Fried hair disaster!

I was a first (& now last) time customer at Argyle salon. I had made a booking after consulting with one of their stylists regarding a balayage colour treatment. I was informed the salon was able to achieve the desired results without damaging my hair. My hair at the time was shoulder length, healthy & previously coloured (naturally though, thick & dark). Thus i was happy to make a booking and specifically requested a senior stylist with good knowledge of colouring. I was booked in with Monique.

On the day of my appointment i was seen promptly and on time. I was very clear with my hair history; previously coloured and lightened as well as any current products that i use. I presented a few photos of the look i was after and asked (again) if this look could be achieved without damaging the hair. I was informed this look could be achieved with ease & that we would need to lighten the hair a bit to reach the desired outcome.

Two stylists applied a head full of foils. Left it in for roughly 20min before rinsing. Then a toner was applied for 5 min. The first thing i noticed was how white the ends of my hair were. Then, whe it came to drying and styling the hair, it was clear that the stylist was hesitant to comb the hair. She focused on drying the scalp area using a hair dryer. The hair felt frail and i was told that this was normal, to apply a treatment in the next few days and it would be okay. I requested a small trim, this was done without separating or lifting the hair - usually i need my hair pinned in sections for this process. I was in and out of the hair dresser in roughly 2 hrs. The cost for a colour, treatment, trim & style was $180 AUD.

When i arrived home, i noticed my hair was flaking off. I assumed it was the left overs from the dry trim. I decided to give it a warm rinse (no products). At this stage, my hair began to fall out. It was jelly-like and breaking off. The hair in the photo was a lump that came off.
I applied a Nak treatment in it to assist in repairing.

I quickly contacted the salon via their messenger page. I added the same photo to show them the damage and asked to be contacted. I received a reply that same eveining;

"Hi there, this is Monique, I did your hair today!
As we discussed your hair will feel dry after having your hair bleached and also being previously bleached, it is normal for your hair to react like this, your hair just needs some more moisture put back into it. If you use your treatment like we discussed or feel free to come in and we can do a treatment for you. We can give you a call tomorrow if you would like to discuss anything else you may be worried about."

I decided to get a second opinion from another salon.Two senior stylists examined my hair and concluded that it had been fried (burnt) from extreme use of bleach and poor handling. This may have been from using a high % bleach product. I was also informed that it is not normal for hair to react in this manner if it had been treated properly. Additionally, I needed to get a intensive repair and reconstruct treatment ($120) and will need to cut 15-20cm off my hair.

I contacted Argyle salon again to inform them of the above outcome. They neglected to reply or offer any form of compensation.

An overall very stressful experience which has left me with less hair & less money. I wouldn't recommend this salon.

* unable to attach photo here

Approximate cost: $180

I went here with a friend of mine on her wedding day - the girls that work here did a really fabulous job on her hair and makeup, and i loved what they did with my hair too. Friendly, bubbly staff and reasonable prices.