Sisterlocks (tm): Is the brand worth it?

(Almost at 3 years 8 months loc-versary)

I have been preoccupied with weight loss, mass incarceration research, along with hair and salon responsibilities.  Oh yeah, also, I had been doing a little "dating."  So I have been away from posting for almost two weeks.  Oh my!  Anyway, I apologize up front that my first post back is a soapbox speech.

This week on the "Sisterlocks forum" page on Facebook.  A lady shows her new "Sisterlocks" which really are "Sista locs."  You know how creative we can get!!!  

In a nutshell, the lady's "microlocs" look professionally done to me for the price of $250.  The technician was not registered with Sisterlocks.  Of course, the average consumer does not understand interlocs versus Sista locs versus Sisterlocks tm.  The reality is that all three of these terms can be used to describe a look where they all look like the same set of locs.

Now, Sisterlocks teaches a specific grid and specific loc sizing, but not all certified Sisterlocks consultants follow the protocol.  This is where I have the problem.

The Sisterlocks folks started suggesting that the "non-Sisterlocks registered" technician took advantage of the "happy client," and she should take her loctician to small claims court to sue her for not giving her Sisterlocks.

So the Sisterlocks folks on the Sisterlocks forum suggested to a happy client to take her non-certified "Sista-locs" technician to small claims court over a $250 full head of Locs that didn't look much different than the head of Sisterlocks that I paid $750 in 2012 to have a certified Sisterlocks consultant complete which I had to sue to get a partial refund while Sisterlocks headquarters gave me their "a$$" to kiss?

News Flash: 

Sisterlocks (tm) needs to learn how to run their own business before trying to run and ruin another loctician's business. The loctician had a satisfied customer at a satistfactory price; yet, Sisterlocks tm has had many dissatisfied customers globally. Their headquarters hide behind the fact that their people are independent consultants.  They suggest using their recommended people at your own risk.

So if anyone is thinking about paying over $600 for Sisterlocks, then they should think long and hard. One may achieve a beautiful set of microlocs for less without the Sisterlocks premium price attached.

NOTE:  Thank God they deleted the thread off the page on Facebook.  It was a disgrace. If they want everyone else to keep the feedback positive on Facebook, then the forum administrators need to follow their own rules.

Challenges in Retightening oversized Sisterlocks

I ran into another Sisterlock client with a head of locks similar to mine. She had some Sisterlocks that really were "too large" in size to fall into the "Sisterlocks" range.  The picture above are my Sisterlocks in the back of my head.  Compared to the Sisterlocks hook tool,  my locks pictured are almost too big for the Sisterlocks hook tool.  This is probably why in hindsight, I remember my originial consultant having to tighten some of my Sisterlocks with the Sisterlocks clip tool.  She had to have realized that my locks were oversized for the Sisterlocks hook tool; yet, neither she nor the Sisterlocks headquarters would resolve the matter without me filing a lawsuit.  Listening to others' stories similar to mine where "they didn't get what they asked for" really re-opened an old wound.

Pictured in the second picture above, is one of my locks that fall within the Sisterlocks range.  This Sisterlock compared to the Sisterlocks hook tool is reasonable for a "quick retightening."  When the locks are too big the roots literally swallow the Sisterlocks tools.

I found when tightening oversized Sisterlocks that it takes me longer to guide the Sisterlocks hook through the root of the lock and to grab the end of the oversized lock to bring it through without losing the end of the lock.

I also remember when the third Sisterlocks certified consultant retightened my back Sisterlocks with the Sisterlocks clip tool, she stated that it was hard for her to guide the clip tool through my roots.  This instance was when we really measured my back partings against the Sisterlocks parting card, and it clearly showed that my Sisterlocks were oversized.

Apparently, there are many people nationwide with the same issue - the Sisterlocks are oversized, but the technicians are still charging $400 and up.  It is frustrating to me as a Registered Sisterlocks Trainee who has to do the retightening as well as to Sisterlocks headquarters whose name has been attached to the hair service that falls out of spec.

The Sisterlocks headquarters have relocated to a different address in San Diego, and the Sisterlocks official website has a message from the founder Dr. Cornwell mentioning her continued dedication to Sisterlocks as well as the fact that she has made many mistakes.  I suspect many more changes are coming to Sisterlocks for the better.

The question regarding suing your Sisterlocks consultant for giving you oversized Sisterlocks has come up.  In my opinion, if you paid $400 or less, then it is NOT financially worth suing because it will probably cost you $200 in time, paperwork, and court fees upfront  and your maximum court award may be the original $400 that you  paid.  The technician deserves some payment unless you cut all the locks off.

So if you paid $600 for your Sisterlocks, a lawsuit may net you $100 and reimburse you $200 for the court fees, paperwork, time, etc.  So a $600 Sisterlocks service is borderline worth suing.  $100 or $200 settlement out of court would be ideal for oversized Sisterlocks.  This is just my opinion based on my own lawsuit filed.

If you paid over $600 for your Sisterlocks, then there is more room for a larger reward or refund. Settlement out of court is always preferred.  Hopefully, the Sisterlocks consultant is professional enough to resolve the matter without court involvement.

Sisterlocks headquarters is not guaranteed to be able to resolve the matter, but with upcoming Sisterlocks changes, they may be of more assistance for future cases.