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CarrieBeauty

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I hope some of you can offer some helpful advice and some reassurance!

My beauty salon is above a hair salon and I had one of the hair clients book in for a half leg wax and eyebrow wax. We decided she could have the treatments done while her hair colour was developing after having checked with the hairdressers how long it the colour would be on for (45 min).

It all started off fine until toward the end of the treatment the hairdresser was knocking the door saying the colour was ready to come off but it had only be 30 minutes. I was just waxing the back of the legs.

The client had very dark, course hair. I then felt rushed as the hairdresser was saying the colour needed to come off there and then. Where as usually after a leg wax I would check over thoroughly to make sure there were no remaining hairs, I did not have time to do this but still obviously felt I had gotten them all.

Anyway I had a voice message on the business landline this morning from the client saying she had sent a text message to the business mobile 2 weeks ago explaining how unhappy she was as apparently I had missed the whole back of one leg! She said she was very unhappy for the money she paid and that she had waited 2 weeks for a reply.

I phoned her back this morning and said that I can only apologise but obviously because I was rushed I must of missed hair. She said she got home and had one hairy leg! I said again I can only apologise and I then offered for her to come back for a free half leg wax. She perked up with that and said yes it was a rush in all fairness. She said she will book with her next hair appointment as she lives an hour away so I said that's fine but we will make sure that she comes to me after her hair is finished.

I feel that she is completely exaggerating. There is no way I would of missed the whole back of her leg. I know I was rushed but still! I'm thinking it was just a patch of hair. As I said her was very dark so I would of noticed if I had left that much hair!

I'm only 22 with my own business and am very self critical. I was so nervous phoning her back. I'm not very angry with myself for letting this happen.

Did I do the right thing in offering a free leg wax or should I have given a refund?

Any advice will be appreciated!!!
 
I think a redo is always better than a refund as otherwise you might lose the client, this way she is more likely to rebook every time she has her hair done. She prob has exaggerated, I'm sure she would have just popped back if it was as bad as you say but at least this way you can hopefully maintain her custom!
 
I think offering a free re-do is an excellent compromise but if she wasn't happy with that, a refund wouldn't have been unreasonable in these circumstances. If it helps to demonstrate your professionalism, that's always a good thing.

I agree you were very rushed but as the professional, you offered to complete the service during the colour process, so you do need to ensure that you could do this comfortably in the time allotted. It certainly wasn't the clients fault that the hairdresser didn't give you enough time. Equally, you don't want to fall out with the hairdressers if they are helping to supply you with customers. Always play the diplomat in these situations.

Think of the experience as a learning opportunity and be more cautious in future about what services you offer a client that can easily be done in a short time frame.

Just a minor point, very rarely a client can have a reaction to tint/bleach hair products that requires them to have the products immediately rinsed off. If they're in a state of undress at the time, this could be very awkward...! :eek::)
 
I think you did the right thing offering a re-do. Its best to keep the client happy.
However, your service is just as important as the hairdressers service, so next time, i wouldnt take the client if theyre in the middle of a treatment elsewhere. Then you are the one being rushed, and you are the one recieving negative feedback and losing time/money/clients.
 
I think you did the right thing and handled the situation very well.

Lesson learned, the hairdresser probably meant that the hair colour had to be on for 45 mins when she first applied it, but it probably took her 15 mins to apply the colour, you need to learn the lingo ;) Instead of asking how long, ask when is that colour due up? (i used to rent in a hairdressers)
 
I agree with noreen I did beauty in a hairdressers and the only treatments I did during colours were shellac and eyebrow tint/wax. Anything else can wait until after. Like xDramaQueen1988 said it ends up falling back on you if the timing isn't right.
 
I think you did the right thing to offer the treatment free next time as this way you may keep the client. Not sure I would want a client with tint on her hair laying down for a leg wax really but if I did, I would have only booked out 20 mins for half leg and brows so would have been finished within the 30 mins anyway.
 
Hi CarrieBeauty,
I really think the hairdresser should have communicated with you better. Obviously you felt rushed as she was knocking on the door and I would feel panicked as well thinking the hair colour obviously needs to come off. I have a waxing salon and I work in with a hairdresser at the front of the salon and we definitely communicate to see if it's possible to do a wax while colour is processing. Clients like this as they are saving time.
You did the right thing in offering a free leg wax. Don't take it too personally-there are just some people out there that will be slightly dramatic about how many hairs were left ect. So with this person next time, just ask her to have a quick look over to see she is happy with it at the end. And don't feel bad about this experience, as long as you know what you saw. Just put it down to a client who is just being a bit dramatic.
 
Are you sure she left a message to your business mobile? Why wouldn't you receive that? That sounds strange if she says she left it two weeks ago but you did not receive it.
 
Hi CarrieBeauty,
I really think the hairdresser should have communicated with you better. Obviously you felt rushed as she was knocking on the door and I would feel panicked as well thinking the hair colour obviously needs to come off. I have a waxing salon and I work in with a hairdresser at the front of the salon and we definitely communicate to see if it's possible to do a wax while colour is processing. Clients like this as they are saving time.
You did the right thing in offering a free leg wax. Don't take it too personally-there are just some people out there that will be slightly dramatic about how many hairs were left ect. So with this person next time, just ask her to have a quick look over to see she is happy with it at the end. And don't feel bad about this experience, as long as you know what you saw. Just put it down to a client who is just being a bit dramatic.

Thank you for your reply! Yes communication was poor, probably on my part aswell! I explained to the client that when she comes in for her free wax we will do it after her hair is completely finished!
I know I shouldn't dwell on it too much but as a 22 year old doing this on my own, working so so hard to make a living, not making a wage yet due to it still being in the first of year of business, it is so disheartening when things like this happen [emoji20] but I guess I need to get used to it! Thank you for your advice it's just what I needed to hear!xx
 
I think you did the right thing to offer the treatment free next time as this way you may keep the client. Not sure I would want a client with tint on her hair laying down for a leg wax really but if I did, I would have only booked out 20 mins for half leg and brows so would have been finished within the 30 mins anyway.

She had extremely thick course hair and a lot of it! So I needed extra time but thinking I had 45 mins I didn't think it would be a problem. Maybe I'm not as quick as you at waxing though, I prefer to take my time to be thorough but couldn't in this instance. as a 22 year old doing this on my own, working so so hard to make a living, not making a wage yet due to it still being in the first of year of business, it is so disheartening when things like this happen [emoji20] but I know have to get used to it. Thanks for your reply
 
I think offering a free re-do is an excellent compromise but if she wasn't happy with that, a refund wouldn't have been unreasonable in these circumstances. If it helps to demonstrate your professionalism, that's always a good thing.

I agree you were very rushed but as the professional, you offered to complete the service during the colour process, so you do need to ensure that you could do this comfortably in the time allotted. It certainly wasn't the clients fault that the hairdresser didn't give you enough time. Equally, you don't want to fall out with the hairdressers if they are helping to supply you with customers. Always play the diplomat in these situations.

Think of the experience as a learning opportunity and be more cautious in future about what services you offer a client that can easily be done in a short time frame.

Just a minor point, very rarely a client can have a reaction to tint/bleach hair products that requires them to have the products immediately rinsed off. If they're in a state of undress at the time, this could be very awkward...! :eek::)
Yes you're right I maybe shouldn't have offered the treatment in between her hair appointment. She wasn't undressed it was only half a leg wax and her trousers were just rolled right up. as a 22 year old doing this on my own, working so so hard to make a living, not making a wage yet due to it still being in the first of year of business, it is so disheartening when things like this happen [emoji20] guess I have to get used to it. Thanks for your reply.
 
CarrieBeauty the first year is the hardest starting out in business. But it will get better with hard work and it will definitely pay off for you in the end. I use to call my dad in tears saying I wanted to quit my business and he told me to keep going. I'm glad I listened to him and 5 years later:) I admire you starting so young. I would have been far too immature at that age. I started at age 30! So good on you!
 

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