Client unhappy with my work

[LadyA]

Hi Geeks

I had a lady come in on friday for a full set of L&P. She had no enhancements on when she came in but usually has them done at the local NSS and then just pulls them off when she's had enough of them

Despite her usually behaviour her nails weren't in that bad a condition, although she did have deep rings of fire, however, these caused her no pain

When I asked why she had come to us and not the local NSS, she told me she was actually on her way down to the NSS but because we were quiet and it was raining, she couldn't be bothered to walk down there, charming! :irked:

After giving her the usual speech, it became obvious she had no care for her nails

So..... anyway, I did my thing, was really pleased with them, consulted her at every stage (white tips, natural tips, shape, length etc). Went through all the aftercare afterwards and just warning her that they are probably not going to be AS strong as she is used to, but she will have all the other benefits like natural nail will not be ruined as long as she follows advice, has them soaked off etc. After that her face just dropped.....

I asked her, what she thought of them "fine" she replied abruptly. I could tell then she wasn't happy that she wasn't going to have super strength nss nails. Anyway, she paid, I said "have a lovely Christmas!" and she just walked out

She called yesterday and said she wasn't happy because one nail had come off and there were loads of bumps in the nails and wanted a refund, I said that I was in the salon for a further 3 hours if she could pop into the salon I could have a look at the nails and we can go from there...... she said that she couldn't get in yesterday, so she is going to come in tomorrow morning instead

I'm quite nervous about tomorrow as she is not the most pleasant of people and I know the salon is extremely busy tomorrow and really don't want her causing a scene in front of the other customers. I have been doing nails for a while and so am confident enough in my technique, but nothing like this has even happened to me before. She works in a call centre so I suppose her work wouldn't affect the nails, and she did promise me that she had been extremely careful with them

Sorry for the long post but I would appreciate anyone's comments, ideas or ways to handle this situation

Many Thanks :hug:

 

[liza2009]

my advice would be have look at the nails to see if there are any problems offer to repair but stick to your guns if you think its because she is heavy with them or has had a pick charge her ! good luck xx

 

[jonailtech]

no way i wouldnt give her a refund, of course a nail can pop off every now and then, maybe she picked it off so that she could try get a refund as she didnt seem to like them in the first place!! i would offer to fix it for free (to avoid a scene) and if she gets abusive i would explain to her that you did tell her when you did her nails that they would not be as strong as nss ones, oh some people thank god i havent had anyone like this yet lol im not in the business long enough, im sure ill have my fair share!!

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

As she usually has her nails done by NSS, I would imagine her nail plates were remarkedly thinned? You said that she usually pulls the enhancements off . Also sounds like she is a picker.

I agree with above. Have a look at her nails and decide whether she has picked off the one which came off. The evidence will speak for itself. If she wants them removed then you need to soak them off if she is to get a refund of any sort. Whatever you do, don't give her a refund and leave the enhancements in place as she would be getting a freebie.

 

[Sahara 711]

Hya

Firstly.. she sounds like a huge "PITA" so tread carefully, it sounds as if you have advised her well, she clearly comes across as having no respect for her nails.

When she arrives tomorrow I personally would explain once again, the damage that NSS technicians have done to her nails.. along with the appalling effects of "pulling" them off when shes had enough of them, try & get some examples off internet to show her so she can understand, its apparent this lady had not been educated by a good tech!

Unreasonable clients normally have convinced themselves their already right! so if you have as much literature to assist your verbal advice she may just accept what your saying.

Be very patient at all times & dont be afraid is she makes a scene in your salon, she will just be viewed a making a fool of herself & not you.

Are the "bumps" you mention on her natural nail? or the application?

Good Luck

Gill
Sahara Nail Spa

 

[LadyA]

Thank you everyone for your kind replies. I have been worrying about this since I received her call yesterday.

Mrs Clooney, for some reason her nails weren't remarkably thinned, which I found quite strange, especially as she pulled her last nss nails off about 4 weeks ago and she is certainly NOT getting a freebie off me.

Jonailtech, i really hope that you NEVER get a client like this

Sahara, there were no bumps on the nail that I was aware of on Friday, so I guess I will just have to see tomorrow

 

[redsadie]

Hi Geeks

I had a lady come in on friday for a full set of L&P. She had no enhancements on when she came in but usually has them done at the local NSS and then just pulls them off when she's had enough of them

Despite her usually behaviour her nails weren't in that bad a condition, although she did have deep rings of fire, however, these caused her no pain

When I asked why she had come to us and not the local NSS, she told me she was actually on her way down to the NSS but because we were quiet and it was raining, she couldn't be bothered to walk down there, charming! :irked:

After giving her the usual speech, it became obvious she had no care for her nails

So..... anyway, I did my thing, was really pleased with them, consulted her at every stage (white tips, natural tips, shape, length etc). Went through all the aftercare afterwards and just warning her that they are probably not going to be AS strong as she is used to, but she will have all the other benefits like natural nail will not be ruined as long as she follows advice, has them soaked off etc. After that her face just dropped.....

I asked her, what she thought of them "fine" she replied abruptly. I could tell then she wasn't happy that she wasn't going to have super strength nss nails. Anyway, she paid, I said "have a lovely Christmas!" and she just walked out

She called yesterday and said she wasn't happy because one nail had come off and there were loads of bumps in the nails and wanted a refund, I said that I was in the salon for a further 3 hours if she could pop into the salon I could have a look at the nails and we can go from there...... she said that she couldn't get in yesterday, so she is going to come in tomorrow morning instead

I'm quite nervous about tomorrow as she is not the most pleasant of people and I know the salon is extremely busy tomorrow and really don't want her causing a scene in front of the other customers. I have been doing nails for a while and so am confident enough in my technique, but nothing like this has even happened to me before. She works in a call centre so I suppose her work wouldn't affect the nails, and she did promise me that she had been extremely careful with them

Sorry for the long post but I would appreciate anyone's comments, ideas or ways to handle this situation

Many Thanks :hug:

Hi hun, I feel for you as this is never very nice :hug:.

I've highlighted in red the things you originally posted as I feel you have done everything you could possibly have done. You consulted with her throughout and although you think her face read that she wasn't happy, she said they were fine and left with paying. Some people are just like this anyway so it's impossible to make a judgement on the way they speak.

As you said, you have been performing nail services for a while and are confident in your ability so don't let this lady walk over you, working in a call centre won't affect her nails. I suspect she is just used to the super hardness of the other salon's nails and perhaps hasn't been as careful as she needed to be, which you did warn her about anyway.

If she does start to raise her voice in an attempt to make you flap, ask her politely to refrain from raising her voice/shouting and perhaps ask her if she would like to accompany you to a quieter part of the salon (if there is one).

I would see how she is when she comes in tomorrow, but take your lead from her. People who are nice about things usually get their way whereas if you shout n bawl, you won't get anything but a flea in your ear (well, with me anyway) and I wouldn't give a refund, nice or not, you don't know what she has been doing since leaving you.

HTH's hunny and let us know how it goes :hug:

 

[jonailtech]

i hope i dont either hon and dont worry i completely agree with sahara if she makes a scene it would be her that looks like a fool and not you and def soak off if you have to refund, some people are complete chancers and are only out to get freebies and cause havok you will prob have a good idea if she is one of those people when she comes back.. good luck hon xx

 

[Jessica Rabbit]

hi reading all the replays and yoy have been given some great advice. your clients sounds like a real pain in the butt. hope you manage her ok.. good luck. x

 

[blossom]

What a pain she sounds but there are plenty of 'em about like that!

Agree with everything thats been said. No freebies. She will make herself look bad. Your other clients (who hopefully take better care of theirs) will know that this is no reflection on your work anyway, good luck hun :hug: will be thinking of you. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Lynne Baker]

Life is full of clients who are going to be a PITA and the only thing to be done is to learn to deal with them in a professional manner. By all means let her have a good old rant and rave tomorrow in front of your other clients; she will humiliate herself and embarrass those around her. But as long as you remain calm, confident, assertive and professional you will have nothing to reproach yourself for. Personally I wouldn't have any info off the net to hand because it smacks of desperation - and as everyone knows it can be doctored to say whatever you want it to.
As for a refund - I'm always wary of those who say "no way, she's not getting one". You need to work out the cost of a refund versus the cost of the client bad mouthing you, if she's that sort of person. She may be absolutely genuine, and she may accept that a refund isn't on the cards, but a repair is. Only you can judge that when you see her.
Maintain your professionalism and dignity; this is what will mark you out against your competitors, and in front of your other clients. Assess your work objectively, and if you think there is even a glimmer of a chance that the nail popped off accidentally, smile graciously, repair it, reinforce the aftercare advice and even suggest to her that she come in again so you can see how she's getting on with non NSS nails.

 

[Sahara 711]

Hy Hun

I cant think what these bumps might be if they were not on her natural nail prior to the enhancements! obviously they were not apparent to her leaving the salon.

I would have said they are "Beau`s Lines" caused by continually rubbing the surface of the nail with your teeth, people who are very stressed tend to do this... the very fact she "pulls them off" frequentley could be a slight indication.....

Had they been on the natural nail, would have noticed this... I`m stuck with what it could be.

All I can say is good luck. keep us posted.

Sahara 711

 

[crazysaz]

i had exactly the same! she came in aftr a few days and i fixed one foc. i had orig explained the diff between white tips and pink and whites but she didnt understand just wanted white tips like she'd had in another salon. The 2nd time she was in i had lovely soft white tips and the other wee girl had nat tips and she said she liked these. Then just before her 2 wk date she rang, i cant mind the whole ins and outs but i was didnt want to do her so i said to the other girl. she was supposed to either replace and charge or soak off and charge or infill and charge. course she never did (shes young and talks a a big talk) so the cow ended up getting 2 or 3 replaced foc. i wasnt happy but i will never have her in my shop again! The best about it was her bro had married a bride frm indonesia or somewhere who apparently could do 'everything brilliantly - threading , nail art etc' so the 2nd time she brought her in to watch and blatantly told me she was there to watch what i do!!! the cheek of some people!

 

[HeatherNicole]

wow not to be mean but what a b**** lol. my friends mom gets her nails done at NSS i took her with me to beauty school last week to talk with the student counselor about her nails because she was really unhappy! they messed her up good! after all that education(we sat for about an hour in there talking blahblah) she still decide to go to NSS salon even when she was offered free nails by a senior student who does an amazing job! i think some people just dont care either and all they want is a artificial quick cheap beauty enhancement! so sad!

 

[magsham]

As she usually has her nails done by NSS, I would imagine her nail plates were remarkedly thinned? You said that she usually pulls the enhancements off . Also sounds like she is a picker.

I agree with above. Have a look at her nails and decide whether she has picked off the one which came off. The evidence will speak for itself. If she wants them removed then you need to soak them off if she is to get a refund of any sort. Whatever you do, don't give her a refund and leave the enhancements in place as she would be getting a freebie.[/quote]


ABSO-BL***Y-LUTELY!!!!! Call her bluff - and i bet when she realises she's not getting one she'll have a change of mind!!

 

[weezie]

Don't think it's anything to do with your nails, she probably moans about the NSS techs work too. They probably sacked her as I'm not believing the whole "I couldn't be bothered to walk there" scenario. Just treat her like you would any other client and charge her for anything you do if she is the reason for the lifting. Make your policies clear now, if she is not happy then she can use someone else. :hug:

 

[Mrs Geek]

Hi Geeks

I had a lady come in on friday for a full set of L&P. She had no enhancements on when she came in but usually has them done at the local NSS and then just pulls them off when she's had enough of them

Despite her usually behaviour her nails weren't in that bad a condition, although she did have deep rings of fire, however, these caused her no pain

When I asked why she had come to us and not the local NSS, she told me she was actually on her way down to the NSS but because we were quiet and it was raining, she couldn't be bothered to walk down there, charming! :irked:

After giving her the usual speech, it became obvious she had no care for her nails

So..... anyway, I did my thing, was really pleased with them, consulted her at every stage (white tips, natural tips, shape, length etc). Went through all the aftercare afterwards and just warning her that they are probably not going to be AS strong as she is used to, but she will have all the other benefits like natural nail will not be ruined as long as she follows advice, has them soaked off etc. After that her face just dropped.....

I asked her, what she thought of them "fine" she replied abruptly. I could tell then she wasn't happy that she wasn't going to have super strength nss nails. Anyway, she paid, I said "have a lovely Christmas!" and she just walked out

She called yesterday and said she wasn't happy because one nail had come off and there were loads of bumps in the nails and wanted a refund, I said that I was in the salon for a further 3 hours if she could pop into the salon I could have a look at the nails and we can go from there...... she said that she couldn't get in yesterday, so she is going to come in tomorrow morning instead

I'm quite nervous about tomorrow as she is not the most pleasant of people and I know the salon is extremely busy tomorrow and really don't want her causing a scene in front of the other customers. I have been doing nails for a while and so am confident enough in my technique, but nothing like this has even happened to me before. She works in a call centre so I suppose her work wouldn't affect the nails, and she did promise me that she had been extremely careful with them

Sorry for the long post but I would appreciate anyone's comments, ideas or ways to handle this situation

Many Thanks :hug:

LadyA I haven't read all responses to you so far but the first problem you caused is by comparing the nails to the ones she is USED to and saying them may not be as strong. This was her PEREFCT segway to blame you for any problems. You didn't mean to do this of course but that is exactly what has happened.

She doesn't care... :idea: There are people that don't and we have to recognise them and learn to deal with them accordingly. You could have told her your nail coatings were mixed with pure diamond dust... but the moment you compared strengths and said 'they may not be as strong due to bla bla'... she had her 'out' to not come to you again OR she had her reason to complain.

When dealing with a customer like this, you have to recogise the signs (which you did) and sit her down and get to work and talk about HER!! She doesn't care about the nail side BUT SHE WILL... once she gains your trust.

Always talk about them and get them to LIKE YOU... once that's accomplished you can head down the 'professional' road and she will listen to you where as this time... she simply didn't care!

Hope this helps! :hug:

 

[Cat_Therien]

I agree with Samantha and it's very possible you just have a very self-focused client. If she makes a scene in the shop, then she's likely to complain about every set you do, so it's maybe an issue of how much emotional energy you will have to work with this client. It may be that she's going to cause you more trouble than it's worth.

But if not...

Maybe schedule her on days you know are slow, and put her as the last appointment of that day, so that you aren't going through the remainder of a day frustrated with her and not giving your full attention to the other clients.

I don't know... sometimes people just feel they have to stir the pot in order to get any attention. I had a student like that once, and she just wanted to feel loved. That was her whole issue.

She was elderly and disabled, and used an electric cart to get around. The employees were frightened of her, as she was rude and would honk her cart's horn at people, bump into them intentionally, etc. Customers and employees alike would see her coming and go the other way!

At first, I would dread having her come into class. She interrupted people, she brought tons of things to show us to get us off track, etc. The other students didn't like her because she was rude and just generally a pain.

But I stuck with it, I encouraged her and spent a little extra time with her. I made little things for her. Just generally showered her with love. It was hard at times! But it took about six months before one of the employees came into my classroom and asked me what I'd been doing with her, because she was different. I asked how - I didn't know until then that she'd stopped the honking and bumping and yelling.

Sometimes people hate themselves so much that they expect others to hate them too, and have to make this happen in order for their world to feel secure and that they were right all along.


Cat

 

[Lynne Baker]

I call it love bombing, Cat, and it sure does work!

 

[jonailtech]

did things go ok when she came back to you hon??