Disasterous first client experience

[Zoepaige25]

so I had my first client yesterday and it was literally the worst experience- after training for about a year and a half, practising on friends, family and myself I decided to put the word out that I was looking for models (people that I didn't know) to build confidence.

I am qualified in manicures, gel polish and Gel extensions (builder gel) My client had told me she had gel polish on and two had broken, when she arrived I took one look at her nails and realised she had acrylics, extremely thick acrylics- she had been having them Done for years and the salon that does them just infills them everytime, I've never seen such thick acrylic. I don't have/work with an electric file and I knew without it, it was going to take forever. I explained to my client that I am not qualified in acrylic, so I could not just 'fix the broken nails'/ infill them as her salon would have done. The only service I could offer her would be to soak them off and to do a set of gels, but advised her this would be a lengthy process. She said she was happy to wait, getting these nails off took me about 1hr and a half, my client was getting agitated and I could tell she wasn't happy. In the end I just removed the acrylic and applied gel polish as my client said she just wanted the fastest option. I did the best that I could, In total it took 2 hours. I am so disappointed and feel awful.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Should I have told the client I'm not qualified to do what she was asking? Or was I right to do my best?
I'm not Charging for services at the moment- just doing models for free to build experience, confidence and improve timings. I have two more clients booked in for next week and now I am petrified! I know they both have natural nails but it has really knocked my confidence! Has anyone else had bad first client experience?

do I need more training?/ be trained in all systems or is it just one of those things?

Sorry for the long message! Any advice would really be appreciated
#knockedconfidence

 

[nailpod]

Don't feel bad
It's like someone coming to me to remove hair extensions and I only paint nails.
I refuse to remove nails from another salon especially acrylic cos this sounds like she was going to those cheap and nasty salons using nss products and that is why they didn't remove them and just infilled.
If she was unhappy then tough tekkies

You explained you not qualified so if she was unhappy she could have left
Nothing you did was wrong
You can't please everyone in the world
You must believe in yourself !
Good luck X

 

[Zoepaige25]

Don't feel bad
It's like someone coming to me to remove hair extensions and I only paint nails.
I refuse to remove nails from another salon especially acrylic cos this sounds like she was going to those cheap and nasty salons using nss products and that is why they didn't remove them and just infilled.
If she was unhappy then tough tekkies

You explained you not qualified so if she was unhappy she could have left
Nothing you did was wrong
You can't please everyone in the world
You must believe in yourself !
Good luck X

Ah thank you nail pod. I really appreciate it. Yes I think I'll definitely refuse to remove another salons work in future! Absolute nightmare. Thank you for your advice

 

[fluffycloudland]

I'd put it in your advertising that you won't remove other techs work. I was advised not to remove others work on my shellac course.

 

[tinkerbell80]

Hopefully when you do your two other clients this will build your confidence up and prove to yourself you can do it. Then you can start charging!! That client was a one off don't let it knock your confidence, if you think you have learnt something from it (such as not removing others work) and move on as I bet you feel different when you have finished your next one [emoji2]x

 

[Jemini]

I wouldnt worry too much.
I had my first 2 clients for spray tanning over this week (since i trained) i wa sooooooooo nervous all i could think about was i hope it goes well i hope it looks ok after, whilst i was there both were really friendly ladies, i sprayed them bothe gave them aftercare advice did it exactly how i had been taught and even said if you have any problems, any patchyness or white bits message me and i will redo free of charge.
Never heard anything from them, i messaged one of the girls and asked her how is it do you like it an she just said "yes its fine thank you"

ARRRGGGHHHH...!
I was like "is that it?" lol i was hoping for a better answer. I cant tell weather shes being honest or just saying it.. but hey ho... you win some you lose some... i did my mum in the same tan a few nights ago and she loved it.

keep going and dont give up because im sure everyone has had at least one client like that x

 

[CFBS]

I remember when I first started offering shellac, in the first fortnight I had 3 come in with horrendous nail products to remove similar to your story. Equally I felt rubbish too!
What I did learn was:
1. always ask if they have any product to remove when they book in
2. have a separate price for removing non-shellac product so you can charge for the extra time
3. I am not c**p at nails - clients will go for cheap, cheap, cheap - it's human nature and it's up to us to re-educate them!
4. clients invariably lie about what they have put on their nails (not all I know...)
5. tell clients honestly if their nails are in bad condition so the gel won't last long, but you can work with them on the problems...

 

[Zoepaige25]

Ah thanks so much for your comments guys, I feel much better after reading though your advice and experiences. I will definitely be checking before an appointment what they have on in future and will make sure I avoid removing other products where I can help it. Advising it may not last due to the nail condition to start with is also a really great bit of advice. I was honestly horrified by the state of the nail underneath- the nail she had ripped off (broken as she had put it) had taken off so much the nail plate and the nail walls were red. Awful. I should had refused to do them, definitely a massive lesson learned on this one. Looking ahead to this weeks appointments now! Hopefully they run a lot more smoothly!
Thank you all again X

 

[MisAshton]

It sound like you handled the situation the best way possible. Some people are just difficult, and we have to view them as a learning experience. Don't let it shake you, and look for the positives in your experience with that person.

In my opinion the only thing you're doing wrong is not charging your models. Discounted prices can be good, but never do anything for free. Even if it's for practice, your time, skill, and products are worth something. Knowing your worth is the best way to build confidence. And visa versa, to build confidence you have to know your worth. Again, just my personal opinion. Don't sell yourself short, and it will make a huge difference in the way your clients treat you and the way you view yourself.

 

[MissKirsty]

What a shame! I had a few experiences like this way back when I first started and before I discovered salon geek! I would say don't let it knock you and don't be afraid to say no if you don't feel sure. I would also say that I feel you should be doing a cover charge of £5 or so as clients will know your just practicing and your not charging an experience technician price. Otherwise you are effectively paying for them to have their nails done! Good luck! xx

 

[Jan's Nails]

I agree, you did the best you could under the circumstances! I have had some nasty experiences and I am pretty new at this too.
I now ask the client to whatsapp me two things:
1) How their nails look now (if they have product on) so I can budget for time, eg if we must soak etc.
2) An idea of what they want so I can ensure I have the colours, art they want.

They send this to me via whatsapp and it has helped curb some of the insecurity I still feel.

I also refuse to work on other people's product and I do suggest client's come an extra hour and a half earlier if they must soak...(for which I charge)

You did well! Keep going, dont let this dampen your spirits, she had no right to get impatient with you when she arrived with nails as thick as bricks to get a freebie!

xxx

 

[Zoepaige25]

Ah thank you so much for all your helpful advice. My gel extensions are coming along a bit better now, I was considering maybe charging £5 but it is taking me an age so I feel bad asking for money for them. My extentions are looking a lot better, I've had 4 more clients since then. I was so proud of my last set but it took me just over three hours with nail art (loose glitter) and I feel bad charging for it. Asking them to send details of what is on their nails before hand is such a good idea and something id never thought of doing before! The lady who I had first of all went back to the salon to get the thick acrylics re applied the day after I'd done, them aswell. There's no telling some people!

Thanks again guys xx

 

[JJH93]

I don't think you should feel bad for charging them a fiver I would gladly let you practice on me for that price. It's just covering costs and if someone knows you're training you have to expect the time of the service to take longer!