‘She Pulled Out All of This Hair Here’: Florida Woman Says Hairstylist Lured Her In with a ‘Bait and Switch’ Then Attacked When She Disputed the Higher Charge
A Florida salon owner is facing legal trouble after she was accused of attacking a customer who disputed the price of a weave. Kathy Monroe […] ‘She Pulled Out All of This Hair Here’: Florida Woman Says Hairstylist Lured Her In with a ‘Bait and Switch’ Then Attacked When She Disputed the Higher Charge
Black News 
A Florida salon owner is facing legal trouble after she was accused of attacking a customer who disputed the price of a weave.
Kathy Monroe told ABC Tampa Bay 28 back in October that she saw an advertisement for a $50 weave at Mane Attraction Weaving Studio in Temple Terrace, Florida, and called ahead to confirm the price was correct.
Florida salon owner Tyronese Bivens (right) allegedly attacked Florida woman Kathy Monroe (left) during a dispute over the price of a sew-in procedure. (Photo: Kathy Monroe)
“I called the prior day to ask if they had the same special I had two years prior, and they did,” Monroe told ABC Tampa Bay 28.
But Monroe said salon owner Tyronese Bivens told her she owed $130 once the service ended.
“A bait and switch,” Monroe told ABC Tampa Bay 28.
Atlanta Black Star looked up the salon’s service prices. According to their website, they charge $40-$100 per weave. A post from 2014 on Instagram referred to the business as the “home of the $50 sew-in weave.”
When Monroe disputed the charge, ABC Tampa Bay 28 reported that Bivens physically attacked her.
Cellphone video obtained by ABC from Monroe shows the heated exchange. You can see Bivens reach for the weave, sewn into Monroe’s head.
“Suddenly, my hair was yanked from behind, and my neck was yanked all the way back,” she said.
The video shows Bivens then digging through Monroe’s purse, seemingly looking for her payment.
“She’s crazy! Going in my purse. This woman is assaulting me,” Monroe says.
“I’ll do exactly what I wanna do!” Bivens spat back.
ABC Tampa Bay 28 reported that Bivens called the police.
Body camera footage from Temple Terrace Police, obtained by ABC Tampa Bay 28, shows Bivens telling the officer that Monroe was refusing to pay.
“I got this lady here, got her hair done. She doesn’t wanna pay. She’s getting rowdy. She acting crazy,” Bivens said in the video.
Monroe told ABC Tampa Bay 28 she was willing to pay, but not the full amount Bivens demanded.
“I’m trying to pay her. I’m just not gonna let her hijack me for three times what I thought I was going to pay,” Monroe said in the body camera footage.
ABC Tampa Bay 28 reported Monroe paid Bivens $120.
Monroe’s video online left many viewers shocked.
“She is for sure going to jail. False advertisement and assault is a CRIME,” @celinathadon wrote on Instagram.
“Man, I would have a field day in court with the owner,” @invaderzimm96 wrote.
According to Moneywise, the root of the dispute may have been the difference between what Mane Attraction salon charges for a basic sew-in ($50) and a full sew-in ($130).
Moneywise added that no bill dispute is worth your own safety. If you find yourself in a similar situation, the best thing you can do is call 911.
Monroe recorded a video of her damaged hair and shared it with ABC Tampa Bay 28.
“All of this, she pulled out all of this hair here,” Monroe said. “I just finished taking the weave out, and yeah, my hair is gone.”
ABC Tampa Bay 28 reported that a dermatologist diagnosed Monroe with permanent hair loss.
“I’m never going to be the same. Right now, I have to wear wigs or clip-ins.”
Monroe told ABC Tampa Bay 28 that she filed a formal complaint against Bivens with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The department oversees hundreds of thousands of cosmetology licenses.
But the department closed Monroe’s complaint.
“The matter you described appears to be civil in nature and does not fall within our statutory jurisdiction,” the office said in a statement to ABC.
“This is a matter of public safety. She’s still practicing,” Monroe said.
The Florida State Attorney’s Office charged Bivens this week with misdemeanor battery and criminal mischief. According to the business website, she still has her license.
State officials said there wasn’t enough evidence to successfully charge Bivens with a felony.
Bivens told ABC that Monroe is a liar. She declined to provide additional information.
