Saks Fifth Avenue

A few years ago, I saw Danielle @ Salon at Saks Fifth b/c I had a couple of clients who saw her & I always complimented them on their hair color. I filled out a client form, noting I was allergic to SULFUR/ SULFAS. My appt was @ 5:30pm on a Friday. Danielle used an Italian hair color product she said she had been using for 5 yrs. When she applied the color on my head I noticed it started to sting immediately. I told her & asked her if the product had SULFUR/SULFAS in it & she told me ""NO!"" I even said, ""Are you sure?"" She replied ""Positive"". She said,""Maybe b/c I was use to using Goldwell haircolor on my hair & it was a different brand & since my scalp wasn't use to it...that's why is was stinging."" She put this very large circular heated light over my head that turned in a circular motion for 30 minutes. I was scheduled for a color & blow dry hair straight (which usually took 45 minutes or so b/c I had so much hair - very full & long). When at the sink rinsing out the color she was putting her fingers through my hair & I swear I could feel my hair coming out of my scalp. She tells me since my hair feels dry she thinks I should leave on the deep conditioner she would put on my hair & not charge me extra for & I should wash it out when I get home. WHAT? The men who had done my hair previously would always say how beautiful & healthy my long curly hair was. I walked out of Saks before 7pm with wet hair pinned up in a clip. Paid $280 just for my hair PLUS 20% gratuity. I went home & as I was washing the conditioner out of my hair & it was falling out. Over a two week period I was traveling & loosing a lot of hair. While I was traveling I called Saks & spoke to the mgr. It took another week for him to call me back. He looked into the product she used on me-it had a very high contect of Sulfur. Starting @ 3rd week I collected 3 gallon ziplock bags of my hair for 2wks. I went to the dermatologist & had bloodwork done. I was fine, but I did have burns on my scalp & even a couple of hematoma's b/c of the intense heat she used on my scalp in conjunction with the color product. Saks did was give me one complimentary 8oz hair shampoo, conditioner & a month supply of hair vitamins. Gave me a credit card refund of the $280 but not the money for the gratuity. I am not the type of person to SUE someone. Besides what can they do-give me money? I have money & that won't make my hair grow back. Danielle apparently destroyed the hair follicles in my scalp. I had no ""bulb follicle"" at the beginning of my hair shaft in my scalp. It has taken more than 2-1/2 years for my hair to grow back. I still have the hematomas in my scalp. Now, I only use Aveda hair color - my dermatologist approved at the 2 yr mark. My hair is finally starting to be curly again. When she burned my scalp my hair would grow with no bulb holding it in my scalp it would just fall out. I wore a wig for several months & I put my hair in a pony tail b/c it was so thin you could see my scalp & it made my hair straight as a board. Loosing my hair had a major affect on my lifestyle too. I couldn't swim for 2 yrs b/c I feared my hair would fall out faster (advised by my dermatologist). I was swimming 12 miles a wk prior to my ""bad experience at Saks."" I ended up gaining more than 25 pounds back which I had lost after having a baby. I was training for Sprint Marathons prior. more

I've been coming here for years and I really enjoy it every time I go, a little too much I think. But the drawback is that they only have the same things over and over and if you're lucky they'll get a few new things every now and again but the selection is quite sparse. They also lost a lot of the staff that I got acquainted with over the years when the domain opened. So now that things are more competitive maybe they'll step it up a little. Pros: nice store Cons: same low selections more

I couldnt find a sales clerk to save my life in the denim dept, but I really didnt need one, however, when checking out, the sales girl was this petite woman who was very friendly and outgoing. My husband went into SFA and was greeted by several salespeople, although he was dressed in flipflops and shorts. Just from this I think that their customer service is great. I think it is funny when the salespeople as mentioned in other reviews- are rude or curt... hello! Wake up- you may work at SAKS- but you still work retail! \r Pros: quick and easy more

I've been shopping at the Austin SFA since they opened. The staff in the shoe dept. is very friendly and will go out of their way to locate a shoe (especially since their selection is smaller than other stores). The contemporary section varies (I think this is because they sometimes employ co-eds that are less familiar with customer service). However, as a regular shopper of this store, you can easily form a relationship with an associate that matches your personality. Pros: Very comfortable setting; friendly staff Cons: Selection not as large as larger cities more

The first time I went to Saks, I thought maybe the sales person was having a busy or hard day and that is why she treated me in such a curt and rude manner. However, after the second, third and fourth times, I realized that this was just the extent of service that Saks provided. The sales people were rude, curt, and tacky (i.e. rolled their eyes at me and continued gossiping away with each other while I was standing in front of them waiting to get service). ""High-end"" or not, there is no excuse for service like this. I will no longer shop there and would not recommend it to anyone, especially now that we have a Neiman Marcus coming to Austin. I have shopped at Neimans in my home town all my life and look forward to experiencing true customer service once again. more

Well, I'm sorry for the lady from San Francisco, but I've found the Saks staff friendly, attentive, and kind. Perhaps she just got them on a bad day. Especially in the cosmetics area, they have excellent staff and talented make-up artists. It's certainly not your typical Austin shopping experience, and many of the locals feel they must wear designer clothes to go in, but I haven't found this to be the case. Pros: Only place you can find some high-end cosmetics, fragrances, couture. Post-holiday/seasonal sales are wonderful. Cons: This is a high-end store, except for cosmetics where typical dept. store brands like Clinique cost no more than elsewhere. more

I live in San Francisco and go to Saks in downtown San Francisco. This one has the most unfriendly sales staff I have ever dealt with. If any place should be ""snobby"" is the Saks in downtown San Francisco but Austin is the one with the worst. Hard core sales and not even remotely nice. My husband has a very high profile position and I am used to snobby and pretentious people but this store is horrible. I still would go in there if I lived in Austin because there are not very many places to shop. Pros: Great location and easy parking Cons: Sales staff are some of the worst I've ever dealt with more