A customer claims she went to a curl specialist who botched her haircut and left her in tears a week before she was supposed to go on vacation to Europe.
Getting a bad haircut can be a traumatic experience, but unfortunately, it’s also a common occurrence. The Daily Dot has previously reported on one customer who was gaslit by his barber after the stylist messed up the cut and another who warned her followers never to get their hair cut at Ulta.
On May 23, 2024, Briana (@user226408) uploaded a TikTok of herself crying after her haircut.
“I know it’s just hair,” she acknowledges before launching into an explanation of what purportedly happened.
“I went to a curly hair specialist today. This studio only does curly hair, and this is the length of this compared to this,” she says as she holds up two layers of hair, the top layer being visibly shorter than the bottom.
The curly-haired customer goes on to post a picture of her hair before she got the haircut. In the picture, Brianna appears with a thick mane of curls that go down to her mid-back.
“I can’t even look at myself,” she says about her new hairstyle.
Briana says she left the salon without complaining but then had to take the day off work because she was so distraught. She says she went back to the salon and asked for her hair to be fixed. However, as evidenced by her reaction in the video, she was still unhappy with the results. She also adds that the salon gave her a $115 refund after she asked, though it initially only offered $20.
The TikToker’s video received 3.4 million views, and nearly all of her viewers were sympathetic to her situation.
“I’m SO angry for u. This is the reason why my hair is so long i trust no one with a curly cut,” wrote one person.
“You are not being dramatic! Hair is SUCH a big thing for a lot of people, and it’s 100% understandable to be upset! So sorry this happened to you,” said another.
Viewers suspect sabotage
Some viewers suggested the stylist gave the customer a bad haircut on purpose, although there is no evidence that this happened.
“Whoever did your hair must of been jealous of your hair,” one viewer wrote.
“Did you TELL your stylist you’re going to Europe?! Cuz I’ve heard of stylists cutting long beautiful hair when they’re jealous,” another asked.
A number of viewers called out the salon by name, and one person even claimed that they had a similar experience.
“If this is Rumbie and co i went late last year/ early this year and they added a treatment to my cut without warning and made me sit under the dryer for HOURS. i ended up being there for 6-7 hours,” they wrote.
@user226408 i did get a $115 refund (only wanted to refund $20 at first) but the fact i was told that this was okay and that my hair was dry/frizzy so was gonna look like that #fy #hair #curlyhair #haircut #viral @Rumbie & Co ♬ original sound – user226408
The salon, Rumbie & Co., responded to Briana’s post with a TikTok of its own, in which the owner, Rumbie Mutsiwa, directly addressed the dissatisfied customer about her haircut.
“Briana, I saw that haircut, and no one more than you is disappointed in that haircut,” Mutsiwa says.
The salon owner goes on to apologize to Briana for her experience and offers to fix the haircut again, if Briana would allow her to do so.
Mutsiwa also addresses the threats that she and her team have received since Briana posted her video. She posts screenshots of several disturbing messages and says that while she appreciates people’s ability to empathize with the customer, there’s no reason for her team to receive violent and racist messages.
The Daily Dot reached out to Briana via TikTok direct message and to Rumbie & Co via email for further updates.
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