Do your friends take advantage of your career?

[Karen-Nail Tech]

Is it just me that feels like they get put in a difficult situation?

My friend asked me yesterday to get her a cuticle pusher like I have from the beauty supply place and she'd give me the money for it.

She was a little shocked when I nicely told her no and she couldn't understand why. I tried to explain to her that this is going to be my full time job (as of next week - eek!) and if I started picking things up for people then I'd do myself out of a job!

She just thinks I'm being mean and said that she'll get another friend to pick one up but to me - she's not even considered it's a bit cheeky.

At the moment I only do nails, so if the girls asked for some lashes for example then that's fine because it's not my business but this girl comes to me for nails!

At the end of the day she could buy one from ebay if she really wanted to - me saying no isnt going to stop her getting one if she really wants to but if i said yes then where would it stop - buffing cream? Polish? Files?

Anyone else with this problem?

x

 

[kimi1101]

I'm just about to do a post about mates rates. People do take the pee, but as long as you value your work then so will they. Good luck. X

 

[DaniBeautyAngel]

My little sister and I are in business together with our beauty salon and our older sister takes the biscuit. She wanted a spray tan party told her how much we charge she moaned that none of her friends can afford that so lowered the price as wanted bit of practice anyway and blow me down they can't afford that either, thankfully my little sister is alot tougher than me!

 

[Karen-Nail Tech]

My little sister and I are in business together with our beauty salon and our older sister takes the biscuit. She wanted a spray tan party told her how much we charge she moaned that none of her friends can afford that so lowered the price as wanted bit of practice anyway and blow me down they can't afford that either, thankfully my little sister is alot tougher than me!

The next thing you know you'll be doing it for free!

People seem to forget your a business, particularly when your self employed so they know that your the boss and you can change the price if you wanted.

We didn't spend all this time, money and effort to get here so that we could sort everyone else out for free!

x

 

[Lou x]

Read through 9/10 of my threads, they're all about me being taking advantage of!

My best mate is always taking advantage I'm starting to re-think our friendship over it!!
I smoke, she doesn't. But when she is over mine (as she socially smokes) I offer to be polite, I ended up buying pack of 20 and only having 10 myself EVERY time she is round which is about once a week.
Now I just say I'll be back in a sec I'm off for quick cigarette and stand out in the garden on my own!

The other week we went for lunch and you know how it is by the time you've finished your first drink the food still hasn't got to you.
So as the food came I ordered my next drink and she sat there looking sad and said she can't really afford it, naturally I felt bad and paid.
Then we had to pop in to her bank so she could put about £300 in there?!
I had about £20 to my name!

Treatments- she is a hairdresser, she once did my pre-bonded extensions in ONE hour. Needles to say I had to get another hairdresser friend I know to remove them in the salon, ended up with 3 staff ripping them out of my hair. So I had just brought the extensions and everything that I had for about a week.
Then whenever she dyes my hair I have to buy all the stuff for it but fair play she does it for free, so why does she not offer to cover the costs for spray tans nails and lashes I do for her!?

I tried hinting before by saying "sorry I can't do your tan this week as I don't have enough solution to use it all for free and I only have the dark one" (that's not useable on her as skin too pale) so she said "oh okay I'll just use my own rub on one"

Then I used the dark one on someone with the same colour skin as her, and it looked really good so I said to her "that colour doesn't come out half as dark as what I thought"
So she was back to asking for spray tans!


Omg just realised how much I've written haha sorry I hope that makes you feel better to know your not the only one xxx

 

[Martin Duffy]

The title of this thread suggests a rather passive attitude - people can only take advantage of us if we let them! Just be truthful, your time and products cost money, no one can argue with that.

 

[Lou x]

Easier said that done though!
I've had enough now though and am going to start telling people that I can't afford to lose time/money over them x (in a nice way) x

 

[Pinkbunny28]

I know this will sound stupid to some but I refuse to take money from my best friend. Reason being, she always offers to pay full price and tells me it's my business lol! I just feel that because she doesnt take the mick it means I can practice what I need to on her and when she genuinely wants a treatment she will leave me money in my room which I will find after she leaves. Any other friend I will give £1/£2 off the treatment as I would with clients who deserve it. For example if they were having elt, ebt and elp I would knock a couple quid off. Don't want it on my pricelist so people don't take advantage though.

 

[Lou x]

I know this will sound stupid to some but I refuse to take money from my best friend. Reason being, she always offers to pay full price and tells me it's my business lol! I just feel that because she doesnt take the mick it means I can practice what I need to on her and when she genuinely wants a treatment she will leave me money in my room which I will find after she leaves. Any other friend I will give £1/£2 off the treatment as I would with clients who deserve it. For example if they were having elt, ebt and elp I would knock a couple quid off. Don't want it on my pricelist so people don't take advantage though.

I don't have anyone that offers full price but if they did I'd feel the same, it's the thought/offer that counts! x
If my friends didn't expect it I'd be fine with it! x

 

[lauraj]

I was ranting about this to my boyfriend today actually. I have a friend who expects everything for a huge discount we went to have some treatments the other day as it was an offer at a spa and she went well if they can't fit me in for a manicure you can just do it. Luckly they fit her in.

On the way home she had smudged her nail and said oh you'll have to sort this for me so I said I couldn't because I din't have the same polish and mine would be a different shade. She knew I was going out so she didn't ask me to repaint them all for her which is what she normally would do.

Then this isn't beauty but I'm a florist as well and she was saying she had been to a florist and paid £15 for a bunch of flowers and it was rubbish so she would get me to do them next time, so she would get more for her money. When I asked what was in them I did say it was a fair price what she had paid and that's the same as I'd charge for those, and she was like well you'd do me a better bunch though.

I wouldn't mind but she doesn't always even bother asking me first unless she wants it cheeper or for free. I've done her a number of sets of nails and she's always said will £10 do or something like that rather than offering me full and I feel abliged to say yes because i'm too soft

 

[Martin Duffy]

Easier said that done though!

I agree it's possibly easier said than done, but hey ho that's life! There's no way in a million years I would let someone dictate to me my prices, and I certainly wouldn't be spending time with those who tried, let alone calling them 'friends'!

 

[brittone05]

I am in the non-passive group lol I charged full price while training, I very, very rarely give anything for free unless it is my gran or occasionally a friend in need of a confidence boost will get free nail art or similar.

Recently a girl wanted me to do her enhancements but wanted her own tips using and asked how much cheaper it would be - my reply was simple, it is full price regardles of the tips you use, your tips are fine but my time still costs xxx

 

[annie:)]

I just see it as,im a business not a charity n when your starting up u need every penny!im sure mr alan sugar didnt get where he is today by giving out freebies or 'mates rates'!!xx


Sent from my X10i

 

[Lou x]

I wish I could be like that!
This thread has inspired me to stick up for myself!
I can't wait for the next person to try and walk over me muahaha *evil* x

 

[sarahpoppy24]

I just posted a reply in the nail geek about a similar subject. Why are your friends raking advantage of you like this. It may be fault on both sides. She maby doesnt think you mind, and you may have put on the smily face that we in the service industry are taught to do even of we are not happy! I think maby you should say something about your accounts, say you have gone over your earnings for the year and its way below what you thaught it was. Tell your friends that you can no longer give treatments away at ANY discount, and if you have that one special friend or family memeber that get a freebie every so often tell them to keep it top secret. Also to get rid of these disrespectful so called friends off your client list, tell them you understand they are looking for a good price and you will not be offended if they want to shop around town for someone cheaper/do their own from now on. Plus drop heavy hints that you love you job because it make people feel good, but your so glad your not a surgeon who has to do jobs that are ESSENTIAL to people and you are providing a luxuary and fun things for your clients, so they cant do the whole I NEED a tan. Erm you dont, you want one and your trying to take advantage of me because I can provide you with something you want. Just get rid of them I always think that too many friends as clients is not always a good thing, its nice to go out to work and keep work and friends seperate. Obviously you will come across people who are clients but turn more like friends when you do treatments together, but not people who you knew first. xxx

 

[Martin Duffy]

I often feel that it is dealing with issues like this that separates a business from a 'hobby'.

 

[Dolly6410]

Lou we need to stop meeting like this! lol every forum you post in i find myself posting in too haha.
i have exactly the same problem, i dont actually do my friends that often, but because i drive a van with all my kit in where ever i go my kits with me and my friends know that, quite alot of the time we'll be having a girly night and they'll b like 'oh get your wax pot out!' and i say 'why are you going to pay me? and their like 'i only have a pound on me... yeh dont think so. but one time i got a text before i was going asking if i could do this girls eyebrows, so i took my wax pot and did them at the end of the night, it was obvious after she had no intention of paying me and i never got the money, yes partly my fault for not nagging her for it, but shes my friend and i didnt think she'd take the pee like that.

 

[Lou x]

Lou we need to stop meeting like this! lol every forum you post in i find myself posting in too haha.
i have exactly the same problem, i dont actually do my friends that often, but because i drive a van with all my kit in where ever i go my kits with me and my friends know that, quite alot of the time we'll be having a girly night and they'll b like 'oh get your wax pot out!' and i say 'why are you going to pay me? and their like 'i only have a pound on me... yeh dont think so. but one time i got a text before i was going asking if i could do this girls eyebrows, so i took my wax pot and did them at the end of the night, it was obvious after she had no intention of paying me and i never got the money, yes partly my fault for not nagging her for it, but shes my friend and i didnt think she'd take the pee like that.

I was actually thinking yesterday maybe we should make our own forum for just us haha x
We obviously use SG way too much x

I wouldn't have the guts to say "are you going to pay me then" wish I did though!
x

 

[Dolly6410]

I was actually thinking yesterday maybe we should make our own forum for just us haha x
We obviously use SG way too much x

I wouldn't have the guts to say "are you going to pay me then" wish I did though!
x

lol yeh i'm abit addicted, i'll go to a client and then run back in and check SG! haha.
I dont like saying it and i feel really rude, but i just try and make a joke of it but sound serious at the same time x

 

[Lou x]

lol yeh i'm abit addicted, i'll go to a client and then run back in and check SG! haha.
I dont like saying it and i feel really rude, but i just try and make a joke of it but sound serious at the same time x

Oohh I've already let this friend do it though so harder to stop once you've started maybe!
x