5 Tips to Help Avoid Lawsuits Against Your Salon

Satisfied customers are the key to a successful business, but you need to be prepared for the worst. Feathers Salon Group Managing Director Debbie Digby has listed 5 measures you can take today to avoid lawsuits against your salon tomorrow. These tips were summarized in the magazine for hairdressers HJ, and we translated the article for you.

1) Always follow the manufacturer's instructions

If something goes wrong with your service, your insurance company will ask for instructions on all products used. If you fail to meet your duty of care to your clients, you may be in breach of your insurance, which means you will have to pay for your own defense and to compensate your client.

What are some common charges you may face?

• Allergy test was not performed

• No test strand was made.

• Did not perform an incompatibility test

• The product “worked” on the hair for too long

• Incorrect temperature

• Incorrect technique

2) Write everything down

Make simple notes and create diagrams to prove, if anything happens, that you carefully prepared for the service for the client before performing it. Maintain records of training, practices and procedures, including:

• Color notes

• Notes on chemical services

• Client consultation

• Health and safety training

• First aid kit and all first aid rules

3) Remember comfort and safety

You are responsible for everyone who is on the premises of your beauty salon.

A barber's healthy hands are essential to doing the job. But the emphasis in training and caring for a young employee is on you as the salon owner and employer. If a hairdresser suffers from contact dermatitis, the client can file a claim for up to three years. Be sure to develop policies, offer training, and provide employee protections and “oversight” to protect your business from this common occupational hazard.

4) Create a grievance procedure

Develop a clear complaints procedure that you post and follow in your salon. Please note the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (this is UK law) and remember that you have a duty to provide your customers with a service that is fit for purpose. Some salon owners believe that helping a client with a complaint is an admission of guilt, but this is not the case. You can help with a customer complaint as a gesture of goodwill.

5) Maintain professionalism and minimum standards

If a service performed in your salon is questioned, the team member who provided the service may be accused of not having the necessary experience to perform it. As a salon owner, you need to prove that you are constantly improving the skills of your entire team.

Regular training is important, and certificates and photographs of participants are invaluable. Make sure your team never glosses over or takes shortcuts. For example, heat-resistant styling tools should only be used to enhance the style and not as a substitute for blow-drying. In addition, if there are heat protection products for hair, they should always be used. I’ve heard a lot about court cases where a client’s face was burned with an iron, and another’s neck was cut with scissors. The fact is, we hold ourselves to very high standards and must always put the health and safety of our customers and our team first.