What Can You Do if Your Dream Makeover Turns Into a Nightmare?

Recent coverage of a customer being award a £2,064 court payout after being burned at a hair salon raises serious questions about the safety of customers undergoing beauty treatments.

With people spending billions of pounds each year on salon visits and beauty treatments, not to mention keeping up with the latest makeup trends, the beauty industry is showing no sign of slowing down.

Unfortunately, in this fast paced, trends-based industry, people don’t always receive the quality of service or look they desire. People might experience a botched beauty service, the dreaded bad haircut, or even suffer an allergic reaction to the chemicals used.

But what can you do if you need medical care as a result of poor treatment or the final look isn’t what you paid for? What rights do you have if you don’t like your new hair style and do you have to pay if the stylist didn’t give you the look you wanted?

Sarah Garner, a solicitor at DAS Law, tells you what you can do if your new look doesn’t quite make the cut…

One of the products used by the hair dresser/makeup artist caused irritated skin or allergic reactions. What can I do? Can I sue the hair dresser/makeup artist?

If the hair dresser/makeup artist has been negligent in carrying out the service you could potentially pursue a claim for personal injury. Negligence could be though failings such as not carrying out a patch test on your skin/hair, or not taking information relating to any allergies or medical conditions prior to commencing the service.

 If a mistake was made, such as the stylist cutting off too much hair or dying it the wrong colour, or if I asked a makeup artist for a specific look, and even showed them a photo but it looks different, do I still have to pay?

If the stylist has failed to provide the service that you have requested, you would be able to argue that they have breached the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Remedies for breach of contract include full refund, partial refund, or specific performance where they should provide the service again at no additional cost.

 My hair/makeup was done by a professional but I don’t like it, can I request a refund?

If the stylist has provided the service you requested you would not be entitled to a refund if it is just the case that you do not like it.

 The salon is charging me extra for a treatment but they didn’t inform me of the additional cost first, can they legally charge me for this?

If you have booked an appointment for a treatment and agreed a price then this is a legally binding contract. The salon would not therefore be able to charge an additional cost if they have failed to make you aware of this.

 I wrote a bad review for a makeup artist online and they are threatening to sue me. What can I do?

If the review that you post is accurate and true you would not be committing any offence and no legal action could be taken against you. However, if you are posting inaccurate or false information which would have an impact on their reputation they could potentially sue you for defamation if you fail to remove the post.

 Disclaimer: This information is for general guidance regarding rights and responsibilities and is not formal legal advice as no lawyer-client relationship has been created.