The purpose of this blog is to let the story of how Kalista Hair Salon in Portland, Oregon botched my Japanese straightening by giving me a JV stylist instead of the owner, Kim, with whom my appointment was originally scheduled. This hassle cost me $400 and approximately 12 hours of my time, including the 5 hours of chair time.
After months and months of going back and forth with the credit card company, I have learned today that they are at a loss for trying to help me out because Kalista wouldn't respond to their last inquiry. And so, I must warn the world, or at least the city of PDX: AVOID KALISTA SALON of Portland, Oregon.
Here's how it all went down. As the truth is my defense, and their words are right there in black and white, there is little dispute of what happened. Especially since the pictures tell the whole tale.
I blogged about it on my personal blog. Here it is.
3.14.2007
WWYD?
Last week I had another unfortunate hair experience. I was new to town and Kalista Salon had about 80 excellent Citysearch reviews and a sudden rash of about 8 or so bad ones. I thought the pattern seemed odd, so I called the Kim, the owner, who was reputed to do a great job with both the straightening and realistic extensions (I was only getting the straightening). Nervous about getting a screwy hair job, I called Kim, the owner. She called me back, explained that is was some childishness acted out by some former employees with whom she now had some bad blood ever since they all left together to go work elsewhere. Instead of continuing with this narrative, I will let my email exchange with the owner do the talking:
Mar 11 (3 days ago)
avoid kalista crusader,
Thank you for replying with your concerns. I am sorry about what happened and am glad you voiced your concerns about your experience. Truth is Amie is awesome and my extension client was mistakenly booked on Amie's books and she is not released to do them, Both you and her where coming in at the same time,(the receptionist have seen Amie do extensions, but didn't realize she wasn't supposed to) I noticed the mistake too late and Amie never even saw it. I wanted to help and make both of you happy, unfortunatly you where not happy. I truly am sorry for that. As far as my personal issues thank you for bringing them up, i didn't realize i talk so much about them, I will not in the future, as i really don't like to. I felt bad about not doing your hair "Especially when i realized who you were" I thought you were a client that just casually calls in for appointments for this service. We get so many calls i really didn't think it would be a problem as Amie is so great.
Again, thank you for letting me know how much i failed you. I truelly never ment any thing by it. As far as my personal stuff, your right its no ones business and you should be able to relax.
My problem is Im alone with my stuff. And i guess i use the salon to listen. Its wrong. Im sorry.
I am not righting this to change your mind at all. I just don't want you to be upset.
Kim
Mar 10 (4 days ago)
Hi Kim,
Last week I had an appointment with you for a j-straightening. I'm sure you remember, I was the one who called about the negative Citysearch reviews. I am writing to let you know that I left your salon steaming pissed. When you showed up for our appointment - a half an hour late without an apology, might I add - you told me that you would have an "assistant helping" you with my very expensive service while you flopped back and forth between my service and extensions. I don' think I need to tell you that at no time after the initial chemicals were applied did you touch my hair -- even though I was supposedly paying for your time and my appointment was with you - while you just stood there talking about how great your new white bag was and focusing on another client's extensions. Completely unacceptable.
Amie [ed. who was really just another stylist at the salon] is lovely and my hair is fine, but if an appointment with her were offered to me when I called to make an appointment with you, I would not have taken it. I am very particular about my hair and I always like the owner of a reputable salon to work on me, no matter how long I have to wait to get an appointment. I also think that you are mistakenly thinking that your salon discussions are "casual" when they are in fact unprofessional. As a client, if I have to sit for that long - especially in a "spa" setting - I don't want to listen to loud employee (you) discuss personal woes (yours) while I am paying money and trying to relax. I know more about you personally than I want or need to. There's nothing wrong with a little discretion. My entire experience there left me feeling like I was at someone's house getting my hair done for free and that you have a lot of problems with a lot of people (gleaned only from what you said).
This was by far the most unfortunate hair experience ever. I really like the results but your odd behavior will absolutely keep me from returning,
Your very truly,
avoid kalista crusader
Mar 11 (3 days ago)
avoid kalista crusader,
Thank you for replying with your concerns. I am sorry about what happened and am glad you voiced your concerns about your experience. Truth is Amie is awesome and my extension client was mistakenly booked on Amie's books and she is not released to do them, Both you and her where coming in at the same time,(the receptionist have seen Amie do extensions, but didn't realize she wasn't supposed to) I noticed the mistake too late and Amie never even saw it. I wanted to help and make both of you happy, unfortunatly you where not happy. I truly am sorry for that. As far as my personal issues thank you for bringing them up, i didn't realize i talk so much about them, I will not in the future, as i really don't like to. I felt bad about not doing your hair "Especially when i realized who you were" I thought you were a client that just casually calls in for appointments for this service. We get so many calls i really didn't think it would be a problem as Amie is so great.
Again, thank you for letting me know how much i failed you. I truelly never ment any thing by it. As far as my personal stuff, your right its no ones business and you should be able to relax.
My problem is Im alone with my stuff. And i guess i use the salon to listen. Its wrong. Im sorry.
I am not righting this to change your mind at all. I just don't want you to be upset.
Kim
Mar 12 (2 days ago)It's been 2 days and I haven't heard back from her.
Thanks for getting back to me, Kim. After finally washing my hair after I sent you that email, I realized that it's hardly totally straight. On both sides and in the back there are spots that have a kink in them. I am not sure what to do now since I am concerned about my hair becoming overprocessed and I am not comfortable coming back to your salon to have it fixed.
You should have called me when you realized your booking error and told me the truth -- or called your other client and told her -- and I would have gladly rescheduled rather than getting stuck with a JV stylist straight out of school.
I would like to have at least 75% of my money for the straightening returned to me, including gratuity. I did not get what I paid for, so now both my time and money were wasted in addition to getting bumped off your books (and I shouldn't have had to pay as much for your "assistant" to do it in the first place), getting a late start, and having such an unfortunate experience in your salon.
Please let me know if you'd like to return that to my card or some other way.
Thank you,
avoid kalista crusader
3.16.2007
OHMYGOODGAWD
Honestly, I was totally prepared to let it go, but then:
I've read it more than once. And I SWEAR I have not left any part of this story out.
You guys told me to ask for my money again, so I did. Not very nicely, but whatever. This was yesterday:
I raise my glass to the idiot that wrote this. Muy bold.
And then me:
Russell,
I am sorry if you misunderstood that I was uncomfortable coming back to the salon to show you the incomplete straightening that I received. I am uncomfortable coming back to your salon to have it touched in any way or "fixed" by one of your stylists. I should have been more clear about that. Also, I think you may have been misinformed on many points. But most importantly, when I make an appointment with someone I expect *that* person (not a purported assistant who actually did the whole thing rather than just assisting) to be on time and respectful of the fact that I could go anywhere else for a service.
Your email is shocking. At no time during the 7 days my emails sat in her inbox was I asked by Owner to please come down and discuss the matter or let your salon examine the results. I would have gladly complied. I have multiple before and after pictures from Assistant's imperfect straightening, plus before and after pictures from the last 2 times I had I had thermal reconditioning done right (perfectly and without any complication, might I add). But I agree, you should see how bad it is in person. My hair should be dead straight. It is not.
In fact, my intention was to come down there this week and visit you all, but I have 2 kids to shuttle around and sort out before I go out of town next week, so I hardly have time to unscrupulously shrift a small business out of time and money. But you have never met me, so you would not know that.
Okay, so if I've got this right,I had to sit thru a five-hour ordeal that I was told would take 3 after getting a 30 min late start without being acknowledged (Kim walked past me 3 times without saying a word) while she could explain to someone in the back room how j-straightening works (and then Kim was coaching her through the application process with her back turned to us as if Amie had never done it before...what was i supposed to think??), while Kim -- who I was supposed to have the appt with literally stood there and talked about new handbags, stalkers, trashed salons, new boyfriends, all the while with her back turned to the service she was supposed to be conducting with her own two hands (i can draw Kim from the back no problem - i stared at her back for 5 hours), after never even acknowledging the fact that I was being palmed off on Amie (who licensed or not, is not the person with whom i was supposed to have my service - i wouldn't stand for that in a doctor's office or any other personal service) because of Kim's own booking error. And now that I am "claiming" that my hair is not perfectly straight (and NO, if it's done right localized kinks should not be there) -- even though I have no problems proving it to you, you simply never asked -- you are blaming ME for poor after care (even after Kim commended me on my fine choice of product - davines) and telling me that *I* am trying to rip *you* off -- and you top it off with the whole "talk to my lawyer" line? I think that's this whole scenario in a nutshell.
You have to know that you kids are not handling this thing well. Especially since you haven't seen my hair to know how bad it is. I've had curly hair long enough to know that I shouldn't have to flatiron after a j-straightening. Last time I had it done properly I just let it air dry and it was sublime for nearly a year. After Amie's service I have to use a hairdryer, a brush and a flat iron.
Wouldn't it have just have been easier to ask me to come in have a look than go through all this? You've accused me of so many things, now I'm all mad. So I'll see you guys tomorrow morning when you open and we can discuss this in person. I am more angry with the way you both have chosen to handle this than Amie's inexperienced workmanship at this point.
See you in the morning,
avoid kalista crusader
* * * * *
So, hell yes, I'm headed down there in the morning. I swear, had he not sent this email I was prepared to let this go. Now I'm ready to have some fun. They should probably keep my money. They're gonna need it when they don't have any customers left.
I've read it more than once. And I SWEAR I have not left any part of this story out.
You guys told me to ask for my money again, so I did. Not very nicely, but whatever. This was yesterday:
Kim,As you know, I had planned to go down there to show them my hair and ask for my money back, but I think he and the owner mistook my discomfort with going back there and having my hair *fixed* by them for a refusal to go and prove that my hair isn't completely straight, which at this point, I have to say is a total sidebar.
It's been 3 days.
I haven't heard from you regarding my refund, so I will presume you have gone and ahead and returned my money for the incomplete service I received by your "assistant" after the stylist bait and switch you pulled on me. I will check with my bank this morning. If that's not the case, I suggest that you get in touch with me before noon today to let me know when you'll be refunding my money.
After speaking with several other salon owners, other clients of your salon, and also the state cosmetology board, you should be giving me all of my money back plus money to get it fixed somewhere else. And if you were smart, you would have done that right when I requested it. As each day goes by that I don't hear from you, I get more and more pissed. Let's resolve this by noon today.
-Avoid Kalista Crusader
I raise my glass to the idiot that wrote this. Muy bold.
Avoid Kalista Crusader,
Hello, this is Russell of Kalista Salon & Spa. Having read your last email and consulted with Kim about it, I feel compelled to write and explain a few things to you:
1. In no case were you the victim of a “bait and switch,” and I am very disappointed by your attempt to intimidate us into refunding you with your use of such language. Kim was available to supervise your thermal straightening, and did so. Amie for her part, has performed thermal straightenings before on multiple occasions, is very skilled at it, and has her own thriving clientele; were that not the case, she would not have been released to do it in the first place. And while it is unfortunate that you did not end up having your service in exactly the manner you were expecting, which must have been a little surprising to you at first, you DID get your hair thermally straightened, exactly as you wished.
2. A small amount of localized wave following a thermal straightening is not uncommon, and is almost always correctable. Since we have no way of knowing how well you have been taking care of your hair since you left the salon after having it straightened, there is no way for us to know that you've been taking care of it as you should have been, so as to ensure its straightness and healthy condition. And since you have said you will not come back into the salon to have it looked at, there's no way for us to assess what exactly the issue with your hair is. Assuming that there is, indeed, any issue at all. Your word that it was done incorrectly--and are you a stylist, yourself?--absolutely does not constitute proof that it was done incorrectly. Any of your salon owner friends will be able to tell you that. Which leads me to...
3. Considering that you have not given us a chance to examine your supposedly flawed hair in person, and redress any possible mistakes that may have been made during its straightening process--and that is not at all an admittance that anything was necessarily done incorrectly--I am afraid that you have not provided us any proof that anything in fact was done incorrectly. Simply saying a thing does not make it so. And your extreme rudeness and aggression in contacting us since your hair apopointment, in light of this unusual refusal to have your hair even looked at since it's been processed, is, naturally, very suspicious to us, a small business who, like all small businesses, has been targeted by unscrupulous persons in the past. Now, I am not accusing you of lying, but can you see how, from our point of view, your actions must seem?
I am very sorry that you were unhappy with your overall experience here, avoid kalista crusader as the happiness of our clients is extremely important to us here at Kalista However, I am afraid that you have not provided sufficient proof of there being any technical problem with your service at all, nor have you allowed for us to have an opportunity to directly investigate (i.e. examine your hair in person) into that matter, and to, if needed, fix it, so I am sorry to say that we do not feel that a refund is warranted in this case. If you wish to pursue this matter further, I advise you seek legal counsel. We already have.
Thank you very much for your time.
Russell
And then me:
Russell,
I am sorry if you misunderstood that I was uncomfortable coming back to the salon to show you the incomplete straightening that I received. I am uncomfortable coming back to your salon to have it touched in any way or "fixed" by one of your stylists. I should have been more clear about that. Also, I think you may have been misinformed on many points. But most importantly, when I make an appointment with someone I expect *that* person (not a purported assistant who actually did the whole thing rather than just assisting) to be on time and respectful of the fact that I could go anywhere else for a service.
Your email is shocking. At no time during the 7 days my emails sat in her inbox was I asked by Owner to please come down and discuss the matter or let your salon examine the results. I would have gladly complied. I have multiple before and after pictures from Assistant's imperfect straightening, plus before and after pictures from the last 2 times I had I had thermal reconditioning done right (perfectly and without any complication, might I add). But I agree, you should see how bad it is in person. My hair should be dead straight. It is not.
In fact, my intention was to come down there this week and visit you all, but I have 2 kids to shuttle around and sort out before I go out of town next week, so I hardly have time to unscrupulously shrift a small business out of time and money. But you have never met me, so you would not know that.
Okay, so if I've got this right,I had to sit thru a five-hour ordeal that I was told would take 3 after getting a 30 min late start without being acknowledged (Kim walked past me 3 times without saying a word) while she could explain to someone in the back room how j-straightening works (and then Kim was coaching her through the application process with her back turned to us as if Amie had never done it before...what was i supposed to think??), while Kim -- who I was supposed to have the appt with literally stood there and talked about new handbags, stalkers, trashed salons, new boyfriends, all the while with her back turned to the service she was supposed to be conducting with her own two hands (i can draw Kim from the back no problem - i stared at her back for 5 hours), after never even acknowledging the fact that I was being palmed off on Amie (who licensed or not, is not the person with whom i was supposed to have my service - i wouldn't stand for that in a doctor's office or any other personal service) because of Kim's own booking error. And now that I am "claiming" that my hair is not perfectly straight (and NO, if it's done right localized kinks should not be there) -- even though I have no problems proving it to you, you simply never asked -- you are blaming ME for poor after care (even after Kim commended me on my fine choice of product - davines) and telling me that *I* am trying to rip *you* off -- and you top it off with the whole "talk to my lawyer" line? I think that's this whole scenario in a nutshell.
You have to know that you kids are not handling this thing well. Especially since you haven't seen my hair to know how bad it is. I've had curly hair long enough to know that I shouldn't have to flatiron after a j-straightening. Last time I had it done properly I just let it air dry and it was sublime for nearly a year. After Amie's service I have to use a hairdryer, a brush and a flat iron.
Wouldn't it have just have been easier to ask me to come in have a look than go through all this? You've accused me of so many things, now I'm all mad. So I'll see you guys tomorrow morning when you open and we can discuss this in person. I am more angry with the way you both have chosen to handle this than Amie's inexperienced workmanship at this point.
See you in the morning,
avoid kalista crusader
* * * * *
So, hell yes, I'm headed down there in the morning. I swear, had he not sent this email I was prepared to let this go. Now I'm ready to have some fun. They should probably keep my money. They're gonna need it when they don't have any customers left.
3.17.2007
D-Nied
I have just returned from the scene of the crime.
I walked in briskly and ask the frightened-looking receptionist if I may please see Kim and Russell, the Owner and Assistant Manager. "They are expecting me," says I.
"May I tell them who is here," she irritatingly asked as if she didn't know. She took one look at me walk through the door, bristled, and looked as if vomit were about to fall out of her mouth instead of words. "I'll be right back."
"Right back" turned out to be about five minutes after which the young receptionist informed me that Kim was tied up with a client, and Russell was out. "OK, then, " I said as if I were some character in a television drama series, "I'll just wait in here until she's done."
The young receptionist followed me into the main coiffuring lobby where - at high noon on a sunny Saturday in Portland - moms and brides-to-be were being photographed by grey-haired photographers, five or six twentysomethings were sitting under foil, and four junior stylists were hard at work. "You can't go in there...," her voice trailed off behind me because I was already four angry-cow-sized steps in front of her and onto my next mission.
I immediately ran smack dab into the Amie, "The Assistant" (who is a promising young stylist with whom I have no beef, and is absolutely not to be confused with Russell the angry-email-writing assistant salon manager) with her fingers deep into the nape of the mother of the bride, and I gave her a hearty, "Hello!" I think I seemed so excited to see her that for a second she wasn't sure if were were on hugging terms or maybe she thought she may have known me from somewhere else. "Hi! How are you?"
"It's me, avoid kalista crusader Remember, you straightened my hair about 10 days ago. How do you like it?" I asked while turning a pirouette for full effect.
"Oh. My. God. That's bad."
Yes, exactly.
We talked for a little while, I whipped out my pics all Exhibit A/Exhibit B-style, and the Assistant started to look nervous. I tried my best to reassure her, "Well, I don't blame you. I blame Kim for not doing the work herself."
"Do you want to talk to Kim?"
"She's in the back hiding and she won't come out."
"I'll go get her," offered the kind girl.
I went back to the waiting area and after a lot of angry loud whispering, out came Kim, the owner, with tight lips and stern look about her. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to show you that my hair is not straight and to discuss getting my money back," I explained to her as nicely as if I were asking my mother to borrow a million dollars.
"I will reprocess it for you for free. That's all I can do," she generously offered.
"No thank you. I would just like my money back. You and I both know that if you overprocess thermally reconditioned hair, it could fall out. I don't trust you or any or your stylists to 'fix' my hair, which I already explained to you via email. If you had just done the service yourself in the first place like I had scheduled , I imagine this would not be happening. But here we are. And the only reasonable solution for me at this point, especially given how disgusting and rude Russell's email was to me, is to get my money back."
"We will reprocess it for free. That's all we can do," she robotically repeated.
There was a bit more uninteresting back and forth, at which point I decided I had finally had enough (did you ever think I could get enough?). I thanked her for her time and walked out the door, casually looking back over my shoulder to catch her eye on my way out.
"By the way, the credit card company returned my money this morning [ed. or so i thought]. Have a nice weekend!"
* * * * *
Alls I gotta do now is get my complaints into the BBB and the Board of Cosmetology, complete with pictures, the emails back and forth, and of course, a full account of events then I can dust my hands clean of this nonsense finally.
I walked in briskly and ask the frightened-looking receptionist if I may please see Kim and Russell, the Owner and Assistant Manager. "They are expecting me," says I.
"May I tell them who is here," she irritatingly asked as if she didn't know. She took one look at me walk through the door, bristled, and looked as if vomit were about to fall out of her mouth instead of words. "I'll be right back."
"Right back" turned out to be about five minutes after which the young receptionist informed me that Kim was tied up with a client, and Russell was out. "OK, then, " I said as if I were some character in a television drama series, "I'll just wait in here until she's done."
The young receptionist followed me into the main coiffuring lobby where - at high noon on a sunny Saturday in Portland - moms and brides-to-be were being photographed by grey-haired photographers, five or six twentysomethings were sitting under foil, and four junior stylists were hard at work. "You can't go in there...," her voice trailed off behind me because I was already four angry-cow-sized steps in front of her and onto my next mission.
I immediately ran smack dab into the Amie, "The Assistant" (who is a promising young stylist with whom I have no beef, and is absolutely not to be confused with Russell the angry-email-writing assistant salon manager) with her fingers deep into the nape of the mother of the bride, and I gave her a hearty, "Hello!" I think I seemed so excited to see her that for a second she wasn't sure if were were on hugging terms or maybe she thought she may have known me from somewhere else. "Hi! How are you?"
"It's me, avoid kalista crusader Remember, you straightened my hair about 10 days ago. How do you like it?" I asked while turning a pirouette for full effect.
"Oh. My. God. That's bad."
Yes, exactly.
We talked for a little while, I whipped out my pics all Exhibit A/Exhibit B-style, and the Assistant started to look nervous. I tried my best to reassure her, "Well, I don't blame you. I blame Kim for not doing the work herself."
"Do you want to talk to Kim?"
"She's in the back hiding and she won't come out."
"I'll go get her," offered the kind girl.
I went back to the waiting area and after a lot of angry loud whispering, out came Kim, the owner, with tight lips and stern look about her. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to show you that my hair is not straight and to discuss getting my money back," I explained to her as nicely as if I were asking my mother to borrow a million dollars.
"I will reprocess it for you for free. That's all I can do," she generously offered.
"No thank you. I would just like my money back. You and I both know that if you overprocess thermally reconditioned hair, it could fall out. I don't trust you or any or your stylists to 'fix' my hair, which I already explained to you via email. If you had just done the service yourself in the first place like I had scheduled , I imagine this would not be happening. But here we are. And the only reasonable solution for me at this point, especially given how disgusting and rude Russell's email was to me, is to get my money back."
"We will reprocess it for free. That's all we can do," she robotically repeated.
There was a bit more uninteresting back and forth, at which point I decided I had finally had enough (did you ever think I could get enough?). I thanked her for her time and walked out the door, casually looking back over my shoulder to catch her eye on my way out.
"By the way, the credit card company returned my money this morning [ed. or so i thought]. Have a nice weekend!"
* * * * *
Alls I gotta do now is get my complaints into the BBB and the Board of Cosmetology, complete with pictures, the emails back and forth, and of course, a full account of events then I can dust my hands clean of this nonsense finally.
Don't take my word for it
Curly = Jeremy Todd BeforeStraight = Jeremy Todd After
I had this done at Jeremy Todd Salon in Seattle, WA approximately 18 months before the Kalista debacle.
Because the last time I had this done was so perfect, I was expecting the same results.
So I dug up these pics from the last time I paid a ton of time and money for my hair to look fly. I can feel the silky smoothness as if it were yesterday. Used to shower and be out in fifteen easy.Now please peruse the "alleged" not-quite-straight version offered by Kalista, for which I would simply like a partial refund (edited to add, originally i only wanted part of my money back, now I'm out for blood) because I have to battle with it every time I wash it.
Curly = Kalista Before
Wavy = Kalista After
After the botched $400.00 j-straightening at
Kalista Salon of Portland, OR.
Kalista Salon of Portland, OR.
We'll see if *this* is the hairdo the Kim and Russell are accusing me of unscrupulously trying to steal.
____________
So that's that, friends. My citysearch review was removed, and obviously the credit card company is a waste of time.
Make your own judgment. One thing is for sure, customer service is dead.
if you have any questions, i am happy to answer them at bewareofkalista@gmail.com
search terms: Kalista Salon, j-straightening, Japanese straightening, thermo reconditioning, thermal reconditioning,
