HOUSTON – An Arizona woman is upset after investing hundreds of dollars and traveling to Houston for a hair appointment only to have it rescheduled and then canceled.
Kayla Love did an interview with KPRC 2 from a Houston airport Wednesday morning, right before boarding a flight back home to Phoenix, Arizona.
Love’s hair was in the same style she arrived in Houston with Monday night.
“Just scammed, sick. I’m upset. I am in disbelief,” Love said as she described her emotions. “I work hard for my money and I flew all the way out here, and nothing.”
Love said she booked loc extensions with Amina Yaramax, the owner of the Serenity Hair Studios located off Wilcrest Drive in southwest Houston, after judging Yaramax’s work through photos on her business Instagram account which has more than 50,000 followers. Yaramax is also affiliated with Afro Bruja’s Emporium and Hair.
“With her page having so many followers, the pictures she has posted on there are really beautiful pictures,” Love said. “It looks like she does quality work, and so, I trusted that I was selecting a hair stylist that was going to be professional.”
Love said she put down a $200 deposit for the $800 loc extension style.
“The specific style that I wanted, there’s not a lot of ladies that do it,” she said, which is why she was willing to travel to have the style done.
The Arizona woman said she spent more than $600 to book her flight, pay for hotel accommodations, a rental car and food.
On Tuesday, the day of her appointment, Love said Yaramax messaged here asking to reschedule the appointment to Wednesday morning around 5 a.m.
“Around 4:15 a.m., I get a text message from her saying the same thing, can you come at 6 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.? So, I said Amina I have a flight and I need to be at the airport at 11,” Love said. “There’s no way you can do my hair and have it done by the time I need to leave.”
Love said she ultimately left Wednesday morning without her hair done or a refund of her deposit.
“And to find out she had done this to well over 50 women,” Love said. “And those were the ones that left reviews online. I’m sure there are probably hundreds before, from what I read she’s been doing this since 2019.”
Dozens of other clients, many from out of town, shared similar experiences on Yelp and with the Better Business Bureau online with the same stylist. Some commented that their deposits were never refunded.
KPRC 2 Reporter Taisha Walker made an unscheduled visit to see Yaramax at her salon Wednesday morning regarding Love’s deposit.
“I messaged her this morning and I offered her a discount for rescheduling her appointment because, again, I’m sick with COVID, and even the client I have right now I had to reschedule her as well yesterday because I was pretty sick,” Yaramax said.
Yaramax said she doesn’t deny some of the online reviews, which she attributes to poor scheduling on her part.
“I do admit I do have a rescheduling, cancellation problem that’s definitely something I’m trying my hardest to work on,” she said. “A lot of them do book as far as Instagram and things like that, I am limiting that. And I have limited my booking online as far as how many people can book so I’m able to limit the whole problem with the cancellation.”
The loctician said she plans to refund Love $600 by Wednesday night to compensate her for her full deposit and some of her travel charges.
“Would you be able to transfer it in front of us back to her?” KPRC2 Taisha Walker questioned.
“Right now, I’m unable to at this moment because, that’s why I told her this afternoon, due to money,” Yaramax said. “I like what I do. I see it as a form of art and that might be my problem because I should treat it more as a business than as a form of art.”
For others looking to book any online service, the BBB suggests people check reviews first and avoid using debit cards or money transfer apps as forms of payment.
“One thing we recommend whenever you are shopping online or purchasing services online is to use a credit card,” said Leah Napoliello, Vice President of Operations for the BBB. “So it can be easier to dispute these types of charges with a credit card as opposed to other types of payment.”