Difficult clients - how to deal with them professionally?

[*Jess*]

Hi Geeks,

I am in the process of setting up my new home based salon, have almost everything ready to go, and intend to start trading after Easter.

On Friday, I did some beauty work for 2 of my nearest and dearest friends, as they were to be bridesmaids in a wedding on Saturday. We have been friends for over 15 years and I love them like sisters, but they really disappointed me on Friday, and I was just hoping for some advice on how to handle future situations like this, should they arise.

Both girls were booked to have a spray tan, eyelash tint, brow tint and wax. These appointments were booked about 3 or 4 weeks in advance. The appointment time was 5.30pm - they showed up at 5.05. Luckily I had finished work half an hour early (currently work a 9-5 job) so I could get home and get set up and organised, so it was a good thing I did, or they would have beat me home! That was the first thing that annoyed me. I can understand showing up 5 or 10 mins early for an appointment, but 25 mins??!

The second thing that annoyed me was, as I started to work on the first friend, second friend informs me that she no longer needs the spray tan, as she had one done this morning at a competitor salon. I was SO offended!! I ask friend 1 if she is still having her tan, she responds "no...". All I could manage to say was "oh. Ok then..." I was livid (who tells someone they no longer need a treatment because they went and got it done at the competition?!!) - but had to bite my tongue, as I didn't want to say something and get into an argument with them. I felt like saying (and now kind of wishing I did) "Well as I have blocked out enough time to allow for all the treatments that were booked, I'm still going to charge you for the spray tan, as you didn't notify me to cancel it until I was halfway through your treatment". Who shows up to the appointment and tells you nah, they don't want half of it anymore?!

My question is, if this sort of thing happens with a "real" (for lack of a better word) client, how would you handle it? Would you still charge for whatever they have decided they no longer want? And how do you deal with someone that shows up so early? I was just so taken aback, I had no idea what to say or do without losing my cool. :evil:

*EDIT* On a side note - regarding a cancellation fee. How do you actually get the money out of someone if they are a no show or they ring up an hour before and cancel? For example, Sally doesn't show up for her spray tan, how do I get the money out of her, if I call her and say "you owe me $35 for the tan you didn't show up for" it's not like she's going to say "Sure, I'll drop it straight in" if you understand where I'm coming from?

 

[Tomme]

I'd say biting ur lip was good! Have a policy in place for cancellations, mine is 50% charge for late cancellation (anything before 48 hours before appointment is fine) and 100% if on the day or not there (I'm mobile so it's my version of a no show).
What they did was a on the day late cancellation so it would have resulted in a 100% charge.

The going to competitors for 1 thing done and you for another I can't say much on, but for me, if I went to a salon that also done beauty I wouldn't feel obliged to have my eyebrows done there as much as I wouldn't feel obliged to have my spray tan done by the lady who does my brows now as I like my results from where I get my tab and I like the way the lady does my brows. I'm sorry if it sounds nasty but it's how people are.
I do makeup, but can't say much if I was doing some1 for a night out and another makeup artist turned up just as I was leaving. Xoxo

 

[amys-beauty]

Friends are worst for it tbh. They think ah its just Amy she wont mind. Being early well its better than being late, your client would just have to wait, nothing you can do about that. As for deciding not to have a treatment done, ideally yeah you would still charge them as it is short notice. Look at it this way, say someone was booked for just a leg wax, they cancelled 5 mins before the appointment, it's too short notice and you would charge. Hope I've helped

 

[Diana-Jane]

That's difficult because you don't want to say anything to offends your friends but you need to make your point too. Id like to think none of my friends would be that inconsiderate but id probably say something like "if you weren't such a good pal id have to charge you for that" and hope they realise you're doing this to make money and they've wasted your time.
If it happens again you would have to speak up because that's rubbish, you'd maybe expect that kind of thing from a stranger but not a friend!
How rude of them!


Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[squeakydee]

Hi, first of all, good luck with your new salon! I work from home too and let me tell you, this won't be the first or the last time things like this will happen!

Sometimes I think clients visiting a home salon expect you to be less professional, have nothing better to do with your day and have no quarms about turning up late or early. I still have clients who rock up to my door excessively late and don't even bother to apologise. I have a big tesco at the top of my road and sometimes they do their shopping first and don't bother to tell me.

I tend to make a jokey or semi-sarcastic comment when they annoy me just to gently let them know that it isn't particularly tolerated. I did have a client who was 30 mins early and I just joked that I was glad my husband wasn't here sitting in his pants! That way there is no awkwardness but they may think twice about doing it again.

Some of my worst nightmares have been from friends; I did a friends nails one and she turned up with her 4 month old baby sho she hadn't fed or let have a nap. The child cried nearly the whole way thru so she was up and down to her, then she had the cheek to complain I was taking too long doing her nails. Duh!

What's that saying...'familiarity breeds contempt'!!

If someone new rings up for an appointment, I just say I need to go thru a couple of points with them and I mention that as I'm so busy, if they coud be as punctual as possible and if they need to change their treatment requirements, could they let me know the day before.

Ulltimately we are still running a business, but we also have lives too. There are ways to get your point across without having to be harsh but to let them know it shouldn't happen again.

Good luck once again xx

 

[pinkknailss]

Do you know what I would of done if they were my friends?! Told them to f off!
That is rude and not what friends do! AT ALL!
I dont have alot of white friends so I tan my sisters....if my sisters went some where else I WOULD GO MENTAL!

 

[*Jess*]

I'd say biting ur lip was good! Have a policy in place for cancellations, mine is 50% charge for late cancellation (anything before 48 hours before appointment is fine) and 100% if on the day or not there (I'm mobile so it's my version of a no show).
What they did was a on the day late cancellation so it would have resulted in a 100% charge.

The going to competitors for 1 thing done and you for another I can't say much on, but for me, if I went to a salon that also done beauty I wouldn't feel obliged to have my eyebrows done there as much as I wouldn't feel obliged to have my spray tan done by the lady who does my brows now as I like my results from where I get my tab and I like the way the lady does my brows. I'm sorry if it sounds nasty but it's how people are.
I do makeup, but can't say much if I was doing some1 for a night out and another makeup artist turned up just as I was leaving. Xoxo

Thanks for your feedback. I am planning on having a cancellation fee in place, but as per the edit in my original post - how do you go about getting the money out of someone? No one is going to want to pay for something they didn't have, do you waste your time chasing them for it? If you take credit card details when booking a long/expensive appointment I can understand how that works, but if it's a 10 min spray tan, how do you recover the money?

I don't have a problem with her getting the tan done at the competition, as she got some nails done there in the morning (while I was busy at work) but (according to her, not sure how true this is) the therapist said "did you want me to do your tan while you're here?" and she apparently said "Well Jess was going to do it..." and when she told me that, I felt like saying "well why did you get it done there then?". *Shakes head*. I just feel that she could have at least sent me a text or something to let me know that she wouldn't be needing the tan, and that friend 2 didn't want one either now. So frustrating! xx

Friends are worst for it tbh. They think ah its just Amy she wont mind. Being early well its better than being late, your client would just have to wait, nothing you can do about that. As for deciding not to have a treatment done, ideally yeah you would still charge them as it is short notice. Look at it this way, say someone was booked for just a leg wax, they cancelled 5 mins before the appointment, it's too short notice and you would charge. Hope I've helped

Thanks for the feedback. I have factored in a cancellation policy (for "real" clients) but as I asked before, some feedback on how to recover cancellation fees would be great, as I'm really not sure how to go about it. Do you ring them up and ask for the money? I don't want to do the wrong thing and make the client not want to come back :Scared:

That's difficult because you don't want to say anything to offends your friends but you need to make your point too. Id like to think none of my friends would be that inconsiderate but id probably say something like "if you weren't such a good pal id have to charge you for that" and hope they realise you're doing this to make money and they've wasted your time.
If it happens again you would have to speak up because that's rubbish, you'd maybe expect that kind of thing from a stranger but not a friend!
How rude of them!


Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

Thanks for your feedback. I will definitely say something if it happens again, but I was just so shocked that someone could be so inconsiderate. I know these girls are rather selfish and live in their own little bubble but I didn't think they were that bad! I think next time they want appointments I will just make doubly sure they will be having all treatments booked, and let them know about the cancellation policy. That, or I might be "booked out"....hehehe :lol:

Hi, first of all, good luck with your new salon! I work from home too and let me tell you, this won't be the first or the last time things like this will happen!

Sometimes I think clients visiting a home salon expect you to be less professional, have nothing better to do with your day and have no quarms about turning up late or early. I still have clients who rock up to my door excessively late and don't even bother to apologise. I have a big tesco at the top of my road and sometimes they do their shopping first and don't bother to tell me.

I tend to make a jokey or semi-sarcastic comment when they annoy me just to gently let them know that it isn't particularly tolerated. I did have a client who was 30 mins early and I just joked that I was glad my husband wasn't here sitting in his pants! That way there is no awkwardness but they may think twice about doing it again.

Some of my worst nightmares have been from friends; I did a friends nails one and she turned up with her 4 month old baby sho she hadn't fed or let have a nap. The child cried nearly the whole way thru so she was up and down to her, then she had the cheek to complain I was taking too long doing her nails. Duh!

What's that saying...'familiarity breeds contempt'!!

If someone new rings up for an appointment, I just say I need to go thru a couple of points with them and I mention that as I'm so busy, if they coud be as punctual as possible and if they need to change their treatment requirements, could they let me know the day before.

Ulltimately we are still running a business, but we also have lives too. There are ways to get your point across without having to be harsh but to let them know it shouldn't happen again.

Good luck once again xx

Thanks squeakydee!

I have no doubt that people think home based salons are quite lax on the professionalism. I have a friend that used to work from home and she said she would get clients turning up at 7pm, no appointment booked and saying "well you're home, can you give me an eyebrow wax?"

Oh my gosh, your friend sounds like a nightmare client! (No offense! hehe). That was another thing I didn't add in the original post - both friends immediately asked for something to eat and drink when they arrived, and I don't keep snack food in the house, so had nothing to offer them (plus I'm not a cafe, so wasn't expecting to have to feed them!) and then friend 1's husband drops her 5 year old son off, and she then says "Jess, he's hungry, can he have something to eat?" I was like well, I just told you I didn't have anything for you to eat, nothing has magically appeared in my pantry in the last 15 minutes, I don't have anything suitable to give him. Gahh!!!

A quick run down with new clients sounds like a good idea, I will keep this in mind. Thanks for your reply

 

[*Jess*]

Do you know what I would of done if they were my friends?! Told them to f off!
That is rude and not what friends do! AT ALL!
I dont have alot of white friends so I tan my sisters....if my sisters went some where else I WOULD GO MENTAL!

Hehe, I was going mental inside, it took everything I had to bite my tongue so hard not to say anything. Especially when they started whinging about the bride making them pay for their own bridesmaid dresses, hair, makeup, etc. The friend that got the tan elsewhere says "When you plan your wedding, you should budget in your bridesmaids so they don't have to pay for their own dresses and hair and makeup etc". I had to walk out of the room so I didn't slap her face, as she seemed to have forgotten that when I was HER bridesmaid, I had to pay for my dress, my hair and makeup, and everything else we had to have done....

 

[Tomme]

Being mobile inhale to take their name and address, iv had to ask for one payment so far, I wrote a letter saying that as te appointment was missed and not canceled full payment of £x will be required as is the policy laid out.
She paid straight away but if no payment in 14 days I would send one saying I will be going to solicitor to recover money's owed and hope it scares them into payment.

Always take a contact number ad if they don't show you can call and ask for whatever % of the total bill is required as is policy, if late cancelling, depending on what you choose to call late then choose again a % and ask them for it on the call they make when late cancelling. I call on the day cancelling no show so is charged 100%
Xoxo

 

[jacquelineanna]

I think you suck it up the first time your friends or clients do something like this.

The second time they call for an appointment you advise them they need to make their appointments on the day and hope that you have a space to accomodate them.

OR

If they really need to book in advance and you are agreeable, you require a non-refundable 50% deposit (of the total treatment cost) to be paid 7 days before the appointment to secure it.

If they don't pay within the time and someone else wants the appointment you give it away.

It is almost impossible to enforce a cancellation policy, most clients who would do this kind of thing will just find another therapist/salon.

That's why I operate the above policy.

For clients who don't bother to show up at all or have the courtesy to call and cancel - I invite them to find another salon.

Let some other unsuspecting therapist/salon deal with them because time is money to me and I can't pay myself or my staff if a client can't be bothered to arrive for their appointment.

You develop an in-built sensor for these kinds of clients, I always know when someone isn't going to turn up!!

The only people who will be offended by my policy are the ones who are going to behave badly. And I don't want those people.

Good luck xx

 

[*Jess*]

Thankyou for the feedback everyone - I appreciate it.

I think next time these friends need appointments it might be "Gosh, I am soooo busy that day, chock-a-block full, sorry!"

Definitely would not tolerate it a second time

 

[souz]

i think friends/family are the worst for this....i have a family member who does the same, either wants to come an hour later(telling me the day before!!) or changes what she wants when she gets here!! i just stand my ground, after all this is my livelihood!!

as the others have said id let it go this time but be careful next time.....you dont have to say anything in a horrible way just explain that you have clients back to back and if they want to cancel any treatments they have to let you know in advance as someone else could have that slot,

also when friends go elsewhere dont be offended, some ppl are funny and feel they cannot complain etc if they are not happy with X treatment,x

 

[wonderwoman]

I think it feels worst because its your friends....But at the same time they could potential help you, finding out about the competition-if you care enough!

To be fair i wouldnt charge them for the spray tans, and because they didnt have it they should have informed you at the begining of treatment-if you had specially bought solution its another thing.

I must stress that friends & family do take advantage and you must be vocal its your business and your money! So if it annoys you, say it dont keep it in, your friends will carry on as they please and not realise that they are being selfish around your time. There may be niggly issues that even your friends may want to say to you if they had gone to a competitor, so clear the air! xoxo

 

[lbrown332]

I think its really naughty to just say half way through I don;t want one of my treatments!

I have a client like that, she is, or used to be, a really good friend and comes over and gets her eyebrows done, she texts me the day she wants it, luckily I can fit her in but keep telling her to stop doing it, she turns up late or early depending on if shes had a fight with her boyfriend or not then after I've done her eyebrows she starts looking at my nail colours (she gave me all of her colours a few months ago so I can do them whenever she feels like it, i did'nt agree that but she kinda shoved them in my hands and ran) now she seems to think that as I have her 10 nail colours, I can do her nails with my nail colours free of charge whenever she wants then she complains that shes always smudging them and that they chip the morning after I do them and she takes them off. Its like if you complain to ME about them, surely stop making me do them and do them yourself!!

Sorry, I so needed that rant! The 50% deposit charge is a really good idea, I may start charging this girl that too!

Leanne
X

 

[*Jess*]

i think friends/family are the worst for this....i have a family member who does the same, either wants to come an hour later(telling me the day before!!) or changes what she wants when she gets here!! i just stand my ground, after all this is my livelihood!!

as the others have said id let it go this time but be careful next time.....you dont have to say anything in a horrible way just explain that you have clients back to back and if they want to cancel any treatments they have to let you know in advance as someone else could have that slot,

also when friends go elsewhere dont be offended, some ppl are funny and feel they cannot complain etc if they are not happy with X treatment,x

Thanks for your reply. I think this is what I will have to do - if they change their mind once they get here, I'll just have to say "sorry, no time to do that - you booked for this".

Like I said before, I don't mind that she went somewhere else to have the tan, I was just so offended that she couldn't be bothered to tell me she didn't want one, until I was about 10 mins into the first treatment. No consideration for other people whatsoever these girls

I think it feels worst because its your friends....But at the same time they could potential help you, finding out about the competition-if you care enough!

To be fair i wouldnt charge them for the spray tans, and because they didnt have it they should have informed you at the begining of treatment-if you had specially bought solution its another thing.

I must stress that friends & family do take advantage and you must be vocal its your business and your money! So if it annoys you, say it dont keep it in, your friends will carry on as they please and not realise that they are being selfish around your time. There may be niggly issues that even your friends may want to say to you if they had gone to a competitor, so clear the air! xoxo

Thanks for your reply I think you're right, if it happened again I would just have to say something. There's no way I could bite my tongue a second time. :lol:

I think its really naughty to just say half way through I don;t want one of my treatments!

I have a client like that, she is, or used to be, a really good friend and comes over and gets her eyebrows done, she texts me the day she wants it, luckily I can fit her in but keep telling her to stop doing it, she turns up late or early depending on if shes had a fight with her boyfriend or not then after I've done her eyebrows she starts looking at my nail colours (she gave me all of her colours a few months ago so I can do them whenever she feels like it, i did'nt agree that but she kinda shoved them in my hands and ran) now she seems to think that as I have her 10 nail colours, I can do her nails with my nail colours free of charge whenever she wants then she complains that shes always smudging them and that they chip the morning after I do them and she takes them off. Its like if you complain to ME about them, surely stop making me do them and do them yourself!!

Sorry, I so needed that rant! The 50% deposit charge is a really good idea, I may start charging this girl that too!

Leanne
X

Rant away! Hehe. :lol: Your friend sounds frustrating. It must just be a friend thing. Like you said - if she keeps complaining, why keep getting you to do them? If (in her opinion) you're not doing a "good enough" job? People....

I've recently launched my business facebook page, and these 2 particular friends have done nothing to help spread the word, haven't even "liked" the page. And I've sent them both invites.


On the other hand, I have another friend, that comes regularly for treatments, always after hours, but this is fine with me, as she works long hours full time and has been a loyal client for some time. She will always book at least a few days in advance, if not more, always gets what she books in for, and lets me try out new products on her, lol. She liked the business page right away, and even put recommendations on there without me asking. Then offered to put my treatment lists out on the counter in her business without me asking that either! So supportive! So friends aren't all bad I guess :wink2:

 

[lbrown332]

Your other client sounds just like one of my other clients! Shes brill, always tries to book about a week before, loves that I try out all new things on her and always gives my name to her punters, really helps being good friends with the manager of an raf bar! hehe

Leanne
X

 

[Mobile Manicure]

Your two friends sound horrible. They are unsupportive and I think probably jealous of you. You can count my true friends on one hand. I wouldn't class "those two" as friends at all.

 

[lbrown332]

I totally know what you mean, shes more a convenience friend than an actual friend these days, i just cant be bothered with her dramas!

Leanne
X

 

[*Jess*]

Your other client sounds just like one of my other clients! Shes brill, always tries to book about a week before, loves that I try out all new things on her and always gives my name to her punters, really helps being good friends with the manager of an raf bar! hehe

Leanne
X

Oh nice! See friends do come in handy :wink2:

Your two friends sound horrible. They are unsupportive and I think probably jealous of you. You can count my true friends on one hand. I wouldn't class "those two" as friends at all.

You have a point there. Their mother died in feb of last year (from cancer) and I dropped everything to rush down and be there for them (they live about 10 hours away these days). Yet when a close family friend and work colleague of mine (someone who I thought of as an uncle) was killed in a head on collision this feb - I still have not heard one word from them about it.

I totally know what you mean, shes more a convenience friend than an actual friend these days, i just cant be bothered with her dramas!

Leanne
X

I am beginning to feel the same way :lol:

 

[fluffydreams]

I had a regular client booked in for 2.15 on Good Friday. I waited til 2.25 then called her, no answer. So i text her saying, "hi, your appointment was 2.15 today, are you on your way? Please let me know."

10 minutes later I get a text saying, "Any appointments tomorrow?"
Fuming wasnt the word! She hadn't even apologised that she wasn't there or given a reason. I couldn't reply for 30 mins. It was good friday too! People wanted her appointment and I had turned them away.

I replied with, "no." then she asked me how much it would be just for lashes instead of the other 3 treatments she was meant to have. I ignored it. I don't need clients like that, regular or not!