Advice needed on what to do next

[tinkywinky]

Help needed please!!

I posted a couple of frantic threads on the site on Wednesday about a customer complaint. Basically, I did 2 sets of nails one for Lin and one for Sarah and Sarah has been quite rude and demanded her money back.

Since then the lady's who was happy with her nails, Lin, has called to say that 3 are lifting.

Anyway, I have said I will go over (16 mile round trip) to Lin's and sort them out on Monday.

I'm asking advice on where to draw the line. What if she phones up again?

My mum thinks her friend is egging her on and I have to agree she seems like the kind of person to do this.

Does anyone have any policies i.e. where they will do the lifting repairs free for example, and then charge afterwards??


And how do I explain about lifting without it looking like it is just my fault.

I won't charge her for these nails but I am certainly not going up every 3 days to sort it out.

I am at the end of my tether with this all this week and ready to pack in!

However I've had 5 bookings in the past day and really don't want to as I am improving.

Thanks very much xxx

 

[whitmore]

Hi


I would tell her where to go. Sorry but i have no patience with clients that think they have the right to request that you come out to every lifted nail.
Are you still training? Did they pay the full price? Did you do your prep correct? Do you have this problem with any of the other full sets you have done?

xx

 

[kateyork1]

Don't give up babes - it's one of those things (you'll always get clients who think you are at their beck and call as and when they want).

 

[tinkywinky]

Hi Emma


I am fully trained, qualified in April, I did my nail prep but I have to be honest that the lighting was poor and she says that it is touching the sides of her skin, perhaps due to the poor lighting so it is my fault a bit

Do other nails or a client regularly and they are normally fine

she paid £23 for the full set

 

[Lellipop]

Hi,
Don't get downhearted we all had problems and still do at times. I would go and look at the nails if its genuine lifting I would do them for her this time.
Make sure your Prep is correct, Explain to your clients that you apply the nails its up to them to look after them.

 

[whitmore]

Get yoursef a little lamp chick. I brought mine from B&Q and it is small, lightweight and good for those people with 20 watt bulbs.
xx

 

[tinkywinky]

Yes good idea, did have one and it does help. I just wish these two women would go away and leave me alone.

 

[geeg]

Vicky, you are always going to have some clients who complain about this or that! That is the nature of working with the public and you have to learn to deal with it and deal with it professionally and politely and firmly.

You can't go blaming bad lighting or that your client was drinking (as someone said recently) or that the kids were running around etc.

It is up to we the technicians to ensure that the area where we do our work is professionally laid out, even if you are working in someones home. Especially if we are working in someone is home, actually. It is up to you to provide good and adequate lighting and anything else you need to maintain a professional working ambiance.

Lifting this soon after a service is down to you. You should put right the problem for nothing and if it costs you in terms of time and petrol then all the more reason to ensure that this does not happen again by getting it rightnext time.

The client paid her money, she should expect her nails not to lift after a few days. Her friend may be egging her on, but if lifting is there, it shouldn't be and that is down to you.

 

[tinkywinky]

fair comment Geeg, I am still new to this game and appreciate your advice. I didn't think it would take so long to become good at extenions and L & P. I think I may have a rest for a while to give myself some breathing space. I will of course repair the nails and have bought a lamp to take with me.

 

[geeg]

I'm not sure what taking a 'breather' is going to do for you other than to make you 'rusty'. The more experience you get now, the better and the more youwill learn.

Doing nails is an exacting and meticulous job and to do it well requires patience and attention to detail and a high level of skill. No one achieves these things overnight.

It is difficult when offering a mobile service (in more ways than one) especially if something goes wrong, but you can't ditch the responsibility to your paying client (and I know you are not trying to do so). The client does deserve to get what she is paying for.

Do you tell your clients this is a new service you are offering? Perhaps you can stipulate that due to the fact you are new to nails they may experience some problems (reflect this in your price). It's difficult but most clients can go for 2 weeks even if they do experience a little lifting. Maybe at a reduced price they would be prepared to 'tough it out' for the 2 week period until you get round to them again?

 

[dee]

when i was having problems with my nails i charged less , now i am not sure if that will get a good vote or not , but i felt better not charging full price , for something i knew wasnt up to standard :Scared: , now granted i didnt make any money from it , but i got experience , and encountered different problems , and learnt how to fix them, maybe do some leaflets saying you want models and charge less , at least then you wont have irate women coming back to you who have paid full price for their nails , if they know you are still new to the job , and you have charged them accordingly they are usually fine , but you will always get some that take the p***, hope this helps love dee

 

[tinkywinky]

Good idea! I know I should keep on with them, I do mention I have only been doing it for 1 year and only qualified since April.

It is only these ladies that have complained and I do make a mountain out of a molehill, but then again it shows I take my job seriously. I want all my customers to be happy!

In the meantime another lady has booked me for acrylic extensions. I will give her a discount as her man left her with twins (aged 6 weeks at the time). I know people struggle to make ends meet these days.

I am also going to practice on me tomorrow and put another set on.

Currently I am charging £25 a set but may reduce it to £20 until I feel my confidence has returned.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[caz3]

I charge £10 ok not a lot for the time I work on the nails but it covers my products and my clients understand that there may be the odd hitch.

Mt clients do not seem to lose there nails they all stay on which is good, I have had slight lifting like it has been said this is down to me my fault.

Do not have a break you need to keep going every set of nails you are getting more practise keep going.

If you are going to charge £20.00 you can explain to the client that some of this charge is petrol cost as I see you are mobile.

Good luck keep going I am sure you will get there in the end this is where I am at the mo I am sure I have a long road a head of me.

Caz xxx

 

[*Marie*]

Hi hun....know where you're coming from and how you feel! I have a mum/daughter duo who I've had the same with......the mum had her nails done, only for a week later saying they were lifting and wanting another set on so I did just that for nothing (thing was they had slight lift on some nails and the rest was just 1 weeks growth away from cuticle!) She was also phoning me inbetween for infills every couple of days!

Anyway last week she phones to say they have come off and has had a set done at her previous salon (where she told me originally that she had had 5 sets done at and they had all come off!) and can I go put some gems on her.......so I go and yes the nails she has had done are lovely (for £45 they would be - I only charged £25) and then she goes on to tell me that the salon had trouble getting the nails I did soaked off (they had nsi glaze n' go on them and they didn't realise you've gotta file the gloss off first) - now my point to this is she told me that they had "come off" and then she says the next day that they're soaked off!!! So I put the gems on her and she asked me how much does she owe me so I said "have this one on me" and then she said her daughter needs a new set (to me they just need infills (they were done 2 weeks ago) and 2 repairs when I looked at them) but she insists her daughter needs a new set and that I could do them for nothing cos I think she thinks after 2 weeks that it is something I have done (I don't think people realise that their nails grow from the cuticle down!!)

Anyway I gotta do this Wednesday night but right now after thinking about it I really don't feel like doing them for nothing when in reality there was no lifting at all it is just two chipped nails and the rest is 2 weeks growth!!!!

I sometimes wish that I didn't have to have more to do with these two clients as in total I have probably spent about 8 or 9 hours with them what with the 3 sets (2 on mum and 1 on daughter) and 2 lots of infills I did on the mum too!!! Plus the fact that I feel mentally and physically drained when I have been with them - the mum has such a depressing voice!!! xxx