Becca Peet, of Alton, Hampshire, was enjoying her 21st birthday when she decided to colour her hair at the renowned salon.
But it all went wrong, and Becca wound up in the hospital with chemical burns on her scalp.
Her open incision on her skull subsequently became infected and needed to be taken out, necessitating surgery.
Becca was left with a bald spot the size of a tennis ball in the middle of her head that was horribly damaged.
Her self-esteem had plummeted, and she had to wait three years for Toni & Guy to compensate her with a five-figure payment.
Every morning, she meticulously styles her hair to the side to conceal her bald patch.
“I was expecting to alter my hair color from dark to blonde with highlights for my 21st birthday festivities that night,” Becca, a nursery worker, said.
“However, once the color was applied, my birthday treat turned into a nightmare.”
“While getting my coloring done, my head felt as if it were touching a hot pan that was growing hotter and hotter.
“The foils were steaming, so I told the girl it was on fire and urged her to stop.” ‘No, it’s alright,’ she replied.
“I was eventually directed to the sink, where the foils were removed.”
“My head felt numb, like when you burn yourself with an iron, but the blow dryer was making my head hot and hurting, so I turned it off.”
“They apologized and claimed they would not charge me for the procedure.”
“I left crying, and after visiting my sisters, the blisters began to appear.”
“I was horrified, but I had no idea how bad it looked at the time.”
“My skin was scorching, and puss had formed on it, causing an infection.”
“I eventually had to have surgery to remove the infected burn, which left me with a lifelong hairless patch and a 9-centimeter scar.”
“I used to have thick, brown hair that I adored, but now I have a large patch that I’m aware of every day.”
Becca, now 24, has cried herself to sleep many nights and waited three and a half years for Toni and Guy to agree to pay her a five-figure sum ‘without prejudice’ through personal injury lawyers Hudgell Solicitors.
“It was extremely horrible, and I wasn’t just in pain after it happened; I was emotional all of the time, and I was very self-conscious about how I looked because of the bald patch and scar on my head,” she continued.
It was alleged in her action against the salon, which was led by personal injury specialists Hudgell Solicitors, that a trainee member of staff had mixed the treatment incorrectly, resulting in the burns.
Staff allegedly failed to see the harm being done quickly enough, creating more pain by failing to remove foils and exacerbating the suffering by using hot water and blow-drying the hair.
Becca wanted to be a hairdresser in the past, but she has since opted to continue with her current job as a nursery worker. “In the weeks that followed, I was in constant pain from my scalp and had horrible migraines,” she explained.
“My hair began to attach to the pus and scabs that were forming on my scalp as a result of infection, and I found that moving my face or altering my facial expression moved my scalp, exacerbating the discomfort.”
“The open infected lesion on my scalp also gave off a foul odor, which was quite unpleasant for me, and the agony kept me awake at night.”
“For almost eight months, my partner had to apply lotion to my burn and wash and detangle my hair, which had become knotted due to the pus and scabs on the wound.” Each time, it took over an hour. It was a nightmare.
“I washed my hair one day and it started falling out in clumps. I opened my eyes wide-eyed in surprise to see clumps of hair in my hands. I yelled and cried because I realized how much hair I was losing at that point.”
“I had to have surgery a year later because the wound kept getting infected.” They cut out the middle of the infection-ridden wound, pushed both sides of my scalp together, and sewed it up, creating the most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced.
“Even today, I feel like the number of hairstyles I may have is limited because some haircuts are more likely to display the bald spot on my head.”
“If it’s windy outside, I’m afraid the wind will blow my hair across my face, exposing the bald patch.” I still get teary-eyed now and then.”
Becca scheduled her Toni & Guy appointment two to three weeks before my actual 21st birthday since she wanted everything to be flawless.
“Finally, they have paid me damages for my suffering,” she continued, “but it will never be enough to compensate me for the anguish and stress they have caused me.”
“Fortunately for them, it’s now done, but I’ll have to live with this bald place for the rest of my life, which is still sore.” “I pray no one else has to go through what I’ve gone through.”
“We are happy that Toni & Guy have finally decided to pay damages to our client for her pain and suffering, and the impact these injuries have had on her,” said Matt Tuff, a personal injury claims specialist at Hudgell Solicitors who handled the case.
“It was disheartening, though, that Toni & Guy attempted to suggest that her injuries may have occurred elsewhere in the aftermath of her injuries. They also demanded to view her bank and credit card transactions, implying that she had paid for treatment elsewhere after visiting their salon.
“The fact of the case is that she arrived at their salon without damage and departed with permanent chemical burns and scarring.” She arrived at the salon for her appointment at 9.30 a.m., and by midday, she was in the hospital.
“There has been no admission, in this case, only an offered damages payment to bring the matter to a close, which she has chosen to accept in order to finally be able to go on.”
“We understand our client’s dissatisfaction, but we’re delighted she was reimbursed in the end.”
“We see roughly one million clients come through the door of our salons each year,” a spokeswoman for Tony & Guy stated when approached for a right of reply.
“Every individual owes us a duty of care.”
“We want to reassure new and existing clients that all of our stylists, including our Color Technicians, go through a rigorous education-based training program to ensure the highest of standards are met and maintained,” says the company.