Client was bawling and shouting at me!

[mollie1985]

Yesterday a potential hair extension client came in to the salon for a consultation as soon as she walked in I knew I wouldn't be doing them as her hair was bleached to within an inch of its life it was all snapped at the top and the sides and was really porous so I explained that looking at her hair I can see substantial damage she then interrupts and says "obviously I know that that's why I want extensions" so I explained that I wouldn't be willing to offer her extensions as I would be putting her own hair at risk etc and before you k ow it she just goes ballistic stands up and starts saying iv wasted her time and the whole reason people get extensions is cos they don't like their own hair I tried to reason with her and suggested she got some conditioning treatments and a cut and blow dry and once her hair is better I can do extensions she then says I'm trying to get money off her and I said well if that wa she case I would just do her extensions if I wanted her money my boss then comes over as there's clients in he doesn't do extensions but could clearly see the damage in her hair and explained about the damage she then called him a rude name and stormed out Now my boss later said to me "could you not just have done them and got her to sign a disclaimer " so I feel a bit as if he thinks I should have done it but iv had clients sign disclaimers before but only really for if they don't buy aftercare etc then my friend who does extensions said she too would have just done it and got her to sign a disclaimers so it's been bugging me all night

Sorry for the long post just a bit upset as I had clients in and was quite embarrassed iv never been spoken to like that so its just to see what you guys would have done and in the future how do you handle a client like that I felt a bit out my depth as I couldn't get a word in x

[mixnmatch1]

hi,
I am not a hairdresser but i think you did the right thing in advising her to wait until her hair is in better condition.
some people expect miracles and are disappointed that we cant deliver exactly what they want but thats life.
I feel for you having to put up with the shouting in the salon,
if this happened again i would keep my calm and explain the reason you could not do it is because you want the client to get the best result and you cant deliver that with her hair in the condition it is in.
I personally would stick to my guns if i was not happy to carry out a treatment i would not do it (disclaimer or no disclaimer), i feel your boss and co worker could have been a little more understanding.
you sound very professional to me so dont worry about it,sounds like you handled it ok.
best wishes :)

[justnailart]

hi,
I am not a hairdresser but i think you did the right thing in advising her to wait until her hair is in better condition.
some people expect miracles and are disappointed that we cant deliver exactly what they want but thats life.
I feel for you having to put up with the shouting in the salon,
if this happened again i would keep my calm and explain the reason you could not do it is because you want the client to get the best result and you cant deliver that with her hair in the condition it is in.
I personally would stick to my guns if i was not happy to carry out a treatment i would not do it (disclaimer or no disclaimer), i feel your boss and co worker could have been a little more understanding.
you sound very professional to me so dont worry about it,sounds like you handled it ok.
best wishes :)

I'm not a hairdresser either, but I agree with everything above. You did exactly the right thing by advising her how to take care of her hair & not just doing whatever just to make a few quid. Sometimes it's not just about the money. xxxx

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[jamiereid92]

Of Course you did the right thing, some people are too hard to please!

If you did them, you know that they would have just broken all of her real hair, and that would be just taking her money, like you said.

If you had done them, even if you had signed a disclaimer, she would have come back to complain.

Dont let it stress you out, im sure you've done plenty of fantastic work, because you care about the clients hair and maintenance.

Just think of all the clients who are happy with your work, and how well you have done there hair. They will keep coming back to you because you do a great job, so dont worry about losing one client, because you did the right thing.

Hope you feel better about it soon :)

xx

[mollie1985]

Thank you all for the reassurance to be honest I knew I did the right thing but felt when my boss and fellow extensionist said they would have it made me feel like I was in the wrong and doubted if I handled it right yes the next time I think I will be a bot better at handling that sort of situation(hopefully there won't be a next time) but I must admit I was a bit shaky after it as she was really horrendous x

[Jodie4156]

You did the absolute right thing! Her hair was obviously very weak and damaged and if it was snapping at the top already surely the weight of extensions on that type of hair would not hold up! Then next thing you know she'd be back mouthing off how you've ruined her hair by putting extensions in etc and it would give your hard work a bad reputation

I think your boss was just saying 'couldn't you have just done her hair' because there was clients in and wanted to shut her up and stop causing a scene for other clients to see, he should have stood by your decision and backed you up in making the right decision!

Don't worry about it be happy you made the right decision and forget about it :) x

[RachaelDB]

Disclaimer or not your reputation is on every head you touch ....had you have done it and something went wrong as the client cant even look after her own hair let alone extentions she would have blamed you and the salon .......I wore extentions for years and they are hard work people that want them dont always consider how much effort goes into the aftercare ...you did the right thing xx

[sarahpoppy24]

Why the hell would any one want a person like that in their salon anyway if she was shouting and swearing in there surely she should just have been chucked out on the street! She sounded intimidating and nasty and what about the other clients who had to whiteness it, they could have been upset! if it was my salon I'd of asked her to leave don't actually know why your boss would want someone like that in there cheapening the place! Just my opinion you defiantly did the right thing! Xxx

[LikeAnAngel]

I always thought that a disclaimer wouldn't stand up if you are knowingly going to damage a clients hair, and should only be used if they don't take your advice regarding your opinion of what would suit eg red they have selected would be too bright or you feel they are not going to like it when you've finished and they are going against your opinion.

[mollie1985]

Thanks everyone for agreeing as for the disclaimer I wasn't sure if it would stand up if she was to sign it the disclaimer would have stated that her own hair would be at risk but she has gone against this advice but I still just didn't want to fit them it was only when my boss and fellow extensionist disagreed that I doubted myself but I feel better now knowing I'm not in the wrong and I shouldn't have doubted myself in the first place think I just felt low because of her tone bt you have all made me feel better :D

[JoJo1980]

Jesus! If she went mad like that, imagine what she would be like if she didnt like the extensions?!! Plus, I cant imagine she would have looked after them, if she cant even look after her own hair.
You did the right thing to steer clear, you have you own reputation to protect, not just the salons.
Big up for the professional integrity :wink2:
xxx

[mollie1985]

Thanks jojo just a pity I nearly got battered for it lol :D

[Haircutz]

Your boss needs to grow a back bone and learn how to properly handle confrontation with difficult clients. It will happen again some day. Rude, obnoxious clients get everywhere sadly.

Poor you. You did the right thing in refusing to provide the service she had asked for and yes, a disclaimer would have been pointless.

Chin up and remember tomorrow is another day...

[mollie1985]

Thanks haircutz I know I was quite disappointed to be honest I think that's what bothered me more but all of you have made me realise that I am right and if it happens again I would do the same and at least if an angry client came like that again I might be able to handle it better xx