. Who's to say one way or the other whether or not he would have found work because of his hair. Maybe he would have, maybe not. Maybe he still could. But we will never know because more than likely his hair won't grow back to what it was. So that very well could have been a college fund that was taken from him. I have read how they look for kids that are unique in some way. He is cute, he has big beautiful eyes, and he had hair that was curly and gorgeous. Granted it might not have stayed, but it could have stayed long enough for him to make a little money for the future.
But it really comes down to, I got something I didn't ask for and there is no way to fix it. So for the manager to totally not be sorry and not be kissing my butt is stupid on her part. Especially considering I happen to have a way with words when it comes to writing. And little does she know that I'll write the corporate office as well as the president of the company with pictures showing his hair before and after. And I will not only point out I asked for a trim, but I will point out that his baby curls are gone and may not return. That I was not able to get a lock of them because I wasn't in the right frame of mind to be thinking of that. That he was going to be photographed for talent agents. That his hair was one of the his features that stood him apart from other children. That potential income may no longer be a possibility since one of his greatest defining features was taken from him. Oh and I will of course mention the butchering they did on me. Because at this point, I am upset at the way the manager handled the situation. She wasn't sorry. And it wasn't like I was acting stupid. I never once argued with her or raised my voice or anything. I just simply showed her a before picture of him and said all I asked for was a trim. I knew they couldn't fix it cause you can't glue hair back on. But we both were butchered in that shop by two different people. Does that not sound like a problem to anyone else? Who cuts hair dry anyway?
Ok..that's my rant...but it just makes me mad that she was dictating what she felt little boys should look like...she wasn't seeing my point, that I only asked for a trim and his baby locks are gone...and I didn't get one for the baby book...That is something I can never get back...something was taken from me that can't be replaced, a lock of curls...and I did talk to my personal hair dresser after the whole situation...She did explain to me what the definition of a trim is, what every hairdresser learns...A trim is exactly what I thought it was, just a bit taken off the ends. So...lol...Fantastic Sam's is going down...LOL!
I did write corporate and it of course filtered down...all the way down to the manager I spoke with. She emailed me apologizing and told me I could have a full refund if I went to the store I originally had my hair cut at. I think I should let them keep the money, it's obvious they need it to spend on training!
