Help.. I feel so down :-(

[Miss_pink1988]

Fellow geeks-

I passed my essential gel nail course last month and am just staring my own business being mobile. I have had no complaints so far and only chareg £25 for a full set while I settle in and gain clients. I have had lots of nice clients who are all happy but one person I did was referred to me by my friend - her beauty therapist. I did her nails. She has gone back to my friend a week later and said they fell off the next day and just totally ripped me apart. My friend now refuses to recommend me!! I can't understand this, I have had no complaints before and she has gone to my friend not me which hurts. My friend has told her to call me to discuss it but I'm so upset and hurt I am finding it hard to be professional and if she calls or texts me I wanna just delete it. If she would have contacted me the next day I would have gone back and apologised but a week later?? and she didn't even come to me?? So upset feel like just packing the whole thing in... also nervous for her text/call
Any advise?

 

[Jadey]

Hello hun, i have also had this happen to me i understand how you feel, but if it hasnt happened befor then i shouldnt worry maybe your client didnt follow the aftercare advise correctly as long as you did your job, once they leave your salon its now there job to look after them and return to you when needed, just keep your chin up babe and dont worry :hug: xxx

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

You are still very green Hun , the fact no one else is complaining is good are they returning? Are they happy ? If so ask a few of them to submit some reviews on your website / facebook page ,

How ever we all have to deal with things like this from time to time you will have to grow a thick skin ! You have to learn to take criticism and learn from it ,

Sadly She didn't come back to you or tell you so you could deal with it , did you give her aftercare ? Telling her if there was a problem to call?

Insted of waiting nervously for a call or text why not call her? Ask for feed back , you shuld have her number on her client record card right ?

 

[Miss_pink1988]

thanks for your kind replies guys... I gave her aftercare but the whole time I did her nails she kept trying to text on her phone.. even taking her nails out of the uv lamp.. I kept telling her ... . I gave her a slip on aftercare and she just put it down and that was that. She had a spray tan an hour later as my friend told me!

I am so upset to call her I am actually crying. All my other clients have left me good reviews in my guest book and on my page it's just her. But my friend owns a quality salon which is popular and becasue of this one lady she now has taken my card down and refuses to recommend me so I have lost a bit potential client base.

I also do my own nails and they last three weeks so I know how strong and sterdy my nails are.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I feel for you. Even after 7 years of successfully running a business, once in a while I have some sort of run in with a client. You learn not take it personally (I know its hard) and concentrate on the many many happy clients you have.

If we get negative feedback we have to be able to deal with it as a positive learning point, correct procedure if necessary and move on.

Do not let if knock your confidence, presumably she knew you were newly qualified and is being particularly uncharitable not giving you a chance to rectify the problem. It also sounds like you have a lot of other happy clients, so well done you.

 

[Miss_pink1988]

Thanks Juicy Lucy.. do you think I should call her? I even wonder if she is going to call me or just slag me off as she has had my number so I think why not call me the second they come off? Why wait a week later? I told her if any problems to contact me and i'll come straight away.

She lives 20 miles away and said the night before her car broke down so I did her a favour travelling to her.

I really don't want to speak to her and am incredibly hurt? I would rather cut my right arm off than speak to her right now, I have not been doing it long enough to have built up thick skin yet and all the people I have done have been very happy and returning.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Personally, I don't think you should call her. I suppose if you have an email address you could send her a calm email saying that you are sorry to hear that she had problems and asking her to explain exactly what happened.

However, I would just forget about her, move on and concentrate on your happy clients.

Come on, man up hun, stop letting it get to you :biggrin::hug: You know from your other clients that you are good at what you are doing.

 

[shedunlop]

Maybe I am being a bit thick, have my moments, but I am confused as to the set up here.

You say her therapist, your friend recommended you to her? Why was this? You say she went back to her, is she having her nails done by her? I think I might smell a rat here! Maybe it is just me being old and suspicious but if this is the only client who has complained and she didn't come back to you to do so then I would want to know why.

The one thing this business will teach you is that there are some really lovely people out there, you will make great friends with many of them and these will be friendships that will last for life. However, you will also have the odd one that is not nice or straightforward.

Get more information before you upset yourself any further and chin up my darling we have all been there, honestly! :wink2:

 

[Jadey]

Personally, I don't think you should call her. I suppose if you have an email address you could send her a calm email saying that you are sorry to hear that she had problems and asking her to explain exactly what happened.

However, I would just forget about her, move on and concentrate on your happy clients.

Come on, man up hun, stop letting it get to you :biggrin::hug: You know from your other clients that you are good at what you are doing.

I absolutely agree with you, we will all have clients that will come to us and have problems like this, at the end of the day you know your doing your job right so i really wouldnt worry hun xxxx :hug:

 

[hayleysspraytan]

Thanks Juicy Lucy.. do you think I should call her? I even wonder if she is going to call me or just slag me off as she has had my number so I think why not call me the second they come off? Why wait a week later? I told her if any problems to contact me and i'll come straight away.

She lives 20 miles away and said the night before her car broke down so I did her a favour travelling to her.

I really don't want to speak to her and am incredibly hurt? I would rather cut my right arm off than speak to her right now, I have not been doing it long enough to have built up thick skin yet and all the people I have done have been very happy and returning.

definitely take a deep breath and call her hun - keep your business head on (easy to say I know) but it will stop her hopefully bad mouthing you to others - maybe dare I say it offer to do another free set on her and give her real aftercare advise and follow up call couple of days later - its a well known fact that good expereinces you tell 1 person bad experiences you tell 10- evan if you dont do another set I think speaking to her will get it out of the way and stop dwelling on it closure and all that!! You know you are good at what you do dont loose confidence in yourself!! If you cant get it sorted put it down to experience and use it to drive yourself forward and prove her wrong!!x

 

[Miss_pink1988]

you guys are fantastic i'm now tearful at how nice everyone is. Think i'm hormonal lol... She goes to my friends salon for massages and waxing that is how she got my number. Bit hurt my friend does not have faith in me to be honst too. Her nails felt so sturdy and were done just like everyone else. Really don't get it and as I mentioned mine last 3 weeks and clients normally come back to me after 2 weeks.

Thanks alot Think I might just forget about her and if she does contact me I am just going to forget it as she told me from day one she was only getting her nails as a one off as she can't afford it every 2 weeks! lol.. As I mentioned earlier if she would have contacted me the day they come off i would have drove 20 miles there and 20 back to sort it. But a week later takes the mick! My confidence has dented but I have six clients tomorrow so will drill into them good aftercare!

 

[Miss_pink1988]

definitely take a deep breath and call her hun - keep your business head on (easy to say I know) but it will stop her hopefully bad mouthing you to others - maybe dare I say it offer to do another free set on her and give her real aftercare advise and follow up call couple of days later - its a well known fact that good expereinces you tell 1 person bad experiences you tell 10- evan if you dont do another set I think speaking to her will get it out of the way and stop dwelling on it closure and all that!! You know you are good at what you do dont loose confidence in yourself!! If you cant get it sorted put it down to experience and use it to drive yourself forward and prove her wrong!!x

Thanks for advice hayley but she lives so far away from me. The next town infact that I don't think anyone there would know me anyway. It is so hard and difficult as I know my other clients love my work and I can't help but feel she has done something odd.... :-S She is a 15 year old girl and it is her mum who is the one who got my number etc and has been back to me friend complaining. (A week later)

 

[Karen McB]

Please also just remember there is always people out there looking for something for nothing and complaining about a service is how they start.
Hold your head up high and move on......you dont need horrible clients like that anyway, concentrate on the clients that love your work and get them to recommend you to their friends.You cant please everyone.xxx

 

[shedunlop]

Good girl, that's the spirit! Put this behind you, if you don't get to see the nails then you can't do anything, end of story. If your friend isn't going to recommend anyone in future then that is her choice. She may change her mind later on.

Concentrate on your existing clients and building up a good regular client base and forget this. :wink2:

 

[Miss_pink1988]

Please also just remember there is always people out there looking for something for nothing and complaining about a service is how they start.
Hold your head up high and move on......you dont need horrible clients like that anyway, concentrate on the clients that love your work and get them to recommend you to their friends.You cant please everyone.xxx

Thanks for this kind comment, what a nice bunch you are! If I had complaints before and if my own nails fell off I would understand but I find it all very odd..she said they all feel off a day later to my mate. I just don't get it. The girl is 15 years old and it's her mum who is complaining but no - one has approached me. Very odd.. If she was going to approach me she should have done so the day they came off... I have deleted her number and am going to continue my work. Enforcing after care.

 

[gillian w]

Thanks for this kind comment, what a nice bunch you are! If I had complaints before and if my own nails fell off I would understand but I find it all very odd..she said they all feel off a day later to my mate. I just don't get it. The girl is 15 years old and it's her mum who is complaining but no - one has approached me. Very odd.. If she was going to approach me she should have done so the day they came off... I have deleted her number and am going to continue my work. Enforcing after care.

!5 year old girls are often nightmare clients, they dont do anything they are told aftercare wise and if shes a biter or a picker she will have probably done the same to her enhancements especially as her mum probably paid for them.

 

[Miss_pink1988]

!5 year old girls are often nightmare clients, they dont do anything they are told aftercare wise and if shes a biter or a picker she will have probably done the same to her enhancements especially as her mum probably paid for them.

she was obviously a biter from her nails befre they were done.. they were a state xx

 

[gillian w]

she was obviously a biter from her nails befre they were done.. they were a state xx

Well there you go then wasn't your fault afterall, so no need to be upset.
Whenever i see nails like that in front of me i always know i am going to get a call to say they are off in about a week.YES!! picked and chewed off. If you get her back you will be able to see where they have been prised off with her teeth.

 

[Miss_pink1988]

Well there you go then wasn't your fault afterall, so no need to be upset.
Whenever i see nails like that in front of me i always know i am going to get a call to say they are off in about a week.YES!! picked and chewed off. If you get her back you will be able to see where they have been prised off with her teeth.

thanks hun... thinking about it you are right.. all my other nail clients love an respect their nails and came to me with longer nails nyway but with hers i could not file it down as she bit them that much. Do u think i should call her or leave it till she calls/texts me? And should i reply? I'm new to this and feel so vunerable..

 

[sarahpoppy24]

Right, you have to look at facts, not the the thaughts that are going round your head at 100 miles per hour! She was a nail biter, who was 15 years old, who took her nails OUT of the lamp during the service. All three of these things spell bad news on their own let alone together. Teenagers are notoriouse for not taking advice and doing their own thing anyway, and she wasnt willing to do the aftercare from the word go. Plus she is a biter, she would have been biting probably from the day she got them done, also, she took her hands out of the lamp, there for the product was not cured properly.

Dont beat yourself up about it. I personaly dont do enhancments on under 16s for the reasons that I dont find they are good clients and they cant afford the upkeep, unless they have extremely rich parents, which around my area wont happen. Also i dont like the thaught of someones mum ringing up and being funny if they damage a nail and try and blame me. I will however do things like minx toes for them, but enhancments I wont do. Some other geeks do them on younger people, I have nothing against it, I dont think it is moraly wrong to do it on young girls, but for me, its a no. They are for adults only. Dont beat yourself up over some girl who is not mature or confident enough to ring back and tell you if there is a problem. Clients who are adult will be able to ring you and voice their concerns if they have any. xx