Mis-sold product.

Rache1

Hi,

Please be patient it is going to be long winded............I know this may seem daft but I want to take a hairdressing company to the small claims over £40. More out of principle than anything.

I usually spend £661.50 on haircuts and colour each year. That is 9 sessions at £73.50.

On march 18th of this year I was approached by a member of a street team who offered me what seemed to be a great deal. If I paid £40 there and then I could have all my haircuts for a year, for just £25 a time, plus a complimentary treatment, probably a head massage, and all hair colouring and highlights at half price for the year.

Also if I had my hair coloured it would include a complimentary cut and blow dry. This meant a wash, cut, haircolour and blow dry for £25! I jumped at the chance and took up the offer. It should have saved me approximately £436.50 over the year based on the offer price and my usual hair dressing prices.

I paid the £40 by my debit card and walked away with a glossy brochure/leaflet. This I still have.This brochure details a glossy makeover and photo shoot as well as the haircut prices and offer. No where on the brochure does it say I had to have the photo shoot to get the hair cut price offer. The man who sold it to me on the street also did not tell me of this, had he done so I would not have taken up the offer.

When I called a few weeks later to book an appointment I was told I had to have the makeover and photo shoot to qualify for the hair offer. I disputed this and said I was not told this and neither does the leaflet say this, and was told I would still have to pay the full price of the haircut.

I did not give up and several calls later (and about 3 weeks later) I managed to talk to a member of the team who apologised, said he understood and said he would cut my hair at the discounted price, I booked in with him. I did not have the photo shoot done.

It was mid May before I got my haircut. I had another cut in late June, but then for some reason, he parted company with the hair dressing company and went to work somewhere else. The company now will not honor the voucher, will not cut or colour my hair unless I pay full whack, and to top it off won't return my phone calls or emails.

When I managed to talk to someone at a call centre, she stated the voucher had been mis-sold to me and that I was one of many. She also said that the street team had printed the vouchers themselves and that the company were not honoring the voucher for that reason. Also adding that the team member who cut my hair previously was under investigation by the police and the man who approached me in the street was under investigation by trading standards.

I have made several attempts to verify this information and even spoke to the CAB, who were useless, telling me I had lost my money! Trading standards have said no investigation is going on into the street team.

Whatever the dispute between hairdresser and the company, street team and the company, I paid my money to the Hairdressing company, my bank statements confirms this.

Do I just ask for my £40, or as someone else suggested, as they won't refund, cut or colour, or even talk to me, go for £514.50 which is the cost of the remaining 7 haircuts for this year needed by my old salon, as they won't cut it?

I was going to post this on the CAB board but for some reason I can't post on there.

Any help or advice would be gratefully received.

nidO

If the company won't refund you, your best (and cheapest) approach is to contact your bank asking them for a chargeback on the debit card payment you made, the bank isn't legally required to do so but as long as you get to talk to the right person at the bank who fully understands the chargeback process, they generally will.
Details are at:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/visa-mastercard-chargeback

Rache1

Thank you - I have tried that and got no where as it is more than 6 months since the payment was made.

Thank you anyway.

magpiecottage

Have a look here. If a promise is for something to be provided in the future, you have 120 days from when it was not delivered (subject to a 540 day limit).

So it sounds like somebody might be misinterpreting the rules.

Rache1

Thank you - I will try again.

StuC75

anyway you can upload a scan of what is on the leaflet.. How does it mention a makeover but not imply that it is required? what is on the receipt \ conditions and confirmed as being 'on the offer' that you received?

If so far you have paid £40 plus had a discounted haircut for a total less than what one haircut would have cost then you may not be so much 'out of pocket' so to speak.. Afterall what if the hairdressers had just gone out of business or changed ownership in that time..