A lady walked right into a hair salon, feeling horrible about her look. Hours within the stylist’s chair mounted her up, but it surely got here with a value. The $900 tab was apparently an excessive amount of, so she skipped out on it, by no means anticipating the salon workers would have a artistic solution to make her pay.
Samantha Richards was working at De Cielo Salon and Spa in Burbank, California when she was greeted by a frantic girl, who mentioned her title was “Ashley.” She claimed to have an appointment, however Samantha couldn’t discover one on the books. Ashley was distressed, saying she felt terrible and was in dire want of salon remedy to make her really feel higher earlier than her engagement photographs the subsequent day.
Feeling sorry for her, Samantha determined to do what she does greatest and make the girl really feel higher about her look. Little did the stylist know, she’d be the one feeling terrible after going out of her solution to accommodate the determined bride-to-be’s pressing request. Regardless that “Ashley,” who didn’t give a final title, didn’t have an appointment, Samantha labored her in any manner.


The stylist had her work lower out for her. She needed to take away Ashley’s hair extensions, shade her hair, then put extensions again in earlier than doing extra coloring. Six hours later, the duty was full, and Ashley was wanting significantly better. However, all of it got here with a value. The prolonged salon providers and coverings racked up fairly a invoice — to the tune of $900, in response to CBS Native.
When it got here time to pay, nonetheless, “Ashley” had different plans. Earlier than heading to the counter, she requested to make use of the restroom. Then, she skipped out on her tab, stiffing the salon and stylist Samantha Richards, who had gone out of her manner for her. The dye-and-dash shopper hurried out the door, climbed right into a white SUV with no license plates, and took off.

However, that’s okay. Salon workers had a artistic manner of creating “Ashley” pay, and when it was all mentioned and completed, paying the $900 invoice would have been a significantly better choice for the thief. Samantha didn’t have any thought who the girl was or her whereabouts, however the stylist did have one factor in her favor — surveillance digital camera footage.
And, the salon had no qualms about blasting the girl publicly on their Fb web page. Issues weren’t going to finish properly for “Ashley.” In truth, it could shortly be found that this wasn’t her first rodeo. The 28-year-old Sylmar girl, whose actual title is Lavette Walter, had completed this earlier than. Her previous was about to chunk her on the bottom, too.
After the salon posted the surveillance footage and details about what had transpired to their Fb web page, it solely took an eagle-eyed citizen 24 hours to acknowledge the girl within the footage and ship the police a tip. Lavette Walter additionally caught the eye of one other stylist who mentioned the suspect did the identical factor to her the month earlier than.
Walter had scammed that stylist, who labored for the Coloration Lounge salon in Burbank, out of $335. After her bank card was declined, Walter, going by “Ashley,” left behind her previous iPhone, saying she’d be again to choose it up and pay for the providers. However, “She by no means got here again,” in response to Sai Hernandez, co-owner of Coloration Lounge.


Armed with this info and the thief’s actual id, authorities issued a warrant. Lavette Walter was about to study that bailing on her payments was a pricey determination. Detectives situated Walter and positioned her underneath arrest for suspicion of housebreaking. With an intensive historical past of theft, in response to police, she was held in lieu of $20,000 bail, LA Occasions reported.
Though some social media customers have questioned the salon’s costs, saying that $150 per hour is extreme, they failed to contemplate a few issues. Hair extensions aren’t low-cost, and the price of provides is factored into the invoice. Moreover, it’s best to know what you’re entering into earlier than you climb within the chair and permit work to be completed. For those who can’t afford to pay for the providers, don’t get them. As for Lavette Walter, I assume there’s an upside. Her hair appeared good for her mugshot. For the remainder of us, if a salon ever requests to carry a bank card or ID earlier than they begin on our hair, we are able to thank folks like Walter.