No its not just you. I too have suffered over the years and found that if you didn't talk to the hairdresser then it was better. Chatting just makes them forget they have scissors in their hands. I now have a friend who cuts at my house and I have just about trained her to do what I want and not what she thinks I should have.
I know it grows but a bad 'do' can make you feel rubbish for a long time.
Glad you liked the end result though fionad