Is There A Statute Of Limitations On Complaining?
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My wife hung up the phone and declared, “I am getting my hair colored for free today.†She had that smirky smile on her face that beamed of, “I did it again.†I smiled back, waiting for the rest of the story that I knew was about to be delivered.
We were attending a charity dinner with my mother and father in law that evening, and my wife had decided that she wanted to look her best for the event. It had been quite a while since she had her hair colored, and some streaks of gray were beginning to show up on her roots. Her first choice salon was all booked up for the day, so she called her second choice.
They had an opening, but as she was officially booking the time slot, she remembered her last experience there. She asked who her stylist would be, hoping it wouldn’t be the same person that did it the last time. She explained to the receptionist that the last time she had her hair colored the gentlemen that performed the service had gotten hair color on several place on her face. While it did come off after a day or two, she spent the evening of our wedding anniversary worrying about brown spots on her cheeks and forehead. The receptionist told her that if she came in that day, they would not only make sure that the stylist did a great job, but the service would be complementary.
As she finished her story, the thing that stood out to me was that our anniversary was four months ago.
While I knew my wife had not been happy with the blotches on her face on our anniversary date, I wasn’t sure if I agreed with her bringing it up and expecting rectification four months later. Although, to be honest, the salon did get something out of the way they handled the situation:
- My wife ended up buying some products at their salon
- My wife also decided to have an additional service performed, which she did pay for
- My wife loved the job they did this time so much, that they may have taken the spot of her first choice salon.
I should also mention that as my wife and I were parting ways for her to enter the salon I spontaneously reminded her that even if the service was complimentary, she should still tip – probably even better than if she was paying for the service. She nodded her head and when asked about it later, she left about a 30% tip.
What do you think, was my wife out of line expecting some compensation for her botched hair coloring four months ago? Or is there no statute of limitation on complaining?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
My wife has had a couple of times when she’s been unhappy with her salon experience, but she’s always called to complain shortly after the visit. I think your wife had every reason to be unhappy, but it might have been better to call within a day or two after the appointment. They probably would have come through with the same offer (it doesn’t sound like something they could have corrected with a re-visit right after). I’m always a fan of getting things off your chest when they’re fresh in you mind.
@MoneyBeagle – I agree…but I think she honestly forgot all about it until she called to make the appointment months later. She’s not one to let a bad experience slide…no matter how long it’s been. 🙂