No Win, No FeeWhen you visit your hairdresser, you expect them to act professionally and to cut or treat your hair properly. However, hairdressing mistakes do happen and, as well as unwanted results, they can lead to injuries or illness. If you’ve suffered because of a botched haircut, you could claim compensation for your injuries. In this article, we’ll explain how to sue a hairdresser for personal injury compensation and we’ll look at the types of hairdressing errors that could mean you’re entitled to compensation.
To find out if you could sue your hairdresser you can call one of our specialists for free legal advice. During your no-obligation initial consultation, your case will be reviewed and we’ll assess your chances of being compensated. If your claim is strong enough, a personal injury lawyer from our panel may decide to represent you. If they do, you’ll receive their legal expertise on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Call 0800 652 1345 to connect with an advisor right away or read on for more information about suing a hairdresser for negligence.
Do hairdressers owe you a duty of care?
In the UK, hairdressing is essentially unregulated as salons, barber shops and other establishments don’t need any specific licence to operate. However, local authorities can place registration requirements on hairdressing businesses.
The Hairdressers Registration Act 1964 means that hairdressers can apply to become state registered but this is not mandatory. However, other forms of legislation exist that place a duty of care on hairdressers to try and protect their customers including the Occupiers Liability Act 1984.
This law means that operators of hair salons or barbers shops must try to take reasonable to stop their clients from being injured. Failure to do so could be deemed negligence which could allow you to sue your hairdresser for any subsequent suffering.
Hairdressers also have a duty of care towards their staff because of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. As such, our solicitors could help you to claim if you were injured while working in a hairdressing salon.
Can I sue a hairdresser for compensation?
You could sue a hairdresser for compensation where:
- The hairdresser owed you a duty of care; and
- The hairdresser was negligent in some way; and
- You sustained injuries or were made ill as a result of that negligence.
It is crucial that all of the above can be proven if you’re to receive compensation from your hairdresser. For this reason, later in this guide, we’ll explain the types of proof you could use to support your claim.
Types of injuries and conditions a hairdresser might be sued for
Some of the most common head, hair or scalp injuries that could allow you to sue your hairdresser for compensation include:
- Hair damage.
- Burns from chemicals.
- Infections.
- Scarring.
- Cut ears.
- Bald patches.
- Dermatitis.
- Brittle hair.
- Skin irritations.
This is not a comprehensive list of injuries or hair conditions that could mean you’re entitled to sue your hairdresser. Please let us know if you’ve suffered a different injury and we’ll assess your chances of being paid compensation for free.
Can I sue a hairdresser for an allergic reaction to hair products?
Yes, you could sue a hairdresser for an allergic reaction to hair products, if it can be shown the hairdresser was negligent.
As we explained earlier, hairdressers have a duty of care to their clients and are therefore expected to take necessary precautions to prevent allergic reactions or adverse effects from occurring. If a hairdresser fails to perform a patch test or uses products without considering potential allergies, resulting in an allergic reaction, you may have grounds to claim compensation.
What if I signed a hairdresser’s consent form?
It is quite common for hairdressers to ask you to sign a consent form (or waiver) before your treatment. The purpose of these forms is to show that you consented to be treated and had been made aware of any known risks or side effects.
However, a waiver does not stop you from suing the hairdresser if you’ve suffered because of their negligence. If you still have a copy of your waiver, please tell your advisor when you call and they’ll assess its wording.
Can I sue if I had an accident at the hairdresser’s?
As well as trying to keep clients safe while treating them, hairdressers should keep their premises as safe as possible too. If they don’t, and you’re injured in the salon as a result, you could claim for your injuries. Examples include:
- Slipping on excessive hair on the floor that hasn’t been swept away regularly.
- Cutting yourself on a damaged chair in the waiting area.
- Falling from a poorly maintained hairdresser’s chair while having a haircut.
- Tripping on electrical cables trailed across the salon floor (for hairdryers etc).
If you’ve had an accident in a hairdressers or barbers salon and would like to check if you could receive compensation, please call our team today.
Can I sue a hairdresser on behalf of my child?
Just like adults, children are owed a duty of care by their hairdresser. However, children are not allowed to make personal injury claims until their 18th birthday.
As such, if your child was injured by a negligent hairdresser, you could start a child personal injury claim on their behalf. To do so, our solicitors can help you to apply to be your child’s litigation friend. Once this has been approved, you’ll be able to manage the claims process and instruct the solicitor on your child’s behalf.
How much compensation will I get?
At this early stage in the claims process, it’s not possible to say how much compensation you could be awarded for your injuries. When you sue a hairdresser or salon, your solicitor will need to consider many factors before calculating the compensation you might be entitled to. If you successfully sue a hairdresser, however, damages could be awarded for:
- Physical discomfort, pain and suffering caused by the hairdresser.
- Embarrassment, distress, depression and any other form of emotional injury.
- Loss of earnings (present and future).
- Medical expenses and the cost of remedial treatment.
- Loss of amenity if the hairdresser’s negligence has led to you not being able to participate in your activities or hobbies.
- Travel expenses.
- The cost of a carer if you needed support whilst recovering.
- Property damage i.e. clothes damaged by chemicals.
In all cases, our solicitors try to secure the maximum level of compensation possible for their clients.
How do I prove negligence by a hairdresser?
Even if your hairdresser was apologetic at the time you were treated, their insurers are unlikely to concede and pay you compensation the minute your solicitor contacts them. Instead, they are going to want to see clear proof to show that the hairdresser made a mistake and that has caused you to suffer. As such, if you decide to sue a hairdresser, your solicitor will collect as much proof as possible to show they were negligent such as:
- Photographic proof. Before and after photographs are a good way to show any hair damage, scalp irritation, cuts, burns or other visible injuries caused by your hairdresser.
- Communications with the hairdresser. Any emails, text messages or letters you received from the hairdresser after complaining about your injuries help your solicitor understand what caused your injuries.
- Medical records. If you visited your GP, a minor injuries unit or a hospital to have your injuries treated, your medical records will be requested to help prove the extent of your injuries and the treatment needed.
- Witness statements. A friend or family member who went with you to the hairdresser’s salon could provide a statement of anything they heard or saw during your appointment. This could help to clarify the cause of your injuries.
- Financial records. As you might be entitled to claim back any costs linked to the hairdresser’s negligence, you should provide financial proof such as wage slips, bank statements or receipts.
You don’t have to have collected everything here before calling us to assess your claim for free. However, if you do have any solid proof to support your claim already, please let us know about it when you get in touch.
How long do I have to file a claim against a hairdresser?
You may already be aware that personal injury claims in the UK have a time limit. That means if you take too long to start your claim, you might miss out on any compensation due.
For that reason, we would advise that you seek legal advice about your claim as soon as you can. Generally, the time limit for suing a hairdresser is 3 years for a personal injury. Usually, this will start from the date of the incident in which you were injured. If the injury or condition (i.e. occupational dermatitis) was not immediately apparent, the limitation period may begin when you reasonably should have known about it.
No Win, No Fee claims
Proving that a hairdresser caused you to suffer through negligence can be challenging. That’s why we would always suggest that you’ll find the claims process easier if you’re supported by a specialist injury solicitor. We know that the cost of taking on legal representation can be off-putting so our solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee service for all hairdressing claims they take on.
If your claim is taken on, your solicitor will send you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is the contract that, once signed, will allow your solicitor to start working on your case without being paid upfront. If the claim is won, you’ll have a success fee of up to 25 per cent of your settlement deducted from your compensation to pay your solicitor. If the claim is not successful, you don’t have to pay anything at all for your solicitor’s work.
As part of their service, your solicitor will manage all aspects of the claim for you. That means you won’t need to speak directly to the defendant or their representatives at any point. If an offer of compensation is made, your solicitor will discuss it with you to check for fairness before it is accepted.
To see if you could sue a hairdresser with a No Win, No Fee solicitor from our panel, please call.
Start a compensation claim against a hairdresser today
If you would now like to start a compensation claim against a hairdresser or discuss your options with a specialist, please call 0800 652 1345.
Your claim will be considered and we’ll answer all of your questions. If we suspect that you’re entitled to claim compensation, we’ll refer you to a personal injury solicitor from our panel where all claims taken on are handled on a No Win, No Fee basis.
If you have any extra questions about suing a hairdresser, you can also talk to an advisor via live chat or claim your free consultation here.
