How to fire a hair client?

[Clarissa97]

Ive been doing my ladies hair for 2 years now from home. All she has is a full head of bleach 6% highlights. She’s a base 5 but the bleach normally goes very white.

I done her hair 6 weeks ago and the roots went ginger. Baring in mind she was 9 months pregnant so i did explain that her hormones would possibly affect her hair. She didn’t believe me when i said that and still wanted me to do a full head. This always takes me 2 hours to put in because she has very thick hair and likes them packed in. So her hair went ginger, she insisted that i fix it for free which is fine but she wanted to come into my salon. My manager stated that she would have to pay as i would be using salon products and doing it in my work time instead of at home. She kicked off and said she wasnt paying, she didnt, so i had to pick up the bill.

Fast forward to today, i done her hair again and said because shes had the baby it still MIGHT effect her hair with her hormones. I told her i bought new bleach and peroxide so it wouldn’t go ginger, and showed her the reciept so she believed me.

Her hair went ginger and shouted at me to do another full head of highlights again, i didn’t want to as that meant to put more bleach on but she insisted, so i did. Her hair wouldn’t physically lift anymore so she shouted and swore at me, telling me i need to GIVE HER MONEY to send her to a hairdressers to get it fixed.

I never got my money for spending hours and hours on her hair.

What do i do?

 

[AcidPerm]

What should you do?
Nothing at all.
You sack her as a client and refuse to engage with her ever again. If she asks why, tell her you are no longer prepared to put up with rude clients who disrespect you and there are no second chances. (She might apologise but don’t back down.)

Just because someone shouts at you, badgers you, is rude towards you, threatens you, blames you or whatever they throw at you, it doesn’t mean you have to lie down and accept them walking over you. She’s not the boss of you.

You owe her NOTHING.

Your biggest repeated mistake was knowing it wasn’t a good idea but bowing to client pressure, on more than one occasion.

You need to learn to say ‘NO I’m not doing that’
If you struggle to say no to a client, you could rely on the old ‘my insurance won’t cover me‘, line.

She can’t sue you for refusing to do her hair but she could sue you if you caused her scalp chemical burns from re-applying the bleach. Why would you risk that?

To be honest, I’m a bit surprised and disappointed that your manager hasn’t supported you in getting rid of her as a client. A good manager would help train you to deal with difficult clients. Practise role play etc.