Gezellig Male Grooming — Local services in London

As a local just a stones throw away from this barbershop I was excited to see a Barber open up nearer to us, in particular one that looked like it would be more professional than a number of the barbers near Stratford. Unfortunately I was gravely mistaken as the person I spoke with is simply put a greedy individual as per the below explanation.

I called on Friday Dec 11 2020 to book an appointment for a haircut the next day. Indeed someone answered and told me NO we dont take bookings via the phone and that I would have to use the "Booksy" App. I said ok, downloaded the app, found the shop and went to book a time.... To my surprise the price of a haircut was 5 quid more than advertised on their website and on the front of the store.

I then called back and asked why the price is higher via this App. The response i received was as follows " The Booksy App takes a cut of the profit and you need to pay a premium to come into the shop and get a haircut ahead of the Walk-Ins...."

I was appalled that I had been told to pay more for booking via the app(If the App takes an additional 5 quid per booking you need to use a different service... You already pay for the phone line to you store, so why not keep a logbook like most any other shop?) and that an Appointment was a premium service... In fact this is a premium service to the store from myself. By setting an appointment the shop knows exactly when and how many customers will be in the store. This allows you to plan out cash flows and run a steady business.

Long story short, I will not be booking an appointment and wont be "walking-in" anytime soon either... One of the STRANGEST experiences I have ever had...

I've been a loyal customer of this barbershop for 4 years and usually have a good experience. However, my most recent visit was highly disappointing. My regular barber was on holiday, so I went with another barber, who is one of the owners of the shop. Unfortunately, I wasn't happy with the way my hair was cut.

I returned to have it fixed about 20 minutes after the original appointment. I was shocked by how defensive and rude both owners were. Instead of listening to my concerns, they argued with me and even suggested that I didn’t know what I wanted. To make matters worse, they spoke in Turkish behind my back, not realising I understand the language.

I politely showed them what I wasn’t happy with, but both owners refused to acknowledge and address my concerns, even though I’ve been a regular customer for years. Instead they’re just argumentative and defensive. They even got another customer involved which is completely and utterly unprofessional. The lack of care for customer satisfaction and the overall attitude was unacceptable. The previous owner was much better, and this kind of treatment was truly disappointing. Unfortunate to have changed management which has now ruined it.

After 4 years of loyalty, I expected better service and respect. I’m sad to say I won’t be returning.

Edit: They have responded using Chat GPT, evident from many negative reviews that have been submitted and responded to. Shame a business doesn’t even have pride and take time to respond to...

I’ve been coming here for a while, but today’s experience was incredibly disappointing. The staff didn’t take the time to properly understand what I wanted before starting the haircut. Communication was a major issue — the person cutting my hair didn’t speak English, and the translator barely paid attention, passing on only part of what I said. The result completely ruined my day.

What made it worse was the complete lack of accountability. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, they got defensive and tried to shift the blame onto me for not being clear — when in reality, I was. At the very least, a simple apology would have gone a long way.

If you’re going to serve English-speaking customers, please ensure that either the stylist can communicate directly or that the translator listens and translates fully. And more importantly, take a few minutes upfront to confirm the customer’s expectations before picking up...