The Foodinista: Bench

Bench Fix Salon: Worst Hair Cut Experience

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Bench Fix Salon

My HAIR is my HOLY GRAIL. My hair is so long almost reaching the butt area. I rarely have a major hair cut but I do a monthly trim around 1 inch a month to cut away thesplit ends. I love my hair being this long, it adds more confidence and makes me feel more beautiful - talk about my low self esteem! I have fat cheeks and kind of a big head so I think having a long hair makes my face look thinner and smaller. O diba, todo judge sa sarili!

I decided to have my hair cut at Sm San Lazaro Bench Fix Salon because they did trim my bangs very well last time. So I told myself why not try to have my hair cut there again since i'm already confident with the results before. I've officially decided to have my hair trimmed around 4 inches long that's a hard decision to make for me because I know it will take years and months before I grow that hair back again.

I have been experiencing dry ends and super tangled hair lately because my hair dried out from intense colouring without any treatments. It was freakin' hard to comb it and blow drying my hair every morning and became a pain in the ass! Imagine spending most of your time just to comb and fix your hair, what a waste of time!

I went to Sm San Lazaro right away and scheduled a 4pm booking for my hair cut. I will not mention the name of the stylist so to protect his reputation.

I was confident at first but right after seeing the result, I was shocked. Akala ko nga namamalik-mata lang ago and then I asked the stylist to re-do it and adjust, but it seems like he can't see the difference dun sa hair cut. He trimmed it a little and explained to me that it's because of the shape of my hair and texture that's why it looks like it's not even.

Since it looks like I don't have a win in the situation, I just gave up. Paid and left the salon.

Check the photo below, as you can see the ends should be layered but it looked so awkward. Other areas are so even and others are not.

Bench Fix Salon

At first, I thought it was okay and no one would notice. But every time I comb my hair, napaansin ko talaga so I tried contacting Bench on Facebook and apparently they kept "seen-zoning" me. They didn't even reply to my e-mail as of this writing which is more than a month after this hair tragedy LOL. I lost my patience already and ranted on my Instagram account. I tagged Bench Fix Salon's Page and even had the courage to tag Mr. Ben Chan who is the owner of Bench Company to resolve this issue.

Maybe you would ask why I ranted instead of going to the Salon directly to form a complaint?

Well it's because I don't trust them enough to have my hair done there again. They might ruin it even more, I got paranoid and thought they might gang up on me.

Hair Cut Bench Fix Salon

GUESS WHAT?

Mr. Ben Chan replied to me 10 to 15 min. after that post. Gosh I was so happy yet a little embarrassed at the same time thinking maybe he was laughing while reading my rant and told himself talagang sa Instagram nagreklamo to. Haha! But I am happy to know that he is very reliable. He replies faster than their customer service, just wow.

His manager Dale sent me a DM and asked their store manager to contact me so they can fix it. However, I told them that I'd have my hair remedied on a different branch nalang cause I was too afraid that they might ruin it more. My intention here is not actually for them to fire the stylist or reprimand him, I just want to have my hair cut fix without having to pay another extra fee and of course for them to know they should double check the quality of work their stylists gives at Bench Fix. Awareness, kumabaga.

Ms. Jessica who is the Head Store Manager contacted me right away the next day and I was very happy how she handled the situation. She calmly apologized to me and told me they'll fix everything and gave me a free hair cut. I explained to him that my hair is of course my holy grail and I chose their Salon because of my trust on their services.

I was sent to Bench Fix Greenhills Branch which is my choice of branch for a re-do of my awful hair, and I was very happy on the service they provided me. My stylist's name is JAMES and he is a senior stylist in Gh Branch. I recommend you look for him when you pay a visit here, he is really good and obviously, he knows what he's doing. According to him, my hair is really awfully cut. It's not really even. Especially because I have a very straight hair which makes minor mistake on cut too obvious.

Thank you Mr. Ben Chan and Sir James and also to Ms. Jessica for accommodating my concern.

Anyway, it's a good lesson for me to do research first before I go to Salons. Also, do not be afraid to complain when you have one or even rant if needed. Companies need to know what they have to improve on their services and that should be from us customers. Feedback is always important for the betterment of their service.

HAVE A HAPPY HAIR DAY LADIES!

Reply From Mr. Ben Chan of Bench Fix Salon

Beauty

FIX: Bench Salon at SM San Lazaro Branch

Monday, February 15, 2016

SM SAN LAZARO Branch

I have always been on a hunt in finding the best salon and the most affordable one in Manila. If not, the one who can give me a good fringe cut the least. I have had a long straight hair for more than 3 years now and it's not easy to maintain.

I usually do a trim on the ends of my hair every 4 to 6 months just to take out all the split ends and then have my side bangs trimmed.

I do not have a particular salon that I often go to but I usually have my hair cut in Bambang Fresh Salon - it's just a cheap salon but since I want to cut a short part of my hair only I do not see the need to spend a huge amount for salon services. This time though I felt the urge to look for a salon that I can really spend on to have my hair cut.

I was choosing between David Salon and Bench Fix Salon since these are the nearest salon's in my house which is just located at SM San Lazaro.

Services

This is the Bench Fix Salon's most recent rate card (Feb 2016). I took the FIX - A STYLIST for P250. The shop assistants would ask the service you want and the stylist you prefer to have your service done. If you're a first timer better ask for the senior stylist so to assure that you'll have a good haircut.

Sm San Lazaro branch tends to have a lot of customers so I suggest you call for a reservation of a time slot for your convenience or book in advance before you roam around the mall to reduce the long waiting time period.

Inside the salon

The space of the salon is enough to accommodate 7 to 10 customers in one sitting however it will still depends on what service the customers will avail.

What I like about this place is it's very clean and neat. Does not smell awful, it is well lit and everything is visible. Their products are in order and even the towels.

My stylist's name is Ferdie.

He asked me the style that I wanted and I said I just simply wanted a trim and a perfect side bangs.

A different person shampooed and blow-dried my hair, after that when I was all set Ferdie came back to me and then started trimming my hair. He is really good and was able to achieve my desired hair cut and he even gave me a lot of tips on how I should be taking care of my hair and how to make my bangs 'pop' and have more volume.

Side Bangs

I will definitel come back, I really love my hair cut! My bangs popped and I was ready to go out and party! Have you tried their services? How do you feel about it? Comment below!