Eyebrow Wax - Now being sued!

[astarblond]

Hello,

Hope you can help, We offer a free eyebrow wax with a full head set of foils. We had a regular customer come in for the offer, who decided to have the eyebrow wax. All was carried out professionaly, we have all the equipment and the beautician has been qualified for over 10 years.

We have now just recieved a letter from a solicitor saying that the customer will be suing us for loss of earning and medical costs! As she had bad burns, and was unable to go into work for two days.

Now I'm a hairdresser not a beautician but we have never had any complaints before and the wax is in a controlled temp pot, so cant see how it was too hot? The Beautician always asks if its okay aswell? Other eyebrow waxes were carried out that day and no problems!

Please help, whats our best way of dealing with this? Obviously we have insurance but dont know where to start?

Thanks
x

 

[fozzyo]

Don't reply, don't say anything, take no action and don't accept *any* phone calls from the client, their friends or their solicitor.

Get straight onto the phone to your Insurance company and they will tell you how to proceed and will take the nessecary action.

Do not do anything without talking to your insurers.

It is really important you don't talk to the client now, an apology can be seen as an admission of guilt. You have to be really careful ... its hard, but you need to protect yourself and that is what your insurance is for.

Hope it gets sorted out for you.

Mat

 

[Kim Lawless]

First off you want proof of the burns. Ask to see dated photo's. Did she come back and complain to you or go straight to a solicitor? Very suspect if she did.

You should never ask the client if the wax is ok.......as a pro, you should test it or know your wax well enough.

Did you ask her is she was on any meds first as this could thin the skin or make it very dry.

Contact your insurers who will handle this for you.....that's what insurance is for.

In the meantime, ask the other clients if they will back you up in writing that they weren't burnt.

I doubt it will come to anything. Let us know and good luck. xx

 

[Joanna W]

Am not a BT either, but I would ask for photo proof, and raise questions as to why she didn't contact you beforehand etc. Hope you sort things out x

 

[ClaireyCanary]

Personally,
check consultation card, check signiture, date, any health/medical issues...
If she is a regular why did she not say anything before?
Witnesses etc, other clients who had waxing that day, anything wrong with them...
Had this particular client ever had waxing before, reactions to products before...
Phone your insurance and check your all covered

xxx

 

[jes]

As said by Mat in post #2, do not say or do anything. Get in touch with your insurance company immediately and let them take over.

 

[handbagqueen]

I would definately ask to see pics. We have had the instance of clients claiming they were burned by wax , when others have been ok that day,if the wax had been too hot you could tell from the customers reaction anyway. I think it can be down to their skin if its dry or if they are on meds. Did you have her sign a consultation form before the wax? It just covers you

 

[LauraLush]

Hi,
oh this is just my idea of hell! Hope you're ok, it must be very upsetting not to
mention stressful!
I'm not entirely sure that even if the client provided photos, I would be 100% satisfied that I caused the problem.. How do you know that the client hadn't gone to another salon after (maybe unhappy with shape or wanted them thinner..) and they burnt her? Or she could have tried a new eye gel and that could have caused a reaction? Some people are
out for what they can get (unfortunately I don't think they're few and far between).. & she just thought she'd get something out of you..
Stay strong and contact your insurers as everyone has suggested..
Good luck with it. Laura x

 

[smooth]

You can send a letter to the solicitors acknowledging receipt of letter stating you are forwarding it to your insurance and then forward it to them with copies of consent form she signed. Mark the letter "without prejudice" though.

 

[hippy-chick]

all good advice, BUT you must contact your insurance company and let them handle it.
do not talk to them, do not tell them who you are insured with, the insurance company will let you know what they want you to do.

try not to get too stressed, it sounds like you've done all the right things.

 

[tigi]

get onto the phone with your insurers and get their advice. they will tell you exactly what to do next.

I can imagine you must be sick to the stomach, its horrible, but you must keep a level head , do as matt says. insurers, and NO contact with solicitor or client unless they tell you to.

please keep us informed.

tigi

 

[smooth]

If she has contact from the client, which I am sure she won't as if she is necky enough to sue over a brow wax then she probably won't want to contact you direct. If you send a letter to the solicitor to acknowledge receipt and mark it without prejudice, this serves to allow you to tell them what you are doing and they won't be able to use it in a legal case as you have marked it without prejudice! There is no issue with stating what you are doing i.e. forwarding the claim details onto your insurance as long as you do not comment on the treatment itself.

I had a solicitor letter once years ago from someone who locked me and the salon owner in the salon with members of her family. She then proceeded to physically attack both of us. The reason? Because her lips had dried up and scabbed a little after SPMU treatment!! It was a natural healing process but she picked them off and it scabbed over again, she was in front of me biting her lips and licking them. We phoned the police after she left, we had our clothes ripped and scratches all over us, she was mental.

Anyway, we then got this letter from a solicitor saying I did not use a sharps box or anything, I acknowledged receipt, sent it to insurers but it never went anywhere as I had all my documentation, proof of sterile needles, sharps box purchase and disposal through the local council etc. this along with the police record of the incident proved her to be an absolute nut case! :irked: Luckily I've not had anyhone else like her again.

 

[kezza*]

Hello,

Hope you can help, We offer a free eyebrow wax with a full head set of foils. We had a regular customer come in for the offer, who decided to have the eyebrow wax. All was carried out professionaly, we have all the equipment and the beautician has been qualified for over 10 years.

We have now just recieved a letter from a solicitor saying that the customer will be suing us for loss of earning and medical costs! As she had bad burns, and was unable to go into work for two days.

Now I'm a hairdresser not a beautician but we have never had any complaints before and the wax is in a controlled temp pot, so cant see how it was too hot? The Beautician always asks if its okay aswell? Other eyebrow waxes were carried out that day and no problems!

Please help, whats our best way of dealing with this? Obviously we have insurance but dont know where to start?

Thanks
x

Not being rude but if you have spend the day doing eyebrow waxes and only one person was burn't then wouldn't more people have been burn't????? same wax and if it hadn't been turned down. I really would try not to worry,,, I know easier said than done.

Like everyone else ring the insurance straight away and they will sort it and like before deffo can't talk to the client involved until it's all sorted out.

I wouldn't even send her a letter unless the insurance say's so. Its like when you bump your car into another your always told not to say sorry because your straight away taking the blame. And if you haven't seen it how do you know your responable????

 

[smooth]

Like everyone else ring the insurance straight away and they will sort it and like before deffo can't talk to the client involved until it's all sorted out.

I wouldn't even send her a letter unless the insurance say's so. Its like when you bump your car into another your always told not to say sorry because your straight away taking the blame. And if you haven't seen it how do you know your responable????

I don't think anyone is advising her to talk to the client or to send the client a letter. Let us know how you get on with this one. x

 

[Tanya.]

If she paid cash there is no record of her coming into the salon.

How can she sue for a wax she didn't pay for?

 

[smooth]

If she paid cash there is no record of her coming into the salon.

How can she sue for a wax she didn't pay for?

This sounds like you are saying either she doesn't declare her cash income, therefore fiddling the tax man OR that she say the wax wasn't done at her salon! Dodgy either way. You can actually sue for a free treatment as you are responsible for any treatment you carry out whether you received payment for it or not. It's a bit jack of anyone to make a claim over a free brow wax in the first place but still she still can if harm came to her.

Regardless of anything she will heal fine and no lasting damage done, I'm amazed anyone took on her case to be honest!

 

[Tanya.]

Sorry to come across the wrong way, I am not saying to not claim the cash.

What I am saying is, she did not have the decency to address the salon with her 'issue' before getting a solicitor involved.

A regular would have called or something.

She apparently knows she can make something off the insurance, thus wasting everyone's time, and driving everyone's insurance rate$ up up up.

With a sleezy client as this, integrity is at stake. If there is no paper trail, there is no client.

 

[SparkleJeanie]

Astorblond has not responded to any of the post, i do hope everything is ok with her. x

 

[smooth]

Sorry to come across the wrong way, I am not saying to not claim the cash.

What I am saying is, she did not have the decency to address the salon with her 'issue' before getting a solicitor involved.

A regular would have called or something.

She apparently knows she can make something off the insurance, thus wasting everyone's time, and driving everyone's insurance rate$ up up up.

With a sleezy client as this, integrity is at stake. If there is no paper trail, there is no client.

EEK, the last paragraph certainly says if there is no record of payment there is no treatment done on that client!! Even if you think they are "sleezy" you cannot suggest something like that, it is wrong on so many levels.

 

[Tanya.]

It's so weird this client was a regular then to do that is just so wrong.

For the simple fact she didn't even call the salon or come in to show them what happened will be very hard to prove. Who's to say she didn't go tanning after, she didn't address it.

Insurance companies are great at sifting through the scam artists and such.

She's just a piece of trash, my point was sometimes it's better to keep things simple.