client wont take advice

[nailfairy]

hi guys, I have a client whos a right pain in the a-se!! Basically every bit of advice I give her regarding her nails gos in one ear and out the other. Ive recommended 2 weekly infills but she insists on 3 weeks ,ok fair enough but she is really hard on her hands ,she has horses so shes mucking out everyday but thats not the only problem, she never uses solar oil, puts real dark polish on without base coat and picks at her nails all the time (she used to be a biter!!, a bad one!!) her nails have grown up lovely now and are a really nice length (quite long) which is why i suggested 2 week infills as they grow quite quick too. Anyway today i went there... OMG!!! couple had lifted i thought they would as really they are way too long for her.. she,d slathered polish all over them (no basecoat) polish had seaped under lift!! what a mess!! I just thought where do i start! anyway i did sort them out lift had gone up quite high but i managed to file untill i found the seal and then overlayed the original perfect pink with the Flawless!!" what a godsend! when Ide finished she was really pleased but the whole thing took me ages, and i dont charge anymore for 3 weeks as apposed to 2.
Im going to have to do something because 2 weeks is just too long for her to go without an appointment.
Myself personally would rather have lovely looking nails maintained every fortnight than tatty ones every 3 weeks.
On the whole how long do your clients go between appointments? has anyone expierienced anything like this before???
Really cheesed me off !!!

 

[emma m]

Dont worry ive got a client who refuses to book any follow up appointments after ive done her full set and then she rang me last week because she had some lifting in the regrowth area and was not pleased and couldnt understand why.(but then i did do the full set on the 20th jan) and ive not been back to do any infills she does do her home maintance though. but she thinks that that is enough and will not book a infill appt with me.

but iam too much of a soft touch to try and push her to book follow up appointments.
all of my other clients allways book 2-3 week infill appts.

take care

emma

 

[Sarah Lou]

I think we all may have clients like this.

I have a regular who insists on 4 weekly maintenance appointment, I do charge more for this and clearly state this on my price list. She doesnt get much lifting only the odd bit on 1 or two of her nails but nothing major. She never uses solar oil but her worst habit is not giving them a good clean under the free edge, so when I get to do her rebalance it is so manky and dirty under there, ewww is all I can say. I have retailed her nail brite but I swear the bottle is still full.

What can i say, you are being professional by giving her the correct advice but at the end of the day what they do with there nails when they leave is up to them. You can scream until your blue in the face but if they choose to take your advice, BONUS, but there will always be the minority that wont. I tend to scream till Im blue in the face about solar oil, I swear sometimes my clients think Im a nagging witch lol

 

[nailfairy]

Cant understand why they have lifted though, i do her sisters at the same time and they were fine. I have another lady whos infills i do every 3 weeks and there fine. why does it vary between clients to how they lift and look inbetween appointments??

 

[inspirations]

I have some clients who are like that...and then I have perfect ones at the other end of the spectrum.

I just think its swings and round-abouts. Where you lose on one you make on another. You are giving her the advice and if she isn't listening, its up to her.

When a few nails have lifted severely, I will soak them off with a blob (v.technical) of cotton wool and acetone all wrapped up in kitchen tin foil. It works a treat and only takes about 20min to come off completely, sometimes less!! I always use SolarOil and AHA as a double moisture pack before and after to protect against dehydration.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[inspirations]

Since I followed geegs tutorial on Nail prep.?! (Correct me if I'm wrong...I know I read it somewhere here.)

I have had very little lifting on my more prone clients. I really go to town on removing all cuticle off the nails plate with remover and leaving it for a few minutes to work. It makes sooo much difference.

 

[nailfairy]

I have some clients who are like that...and then I have perfect ones at the other end of the spectrum.

I just think its swings and round-abouts. Where you lose on one you make on another. You are giving her the advice and if she isn't listening, its up to her.

When a few nails have lifted severely, I will soak them off with a blob (v.technical) of cotton wool and acetone all wrapped up in kitchen tin foil. It works a treat and only takes about 20min to come off completely, sometimes less!! I always use SolarOil and AHA as a double moisture pack before and after to protect against dehydration.

Hope this helps!!!

Yes that was my first thought when i see them but.. apparantly she didnt have time 'for all that' as she had a hair appointment this afternoon!:sad:

 

[inspirations]

Yes that was my first thought when i see them but.. apparantly she didnt have time 'for all that' as she had a hair appointment this afternoon!:sad:

But While they are soaking, you can work on the other fingers...

 

[nicjill]

If she needs a lot of work I would charge for a full rebalance rather than backfill as you are basically having to do the amount of filing you would for that. I have clients like this too & if they let their nails lift severely I charge for the work I put in. You advise 2 weeks so it is her fault, not yours. Why should you do all that extra work for no extra cost? Some people expect their nails to be indestructable & treat them as such, you can't win with these people! Whatever you say, they think they know better. Be firm or she will carry on as long as you let her get away with it and remember you are the professional, not her.

 

[Debs]

You really need to be firm with her. Revise your price list to include 2,3 and 4 week rebalances so that it reflects the amount of work you have to do with her. Also, ask her to remove the polish before she comes to you or tell her you`ll have to add more money to her bill because it all takes times.
I think a lot of us are too meek and mild with our clients but we need to be firmer and let them know we won`t work for nothing. We can only advise them but we can`t make them follow it but we can have the work we do reflected in the prices we charge. Good luck!

 

[nailfairy]

i agree with all this advise and think i might restucucture my pricelist. Is this normal though to have severe lifting after 3 weeks?it was on 2 fingers i am very thorough with my prep. Is there anything else that could cause them to lift other than improper prep

 

[Jaydee]

Girls Girls Girls, why on earth do you put up with this nonsense from clients. I dont mean to sound harsh but when you take a client it is a 50/50 agreement. If it is taking you longer to rebalance the nails and they wont take your advice when they need their appointments then simply charge them more. It is your time they are taking up. I hope I dont offend you all by my reply but you are the technician and have all worked so hard to get where you are today, dont let them undermime your skills.

David

 

[nicjill]

Is there anything else that could cause them to lift other than improper prep

Yes there is, the client! She obviouslt isn't looking after them. If she doesn't apply solar oil, she probably doesn't wear gloves for cleaning or take any other care with them. She has probably caught or knocked them somewhere if it is only on 2 nails. Is it on her dominant hand by any chance??