Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation

Consumer Reviews and Complaints

1. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   After 20 years with Aveda, I am through. A year ago, I moved to Minneapolis and have had horrible experiences with three different salons. The first two salons I went to, I tried a total of five different stylists in attempt to get my hair right. I had my hair butchered, my color last two weeks, and often the hair cut I did not request. The salons were M. Elizabeth Salon and Sanctuary Salon. My last visit came yesterday when I went for my 2:30 appointment at yet another Aveda Salon, Salon 2000, and at 3:05 cancelled my appointment and left the salon because I was tired of sitting in the waiting area. I called the Aveda customer service line and reported my issues. My concern is I was told my complaints would be documented however these were independently owned salons, which I took to mean there is nothing you can do. I can’t believe that with the brand that Aveda has this would be their standard answer. Do you not set training standards for these salons or do any coaching on customer service? Prior to moving to Minneapolis, I went to a salon called Czars (Bolingbrook, IL and Naperville, IL) and I never had any issues. They were very professional and seemed to always have their staff doing some type of training. I would highly recommend Aveda benchmark this salon. I only post this because even though a salon has the Aveda name on it does not make it a premier salon. I would highly recommend you view internet reviews on the Salon before you pay the couple hundred dollars to get your hair done.

   By Elli Brackenridge

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2. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   Be aware of Aveda Institutes. Before I enrolled at Aveda they promised me all the one on one instructor/student time that I would need, small class size, the best training, and more…Aveda Instututes do not let the student have their tips from clients. Aveda threatened the students on a regular basis, that if we kept any time, even one-dollar, the student would be terminated on the spot. The first day of class, there were not enough chairs to accomade the 35 students (I was told classes were no more than 10 to 15 students). We colored for five weeks with crayons. Reverse discrimination became a problem. It was ok for some students to say white remarks and the instructors reversed discrimnated too. Once on the clinic floor, I was refused live model-services by the school. I repeatedly asked to be given some walk-ins but was neglected. After I completed 51% of my hours, I was terminated and charged 100% tuition. Aveda charges $22, 000.00! Subsequent to my termination, I was harassed by the AVeda staff, Lisa, Cara, Kim, Alley, Jessica, Jimmy, Sean. I was called into a tiny office where Lisa and Cara accused me of being rude to a customer. I told them that I was not and did not understand why they were saying this. I began to break into uncontrollable tears and asked to talk later. They didn”t care how I felt and refused to listen to me. I eventually couldn”t take anymore of the browbeating and stood up turned away from them and tossed the brush into the air and left the room. It is not illegal or criminal to toss anything into the air, by the way. Once I walked outside of the building, I as surrounded by Lisa, Cara, Kim, Alley, Jessica and Jimmy. I was in tears and couldn”t get any words out to talk. I sat at the picnic table while they harassed me even more. I as told to take a week off and come back to school the following Tuesday. THe next week I arrived at Aveda and was told to meed Kim, Alley and Jessica in Jessica”s office. AGain, I was surrounded and harrassed. Kim told me that I was not a good fit for the school and that I was a good student and could transfer to another school. I asked Kim for a second chance at Aveda, but she said no. I still tried to get back into Aveda but they ignore my emails and phone calls. I realized that AVeda terminated at 51% of my completed hours. Once a student completes 50% of the hours, Aveda claims 100% tuitin, which is $22, 000.00. I don”t have this kind of money. I can never get another Pell Grant for cosmetology. I have thousands to pay back in student loans because of Aveda. I reported Aveda to the Office of Inspector General, Department of Education, NC State Board of Cosmetology, NACCAS (National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences), Better Business Bureau, Congress, Senate, Ombudsman at the US Dept of Education and Federal Trade Commission. I have any attorney for a civil suit against Aveda. If anyone has been wronged by Aveda or any other Cosmetology school, please email me at [protected]@yahoo.com…I would like to start a class action lawsuit

   By Amina Mordarski

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3. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   Both daughter and I, in separate magazine ads, wanted to try a hair thinning product of Aveda; called their Cust Serv to get nearest hair salon and travelled 11 miles each way to find that salon said samples supposedly sent to salon were never sent or received by salon for distribution; called Cust Serv back and she said/he said, she said/he said, but when it comes down to it, their Cust Serv said they had no samples to send, did not expect to have any samples and could/would not even send a coupon for the $24/shampoo or $24/conditioning product; salon said you could not see results unless you used more than the sample, even if it were available for distribution; Cust Serv said “that’s the way it goes.” I can see from searching for complaints about this product that my feeling it was a scam to get you into their salon distributors…DON’T BUY AVEDA PRODUCTS IS ALL I CAN SAY– Signed: a senior and her adult daughter/mother of 3 in New Jersey/USA.

   By Danny Pon

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4. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   Do not order from aveda they will rip you off! Got an email promotion from aveda offering a free full size product for any order over $50. The free item showed in the shopping cart before I hit submit order. But it did not show in the final order. When I called to report the problem was treated like I did something wrong. Spoke with sabrina who clearly does not like people. Basically accused me of making the mistake… Then said computers make mistakes, then when I got upset over her callous attitude she said she was hanging up on me because I was getting aggressive. Run screaming from this company. They do not care about customers and will try to cheat you!

   By Denae Barrieau

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5. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   Had an appt today for myself and my daughterinlaw visiting me from NC, The girls working on us was nice but their experience was none on French tips and my daughterinlaw who had beautiful nails ended up with nails filled in the quick and a horrible nail polish application, noone ever checked on them, signing a waiver is unfair because we want our money back, we paid 30 dollars a piece for a service that noone should get even from students, they gave us a gift card to use in their location and I will never go there again you can have your gift certificate, I want mine and my daughterinlaw money back, shame on the instructors for not even checking on their work and sending us out looking horrid. Terrible to take my daughterinlaw somewhere to get pampered and we ended up paying money to get screwed up.

   By Casie Faulks

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6. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   I am irate because I spent $160 on a hair cut and color at the Jon Allen Aveda salon on nippers corner in Nashville, TN and the lady at the front desk accused me of stealing a product. I walked to the bathroom with a product the stylist was showing me and came back out with it and the lady at the front desk accused me of trying to steal it! I have always put the products I have intended to buy near my stuff and saved it for when I check out and I have never before been accused of stealing. I have been to nicer salons and never been accused of stealing before. The girl at the front should be fired for making guests feel so uncomfortable! I spent over $160 at that salon and will NEVER go back!

   By Veola Sane

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7. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   I am very frustrated with your financial department in dealing with my refund on returned products from my salon. I asked them to not refund my money to the account they have on file because it is closed…They did it anyway and my old bank has returned the deposit. so now my money is in the wind… I asked for a check and the woman I am dealing with for some reason has made this personal. I just want my funds back in my business. I did everything that was asked of me and Aveda has received the product and it has been inventoried. However, they are not willing to do the same by putting my refund in a check and mailing it to me. Jeanne Stanton and Bridget Schmidt are who I am dealing with. Bridget told me she would tie this up forever because she did not want to do the right thing. just refund my funds. I have had the poorest experience with AVEDA from cradle to grave!!! Lisa Williams Simply Elegant Beauty Boutique, INC. (DBA) My Salon Bellissima [protected] 16562 Gothard Street A Huntington Beach, Ca 92647 refund #[protected] Amount of refund $1194.35

   By Briana Byus

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8. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   I asked for the ingredients of a toner used that caused my hair to turn orange and become very brittle. Aveda does not reveal ingredients used in their salon products. These products are impossible to remove, and damage the hair. Reply from the Florida Board of Cosmetology There is nothing in the Florida Board of Cosmetology laws and rules requiring Aveda to release this information to you. I suggest you seek legal counsel for assistance. Thank you. Executive Director Board of Cosmetology

   By Nelda Rybka

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9. 

   Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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   I had a hair cut today at the Aveda Institue with an advanced student and also bought a blusher. My bill came up to $67.83. I presented the cashier with a $25 gift card which was part of a Xmas package I bought at the same Aveda Institute in Dec 2009. The cashier refused saying that the $25.00 discount was good only for the month of January. I complained but did not get any satisfaction, other than a phone number to call one of the salon’s directors- which I did immediately. I have not heard back yet. My complaint is as follows: I feel as if I have been cheated and duped because: 1. there is no expiry date on the gift card. The only disclaimer on it is “Valid from january 01 2010 for salon services only. Taxes and gratuities not included.” There is nothing on the card, front or back that says that it is only valid for January 2010. 2. The cashier maintained that we would have been told at the time of purchase in December 2009 that the card was only good for January 2010. That is untrue because had I been told that, i would not have bought the Xmas package in the first place as I knew I was going to be out of the country for 6 weeks, including the entire month of January 2010, and was in fact leaving the weekend of the purchase. I feel I have been cheated on both counts. I have been a great supporter of Aveda in the US and Canada and a fan of the mission of its original founder, Horst Rechelbacher. But this episode has left a poor and bad taste in my mouth. Be aware of Aveda offering gifts!

   By Wm Siefferman

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10. 

    Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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    I had a horrible interaction with Golden Shears, an Aveda Concept Salon in Albuquerque. When I contacted Aveda to report the incident, I was told that there was nothing they can do about individual salons, as they are individually owned; however, they would try to contact the owner/manager and discuss the issues. After four days and at least two different/conflicting stories from the owner, Aveda refused to assist further. I was shocked that even after the manager lied directly to Aveda, their “Customer Care” team would not provide any assistance. As a loyal customer of the Aveda product and philosophy, I expected if they put their name on a salon, they would expect/mandate that salon to do their business by a set of ethical rules. Unfortunately, despite the image advertised by Aveda, they are unconcerned with the individual customer. They are just another greedy company trying to masquerade as an ethical company. Aveda should be ashamed. And I am ashamed that I believed your hype.

    By Alix Talamo

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11. 

    Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

    (1)

    I had a horrible interaction with Golden Shears, an Aveda Concept Salon in Albuquerque. When I contacted Aveda to report the incident, I was told that there was nothing they can do about individual salons, as they are individually owned; however, they would try to contact the owner/manager and discuss the issues. After four days and at least two different/conflicting stories from the owner, Aveda refused to assist further. I was shocked that even after the manager lied directly to Aveda, their “Customer Care” team would not provide any assistance. As a loyal customer of the Aveda product and philosophy, I expected if they put their name on a salon, they would expect/mandate that salon to do their business by a set of ethical rules. Unfortunately, despite the image advertised by Aveda, they are unconcerned with the individual customer. They are just another greedy company trying to masquerade as an ethical company. Aveda should be ashamed. And I am ashamed that I believed your hype. : (

    By Candice Elvers

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12. 

    Aveda Institute / Aveda Corporation Reviews & Complaints

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    I had heard complaints about Aveda before I went but decided to try anyway. The first time I went I had to get used to their “style” of doing things–which includes a bunch of visits from your stylist”s overseer/mentor person during your haircut. This is not too big of a deal because this is a school for beauty students, and they”re still learning…but you do have to get used to being treated like a guinea pig. The first girl I had on my first visit did a great job. I was so nervous because she seemed a little out of it…sort of spacey, maybe just too casual, and the last part of the haircut she didn”t let me see the mirror because it was a surprise. I was scared but she showed me the final product to my amazement: The best blow-out I”ve ever had! She really took the time to make my hair voluminous and wavy like I asked. The haircut itself was even perfect–can never get it that way again. As much as I try to explain it now, I havent had my hair cut like that since then. This leads to my next haircuts, which as I said, were not as good as this one. The second hairstylist/student I had was nice but she wasn”t the greatest. It kind of felt like she didn”t wash all the shampoo out of my hair before she started styling. This made me really irritated during the haircut because it was like parts of my hair were heavier and greasier than others and she didn”t notice. When she blow dried my hair she didn”t capture all the pieces and it looked half-assed (even though I do believe she tried). My hair felt unwashed and REALLY frizzy all day…and your hair is supposed to feel nice after a haircut. At the end of my visit, I went to pay the cashier and I recognized the lady behind the counter from my first visit–must be a manager or some higher-up. She was really short with me while I was paying…like I didn”t press the Credit key fast enough for her…or something like that, I don”t exactly remember. But basically it should have been an easy customer service experience where she could have smiled and taken her eyes off her computer for two seconds, instead of pushing customers through like cattle. Last, and worst of all, was the third stylist. I made haircut appointments for my fiance and I, and he was really resistant to coming, so I was just hoping that we would have a good experience. They called me for my appointment, but didn”t call him for another 25 minutes even though our appointments were at the same time. By the way, the two of us finished at the same time..and I have shoulder length hair, whereas he was just getting a buzz… So, I sit down and my stylist starts talking at me for like ten minutes, and I just want to hurry because I don”t want my fiance to wait forever for my haircut to finish. She is asking a lot of questions about how I usually style my hair, the products I use, and she”s kind of lecturing me about hair care, not in a mean way—she means to be helpful and friendly—but it felt awkward. I was just nodding along until she said, “You know you can FEEL the grease on your roots!” and I was like, “Well yeah, sorry I just came from the gym”, or something, which I had. And then she comes back a little too enthusiastically, “Oh, no honey. It”s from your shampoo!” After that I was kind of offended. I know they have been trained to say stuff like “Store bought shampoo is bad, our shampoo is good, ” but she took it too far. How could she know it was from my shampoo and not something else? My hair didn”t even feel that greasy. She was making something out of nothing to prove a point. She told me her ideas for my hair, then had her mentor come over to approve her plan. The mentor had a different idea about what cut and shampoo she should use, so she told the stylist to use some other style of cutting, some other (more expensive) shampoo. When the mentor walked away, the stylist seemed defensive of her original decisions and started talking a little smack about the mentor. Not anything overtly bad, but for instance she said, “You know, I recommended THIS shampoo, and not the other stuff because you know, THEY just seem to forget that the reason people come get their haircut here is because they can afford it. Like who”s willing to spend $20 on shampoo!?” This remark made me feel weird, almost like I was cheap and poor for going to Aveda. But mostly it was just unprofessional to talk about her superior. That wasn”t the only time she talked about her supervisors behind their backs. Different ones came over each time with more tips and stuff, and each time she”d defend her own actions and make some comment on theirs. When we went to wash my hair, she kept telling me how fabulous this one product was, and how it was even good at cleaning jewelry. She and I had talked about my fiance when I arrived so she knew I had a ring, and asked me–while soaping up my head–if she could clean my ring for me. I felt really weird handing back my engagement ring to a stranger standing over a sink, and have her put some unknown chemicals on it. The ring looked fine and everything but asking somebody to hand over their precious items like that really puts them in a weird position. A few weeks ago, by the way, I dumped Aveda for good and decided to just shell out $60 (including tip) for a nice haircut. The REAL stylist at the other salon almost seemed to laugh at my hair when I told her I wanted to re-shape and add layers. She described the layers in the back of my head (that I had been given by the last Aveda stylist) as very cut-and-dry…boom, boom, boom–three staunch layers. Not cool. They should have been of varying lengths and integrated better. Ok, so anyway, back at Aveda I finish the haircut and the stylist is making a fuss about finding me the shampoo that SHE recommended, even though I didn”t ask for it. She seems to annoy the people at the front (including the ### lady from before). I hear the other staff members make some annoyed comment about how this stylist is behind on her appointments, “again.” I thought it was really unprofessional of these manager-looking people to make mean comments about a stylist. The stylist was talkative, flightly and energetic, which I can see may come off as annoying, but all in all I think she was trying to be nice, helpful, and relatable. But the staff, especially this one lady behind the counter, didn”t seem to have such good intentions. They were just mean. While I was paying, this same ### lady was again short with me. No smile, no hello, barely any eye contact. She always seems to be angrily busy with something behind the counter and barely looks up to give you your total. Only grunts it at you. Ultimately, it was this lady–who is obviously some kind of higher-up–that made me stop going to Aveda, not the stylists. If you have a customer service job and you expect to keep it, then you should be the type of person who always has a smile on and looks approachable enough that I can ask for help if I need it. How do these kind of people get through?

    By Merrill Faraone

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