Debbie Digby is the owner of the Feathers Salon Group in Essex. Debbie’s approach to professionalism has built resilience and certainty into her business – the future looks bright.
In this newsletter we look back at the day a no win no fee solicitor came knocking. They met their match with Debbie.
Emma xxx
“My salons have been the target of no win no fee solicitors. Will yours be next?”
You’ve likely seen how ‘No Win No Fee’ lawyers target businesses like ours. Hairdressers with inadequate systems can offer rich pickings. You may have heard the adverts asking for people to come forward if they’ve had a reaction to hair colour in a salon, claiming that they could be entitled to a significant amount of compensation.
I’ve experienced this in my own business. We had a client who had been perfectly happy with their colour, and despite not having any kind of reaction, made a claim against us with the help of a no-win no-fee solicitor. We had used Colourstart to test the client, leaving no doubt about our professional standards or the way we care about our clients.
Being able to contact Colourstart and request the clients’ case records made the process so much easier. There was no ambiguity, and we had the ‘gold standard’ of colour testing to prove our case.
The truth is, I don’t think it should be the hairdresser’s responsibility to test someone against an allergic reaction, I don’t think we are qualified to do so and it is a huge amount of responsibility.
However, it is something we need to address, and putting procedures in place to skin test and having a fully audited record with a MHRA licensed test is an essential part of running a professional business.
I personally think that making our occupation more professional is incredibly positive. Partnering with companies like Colourstart as part of my business ensures we are always one step ahead.