Client from hell, what to do?

[nailzoo]

Although this is quite blog-esque, I felt the need to post a small insecurity from an old tech to show we all have the same problems.

AT 10am my 11am rocked up....

I informed her that she was actually at 11am ... she nearly bit my head off saying "you told me it was 10am". I never book her in at 10am, as I know how much she likes her sleep, in 12 months I have never done her at 10am, usually 12 midday (I thought even 11am was early for her) ...... nonetheless......

My actual 10am had been booked in 3 weeks in advance. I said "sorry there must be some wires crossed", (taking 50% responsibility for the screwup) ....my appointments are computerised and very obvious, with clients booking well in advance. She stormed out in a huff saying "I'll be back at 11am".

At 10.50am she called to say she couldn't reorganise her schedule and she would have to cancel and she would let me know when she was free.

She is quite an assertive woman (bordering on aggressive) with a pre disposition of permanent PMS (no joking) and often her conversations revolve around what she "hates" and who has gotten in the way of her perfect life.

Anyways, I live 5 mins away from my salon, so at 11.15am, I decided to go home and throw a load of washing in the machine ... like a good househusband does.

On the way home I went past the local chop shop, only to see her seated with her back to the door having her nails done.

She has quite stunning P&W nails (I'm trialling a new coverage powder on her with excellent results) and everyone (including herself) comments on how beautiful her nails are.

I'm at a loss...... I still take things quite personally after 23 years in the trade...

Do I text her and say "sorry for the misunderstanding, I hope you are happy with the nails done by ???", or do I just wait for her to come back and say nothing?

She's pretty full on and I know she will cut off her nose to spite her face (she wants to sue the local dry cleaners).

Should I do one oneupmanship and comment, or do I wait and see what happens, then say I am booked out?

Or do I just chill and wait , then do her nails as per?

2 hours later I had an unannounced council inspection......it's been one of those days.......

Just to add, she has lots of friends that have nails (another story), yet she never sends me any clients .... she almost covets me and keeps me her "personal secret" to having nails better than her mates.

 

[Belle2553]

deja vu ...... i just responded to this in nailtips lol..........
txt her txt her

 

[number1kitty]

Personally some clients are more hassle than they are worth! Like you said she has never sent her friends your way!

Send her a text and apologise for the mix up and that you dont understand what has happened and leave it at that.

You could maybe send her some flowers (which I would do) because if she is one of those clients that will happily call everything to everyone that will listen it may remove any hard feelings she has.

I would drop her though as a client. If she has been somewhere else and then returns to you she would need a whole new set anyway wouldnt she as each salon uses differnt products that are not compatable! And I never touch another salons nails.

I had a similar client who booked me out for three hours every week. She would cancel and rebook last minute or turn up an hour late and expect the same 3 hour treatment. In the end I refused to treat her unless she rang up on the day and if I was free I would fit her in. In the long run i would save the money back that she spent with me through other clients. She was shocked and said I couldnt do that as she spent XXX with me every week. I explained my side of things and never had a problem with her after that.

Honesty is the best policy we are all human, but sometimes people dont understand our side of things if we dont stand our ground.

kate x

 

[Bagpuss]

What a nightmare situation...what I would WANT to do and what I SHOULD do are two separate things....:lol:.....Considering what you have said about her I would want to send the text as you wrote it.....but then I guess the professional in me would just leave it and do nothing. Being a professional is soooo boring at time..:lol:

Its her loss, she must be a fool.

** and there is NO way i would send her flowers....for what ???

 

[jesekah]

Holy hell carl, i thought this only ever happen to little ones like my self...lol good to hear... i cant believe she would treat you like that! i would just let her know next time she calls that her appointment has gone to someone else, as she didnt keep it she is now out of sink with your book and she is unable to be fitted in... we are'nt just nail techs we are human to... my very dear friend who was a great nail tech only just told me today that clients dont care what goes on their nails just how they look at the end and if they stay on... this just proves that.. she had the best nail tech in Sydney/oz and she has gone to a non standed salon.... lol this makes me giggle and i think it has even made my day... in a good way.. i was just thinking of giving up nails and selling my shop dur to the crap that goes with clients...

thanks

 

[Katelisa]

omg, i hate clients that whinge. personally, if she send you no new clients, then your only losing her, and probably gaining some saniy from listening to her whinging!!

 

[izzidoll]

Well she certainly won't have nails better than her mates this time!

To be honest I would just chill and wait for her return.
Unfortunately that may mean starting from scratch with all your good work, as the chop shop will surely have wrecked it.

It is quite reassuring in a way to see that these 'trying' clients happen to even the very best of us.

 

[gillian w]

Sack her.She will always make you feel anxious and unhappy.
You will be better off without her and someone will come along a lot nicer to replace her money.
Hopefully she will end up with a horrible bacterial infection from the nss.
Nasty people arn't worthy of wearing your nails.

 

[magsham]

Sack her.She will always make you feel anxious and unhappy.
You will be better off without her and someone will come along a lot nicer to replace her money.
Hopefully she will end up with a horrible bacterial infection from the nss.
Nasty people arn't worthy of wearing your nails.

I agree with Gill. I would have taken it really personally and would have problems with her when i saw her, which would in turn compromise my work and therefore my reputation, which in no way compares to yours, but is still as precious to me! :Love:

 

[geeg]

I think I would just 'enjoy' the fact that you caught her out and see what transpires and say nothing. If she comes back, you can enjoy a quiet personal snigger.

Some of you guys just kill me with your attitude which always seems to be: Sack the client or saying your better off without, or that you hate clients who are like this, don't fit them in if they come back, drop her .... listen to yourselves! What kind of a way it that to run a business? Sure clients like this are a pain but they pay you for a service ... they can be a pain and we have to put up with it because that is life and it's our job to provide the service they are paying for even if they are moaners and wingers.

I can just see it all. She goes in the salon to find she is early ... thinks she'll blame Carl rather than admit that she could be to blame, whatever ... it has thrown her day out, she says she'll come back. she swans off up the street and sees another salon, thinks ... I'll just see if they have room for me NOW .. they do! she sits down and rings Carl to tell him she is not returning that day (she's got what she wanted). So typical. I suppose you could say at least she had the courtesy to let Carl know.

People are people and it takes all sorts. It would be nice if everyone were lovely and thoughtful and courteous but that just isn't the way people are and when you are in a people business you take the rough with the smooth.

It isn't personal, Carl. She just wanted her nails done then and there and got lucky (she thinks ... mwah mwah).

 

[Katelisa]

Some of you guys just kill me with your attitude which always seems to be: Sack the client or saying your better off without, or that you hate clients who are like this, don't fit them in if they come back, drop her .... listen to yourselves! What kind of a way it that to run a business? Sure clients like this are a pain but they pay you for a service ... they can be a pain and we have to put up with it because that is life and it's our job to provide the service they are paying for even if they are moaners and wingers.

i dont want people near me that constantly whinge, wether it be my personal life or workinglife, id rather they did go somewhere else. its no big deal. i have plenty of clients that dont whinge about everything under the sun, who are a pleasure to see. negtive vibes are just not welcome, especially when you have been heavily depressed in the past and dont want to go down that road again!

 

[tracey louise]

i agree i would just not say anything and have a little laugh to myself.i would also take this personally and want to let her know that i know she went else where but sometimes its easier to just smile and be polite.
i have had a few clients that come to me and then go somewhere else and then come back to me.so i just think that if i was that bad they woulnt come back to me and they they went else where just because it was more convienent for them at that time.
the fact that she has been with you for so long means she obviously like your work,but im sure her going elsewhere was just a spur of the moment thing because she was really annoyed with you.
and as someone else said her nails wont be better than all her friends now,lol.:green:

 

[nailzoo]

I think I would just 'enjoy' the fact that you caught her out and see what transpires and say nothing. If she comes back, you can enjoy a quiet personal snigger.

Some of you guys just kill me with your attitude which always seems to be: Sack the client or saying your better off without, or that you hate clients who are like this, don't fit them in if they come back, drop her .... listen to yourselves! What kind of a way it that to run a business? Sure clients like this are a pain but they pay you for a service ... they can be a pain and we have to put up with it because that is life and it's our job to provide the service they are paying for even if they are moaners and wingers.

I can just see it all. She goes in the salon to find she is early ... thinks she'll blame Carl rather than admit that she could be to blame, whatever ... it has thrown her day out, she says she'll come back. she swans off up the street and sees another salon, thinks ... I'll just see if they have room for me NOW .. they do! she sits down and rings Carl to tell him she is not returning that day (she's got what she wanted). So typical. I suppose you could say at least she had the courtesy to let Carl know.

People are people and it takes all sorts. It would be nice if everyone were lovely and thoughtful and courteous but that just isn't the way people are and when you are in a people business you take the rough with the smooth.

It isn't personal, Carl. She just wanted her nails done then and there and got lucky (she thinks ... mwah mwah).

My thoughts too Geeg, but i'm finding it soooooooooooooo hard to keep my mouth shut, my brain numb or my text thumb still.

The worst thing is .... she has insulted me ..... and my relationship with her (and the extra care I take in doing her nails) will never be the same, she was an educated experiment with the new powder and my pride and joy ......
that bitch should be sending me flowers........ (and a nice vase)

It's Valium time ....... she has rocked me..... the cow.

 

[blossom]

I think you should have tapped on the window and waved at her :lol:

No seriously, at least she let you know. And she has been a loyal client (and no doubt will be again after having sampled the local NSS), let it teach her a lesson! She'll be back with her tail between her legs soon.

I can put up with clients who moan and whinge about life and people in general, its only if it gets continually personal or overly aggressive that I would consider "sacking" her. I don't know if you feel this lady has done enough to deserve it. Only you can decide.

On the subject of sacking clients, I think that if we are busy enough to be selective and a particular client is being a complete ...hole, why not sack them? It's only the equivalent of a pub barring someone really. I didn't train and build up my business only to sit here and take a load of .... from horrible people. There's enough stress in life without that! That said, in five years, I've only ever deliberately got rid of 2 people. Most of my clients are lovely, there's nobody that I absolutely dread seeing (at the moment lol)

Good luck and thanks for sharing

 

[geeg]

i dont want people near me that constantly whinge, wether it be my personal life or workinglife, id rather they did go somewhere else. its no big deal. i have plenty of clients that dont whinge about everything under the sun, who are a pleasure to see. negtive vibes are just not welcome, especially when you have been heavily depressed in the past and dont want to go down that road again!

Do you have a notice to that effect in your place of work so that all the negative people know not to book in with you? :lol:

I don't think anyone wants people who are not nice but it is part of the territory of working with the public I'm afraid and like it or not that is what we do.

I found in my business career that if I was nice generally my clients became pretty nice too.

Most people reflect back the attitude that you show them.

All I'm saying is that sacking a client (if it is absolutely necessary) should be a last resort, not the first solution that comes to mind. every time there is a thread where someone has been hacked off by a client the first solution most say is ... ban the bitch! Ridiculous attitude.

I think also that the days where we can be selective are rapidly dwindling. Look at the freakin economy ... I'd be hanging on to every client I'd got and going the extra mile to do so .. not sacking them off because they have negative vibes. Crickey .. don't get involved .. just do their nails!

 

[blossom]

Most people reflect back the attitude that you show them.

True in general but some are just arseholes

 

[geeg]

True in general but some are just arseholes

So?? We're paid to do their nails not be their bosom buddy! Keep smiling .. they generally smile back.

 

[dee]

i would wait until she comes to you with no doubt shredded nail plates ... then you can give her the ! " ya see if you had just waited that hour , your nails wouldnt be like this " :lol:

 

[An*Gel]

The thing is at the end of the day, she's not your friend she is a paying client and it's not personal. I'd say, like my clients most of your clients are so lovely that you want to take them home with you.. lots of clients give me flowers and cards but when you get a client like that one it's hard to deal with it 'cause you're so used to being appreciated. Your client sounds exactely like a client that I have and the way I look at it is that she pays my wages and personally I think she will appreciate you more when she comes back.... and believe me she'll be back and this time will be moaning about someone else (the chop shop)

 

[nailzoo]

I was also annoyed at losing her money, that $75 could have paid half my electricity bill , also because of the situation, I can't feel 100% in charging her a cancellation fee at short notice. Although I'm sure it was her fault.

I would have bit my tongue and done her nails in silence (it wouldn't be the first time) she's a bitch through and through and is often VERY moody, in her own world, taking out aggression on me, non talkative, burying her head in a magazine between personal gripes, then apologetic, but she's never gone anywhere else.

Just to add she has a degree in psychology.