Future of our dental care hanging in balance, says industry boss
A NORTHERN Ireland hairdressing body has advised customers to switch salons if they feel they have been quoted too much for their first post-lockdown cut and colour.
Ken Mcclure, vice president of the Northern Ireland Hairdressers Association, made the plea after Peter Mark customers here accused the hairdressing chain of introducing “rip-off ” prices.
Ahead of salons reopening here on July 6, the company unveiled three services for customers that may need to fix home dye jobs and longer-than-normal regrowth.
The cost to correct “patchy and uneven” colour caused by home dye kits is an additional £54, while to tackle root regrowth longer than 2cm will cost £38 — the same additional charge for clients who feel their colour faded during lockdown.
Online customers branded the move “disgraceful” and one an“at gry Northern Ireland customer claimed they had been quoted £186 for an appointment.
Peter Mark had told this newspaper that it could not comment on the specific price quoted to the customer, but urged the person to come forward so they could “clarify the correct pricing for the services they are requesting”.
Peter Mark also said customers have been appraised of potential additional costs.
the time of booking, Peter Mark has been advising clients that there may be an additional one-off charge to restore their hair to its former colour,” they added.
“And if this is required, it will take extra time by the stylist and extra product.
“These services have always been available at Peter Mark but the reality is that normally they are not needed by clients when salons are open, as they would not have as much regrowth and would get their hair coloured more frequently.”
Mr Mcclure said most salons would find price hikes unavoidable, and customers should expect some increase for their salon visits to cover the costs of providing personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitisers and Perspex screens, as safety measures are introduced.
However, he told the Belfast Telegraph yesterday that if customers have been given prices they are unhappy with, then they should shop around for more competitive services. “Customers have had to wait three or four months for their cut and colour, so I would say to them that to wait a few more days to get a different hair salon wouldn’t be a too much of an issue at this stage, if they’re not happy with their prices from their usual hairdresser,” Mr McClure said.
The east Belfast salon owner, who runs Kenneth Michael International Hair and Beauty, stressed salons are also facing having to spread out appointments so that there will be fewer clients at any one time to comply with social distancing rules.
“Salons have had to spend more in order to prepare to reopen, so customers should expect to pay a bit more,” he added.
However, he said salons have to strike a balance with covering their additional costs, as well as keeping their customer base.
“We’ve had loyal customers coming to us for years and years. Our customers are very important to us,” he added.
Meanwhile, salons across Northern Ireland are reporting being inundated with bookings ahead of reopening in two weeks’ time, leaving some customers delighted but others frustrated.
Customers have reported spending hours on the phone in an attempt to get an appointment, prompting some salons to direct customers to book their trips to the hairdressers via an online booking system or through an app.
One woman posted on Facebook how she tried ringing her Belfast-based salon over 130 times in a single day to get booked, but to no avail.
Another customer issued a plea via Facebook to ask her hairdresser to put her on a waiting list.
“There’s only so much more hacking I can do at my fringe!” she added.
One client who had managed to book a coveted slot expressed their joy, saying: “Never thought I would be so excited to get a hair appointment.”
THE future of dental services in Northern Ireland now “hangs in the balance” as services resume post-lockdown, an industry body has warned.
Dentists here will be able to provide non-urgent care to the public from June 29, with other procedures which require certain instruments scheduled to start from July 20.
Richard Graham, chair of the British Dental Association’s (BDA) NI Dental Practice Committee, outlined the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the industry to Stormont’s health committee yesterday.
“Without adequate, ongoing support from government, it is frankly impossible to sustain a model based on activity when activity has fallen through the floor,” he said.
“The future of dental services in Northern Ireland now hangs in the balance.”
The body also warned dental services will restart at a “fraction” of their pre-pandemic capacity, due to personal protective equipment (PPE) costs and shortages, and requirements to meet strict guidelines.
The BDA also warned dental practices are at risk of closure, given not all businesses will not be able to survive due to the collapse in patient numbers, unless health authorities here offer “long-term support or change the current model”.
The health department has indicated existing support packages could be wound down after August, and any future support will have to be “subject to the confines of the dental budget”.
“At a time of great uncertainty and anxiety, we call on the department to be doing whatever it takes to get the service through this crisis intact,” added the BDA.
Acting Chief Dental Officer with the Department of Health (DOH), Michael Donaldson, has stressed the provision of PPE had been one of the “key elements” in enabling dentists to offer non-urgent care.
“In recognition of this, the DOH will support dentists in restoring services by providing help with PPE supplies,” he said.