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Doll Hair Galore's website |
St. Louis, Mo., May 10, 2012 – The
Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers to be careful when buying hair extensions from
Doll Hair Galore, a St. Louis County firm that has described its products as “the hair you’ll adore.”
Several customers of the Creve Coeur, Mo., business say the hair — which was marketed to last at least a year -– began to break down after only a few days or weeks. The women said the hair started shedding, became discolored or lost its shape not long after it was attached to their own hair. One customer said the product caused “rashes on both sides of my face.”
“Everywhere I would go, it would leave trails of hair,” said another of the women.
Doll Hair Galore has an “F” grade with the BBB, the lowest grade possible. In addition to complaints about the quality of the hair, customers say the company’s owner has been unresponsive and has not made promised refunds.
Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO, said the online business has drawn BBB complaints from Kentucky, Minnesota, Alabama, New Jersey and Illinois.
“This certainly seems to be a classic case of a company advertising one thing and delivering something very different,” Corey said. “For many consumers, it has given a whole new meaning to having a bad hair day.”
The BBB has been unable to determine who owns Doll Hair Galore. The BBB could find no business registration with the Missouri secretary of state.
An official with the Creve Coeur apartment complex where the business reportedly is located says she is aware of no business operating out of the apartment. The resident who lives there told the BBB that he does not know why the company would be using his address. He said he had recently been in the hospital and his girlfriend had been living there in his absence.
The business owner whose YouTube videos market Doll Hair Galore identifies herself only as
Shaina DOLLe. She has not responded to emailed requests for information. There is no answer at the phone number on the firm’s website.
Most consumers said they paid via PayPal or credit cards. In most cases, they said they were unable to get refunds because they waited too long to challenge the charges.
A woman from Louisville, Ky., said she paid $265 for what was advertised as virgin (natural, unprocessed) Indian hair two weeks before Christmas. After paying a beautician another $100 to attach the hair, it began to matt and tangle within five days. She described the hair as “dry, brittle, horrible” and said that despite promises of a refund, “I have not gotten a red cent.”
A woman from Browns Mills, N. J., said she had purchased three bundles of hair for $280 and paid another $150 to have it attached. She said it looked beautiful for a week, but then “started coming out in handfuls. I thought I was investing in a good product.”
A customer from Auburn, Ala., told the BBB: “For the amount I paid, I would expect quality that would last for more than a week.” Another complainant from Minneapolis, Minn., said she counted at least 100 negative reviews on the business’s Facebook page before most of them were deleted.
The BBB offers the following tips for buying hair or other beauty products:
- Check with your hairdresser, friends or family members you trust for recommendations.
- When buying online, try to get a written money-back guarantee in case the product turns out to be different from what was advertised.
- Pay with a credit card whenever possible. The credit card company may help you challenge the purchase if necessary.
- Check the company's BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.
Contacts: Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-584-6800,
mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Chris Thetford, Vice President-Communications, 314-584-6743,
communications@stlouisbbb.org, or Bill Smith, Trade Practice Investigator, 314-584-6727,
tpc1@stlouisbbb.org
