Do You Feel Intimidated By Complaints For Refunds?

[Mrs.Clooney]

I have been prompted to begin this thread after reading a recent thread about a therapist feeling pressured into giving a partial refund due to bullish behaviour by the client's father, where it is evidently clear the young client has chewed her enhancements off!

From what I can gather, the therapist has handled the matter courteously, professionally and correctly, although personally I would not have refunded a penny under these circumstances.

So, as the title of this thread asks, do you feel intimidated by complaints for refunds when they are (a) clearly unjustified and (b) reinforced by threateneing demands from a male complainant eg. mummy can't get her own way so she sends in the big guns in the form of daddy ?

I am by no means having at go a men, but often is the case... I have seen it happen, when a female can't get her own way and gets a male couterpart on board as if this will change the end result. Often it does.

I know a makeup artist who received a complaint from a bride several days after a makeup trial saying that the makeup just came off and demanding a refund. The makeup artist handled the situation as I would have up until the time the clients fiance became very verbally aggressive and threatening, upon which he was fully refunded.

Now my thoughts on this subject may be as they are because I am a maturer geek in terms of age and due to 47 years of lifes experiences, I would not be budged by mummy or daddy's bullish tactics. No refund!

We are professionals. We do what we do because we enjoy what we do and are proud of our work. Even the young geeks can stand by what they believe is right where their businesses are concerned. Learn to be firm whilst always remaining professional, polite and dignified.

 

[alpina]

Sorry, this could be a really long one...:o

I had a situation a few years ago when I was fairly new to doing nails that did make me feel very intimidated and frightened. A new client called up and booked in for a set of nails then she said I would need to provide her with a written guarantee that the nails would last for 7 weeks as she would be on a holiday in brazil for that long and didn't want to get them done while she was away. I said to her, absolutely not, I will not guarantee them or even advise that they will last that long without maintenance. She seemed ok with that, said she hadn't worn nails in many years and wasn't sure what to expect from them.

She came in anyway and had a full set of L&P, really really long. I advised her to have them very short as she wouldn't be able to have them done while she was away and it was ridiculous to expect nails that long to last without being rebalanced for 7 weeks. The appointment was on a Tuesday and she had a wedding to attend on Saturday, then would be leaving for her holiday the following week so she wanted them long for the wedding and said she would come back and have them shortened before going away.

During the appointment we were chatting about her holiday and she told me her fiance is from brazil and they were going to be visiting family over there and it was a very rough area, that's why she didn't want to travel into the towns to have her nails done while on holiday. She kept mentioning how her fiance was a big scary brazilian guy and how she takes him into shops to intimidate the staff if she goes to ask for a refund and he threatens to beat them up if they wont refund. The alarm bells were ringing load and clear by then, but i continued her nails, she paid and left.

One week after I did her nails (the day after the wedding) she called me and said all the nails had popped off the day after her appointment and she would like a full refund. I asked her why she had waited a full week to call, apparantly she had been busy. So I told her she would need to come in and show me the nails and her own fingernails so I could assess the nails for signs of force before I decided whether to offer a refund. She said she would be there at 4pm the next afternoon for her refund than hung up the phone. I worked late that day till well after 4 and she never turned up, but the next day she was calling me every half hour and leaving messages on my machine (was ignoring all her calls by this stage) and saying her fiance was on his way round right now with his mates and they would be getting her refund.

I kept the doors locked all day and the curtains closed and pretended I wasn't home, I was so scared. I never heard from her again, I guess she left for her holiday and was gone for long enough to forget about it. At least she never got the refund out of me.

 

[Baggybear]

As of yet I have had no complaints or requests for refunds and would like to think I'd stand my ground if I knew it was not my fault and not be swayed by anything or anyone BUT I can't honestly say what I'd do until I was in that situation.

I feel if you know it is not your fault you have to be really strong and say so, you have to explain that you can tell the problem has been caused by the client because of x, y & z. Then you have to stay strong to your word no matter what is said or who you talk to (although client confidentiality does mean you should only ever discuss things with the client or the consenting adult if treating a minor) I'd simply refuse to discuss the situation with anyone else.

It's not always plain and simple though.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

saying her fiance was on his way round right now with his mates and they would be getting her refund.

She sounds like a serial complainant to me, using her scary boyfriend to threaten people.

I never heard from her again, I guess she left for her holiday and was gone for long enough to forget about it.

No doubt she mysteriously disappeared in the brazillian jungle

Jokes aside, one of the reasons I specifically mentioned my age is because I can understand how many young therapists would feel intimidated by these tactics. I have encountered a fair amount of cr*p in my life and have learned to stand firm in situations like this which is why I felt prompted to start this thread.

Time and time again on this forum I have read of young therapists getting taken for a ride either because they don't know their rights or feel intimidated when pressure is applied be it verbally or physically. I hate seeing it.

As of yet I have had no complaints or requests for refunds and would like to think I'd stand my ground if I knew it was not my fault and not be swayed by anything or anyone BUT I can't honestly say what I'd do until I was in that situation.

I feel if you know it is not your fault you have to be really strong and say so, you have to explain that you can tell the problem has been caused by the client because of x, y & z. Then you have to stay strong to your word no matter what is said or who you talk to (although client confidentiality does mean you should only ever discuss things with the client or the consenting adult if treating a minor) I'd simply refuse to discuss the situation with anyone else.

It's not always plain and simple though.

I agree... easier said than done. I really hope that especially the young and new therapists feel they can learn to stand firm if they honestly feel they have not made an error or done all they can to rectify a wrong. However, this is not to say that they should not give all complaints their due consideration.

 

[wonderwoman]

Couple years ago prior to opening my salon, maybe due to my age at the time (im now 27) ppl would assume i had been doing hair & beauty as a hobby due to my studying alongside working.

I had a couple of ppl that would actually get to me, i think it was my own experiences of no matter how many courses i had done, it was manners & peoples attitudes that i must be "new and not KNOW what i was doing" - far from the truth but it would crush my confidence of my abilites.

It wasnt until i was doing a lady who happened to be in the same industry slyly ask me about refund policy whilst being suspicious! At the time i had fully booked columns in a good repored salon, so i knew i was good. This lady opened my eyes to how deceitful people can try to be, she was so aggressive and so verbally loud. In the past i would have felt compelled to give a refund or even part refund, if someone had kicked up a fuss. Maybe coz i was a bit soft and maybe ppl realised shes soft, if you have a go at her she'll give you a free treatment. I wasnt doing myself any favours on earning an income, and treated with no ounce of respect.

I didnt budge as i had been in the industry for some time, i wasnt new and i hadnt done anything wrong, i just made me look at con art biaaaatches a totally new way. Since then i genuniely give each person the benefit of the doubt, then strike me twice they can jog on. tbh i rarely get complaints of any treatments in my salon, but i learnt how to stand up for myself and my abilites. No one is perfect but i think it helps when you do have a mean person take you down a peg or two, so you know how to get back up there and be determined for yourself! xoxo

 

[Penners]

In my first job after two years my boss Philip decided to sell up - I decided to take the chance to do Camp America. After several viewings a woman said she liked it and put a deposit on it.
Anyway a couple of weeks later she changed her mind! My Boss wouldn't give her deposit back as thats what it was 'a deposit' so she sent her 6ft 5 Karate instructor friend around and beat him up ( on my day off thankfully) then we had approx. 4 weeks of extremely aggressive telephone hate campaign ( we recorded all calls with an old fashioned tape player that the police gave us)
This was 1990 so mobiles were not used widely but thats what he was using he also had a nasty woman to speak to me and tell me what she was going to do to me. It was a vile experience and thankfully they were charged but just proves how crazy some people are.
I still pity the police officer that had to sit through tapes of me replying to vile disgusting suggestions and threats 'Oh really, thats nice, ummm.. right, ok then) so's not to bother our customers!!

 

[chocolatepickle]

I'm 24 so hopefully fall into the catagory of young professional!?

Fortunately I have not so far (touch wood) come across this situation.

I know that I would hope to be able to assess any complaint fairly and if there was a fault on my part I would make good.
Ideally I would not give in to nastiness or threatening behaviour if I felt I was acting correctly by not refunding.
I do not like the mentality that some people have by which they seem to think they are more likely to get their own way using bullying behaviour- I would like to think that would only lead to me digging my heels in all the more and refusing all the more adamantly.
If anything I honestly think I would be more likely to respond in their favour out of goodwill if they were giving a sensible case and acting with decency.

I am generally able to respond to fiery situations with a very calm attitude in other areas of my life, I would hope this would be the case in this kind of situation.

I am more intimidated by clever, knowledgeable debate however then I am thoughtless bullying so suspect I would be more likely to be intimidated into a refund if a client came to me with confidence telling me I was breaching some legislation or something and sounded like she knew what she was talking about then if her boyfriend came to me telling me to hand over my money or he'll beat me up. I would end up second guessing myself and wondering if there was some rule I missed somewhere or something.
I really believe knowledge is power, if they sound like they know something I dont I'll be left feeling unsure.

I suppose I will not know how I would react until the situation presented itself though.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

I am generally able to respond to fiery situations with a very calm attitude in other areas of my life, I would hope this would be the case in this kind of situation.

I am more intimidated by clever, knowledgeable debate however then I am thoughtless bullying so suspect I would be more likely to be intimidated into a refund if a client came to me with confidence telling me I was breaching some legislation or something and sounded like she knew what she was talking about then if her boyfriend came to me telling me to hand over my money or he'll beat me up. I would end up second guessing myself and wondering if there was some rule I missed somewhere or something.
I really believe knowledge is power, if they sound like they know something I dont I'll be left feeling unsure.

Chocolatepickle, I have put in bold a couple of things you have mentioned because they raise really good points.

Firstly, a calm attitude by the therapist in a fiery situation is very helpful in reducing the flames so to speak. Don't raise your voice even when the complainant raises theirs.

Your comments about knowledge and legislation are tactics which complainants will often use. If a therapist is being pushed and feels they are definitely not at fault or need more time to look into a situation, then I would suggest answering with something like, "Could you please give me some time to look into this and give it consideration" or "Please put your complaint in writing".

In general, people cannot be bothered with writing letters of complaint. It is perfectly acceptable to ask a complainant to do so as it provides you with a record of the complaint ie. documents it ( I cannot stress enough how important documentation can be) as well as giving you the opportunity to consider the issue and address it. This way it takes off the pressure of just saying.... "Okay, I'll give your money back".

Of course, threats of violence are another matter entirely.... in which case call the police!

 

[lucyboo]

I did last year I'm not young but was relatively new to nails. A client had twinkle toes & sculpted gel extensions to her fingers. The day after her night out she called to say she didn't like the gold glitter she had chosen, I explained that she had chosen that colour, even compared it against her outfit so it would be full charge to change the colour she seemed in with this then next day called to say her nails were awful so she's just gonna have a full refund please!! I again explained that it wasn't my fault she now didn't like the colour on her toes but offered to look at what she thought was wrong with her nails & sort out if needed then she turned & got really nasty was calling me at all hours & even got her husband to call & harass me!! In the end I sent her the money as I was intimidated by them both nut was firmer when I had similar a few weeks back & didn't give a refund

 

[chocolatepickle]

[/QUOTE]If a therapist is being pushed and feels they are definitely not at fault or need more time to look into a situation, then I would suggest answering with something like, "Could you please give me some time to look into this and give it consideration" or "Please put your complaint in writing".

In general, people cannot be bothered with writing letters of complaint. It is perfectly acceptable to ask a complainant to do so as it provides you with a record of the complaint ie. documents it ( I cannot stress enough how important documentation can be) as well as giving you the opportunity to consider the issue and address it. This way it takes off the pressure of just saying.... "Okay, I'll give your money back".
[/QUOTE]

I think this is going to be a very helpful thread to read for many therapists as we all deal with complaints at one time or another.

I like this suggestion and for me is definately one i would use as like you say, it allows more time to look at the points with which the client is not happy and probably deal with it more efficiently as a result.
For mobile therapists though, how do you think this could work? By giving your address to send the complaint to there is always the risk of a nutter turning up on your doorstep as his wife wasnt pleased with her nails!

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

[/QUOTE]

For mobile therapists though, how do you think this could work? By giving your address to send the complaint to there is always the risk of a nutter turning up on your doorstep as his wife wasnt pleased with her nails![/QUOTE]
Again you raise a good point. I'm not mobile, but I work from home... so could you put your point in writing please :wink2:.

Seriously, valid point, but I would think that likewise, a threatening complainant could pitch up at your high street or down the street salon and pose a similar risk... in which case... call the police.

I do work from home and this could pose a problem for me too. Fortunately I have not had the displeasure and I appreciate that it is easier said than done. But as you say, I really hope therapists will take heed and value their training, abilities and rights. Evaluate a complaint. Give it due consideration. By all means seek a second or third opinion and then make a decision. But please don't just offer a refund because the complainant is demanding one or using bullish tactics to do so.

 

[alpina]

That's a really good idea about getting clients to put the complaint into writing. It gives you time to think clearly about the situation and not be pressured into making a fast decision out of fear or anger. I would also say that 9 times out of 10 if they are not genuine with the complaint they will not bother with this as they are after an easy dollar.

I think age has a bit to do with it definitely. With my situation I was probably about 22 years old (and I look even younger than my age) and working from home so looked like an easy target. I don't intimidate easily until people threaten to beat me up though. Now I have my salon clients seem to assume that I'm a lot older than I am and must have many years of experience they don't try it on very often, although I hear complaints from some of the staff about certain clients trying to give them a bit of trouble. When these clients have called up to book their next appointment I have asked them how their treatment was last time and whether they had any preference as to which therapist I booked them in with, apparently all was great and they're happy to be booked in with any of the girls. I think some clients just have a built in sensor for any sign of weakness and will prey upon it

I just read Gorgeous Tips thread too about her situation, it really upsets me that some people will go to such extremes to intimidate someone. It can be really hard to stay strong when you're feeling frightened like that.

 

[MissJulesBeauty]

I have been prompted to begin this thread after reading a recent thread about a therapist feeling pressured into giving a partial refund due to bullish behaviour by the client's father, where it is evidently clear the young client has chewed her enhancements off!

From what I can gather, the therapist has handled the matter courteously, professionally and correctly, although personally I would not have refunded a penny under these circumstances.
.

I have a feeling this thread is about a recent issue I had (Search Refund or not Refund) thread. If I am right I would firstly like to thank you for your confidence in my professionalism.

As you read I felt physically threatened to the point where I shut up shop to calm down. Taking the advise of other more experienced geeks I did not post the partial refund, I contacted the man and explained I had his cheque but he would need to come by and collect it. So far he has not been in to collect the cheque but if he does let me tell you he will know I am no push over. I agreed under pressure to the refund but this will not happen again. I am angry that this idiot got to me so much that I even thought about throwing the towel in! I have given myself a good talking to and believe me I will NEVER give in to such pressure again. I should have simply called the police as soon as I became threatened and stuck to my guns. I am looking forward to him coming to collect the cheque, I will remain calm but assertive, I will make sure he leaves with his tale between his legs. How dare he frighten me like that in my own salon!

Thanks to all that helped to empower me and get my confidence back xxx

 

[hellishbellish]

Just making a note here so I can find this thread again later. When I set up my own business my Dad thought this (and other requests!) might happen, and installed panic buttons that are linked up to the alarm. Get this done if you physically can, it's so reassuring to know it's there. It's unbelievably loud and as I am directly opposite a police station I would imagine they'd be terrified and run off! (am meaning to use with threatening clients more than just those who demand refunds!)