Help, I had my first bad customer today!

[elliebabes33]

hi everyone I have just opened my own (small but sweet!) nail bar and I did a girl's nails the other day using Millennium X Factor low odour acrylic (L&P). I also did another ladies nails with it and they were absolutely fine, but the other client lost about 4 nails in 24 hours so i replaced them free of charge. She then sent me a rather snotty text this afternoon saying that one of them has come off again and she wants a full refund because 'she doesnt want it to happen again'. I was very polite with my reply and said that was no problem and that i have only recently qualified in doing nails. But it has quite upset me as its now knocked my confidence and ruined what was an exciting week since opening my nail bar. (I only opened it on 12th Jan). She is coming in tomorrow morning for me to soak them off for her and I really arent looking forward to it, as I will really have to bite my tongue and not get agitated with her! After all its my business and reputation at risk! Getting to the point, can anyone recommend some good quality low odour acrylic and glue, brushes etc and places to get them from? I have just bought my stuff off ebay etc and I dont think its good quality. Also can someone explain how you use Extreme acrylic as I would like to try it but didnt do that at college. Sorry to waffle on, but i just really need some good advice so i dont make the same mistake again. Thanks for reading this far! :cry: ps I have been doing mobile for the last 6 months and only one customer reported losing any nails.

 

[krissy07]

just my 2 cents - Don't buy off ebay. buy from a reputable company. just ring around the places of the products you want to use and they will just need to see your certs and you should be able to buy from them. you should have been told this in your training though??? Is your prep ok? have you had problems before with your sets? or is this the 1st time?

 

[totalbirdbrain]

Its never nice when someone isnt happy with a service you have provided. It doesnt sound like you have complete confidence in the product you are using. Have you contacted the other lady whose nails you did with the same product to see how hers are? Not all products suit all people. Dont let her bully you (or let any client for that matter) keep your professionalism but always bear in mind that clients do play with their nails, you cant be completely sure that she hasnt caught it etc, see what her other nails are like when she comes in, if they all look fine then maye it wasnt down to you or your product.

I agree though that it is generally best to buy a reputable product as it will give you confidence and you have somewhere to go to for product/application advice that you can trust. It may cost you more in the beginning but could save you a fortune (and your clients) in the long term.

Hope you get it sorted

 

[elliebabes33]

hi thanks for replying! yes, my prepping is ok, i do it exactly as shown at college, and yes I have seen my other customer in the street and she was really happy with her nails and they were all ok (thanks God!) . I did use a different glue and set of tips on her though, the glue i used on the problem client did seem thinner than my other one i was using - it had clogged in the bottle so rather than wasting time trying to sort it out i just used a new bottle of some cheaper glue that i got on ebay - is NSI one of the best products to use? I use OPI massage/hand creams and Misa nail polish so i dont always use cheap products! Also they were French tips that i used on the lady who has complained which were also purchased on ebay from Hong Kong - I have now learned that buying cheap items in bulk is not the cheaper way as in the end it has lost me £25!

Its never nice when someone isnt happy with a service you have provided. It doesnt sound like you have complete confidence in the product you are using. Have you contacted the other lady whose nails you did with the same product to see how hers are? Not all products suit all people. Dont let her bully you (or let any client for that matter) keep your professionalism but always bear in mind that clients do play with their nails, you cant be completely sure that she hasnt caught it etc, see what her other nails are like when she comes in, if they all look fine then maye it wasnt down to you or your product.

I agree though that it is generally best to buy a reputable product as it will give you confidence and you have somewhere to go to for product/application advice that you can trust. It may cost you more in the beginning but could save you a fortune (and your clients) in the long term.

Hope you get it sorted

 

[crush]

I totally feel for you, its awful when you know a client is coming back unhappy, esp if you know shes gonna be arsey!! i find the best way to deal with this is to be so overly nice and understanding, and say sorry, that they cant actually be mean to you!
whatever you do dont tell her you used a cheap product, but do explain that you do have another product that may be more suitable to her nails and that you would be willing to try that for her free of charge? i know it gets costly, but like you say its you reputation at stake! and if she has them done and they last or dont last at least she will appreciate that you tryed to sort the problem out!

hope this helps!! good luck x

 

[totalbirdbrain]

Hmmm sounds like you may have found your problem. I had a Nail Tech that worked for me who was CND trained and used both CND and NSI products. If you read all the threads on here you'll soon pick up on the ones more frequently used....plus always good to do your won research.

 

[amyjade]

Everyone runs a salon differently but I never offer refunds! If the client isn't happy then I offer a free service of choice because I found out the hard way that some people will do anything so they don't have to pay and its like some have already said, you don't know what the clients do when they walk out your door.
I use NSI and I've never had any problems with them, I don't think they are that expensive either as you can get smaller kits and buy the larger products when you run out.

 

[Ditzy]

I'm sure I read on here a while back that someone bought monomer on Ebay that was supposed to be a quality brand (CND or EzFlow), and turned out to be COLOURED WATER!

If you value your business (I'm sure you do) just buy from the manufacturers or a reputable wholesalers, never from Ebay. I once bought tips from ebay, they take longer to blend and aren't anywhere near as nice a shape as the leading brand ones, and I'll bet they're made of inferior plastics.

I'd also say not to offer an immediate refund, you have no control over what she's done with her nails from the moment she walked out the door, she may have ignored your aftercare advice, or she may have done something that she didn't realise would cause problems.

Good luck for the future hun, we all make mistakes (I've made loads that've cost me £££'s) but if you learn from them, then it's ok!:hug:

 

[sknight]

Did you train with millenium? If so why are you not buying from a reputable supplier. My main advice for future is dont buy from ebay its not professional and you are not insured to use it. Learn from this mistake and buy pro products. hth

 

[Pooh8bear]

Hi, I agree with the comments made and also endorse using nsi. Good luck

 

[RAQUEL]

can i just ask- does it have to be a low odour system you have to use? a low odour does not mean you are at any less risk from overexposure than those with a smell.. in fact low odours are more succeptible to cause an allergic reaction.. just a thought if you are thinking of changing products..

also.. take into account this.. you say youve been mobile 6 months and not had any problems with clients losing nails- do you have alot of repeat business with it- ie rebalances/infils? I have a huge client base and sometimes i am astonished that some people still have all 10 nails on after 5 weeks or ( if they couldnt getin for one reason or another eg snow!).. which means i have every faith in my product and my application..
A good product can help you build a good reputation and if you are using it correctly, your business will flourish.. As a client id be livid if ifound out youd not boughtproducts direct from the manufacturer/distributorand THAT could seriously damage your business...

I think you are really brave setting up when you are newly trained.. good luck...

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

To be honest I think you can expect this complaining client to be the first of many...there is a popular phrase used regularly on this site...'buy cheap...buy twice!'
You cannot run a successful and reputable business and have a successful career in this industry by cutting corners like that..how do you know what you are really buying from ebay?? If you buy a bottle of monomer or a pot of powder how can you be sure the contents are not only what they are suppose to be but also that they are safe? What if your client has a terrible reaction (for example) ? You need to have msds sheets for all your products as well...and how can you expect anyone here to be able to solve any service breakdown problems you will inevitably have when you ar using a mish mash of products..some of which from ebay?

I hope you will not be offended by my reply and instead have a good think about what you are doing, im sure you want to give your clients the best possible service and you want your business to be a success, and have the satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that you are doing things the right way..the professional way.

What brand did you train with and why are you not using it? I would strongly recommend you purchase 'Doug Schoons Nail Anatomy & Product Chemistry' book from which you will learn alot about the products you are using amongst other things.

Best of luck :hug:

 

[elliebabes33]

hi thanks for all your advce ladies (and gents!) and I arent offended AnnaBannax! what you said is very true. Well I was trained using Millennium products and I thought this Millennium X Factor was the same brand but I arent sure if it is now. I am wanting to use low odour simply because my nail bar is within a hair salon and they were complaining about the strong smell from my L&P acrylic! Because I am new to all this I bought cheaper products because thats all I could afford until I started getting clients as its my first job in 4 years since having my children. I do agree (and have unfortunately found out through bad experience) that buying cheaper products on ebay (or anywhere) is a bad idea. This is why i came on here for advice from people so I can use good products. I am also now aware of the msd sheets to go with products after environmental health came to my salon to check it out when i opened it (to make sure everything was up to scratch). The lady came in this morning for me to soak them off (I told her I was only there between 930 and 1200 and she came in at 1145!!!! typical!) she was ok with me though and was chatting and she even said 'I wasnt having a go at you' (even though she was in the texts lol) anyway its all sorted now and shes got her money back! (but i arent going to be making a habit of doing that hopefully!) I also wrote on her client record card that she was refunded and got her to sign and date it and also have done a special book to record incidents like this and get a witness at the salon to sign it too to prove they did get the refund.

To be honest I think you can expect this complaining client to be the first of many...there is a popular phrase used regularly on this site...'buy cheap...buy twice!'
You cannot run a successful and reputable business and have a successful career in this industry by cutting corners like that..how do you know what you are really buying from ebay?? If you buy a bottle of monomer or a pot of powder how can you be sure the contents are not only what they are suppose to be but also that they are safe? What if your client has a terrible reaction (for example) ? You need to have msds sheets for all your products as well...and how can you expect anyone here to be able to solve any service breakdown problems you will inevitably have when you ar using a mish mash of products..some of which from ebay?

I hope you will not be offended by my reply and instead have a good think about what you are doing, im sure you want to give your clients the best possible service and you want your business to be a success, and have the satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that you are doing things the right way..the professional way.

What brand did you train with and why are you not using it? I would strongly recommend you purchase 'Doug Schoons Nail Anatomy & Product Chemistry' book from which you will learn alot about the products you are using amongst other things.

Best of luck :hug: