My very first Eyelash Extension Complaint

[heatherp]

Hi Guys

Sorry peeps - this is a really long one!!

I feel gutted and upset, this client has been coming to me for a year, having various treatments ranging from microdermabrasion, waxing, tinting and last month wanted to try Eyelash Extensions, had seen photos of my neice who had a glam set of C curl. My client is in the business being a hair & make up doing mostly weddings and was going to recommend me to her brides and has recently encouraged me to advertise in a bridal mag and specialise in EE. Anyway did a full set, even showed her the lengths when I had set the bones as they were quite long (7,9,11 & 13mm) which she said were right. Must say she didnt want to take her lenses out for the procedure as she said she uses a hydrating liquid with them and was worried they would affect the lashes trying to put them back in and was happy to proceed with the lenses in At the end she commented they were long but felt lovely and light and off she went.

That night, she rang to say they were fab but touching her glasses and could she trim them, I advised she didnt because she would have to be really precise in order for them not to look odd and if she cut too much off they would look stumpy so she agreed that she wouldn't touch them and I said at her infill which we had booked for 12 days later (8th march) as she was going on holiday, we would start putting in shorter ones.

I got an email on 6th March saying she was going to have to cancel a had a problem with left eye and contact lense. going to opticians the next day for check up but they think something is stuck to the lense and scratched her eye but added "The lashes are holding up pretty well and I still don't need mascara. A few have come out now but over all, not too bad."

I emailed back and said I was sorry to hear she was having problems, couldnt see that anything could get in her eye during the process as her eyes were closed the whole time and nothing was apparent immediately but to keep me informed.

I then emailed her last night asking how she was and how she had got on and got the following reply:

" Hi Hun.

To be honest - not good and I wasn't going to email you but tell you all about it on the 22nd. But, top and bottom of it is this.

A fleck of dried glue (it didn't happen whilst they were being put on - she doesn't think or my eye would of flared up straight away) got behind my lense, scratched my eye, stuck to the lense and the old eye got a nasty. I had to take the lashes off after the first appointment. She rolled back my eye lid to have a look at it underneath - it was horrible and said that at the base of my lashes it was "clumpy" and this is probably what has flaked off and got behind the lense. So for the second and full consolation - she gave my eye a good MOT - but the lashes needed to come off completely. I did have a look at the base of them but pulling my lashes up and she was right - in the left hand corner especially, the glue was a bit thick. So, it only has to be a tiny wee bit to cause an problem.

I can't wear my lenses at the moment because I have to get this infection cleared up, plus I have had to buy a new lense any way.

I think the thing that has upset me the most is that the lashes have ruined my own lashes. Heather I have none and I mean none left. I took them off using Take the Day Off by Clinique - it's a great product. An oil in water that you shake up and then put on with cotton wool pads. Soaked them off but the lashes have taken my own lashes with them and my lashes are non existent. Terrible.

So, a bit cheesed off, in general. I paid *** for the lashes, £** for the glaze (I have the first one in my bag and will give it back to you on the 22nd), eye appointment £** and a new lense for £**, Plus - I haven't got any lashes! And I only had them on for a week. They look so nice too....................

Not a happy bunny really - but what can I do? I imagine that I if contacted lash perfect they wouldn't do anything about it. It's just one of those things.

So, that's it hun. I am on going on holiday in the early hours of tonight. Just going to forget about it and hope a bit of sun shine will make my lashes grow!

Hope you are well and things are good with you.

See you when I get back

I was shocked and upset, she is a lovely lady, definately has her own mind on what she likes and doesnt like but has been coming to me for over a year and was going to put work from brides my way and I hate the fact that she has had this problem but not sure what I can do about it. I contact Lash Perfect who I am trained with and they agreed with everything I have replied to her which is below:-

"So sorry to hear about all the problems you have been having, I feel so upset about it, so can't begin to imagine how you are feeling.

I have read your email several times so I could give you my honest and best advice/opinion on what has happened and I have also contacted Lash Perfect who has confirmed what I am saying is correct.

I am in agreement with the opticians view that any products on the eye would flare up immediately, although if you remember, I did request that you remove your lenses for application which you were not happy to do and in all honesty your eyes were closed for the whole process so it is very unlikely that anything could enter the eye.

There has to be a certain amount of adhesive close to the base of the lash line in order for the lash extensions to adhere to the natural lash, in particularly with the C Curl lashes you requested as there is less natural lash line available to work with. However, I am not in sure about them being "clumpy" as the lash extension is wiped before placement and swiped again after to remove any excess and also if there was alot of excess this would have caused your lashes to slightly stick to the eye gel pads placed underneath which of course they didn't, so I am not sure what you consider as "clumps" are whats required when lashing to help the lashes adhere sufficiently.

As I explained to you and what is said the the Aftercare Leaflet given to you before you left, the following is what I have issues with:-

1. Adhesive sets within 24 hours, once set it will not turn soft or to liquid form of any kind again, therefore it could not have stuck to your lense or eye, if any had got into your eyes in the following days, it would have felt like a small peice of sand which would easily come out when you remove the lense and flush the eye & lense. For this reason I would like if possible to speak to your optician as I feel she has given you the wrong information and is not completely understanding the "make up" of lash extensions and process.

2. Removal of your lashes as stated in the Aftercare Leaflet should have been done by me using the correct procedure which is a gel base solution which when placed on the lashes and left to soak in for a few minutes enables the extensions to glide away from the natural lash leaving no damage. Mearly using an oil based product is not enough to take out the lashes, using these products daily would eventually break down the bonds on the extensions causing premature loss but using it too take out an almost full set of lashes, it is quite possible that more force than suitable was required which have caused your own lashes to come out.

I hate the fact that you are so unhappy, I am purchasing some Lash Science which is being sent direct to your home address and although will not arrive in time for your holiday, will help to heal your natural lashes and encourage new growth and we can discuss further when I see you on the 22nd.

The person I spoke to at Lash Perfect is Natalie and she said she is more than happy to talk to you about the above and you can contact her on 0208 500 9028 or email [email protected]"

So so sorry its such a long one guys but Im just so upset for her, she is a great girl and very good client and dont want to ruin our relationship. This is the first complaint I have ever had and my lash clients in particularly have great returns on my lashes and all say how natural and light they feel which is why I decided to push the bridal route, if I get a call now (the mag went live saturday) I dont know what I'll do.

Do you all agree with the above, is there anything else you would recommend I do??

Any advice welcome

Heather xx

 

[wonderwoman]

:hug:Bless ya, its not nice situation. But i think you've dealt with it above & beyond. Personally i would have got her to take her contact lenses off regardless, as this would have affected her treatment to which shes trying to suggest blame on. Just think of it as a lesson learnt for the future. Does she want a refund or a new treatment? xoxo

 

[weezie]

This is am awful situation for you but you have done/said all the right things. I am sure you feel terrible. I would make sure next time that the client takes out their contacts or they can't have the treatment just for your own piece of mind really. A bit of glue may have flaked into the eye and got caught behind a lense or it could be another something else coincidentally got in the eye when she had the lenses on. This makes me think I will suggest clients irrigate their eyes before applying contacts if they have extensions on. However she should be making sure her eyes are clean before putting in lenses as the same problem could occur with mascara.

Her big mistake was removing the lashes herself but she will probably not see it this way. She seems to be pretty good natured about the incident considering she is blaming the extensions. Do you get your clients to sign to say they will get you to remove them or you cannot vouch for the condition of their lashes post treatment? She seems to be more worried about the cost than the eye so I would give her a massage treatment to the same value as this will leave her feeling good about you again. My old boss once gave a client a course of back massages when she was unhappy about a treatment that went slightly wrong (not done by me i might add!) and it meant that she came back a few times and felt better about the whole experience and got used to having nice treatments with us again!

I would wait now for her to return from holiday and speak to her face to face when she comes in. Then you will both have more perspective on the situation.

Poor you x

Ps my mums optician accidentally scratched my mums cornea with tissue resting on her open eye (it had been numbed so she couldn't feel it) she had to go straight to A&E and had a temporarily sore eye and blurry vision. The optician gave her her glasses for free and she still goes to him. Things can be resolved.

 

[heatherp]

Thanks for your replies so far, trust me I will never do another lash treatment with lenses in, it was only because she is so well informed because of her job and really knows her own mind that I let her.

I did wonder that if she was fiddling with them becuase of her comment that they were long and touching her glasses if she had been pulling/ touching them, this in itself could have caused the infection but I think she would have said if this had been the case.

Just gutted the one person I wanted more than anything to be happy has turned out like this :cry:

Wonderwomen - she hasn't ask for anything as yet, she is booked in with me for something else on the 22nd so I am just hoping she still comes and we can discuss it further and I don't lose her as a client.


H xx

 

[FrancescaM]

Stay confident in yourself and the quality of your treatment, it sounds that you are a perfectionist and taking the care of your clients seriously.

 

[heatherp]

Thank you Francesca, I do try to be the best I can, with a home based salon this is what sells us. If she was a new client I would maybe feel a little less like this but she is a good and valued client. I'm cross with the opticians and feel they have slated me unnecessarily.

Lash Perfect are saying Im correct that the adhesive once dried would have felt like sand and been unable to stick to the eye under the lense - are you all in agreement with this?? She didnt have this problem until a good few days later?

Did mean to say in the first post, I have been lashing for 3 years in June.

 

[elliebee]

I think you've dealt with this perfectly and I really feel for you as you obviously care for your clients very much.

Re the glue sticking under the lens... I would say this is impossible as the natural moisture in the eye would mean that the glue would NEVER set. Plus, I can't imagine how glue could even get on the eye itself during the application.

Is it possible she has been fiddling with them and maybe a tiny bit of dried glue has found it's way in to her eye then becom lodged behind the lens? If this is the case, there is absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent this as it happened afterwards.

I understand you feeling upset but hopefully the reassurance you have received here will make you realise you're not to blame. Your client is obviously happy to come back to you so that says it all. :hug:

 

[weezie]

She could have meant it got trapped under the lens, my husband wears soft contacts and something hard could get imbedded in them.

 

[LilysMummy]

Aw i wouldnt be so hard on yourself, first ever complaint in 3 years and by the sounds of it was not even your fault. An accident happened with the glue a few days later, and if lash perfect are saying it would feel like a bit of sand, how does the optician know that it was actually glue that got in to the eye, could of been anything?
And if they were hitting her glasses and getting in her way, i reckon she could of been playing with them?
The good thing about this, is lashes naturally regrow quickly, so she wont have to wait too long to be without, and its not like you have done any lasting damage. And at the same time she seems to be re assuring you in the email, that although shes upset, she knows it was an accident.
You did everything that all of us would of done, told her to take the lenses out, did a good application, and she was happy with them at the end. Could of happened to anyone.

 

[heatherp]

weezie, I wear contact lenses but if I feel something odd or gritty in them I taken them out and give them a wash through with solution.

 

[weezie]

Maybe she hasn't told the full story! Either way what happened was out of your control and not a direct effect of your treatment.:hug:

 

[Miss Sylk]

Aw thats sad........but hey, not everyone gets on with them, FACT!

I have 2 customers who WILL NOT take the lenses out and ive been doing them both for a year.

Fact is, anything that gets under a lense, grit, sand, dirt, food anything could cause what happend to her.

It was HER risk, SHE took it, she DIDNT listen to your advice and then she went and incorrectly removed them herself, what does she expect! your the expert!

She needs to understand and so you do, that YOU did nothing wrong.

Id stay away from her lashes tbh, to risky and she has wrecked them.

 

[Lovingyournails]

Here here Miss Sylk - I think you've handled the whole situation really very professionally - you have the support from everyone on here (and Lash Perfect).

Well done, things can always be read far harsher than they were intended to sound with the wonderful world of text and email that we now live in - she is coming back to you - so she can't be completely furious with you - stand your ground - remember who 'removed' her lashes, she did - remember who wanted to keep her lenses in, she did - am sure she is actually furious with herself!!

Take Care
Vicki
Very Very Newbi Lasher:hug:

 

[wowbb]

I couldnt agree more with the others, you have suggested and recommended the right things and given her the advice to follow.

Sometimes stories like that make you smile though as i used to wear contact lenses for years and years and even the tiniest bit of dust would have meant agony let alone a "clump" of adhesive stuck behind the lense.
Impossible not to notice and having to take the lenses out there and then so that any further injury or rubbing is completely impossible!

so dont worry, you have done everything right and there is alwasy some that listen to the advice but dont take it in and then blame it on you afterwards when it goes wrong!

Dont let this knock your confidence, keep going and after the next set of lashes you will have regained your confidence and feel better!!

 

[heatherp]

Thank you for all of your replies, I know it shouldn't but it's really knocked me for six. I'd booked myself out for a paperwork day today and have hardly got anything done because I'm either looking up things on here about it or just feeling completely peed off.

Right, up, brush myself off, move on (well until the 22nd)!!!

H xx

 

[Susie H]

I think you handled it just fine:hug: I think you should press to find out who the optician is, I feel, as you do, that she really doesn't understand the treatment:irked:
what a shame your client didn't come back to you for the removal. I'm guessing the difference between cliniec products and your's is the same as when my nail clients try to remove their enhansments with asatone based polish remover instead of my pure asatone
As for the brides, don't you dare turn a client down:smack: Use this experience, learn from it. Foot down, no way do they keep lenses in (although I don't think it happened during the treatment, I too have worn lenses, burns like a ...... when something is under them) And you get to stress how a client removed her own lashes along with the ones you put in.
Nothing like a good scare to stop a client doing a diy removal job:lol:
Good luck for the 22nd, it sounds like your client is understanding, being a professional herself seems to help xx

 

[smooth]

You've handled it well, diplomatic and precise. I don't do lash extensions o can't comment on the actual content but overall I think this will turn out well for everyone. That was a really nice gesture to send her that free product. See her on 22nd as stated and I'm sure all will be ok.
:hug:

 

[heatherp]

Many thanks for all your comments, I love my job but working alone is difficult sometimes, there is no one to confirm what you are thinking and say " yes you are right and did the right thing" but that is the wonder of Salon Geek:hug:

My client did email back last night to say that it was just one of those things and her lashes will eventually come right again but I do feel for her, in her professional (MUA) she must feel gutted. She did say she thought it would be alright to use her product as I said anything with oil would bring them out but I did say oil not a mixture of oil and water and I also said would break down the bonds not get them all out quickly like our professional remover would.

I have learnt a valuable lesson here though and will definately be changing some of my approaches towards treatments.

Once again many many thanks girls

H xx

 

[sjmand]

Sounds to me like she has had a trim at them and the trimmings maybe went in her eye, then shes realised as you said they would look odds so shes picked them out and thats why she has stubs for lashes. Shes not came back to get a top up because you would have noticed so shes mad at herself and looking to pass the blame. :irked: Sorry for being a pessimist but working with the general public for so long makes you look between the lines in all situations

We get so many amazing people through our doors everyday who keep us doing what we do best, but it only take one crackpot or negative feedback to kick us in the butt.

You dealt with the situation professionally and sympathetically its up to her now.

Enjoy your weekend

:hug:

 

[heatherp]

:sad: My client has cancelled her appointment for the 22nd, I am absolutely gutted.

She says she is busy and will re-schedule and I have replied saying that I hope she does as I feel we need to discuss further what happened and that I would not want her to leave on this note so we will see what happens.