Do you think this is someone trying to wind me up or have I been unprofessional?

[hannajadem]

I work from home and am moving next week to bigger premises. It's been on the card for a while and all my clients know about it but we didn't have a date set in stone until Friday. We are only moving 5 mins down the road to the next town over.
I had a text from a new client on the 16th asking for a manicure&pedicure on the 24th, to which I replied straight away that yes I was available (didn't state any times) but the likelihood was that I'd be at the new address and would that be ok?
I then had clients booked in so won't answer my phone but always check to see who's ringing. In the next two hours I had the following THREE messages from the client:
(new location) is not ideal as we are stating at xxx hotel as we are merely visiting from London'

I ignored this MSG with a view to reply later saying thanks for interest etc.

Next MSG 20 mins later
'so will it be (current location) then? How long will a Mani and pedi take?

Next MSG 30 mins later
'I want to get this booked today so please let me know'

I then replied saying that I was hoping to exchange today so couldnt say for definite where the location would be, however the likelihood would be that i will have moved by then, as I was waiting to exchange contracts that day. I told her how long the treatments would take. No reply.

Two days later (today) she has texted me again saying
'I'll have to take a 9.00 appointment then, please let me know if this is ok and the change of address'.

Now as its two days later I'm now fully booked until 3pm and texted her to tell her this but I could fit her in at 3pm that day instead. She just sent a MSG back saying
'so unprofessional'.

I want to ring her and ask what she's playing at lol! I can't hold an appointment forever waiting for someone to get back to me when other clients want to book in. I'm wondering if it's a wind up. After the three text messages which seemed urgent I thought why doesn't she just ring me if she wants it sorted ASAP? Then when she didn't reply that day I assumed she'd booked in somewhere else. Also, we never agreed to any times, she wanted an appointment on the 24th and I've offered her 3pm.

I hate doing thing by text for this reason that while you wait for someone to get back to you someone wants the appointment. However I find 99.9% of my bookings are by text message.

Shall I reply or just leave it?

 

[Dolly6410]

personally i would reply and stay calm and just say something along the lines of 'unfortunatly you did not book an appointment last time we spoke and i have had to let the spaces go to other clients. sorry for any misunderstanding' short, simple and straight to the point i have a few clients who enquire about appointments and expect them to still be there a few days later, they soon learn if they want an appointment on a certain day/time they need to book in when its available x

 

[ClaireJones]

I'd just leave it, sounds like you can do without her, if she really wanted an appointment that bad she would have called you instead x

 

[hannajadem]

Ok maybe I'm crazy but I replied saying:

'The appointment was available on 16th March when you requested it and as you said you wanted it booked that day and didnt get back to me until today I had no choice but to release the appointment. Sorry if you think that's unprofessional, I can recommend some other therapists in the Bridgend area if you still need an appointment for the 24th. Thanks, Hannah.

What am I doing? :irked:

 

[Fabtans]

HI, the fact she came back to you with such an insulting, rude comment, I would not give her the time of day. She certainly does not intend to give you a chance. She wouldnt book an appointment if you bent over backwards to offer her 9am now, because she has been rude, she wouldnt want to face you. Dont need clients like that!
Best of luck in you new move though :biggrin:

 

[hannajadem]

Urgh this has to be a joker or someone with a very big bee in her bonnet!

Her reply just now:
'Whatever-you couldn't tell me where the appointment was actually going to be and I had to chase you up for a response-your customer service lacking-don't text me back-end of conversation!'

Now she hasn't said I can't ring her back and tell her what's what!

But seriously, I'm slightly upset that my customer service is lacking and I can't help that I don't have a definite moving date. I want to explain this to her but think I'll only rile her up further if I ring her and I don't know if it's someone having a laugh with me as it all seems a bit bizarre. Hate slagging off my clients (and potential clients!) but have never had this before in my 3.5 years in business and don't know what to do! My hubby is saying just leave it as she's obviously odd, but I would hate for someone to think. Badly of my business, even if they are in London and probably never going to impact my business locally.:grr:

 

[Mrs RSM]

I think your reply was far too nice for her, she is an idiot and a rude one at that. Texting is not an appropriate way to book appointments.

Edited to add after your reply from her. What a t**t. I would ring her, I guarantee she won't answer. Give me her number, I would put her in her place! I hate people with such a huge sense of entitlement.

 

[jacquelineanna]

Ask yourself what you are going to achieve by calling her?

She has made her feelings pretty clear and has told you not to contact her.

I think you need to suck it up and forget about it my lovely.

Concentrate on your move and new salon and providing excellent customer care to the clients who actually book and arrive.

Good luck xxx

 

[Mrs RSM]

Ask yourself what you are going to achieve by calling her?

She has made her feelings pretty clear and has told you not to contact her.

I think you need to suck it up and forget about it my lovely.

Concentrate on your move and new salon and providing excellent customer care to the clients who actually book and arrive.

Good luck xxx

Yes, there speaks the voice of reason, just ignore my angry ranting :biggrin:

 

[Dolly6410]

urgh you did all you could, like said above, she wouldnt say that to your face so she text it to you, coward. you stayed calm, professional and you still have your dignity, just laugh at people like that, you ended the conversation in a professional way, dont let her get the better of you and ignore it now x

 

[hannajadem]

Ok will not reply again, don't think that anything I say now will appease her lol.

Just so glad that my regulars are more than understanding about this house move-have been waiting for an official date since October :-/

 

[jacquelineanna]

Ok will not reply again, don't think that anything I say now will appease her lol.

Just so glad that my regulars are more than understanding about this house move-have been waiting for an official date since October :-/

Good girl.

Your silence will bother her much more than a reply.

By keeping the dialogue going you are giving her another opportunity to vent her spleen and upset you.

Mrs RSM - :wink2: x

 

[Katmoz33]

She sounds like a loser so ignore her.
Sometimes we have to accept some people are just pains in the a&£&! And are best left to their own devices.

 

[cocobeauty]

Hiya

Sounds to me that she only had that morning in mind, and that she wanted an early appointment as perhaps she was returning home that day, hence why the afternoon wasn't appropriate. May be it didn't cross your mind to ask? You was busy! And had customers. Still the woman should have made it crystal clear to you. I would perhaps contact her by text and ask if she was returning home that day? Or may be put it down to experience. Good luck on what you decide to do.

If you do contact her, let us know what happens

 

[persianista]

Forget her and move on. You cannot stress over a rude client or non client for that matter.
Some you win, some you don't. If it's any consolation, I have had countless episodes with rude/unreasonable/vile-for-the-sake-of-it clients, and I am still in the biz!
I could tell you a few stories about rude clients!!!

 

[Mrs RSM]

I could tell you a few stories about rude clients!!!

Oooh I for one am literally all ears.....

 

[Jodie4156]

Oooh I for one am literally all ears.....

Me too ! x

 

[persianista]

I had a client decide that she needed her hair done an hour before her appointment with me. I was in my other salon finishing a client before mosying over to the other one. She rang me and SCREAMED at me "GET HERE NOW, I WANT MY HAIR DOING RIGHT NOW, AND I AM TOO BUSY TO WAIT FOR YOU TO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. GET HERE NOW!!!"
I sacked her as a client. Life is too short.

Another one threw an eppy because I cut her boyfriends hair, which is a sure sign that I'm planning to run off with him. I kinda cut peoples hair for a living....

Another one had a strop because I refused to come in Christmas morning and do a blow dry.

One mildly z list celeb threw a public tantrum because I don't do her hair for free. She tried to get out of paying for a brazillian blowdry by shouting that it had formaldehyde and I had given her cancer. I showed her the "formaldehyde free" note on the bottle and charged the gobsh*te.

There have been loads.

 

[HollyGold]

Think your self lucky. I had a client ring me one morning and I got back to her later that afternoon .. she wanted an appointment I didn't have avalible and told me how unprofessinal I was! She told me that I was doing a poor job running my salon extra. Anyways I was nice and she booked in for anotherday.

The days leading up to her appointment made me feel sick as she had upset me so.much and I was really scare to meet her from her comments.

When she came in she judged everything and was just a horried client. I really wish I said sorry and sent her else were.

Hopfully she won't come back but u dont want clients like this. I had someone ring me at 9am today (mothers day Sunday) wanting an appoitment and got the hump when I said I don't work Sundays. Think clients forget we have familys
X

Sent from my HTC Desire S using SalonGeek

 

[Lolly22]

I had a client decide that she needed her hair done an hour before her appointment with me. I was in my other salon finishing a client before mosying over to the other one. She rang me and SCREAMED at me "GET HERE NOW, I WANT MY HAIR DOING RIGHT NOW, AND I AM TOO BUSY TO WAIT FOR YOU TO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. GET HERE NOW!!!"
I sacked her as a client. Life is too short.

Another one threw an eppy because I cut her boyfriends hair, which is a sure sign that I'm planning to run off with him. I kinda cut peoples hair for a living....

Another one had a strop because I refused to come in Christmas morning and do a blow dry.

One mildly z list celeb threw a public tantrum because I don't do her hair for free. She tried to get out of paying for a brazillian blowdry by shouting that it had formaldehyde and I had given her cancer. I showed her the "formaldehyde free" note on the bottle and charged the gobsh*te.

There have been loads.

Persianista I love your stories they are hilarious! I love your attitude. Some people are outrageous eh? You should write a book. I say this to all hairdressers. I think it would sell well!