Behind closed door appointments, how to deal with the requests!

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MissRelish

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Jan 25, 2021
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Hello all,

Recently I have been getting a lot of clients asking me if I could recommend anyone whos doing "Behind closed door/secret appointments" :eek:
When I receive these messages it fills my body with stress and makes me so anxious that clients may think I'm being "lazy" or not respecting them enough because I'm not working during the lockdown but some people are! even though I know I'm doing the right thing it still makes me panicky.

My question is how do you all deal with these questions?

Thanks
 
Thankfully none of my existing clients have asked for appointments, as they know better!

However I have had enquiries from new clients. Just have a standard message ready to auto-reply saying that you are closed blah blah blah. I've typed out so many messages lecturing people and explaining that people like them, breaking the rules are the reason why, yet again I cannot work. But there's just no point with these people, they will go to whoever is working and put themselves and the tech at risk of fines...

If they are reasonable clients, they won't think you're lazy, they should feel ashamed for even asking. Why on earth would you send your business elsewhere in a time like this? I would just say "Sorry, I don't know anyone working, as non-essential businesses are closed to help stop the spread of Covid". Something to make them think twice about how desperately they actually need their treatments.

You are doing the right thing.
 
I received 2 such phone calls just this morning... I'm afraid my response is more along the lines of: "I'm currently not working due to the fact hairdressing is currently illegal and not to mention dangerous and I prefer to stay on the right side of the law, so sorry but no."
Is there somewhere we can report these law breakers who clearly don't mind risking their lives for the sake of a haircut? I honestly can't understand their mentality. Two of our friends have died in the last couple of weeks... Don't people get how dangerous it is?
 
Is there somewhere we can report these law breakers who clearly don't mind risking their lives for the sake of a haircut?
I actually tried to report someone working so blatantly. She works in 2 different salons in 2 different cities usually, so has a widespread client base (great for stopping the spread!!!). Now the salons have closed, but she is still working mobile. Unfortunately when I try to report through my local council it asks for the location of lockdown violation, and obviously I don't know where she is working!

Sorry to hear about your friends :(
 
If these enquiries are from new to you clients “flip it” in your head. Assume these are journalists or “Covid police” looking to catch people out. It’s called entrapment- but it happens.

this will take a lot of your anxiety away. Just think “ha, ha, you can’t fool me, how stupid do you think I am”. In fact, you might even consider sending that as your reply
 
I have had calls from new clients but I don’t answer, I have a voicemail saying that due to the national lockdown the beauty industry has to close until further notice. They haven’t left a message so that’s stopped them in their tracks by the look of it.
My regular clients are all really sensible, they know the deal, they’re all not going to risk going anywhere else anyway so I am lucky in that way.
If these are your regular clients asking whether you know of anyone working, then you have to ask yourself if these are the clients you want to keep when we are allowed to work again. They obviously don’t care about the virus & are not very supportive of your business.
Maybe direct them to a news page or government page stating that personal services have had to close to back you up...not that you should need to!!
 
Hello all,

Recently I have been getting a lot of clients asking me if I could recommend anyone whos doing "Behind closed door/secret appointments" :eek:
When I receive these messages it fills my body with stress and makes me so anxious that clients may think I'm being "lazy" or not respecting them enough because I'm not working during the lockdown but some people are! even though I know I'm doing the right thing it still makes me panicky.

My question is how do you all deal with these questions?

Thanks
Hi, im with you on that, i feel as though im constantly texting as a way of apologising, ive been asked if im working illegally so ive had to tell them to behave with a wink but it does annoy me, im starting to really notice how i need to budget my finances witht no income coming in, and im dying to get back to work for my sanity but safety is first.
It does wind me up because its so dangerous atm not to mention on top of that, getting fined and ruining your reputation.
I just dont get the importance of them worrying about hair when people are dropping like flies.
Please dont get stressed, if theyre not understanding and sympathetic to you and your job theyre not worth it, not to mention its illegal. X
 
I actually tried to report someone working so blatantly. She works in 2 different salons in 2 different cities usually, so has a widespread client base (great for stopping the spread!!!). Now the salons have closed, but she is still working mobile. Unfortunately when I try to report through my local council it asks for the location of lockdown violation, and obviously I don't know where she is working!

Sorry to hear about your friends :(
This boils my blood so much, undercover hairdressers cashing in on the law abiding ones and speading the virus putting us further out of work 😒x
 
To be honest I wouldn’t imagine that these lockdown illegals will be supported by clients once business reopens. They’re the same sort of people that shop around for Groupon deals.

I’ve got a few clients that I’m definitely not looking to rebook when we reopen. I’m rehearsing that conversation!
 
Hi MissRelish
You’re doing the right thing imagine if you gave into your clients and you gave it to one or more of them and things got serious
I’m struggling too but I know I can hold my head up with no regrets
Those who work under the radar obviously don’t care
 
Don’t feel bad @MissRelish, to agree to such unreasonable requests in the circumstances, would result in you breaking the law.
 
Don’t feel bad @MissRelish, to agree to such unreasonable requests in the circumstances, would result in you breaking the law.
Not to mention you will be fined if you got caught working & possibly the client would too. I wonder how they would like a fine?! Pretty expensive haircut or manicure!
 
On a positive note, a few days ago a lady asked for recommendations for a mobile hairdresser on our village FB page.
It was really good to see her get numerous relies telling her that ALL hairdressers including mobile were closed! 👍
 
A friend of mine got asked to work and was told by the client that she wouldn't tell anyone about it but that she was desperate for her waxing as her husband had been working away and was due home any day. She basically begged her to work and said she'd make it worth her while if she did her this favour. The client asking the favor is a nurse. If she doesn't understand how serious this is then there's no hope for any of us!
 
A friend of mine got asked to work and was told by the client that she wouldn't tell anyone about it but that she was desperate for her waxing as her husband had been working away and was due home any day. She basically begged her to work and said she'd make it worth her while if she did her this favour. The client asking the favor is a nurse. If she doesn't understand how serious this is then there's no hope for any of us!
I had the same during the first lockdown. Client who is a doctor kept pestering me to book in, said she knows it will be completely safe & we can go outside.
Ummmmmm.....NO!
As you say, if they don’t understand the situation! It boggles the mind!
 
I'm really struggling this time!! First lockdown everyone was so good,only asking for advice on what to touch up roots with themselves...but omg I cant believe this time, I have been pestered by people for home appointments before they would have even had a regrowth from there xmas appointments!! I cant believe the cheek,when we open as normal they book appointments every 10 weeks or so now they expecting emergency appointments after 4 weeks!!!
At a moment of weakness I agreed to do some as a favour,only because I felt so guilty and a bit shamed not accommodating my customers..I wasnt sleeping and very tearful at the prospect of exposing myself to covid unnecessarily and breaking the law..until my mum said the shame was on them for asking me,not the other way around! I quickly retracted my offers of "help" and although they understood I know I peed a few off now!
But as far as I'm concerned after all the unnecessary stress and anxiety this caused me folk can spray their greys with root touch up or shave their fanny's til we get back,I wont lose any sleep over it!
.....
 
folk can spray their greys with root touch up or shave their fanny's til we get back,I wont lose any sleep over it!
.....

Amen to that sentiment!!!! 😂😂😂😂
 
I was put in a similar situation the first lockdown. Had a lady wanting her toenails painting. Not even a full pedicure. She must have asked a dozen times and her reasoning was that her chiropodist was allowed to stay open so why couldn't I so i did understand where she was coming from but rules are rules at the end of the day. I ended up booking her in then cancelling her the day before as I was so worried about the consequences. She still came back when we opened and she's not asked once during this lockdown.
I've been lucky that all of my clients have just said they'll wait this time but I did lose a few during the first lockdown who went to places that stayed open. I say good riddance to them. The ones that matter will wait x
 
Such a difficult situation for everyone to be in.

I got asked by someone I considered a friend well into the first lockdown even though they knew that I had been closed for a while anyway, and I hadn’t heard from her on a major basis in a a fair while either.

I usually saw her with a group for booking (I used to give a discount for it) and she was looking at getting the same sort of thing, 3 sets of hands and feet done and a spray tan.

I told them no and that I had no gel kit sold it for depreciation and apologised, before making my excuses to leave the conversation. I got upset by the fact that this person just didn’t give a crap about me, evident in her asking and after not hearing much from her.
If people were still asking me, as much as it’s not nice I’d probably look at it in the same way.. that this is someone who littro does not care for others how they feel at the expense of what they’re requesting, so I’m not going there.. to be straight tell them no it’s too dangerous for me.

It’s not worth the money or the stress, or ending up with covid and spreading it when it could have been avoided x
 
Well done for being so professional and being a role model for the industry, unfortunately so many aren't like you and risk not only thier health but the health of others and give the industry a bad reputation. I am a complementary health therapist and have been approved by my local authority to just offer acupuncture for mental health support, it was a long and lengthy process which included a visit to my premises by the environmental health officer, many phone calls and a check of my procedures and risk assessment, it infuriates me when others bypass this and work outside of the law, the fines are massive and its not worth the risk. My workload has dropped from 25 to around 2 or 3 a week so it wasn't really work the hassle but I had a couple of clients who are struggling at the moment 💕
 

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