Many businesses use social media to promote their product and connect with their clientele, but a recent wave of toxicity has shown the dark side of the business tool.
Melissa Ferguson owns Beauty and Babes in the city’s south end and has been a hairstylist for several years. She told BarrieToday her troubles began in February when she did the cut and colour for a teenager who had come into the Hurst Drive shop. A few days later, Ferguson says the teen’s mother contacted her with concerns about the look and price.
“I told her we don’t give refunds, but we would happily fix it for her. I offered other styles, but she only wanted a refund, which we have a policy that we don’t do that,” Ferguson said. “There is signage up that states we don’t.”
Ferguson said she didn’t hear back from the woman until April when the shop advertised a customer appreciation event on social media.
“All of a sudden, that same woman started posting in multiple Facebook groups and telling her side of the story from February. I don’t know if I gave that bad of a haircut,” she said. “It was three months prior, I had just found out I was pregnant — I may have been in my own head. But I did tell her I would fix it, I just couldn’t give a refund.”
Ferguson said the posts multiplied and started to come from people she had never even met.
“We also had about 150 one-star reviews on Google from people who had never been in the salon,” she said. “Thankfully, I was able to get them flagged, but it took up a