Enhancements - how long before the client is responsible?

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Peppy

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what i mean is, after doing enhancements, and the client 'pings' some off, how many days after doing the work do you repair for free?

for example, i did a set on Thursday, and Sunday i received a text saying she had 'pinged' 2 off.

Now i do explain to clients that they are designed to come off if knocked or damaged so to be careful etc, but i feel bad that after 3 or 4 days some are coming off after they have paid all that money.

What do other people do or do you just repair lifting etc?
 
I'd be interested to see what the more experienced geeks do. Although I'm pretty confident that my enhancements wouldn't just 'ping' off!
 
Thats going to depend on how and why the nail has come off. If it has broken because they knocked their nail then its their responsibility and should pay for a repair. If however they have lost a nail because it wasn't applied properly then its yours.

For example, you take your car to be valeted inside, the next day you find the back seat is dirty, would you demand a free clean because they hadn't done the job preperly in the first place, or did you accidently make the mess yourself just after it was cleaned.

Can you see the difference? It isn't necessarily the time scale that matters so much as the cause.
 
Im also newly qualified i have decided that i will offer repairs for free right up until infills are required.So that will be approx 2 weeks.that way i will have happier clients and hopefully as time goes on and i am a pro i will be confident with my work that this will be a good way for my clients to also have confidence in my work :).i know it may mean being out a little at beginning but well worth it when trying to build up my name and buisiness.
 
Im also newly qualified i have decided that i will offer repairs for free right up until infills are required.So that will be approx 2 weeks.that way i will have happier clients and hopefully as time goes on and i am a pro i will be confident with my work that this will be a good way for my clients to also have confidence in my work :).i know it may mean being out a little at beginning but well worth it when trying to build up my name and buisiness.

Hi Suki, I'd be careful you are not going to make a rod for your own back. By all means if it's down to something you have done but if clients are causing the damage they will expect it every time. When and how will you say no the free repairs stop now. Also it's still costing time and money each time you go out to repair nails that have broken through no fault of the tech. Time you could be spending with another client me thinks ???
Vicki x
 
Im also newly qualified i have decided that i will offer repairs for free right up until infills are required.So that will be approx 2 weeks.that way i will have happier clients and hopefully as time goes on and i am a pro i will be confident with my work that this will be a good way for my clients to also have confidence in my work :).i know it may mean being out a little at beginning but well worth it when trying to build up my name and buisiness.

This is NOT a good idea at all. I could get a set done by you and break a couple of nail in days and chip 1 on my way to the appointment so you fix those 3/4 nails, then I could break another 3/4 nails and return again for repairs a week after first application. If I was to continue breaking and chipping nails and getting them repaired then by my 2 week infill appointment none of the original nails would be on and they wouldn't need infilling as they are all newer.

You will get clients that have no intention of looking after their nails with a policy like that and those clients are hard work and cost you so much time and money.

You need to state right from the beginning that there is a charge for repairs and then assess each clients need for repair for yourself, if you feel the problem they are having is your fault then reapair the nails free and the client will be happy, if it is the clients fault then they have to pay for the repair, they must be made responsible for their actions or you will see no profit at all and you will be so busy doing free fixes that you can't fit in a paying client.
 
I completely agree with baggybear. I would charge for all breakages, however I do include one broken nail as part of my rebalance. To be honest from having 8 years experience in nails it's not often you get a client call you for a repair on its own. At the first appointment I would always assess the clients needs, what they do for their job etc to ensure the nails fit their lifestyle. This will also help to minimise breakages however, some clients just really don't care and if that is the case they should pay. Apologies for the extra words at the bottom
Of this post on a phone and can't see bottom
Of text screen!!
At the first appointment I
 
I have on my aftercare leaflet that I cannot be held responsible for how they look after their nails after they leave my salon, BUT within 1 week of service , I will repair 1 nail for free, then after that, its £3 each nail..ok not a huge amount, but if theyre gonna 'ping' a good few off, then they will have to take the consequences!! Obviously if its my fault they came off, then I will have a look at the set and sort it out however I think appropriate, but I think it unlikely that a whole set would come off without ..ahem...manipulation..:o
 
Thats going to depend on how and why the nail has come off. If it has broken because they knocked their nail then its their responsibility and should pay for a repair. If however they have lost a nail because it wasn't applied properly then its yours.

For example, you take your car to be valeted inside, the next day you find the back seat is dirty, would you demand a free clean because they hadn't done the job preperly in the first place, or did you accidently make the mess yourself just after it was cleaned.

Can you see the difference? It isn't necessarily the time scale that matters so much as the cause.

The thing is thats all good and well. but how do you know if its your fault or the clients if they say i promise ive treated my nail with care and have followed all the correct aftercare.....I think its more of how long do you give it ( allow it ) to be your fault.....if you applied a set incorrect should they be off within a week.


Its so hard to jusdge sometimes epecially when your new, as you always have that slight doubt of yeah it was probably me bcus i am new.

if its one nail within 2 weeks i will tend to do it. but its when people say oh 3 pinged of and started lifting so i took them off.....makes you wonder well was it my application.

I dont think any client is willingly going to say i broke it using a seatbelt or something.


I guess tho if you have applied them on yourself and others and have been fine you can rest assured its not your fault xx
 
Hi,

Im pretty new to nails but my policy is if a nail has "pinged" then I must see it immediately to determine if it was due to my faults or theirs. I had 3 clients one after the other when I just started..prepped, applied gel, finished etc with no mistakes or forgeting steps but received a text saying one of her nails fell off, I texted back that I needed to see the nail to determine the fault re-asked all questions on consultation form etc...same answers given. But something was niggling at me, she had gotten coloured tips and didn't seem to like the colour at the end and made a comment about how she thought they'd be darker then they were. Anyway, I told her that Id have a look as it was easy to spot what went wrong and if it was my fault I would redo the nail itself. She then said it was fine!!

I genuinely believe she wasnt happy with the colour she picked and was trying to get a new set of pink & whites instead of colour tips by picking a nail off!! And I dont know how she got it off as I did my nails the night before and they're still on to this day!!

Some clients can be right chancers!

Sent from my RACERII using SalonGeek
 
You can definitely tell if its the clients fault or not. If it is due to the professional, the nail will come off cleanly with little or no damage. But a nail ripped or pried off by the client will leave the natural nail a horrible mess. The difference is very evident.
 
if its one nail within 2 weeks i will tend to do it. but its when people say oh 3 pinged of and started lifting so i took them off.....makes you wonder well was it my application.

Im new to nails too, but perhaps there's your answer..'they started lifting so I took them off' ..You must. as previously posted, get the client back ASAP to have a look..even if you're not quite sure what you're looking for, it implies a professional, no-nonsense appraoch, and if anyone is trying to get another set for free as they took the last set off as they didnt like the cloour, they may realise they will be 'sussed'..
Ive had nails come off my training model (daughter!) and they've been clean, nail plate fine..that was my application...and then I saw one that had been taken off...very ragged at free edge and sore..plate was thin in places too...that'll teach her to take them off!!:D
 
You get to a point where it rarely happens and they usually say its not your fault its mine. However last week one of my clients actually ripped half her own nail off along with the acrylic but insists she was just pulling her jeans up!..so who knows.sometimes. I usually mend for.free at an app,or.charge if somebody comes in-between apps I think if its 3 or 4 you said then won't charging for each new.one and infills.on top make them more expensive than a new set!
 
The thing is thats all good and well. but how do you know if its your fault or the clients if they say i promise ive treated my nail with care and have followed all the correct aftercare.....I think its more of how long do you give it ( allow it ) to be your fault.....if you applied a set incorrect should they be off within a week.


Its so hard to jusdge sometimes epecially when your new, as you always have that slight doubt of yeah it was probably me bcus i am new.

if its one nail within 2 weeks i will tend to do it. but its when people say oh 3 pinged of and started lifting so i took them off.....makes you wonder well was it my application.

I dont think any client is willingly going to say i broke it using a seatbelt or something.


I guess tho if you have applied them on yourself and others and have been fine you can rest assured its not your fault xx

As others have gone on to say you can usually tell just by looking at the nail. If there is no damage to the natural nail plate then its going to be the application which is the problem. If the nail has been knocked or picked at there will be damage. You also need to check the other nails, are there signs of lifting or cracking, this would also suggest application.

With some polite questioning of the client and careful inspection the truth normally comes out :) Which is why we should never agree to free repairs without first seeing the nails.

I think it also comes down to experience and having confidence in your own work. Youre more likely to question yourself if you're new to nails and don't have confidence in your application.
 
Yup, it certainly would! Im trying to instill a sense of care into clients, so I dont get customers NOT taking care and beating a path to my door every day to get yet another one fixed! As you say, it would be cheaper to get a new set!
I think that its far easier to become more flexible..as in 'ooh yes, that could be my fault that nail came off' rather than being presented with one after the other when you can see its not your fault, and because you have always done them for free before, have a hard job trying to start charging for repairs..
 
I have been lucky so far that 2 of my clients called and told me they broke their nails. And there was no denying it was their fault as only part of the tip had come off. One had been doing housework and the other changing the bedding and within the 1st week of having them done abd though they were kept very short they we're still not used to them.

I'm waiting for my 1st client to call saying theirs is broken and wants them done for free. The client I did yesterday I can guarantee is going to be a problem. Admitted to being a picker, did her own gel nails, bites them, nail plates all cracked, split and peeling. Doubt she will last a week with them!
 
I stopped doing Calgel extensions for most my clients and trained in acrylics for those who just couldn't keep them on. It was knocking my confidence so bad I was dreading my phone ringing. I've been doing it 4 and a half years and I know my application is right and they last on some clients. But a certain few just wouldn't listen when I said they couldn't be too long and I think they're just heavy handed. Anyway I used to repair them and I've even re done full sets as a few have 'just come off' and I've felt like it must be me. Im much happier now doing acrylics but still you get some people who don't suit them and they get lifting, and I feel like they don't believe me when I say that it's them!!! (and I still worry its me even though most clients get none at all!!) Serious confidence issues me thinks, mostly caused by my best friend who couldnt keep her gels on (picker and messer!) x
 
This is NOT a good idea at all. I could get a set done by you and break a couple of nail in days and chip 1 on my way to the appointment so you fix those 3/4 nails, then I could break another 3/4 nails and return again for repairs a week after first application. If I was to continue breaking and chipping nails and getting them repaired then by my 2 week infill appointment none of the original nails would be on and they wouldn't need infilling as they are all newer.

You will get clients that have no intention of looking after their nails with a policy like that and those clients are hard work and cost you so much time and money.

You need to state right from the beginning that there is a charge for repairs and then assess each clients need for repair for yourself, if you feel the problem they are having is your fault then reapair the nails free and the client will be happy, if it is the clients fault then they have to pay for the repair, they must be made responsible for their actions or you will see no profit at all and you will be so busy doing free fixes that you can't fit in a paying client.
If your work doesn’t hold up for at least 2 weeks then maybe this isnt the right business for you to be in? My salon ive been going to for a year now, their stuff rarely fails even after a month. The few times one cracked or came off even 2-3 weeks after.. they fixed for free. Mind you it wasnt often. And i always came back and tipped well because their overall quality and service is spot on. I also send new customers to them. That being said if you’re that greedy to think that customers are responsible for nails that come off in large numbers, this isnt the business for you.
 
If your work doesn’t hold up for at least 2 weeks then maybe this isnt the right business for you to be in? My salon ive been going to for a year now, their stuff rarely fails even after a month. The few times one cracked or came off even 2-3 weeks after.. they fixed for free. Mind you it wasnt often. And i always came back and tipped well because their overall quality and service is spot on. I also send new customers to them. That being said if you’re that greedy to think that customers are responsible for nails that come off in large numbers, this isnt the business for you.

FYI this thresdis 11 years old, none of the original posters are still here. Just in case you were expecting a response
 

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