my card machine wasn’t working back in November and I told my client could I send my details to her later for a transfer as I was in a rush. She was fine with that and I trusted her as she’s been my client for some time now. Never will I make this mistake again with trust because you give people an inch and they take a mile. She initallly sent me a message the next day asking me to send my details which I thought was honest and trustworthy of her, as soon as I did that along with the amount I haven’t heard a peep. She still hasn’t paid, I have sent a text to remind her I haven’t received payment and get the feeling she is simply ignoring me now! I find it strange that she reminded me then ghosted me, so all I can think of is it’s the amount she wasn’t expecting and is avoiding paying. We normally do a toner and cut, and this last time she wanted to go lighter throughout and she has a lot of hair. I did full head highlights toner cut and finish and I charge £162 for this. It shouldn’t have been a surprise as this is stated on freshsa and she’s known the price for weeks since booking. It’s a shame because it’s broken my trust and I won’t be trusting any client with this again. Pay when I’m there watching them because who knows how much money I could lose in the future if this happens again. It’s made quite a big dent in my wages. Does anybody have any advice on what my next steps should be to take it further and retrieve this money? Thanks! Sophie x
My client won’t pay
- Thread starter CKSN
- Start date
Help Support SalonGeek:
Tracey xox
Well-Known Member
Bit late replying but if she hasn’t paid yet I’d give her one final chance, you did say you were in a rush and busy, maybe it’s a manic time of year for her too?
Send a gently but firm reminder that she was well aware of the cost beforehand, and you have patiently given her time to pay, but you will need payment by xyz date, for services given,
Do you have a policy in place on a website?
It could be that she thinks she’s paid so I always say in case there was a problem with the transaction please check your bank statement to see if payment has been made?
Send a gently but firm reminder that she was well aware of the cost beforehand, and you have patiently given her time to pay, but you will need payment by xyz date, for services given,
Do you have a policy in place on a website?
It could be that she thinks she’s paid so I always say in case there was a problem with the transaction please check your bank statement to see if payment has been made?
When I have an infuriating experience like this that costs me money I take a deep breath and ask myself what lesson I can learn. Very often I learn a very valuable business concept that ultimately saves me money and hassle in the longer term. So I try and be philosophical, I tell myself that I pay for training, often taking time out of work and maybe spending out on travelling as well, so to learn a lesson for just the price of an unpaid treatment is money well spent!
£162 is a lot of money to pay out in one go and a lot of money to lose. Ouch. Maybe in future you should confirm the cost in advance and take a holding deposit. That way there is no risk of misunderstandings and your risk is a bit smaller. And perhaps in future you will make sure that you keep your bank details handy, most people have phone banking and can do a transfer in less than a minute. Or you can ask them to go to a cash point and pay cash. Over Christmas there are often card machine problems, so it’s worth having a contingency plan.
I’d suggest that you contact her again and offer 3 payments - maybe through PayPal credit as an option. Ask for £82 (or whatever she usually pays) up front and offer 2 instalments of £40, one end Jan one end Feb. Be polite, matter of fact and to the point. She’ll be feeling bad but maybe the total cost was a shock and she’s embarrassed that she can’t pay. Give her a graceful way out of this dilemma.
You could also try and track her down on social media or by thinking about what you know about her and where you might find her. That could give you more options.
Fingers crossed for you
£162 is a lot of money to pay out in one go and a lot of money to lose. Ouch. Maybe in future you should confirm the cost in advance and take a holding deposit. That way there is no risk of misunderstandings and your risk is a bit smaller. And perhaps in future you will make sure that you keep your bank details handy, most people have phone banking and can do a transfer in less than a minute. Or you can ask them to go to a cash point and pay cash. Over Christmas there are often card machine problems, so it’s worth having a contingency plan.
I’d suggest that you contact her again and offer 3 payments - maybe through PayPal credit as an option. Ask for £82 (or whatever she usually pays) up front and offer 2 instalments of £40, one end Jan one end Feb. Be polite, matter of fact and to the point. She’ll be feeling bad but maybe the total cost was a shock and she’s embarrassed that she can’t pay. Give her a graceful way out of this dilemma.
You could also try and track her down on social media or by thinking about what you know about her and where you might find her. That could give you more options.
Fingers crossed for you
I had a similar experience with a last minute cancellation on a Saturday morning where she’d booked out 4hours and the client in her cancelling text said she would still pay and to send my bank details. She never paid, I even said I’d take the payment as an advance for her to still rebook for her treatments.
Her excuse for cancelling was apparently due to possibly coming down with covid but a Fb posting that day showed her posing with fresh eyebrows and fillers. Pre holiday.
Unfortunately her mother is a very reliable and regular client and so the woman said her mother would pay but of course that never happened, I didn’t feel right then chasing the mother for her daughter’s debt. Her mother has also bought vouchers for the daughter so I’m still having to see the dishonest woman.
Oh what a pain! That sounds like such an uncomfortable situation! I hope one way or another she eventually pays!I had a similar experience with a last minute cancellation on a Saturday morning where she’d booked out 4hours and the client in her cancelling text said she would still pay and to send my bank details. She never paid, I even said I’d take the payment as an advance for her to still rebook for her treatments.
Her excuse for cancelling was apparently due to possibly coming down with covid but a Fb posting that day showed her posing with fresh eyebrows and fillers. Pre holiday.
Unfortunately her mother is a very reliable and regular client and so the woman said her mother would pay but of course that never happened, I didn’t feel right then chasing the mother for her daughter’s debt. Her mother has also bought vouchers for the daughter so I’m still having to see the dishonest woman.
