Amanda wanted a touch-up to her old style, which was an edgy, layered look that complemented her New York lifestyle. She showed the stylist a picture of her old haircut and a few similar styles to give her something to work with. "I told her I wanted a basic cleanup, maybe 3-4 inches off, and choppy layers up top that would get increasingly thinner on the way down," she says.

What she got: "My bangs were repulsively short, and the left side of my hair was obviously longer than my right," says Amanda. "She obviously didn't know what a layer was. But I just took one quick glance at it after she finished and didn't realize right away that I hated it. I knew immediately it wasn't what I asked for, but I'd never had a horrible haircut before, so I just assumed it was fine, even if it wasn't perfect. I said a quick thanks, because I felt so awkward saying anything negative after all that time I spent chatting with my stylist, getting all chummy. I didn't realize it was way too short and completely uneven until it was too late."

How she handled it: "I would call back in a different situation, but I booked the haircut through a discount site and it was so cheap I didn't feel like I had the right to complain. Plus, she was talking to me throughout the whole haircut about being a single mom and telling me personal things, and I felt guilty. I didn't want my bad review to be one more thing on her plate. Plus, I just didn't want her to touch my hair ever again. The errors she made were unbelievable."

What she should have done: Petroff says that Amanda should have spoken up about the unevenness and lack of layers. "In that situation, I would just ask the stylist to double-check the length," he says. Hairstyles with bangs are a different story, though. "There's really nothing you can do about that then," he says. The good news? Bangs only take a few weeks to grow out, since "too short" is usually just one-fourth of an inch.

Allie asked for Dianna Agron's bangs. "I showed them a picture of what I wanted. It was when Dianna had piece-y, choppy bangs."

What she got: "Instead I got this giant chunk of hair on the side of my head. The bangs were so far back that it looked like a giant layer. I noticed when she was cutting that it seemed like a little too much hair, but I'm no hairstylist, so I figured she knew what she was doing. But, as she was drying it, I was thinking, Oh my God, what has happened?"

How she handled it: "When I saw it, I wanted to cry, but I said thank you and left a tip. I didn't say anything because usually once I get home I restyle my hair after a haircut and I like it more. I couldn't fix it this time. I didn't want to go back, because at that point the bangs were cut so far back into my hair, I couldn't imagine that they could do anything. The experience was so traumatizing, I haven't had anything extreme done since. I went to the salon determined to get a lob recently, but instead I got half-an-inch cut off."

What she should have done: In this case, Petroff says that a lengthier consultation might have saved Allie months of growing out her hair. "Even my clients I've been seeing for 10 years, I talk with at length before we cut," he says. "Come early so we have time to talk to you." Red flags: "If a stylist seems uninterested or is rushing, that's not a good sign."

Caitlin was looking to chop off some of her length, and willing to go a little shorter than she had in recent memory in order to update the style she'd been sporting for a decade. She had something like Claire Danes' long layers in mind.

What she got: "Originally, we talked about going blonder and cutting off two or three inches," says Caitlin. My first clue that that wasn't happening was when she was describing the cut to another stylist and said, "I really wanted to do something else, though." She also kept saying she wanted to make me 'sexier,' and that my husband was going to love it -- okay, crazy lady. The second clue was when she suddenly gathered all of my hair into a ponytail and lobbed it off at my shoulders. Before we got started cutting, I had asked her where the shortest layer would be, and she said my shoulders. The shortest layer was actually at my eyeball."

How she handled it: "I kept thinking, okay, maybe this won't be that bad. Maybe this will look cute because this is a really nice salon. Everyone kept asking me if I liked it, but I just trying to keep from crying! The color was great -- I really liked the highlights -- but the cut was just so awful. I didn't speak up about it because it happened so fast -- there is really no going back after someone chops your ponytail off. I reminded myself that when I got home I could wash it and fix it. That was not the case."

What she should have done: Again, a longer consultation might have made it more clear to the stylist how far Caitlin was willing to go. Petroff also notes that if something happens mid-cut that you're uncomfortable with, don't be afraid to say something right away, but do so in a calm way, even if your brain is chanting, ohmygodwhathavetheydone. Petroff says he's seen situations where women can't even express themselves, which doesn't do anyone good. "They weren't happy, but they were so emotional they couldn't vocalize it." Instead of getting so upset you shut down, calmly ask your stylist if you can take a second to talk about the cut before things proceed.

Emily was looking to brighten up her dark roots, and give her sandy blonde highlights a refresher. "I showed her a picture of Bridgit Mendler," says Emily.

What she got: "That is highlighter orange," says Emily. "One look at the bright, bright color of my hair in contrast with my dark eyebrows and I knew something got lost in translation. I was visibly upset, so the stylist called her manager over. He admitted she could have gone with an ashier tone. She was insisting that I had gotten what I asked for, but it just looked unnatural to me. She told me to think about it for a few days (she didn't want to fix it then because she said it would be too damaging) and that I could come back if I still didn't like it."

How she handled it: I hated it so much that I did go back, and she was able to tone it down a little. It was still sort of orange, but faded over time. I felt bad for her ... she cried and hugged me when I gave her a tip after the second touch-up."

What she should have done: Petroff says that Emily was right to give it a few days. "If you don't like your new color, mention it in the salon, but give it a few days to settle and to get used to it," says Petroff. He recommends looking at it in the sun, since lighting in salons is often terrible. And don't freak out, because Petroff says fresh color is easy to fix. He recommends using some clarifying shampoo to wash out the color at home afterwards. If you're still not happy, revisit it with your stylist. He also says a tip for correcting it is nice (especially if it took more than an hour or involves something you didn't ask for originally, like adding highlights), but not necessary.