Nightmare client!

[JoSu]

Ok folks I have to say that I would like to think I can handle most clients and their traits, but I am nearly driven to the brink of madness with one particular client and feel like the only way forward is to be absolutely blunt with her.

The story goes like this so please hear me out:-

I am currently work from home and arrange my appointments so that clients are not kept waiting.

The lady in question is excentrict and in her 60's. She travels around most therapists in my area to 'distribute the business' which is absolutely fine however keeps coming back to me for her brow tint and tidy. The reason allegedly for this is because no one else can do her brows like I do.....or probably more to the point, no one else has the time for her!!

So, a normal tint & tidy takes me about 30 mins, however with this lady I have to book out an hour and this is why-

Firstly she 'faffs' about taking ages to take her outdoor clothes off, etc and then gets on the beauty couch which off course is NEVER comfortable for her and always end up giving her a pillow, adjusting her position, etc.

Then, as her brows are so fine and sparse, I apply the tint (dark brown) and leave it for at least 10 mins as it really does take a while to grip, leaving the tint on longer on the right brow as it never takes as well as the left.

The next step takes me ages as I have to tweeze and trim her brows as she claims she is allergic to most waxes and finds them extremely uncomfortable, so INSISTS on tweezing. This part is a real pain as although her brows are sparse, she has alot of random fine hairs growing below the brow line and further down towards the socket.

When finally finished (and believe you me I am so thorough!) she always, always wants them adjusted slightly as either the colour is not right or there are a 'few hairs of difference' between the two......it drives me bananas!!!! and the whole process starts again adjusting what she thinks isn't right which again can take a while.:irked::grr:

When she is entirely satisfied, she then faffs about again getting shoes on, etc, uses bathroom for 5 mins, organises her next appointment (and entire diary when she is at it) and blethers away the biggest heap of rubbish you have ever heard in order to keep you talking. Meanwhile the next client is waiting patiently at the door and even with an hour set aside for her, I am running late.

I have tried using body language to fend her off when the treatment is finished and have even duped a family friend in to appearing as my next client and getting her to continuously ring the front door bell until I emerge but even this doesn't seem to phase her or hurry her up!

Plus I charge her what anyone else would be charged for a standard tint and tidy yet she causes me to take twice as long!!

She became a client of mine whilst training at college and used to specifically ask for me for various treatments and ever since then has followed me.She is certainly the type of client who complains for the sake of complaining and is never happy!

My husband knows how anxious and angry I become on a day when she is in my diary and tells me just to bin her! He calls a 'spade a spade' and can't understand why I am putting up with it....but to be honest, I don't know why I do either?! I know she has been banned from a local salon as the owner fell out with her.

I don't know if she is perhaps lonely and just wants someone to show her attention and listen to her waffle but unfortunately she is taking advantage of my patient nature and I am on the verge of loosing it with her!!:grr::grr:

Somebody please advise me what I should do with this one as I can't help but feel that I am the only mug putting up with her!!????????

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Move home or take on a new identity!

Only kidding :lick:. I will post a constructive answer.

 

[MaisyMouse]

If I can't get on with a client, and no one gets along with everyone! I simply say that I am afraid I am fully booked when they try to book and they soon move on. Sometimes it is not worth the stress for a tint and shape which is ending up taking you far too long and barely costs enough to warrant an hours work.

Or say that you feel that maybe she should try another therapist as you feel that you are not the best therapist for her? I have had to do this with a couple of people over the years, I just felt that nothing I could do was right or good enough, yet they kept coming back!!

Life too short

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Gutted as I just posted a long reply and then I got locked out of my iPad!

Long and short of what I said is that you should be paid for your time and this clients is taking way longer than the average client for the same service and treatment. Explain to her frankly but politely that based on this you are going to need to review your charges for her appointments ie. double the price if a half hour treatment is taking an hour. If this was an occasional occurrence or one off as sometimes stuff happens, she could perhaps be excused, but this is also interfering with the service to your other clients which is not fair.

If she ants to pay, she will pay. If not, she will go elsewhere.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I had to type this all over again. My initial post was better constructed.

 

[SuburbanDecay]

Tell her you're booked up

 

[skingeek78]

Move home or take on a new identity!

Only kidding :lick:. I will post a constructive answer.

Lol :-D my answer was to run away!

On a serious note, I have had clients like this, I am sure we all have at some point, granted some of my treatments do perhaps attract more client demands. I put up with it much more in the early days of starting my business and would book such clients in on days when I had no one that morning or afternoon, but it taught me a valuable lesson.
Your client sounds like she is lonely and perhaps has some issues to say the least, I feel strongly that this is not for you to have to deal with, you have mentioned that it affects you to the point where you are stressed and angry on the days she has booked in, also being blunt I don't think it is financially viable to have to book yourself out an hr to do a brow tint and shape treatment.
What I did with one particular client who was giving me this amount of stress and more was to discuss her behaviour and when she continued to do it then I made myself unavailable. You have to weigh this up, we all get difficult clients every once in a while but this does sound like it is giving you far too much trouble.
I would advise that you can either try to discuss the issue with your client and ask that she reaches a compromise with you, which depends on whether you feel willing to pursue treating her anyway, alternatively you can decide to avoid to treat her anymore.
I really hope you sort this out, it sounds like you have already tried several ways to change this situation unsuccessfully and perhaps just need reassurance. Victoria x

 

[squidgernetball]

I'm currently holding my breath as my own personal nightmare client appears to have stopped coming to me. I put my prices up and she told me I was wrong. I smiled and said 'sorry you feel like that' and she hasn't been back!

Like you, I would have a churning stomach when I saw her in the diary. Luckily, although she complained excessively, she was out in the allotted time.

I think you should say to your client that you have half an hour for her appointment (for example) and if she goes over this time, she will be charged accordingly. If she wants an extra half an hour of talk and faff she can pay for it - you are giving her the option!

Please bear in mind that this is coming from the therapist who has been treating her own nightmare client, and gritting her teeth for the last 10 years!

Vicki x

 

[Kim Lawless]

I wouldn't have a her back. Sorry but that is ridiculous that you should have to go though that. She's selfish.

Either tell her you're fully booked or tell her that as her appointment takes so long, you'll have to charge double.

 

[dandelionpoppy]

Yes, I did have one like this.....no-one else in the salon could stand her.

She took forever to get from entering the room to lying on the couch; I would use encouraging words re how much more comfortable she would be once lying down etc. She kept delaying so she could talk to me.

The thing is...I felt sorry for her. She told me she felt comfortable with me, and was a loyal client.
I used to book her in last; I would have stressed if another client was waiting.

Was I right? Well,no, I was a bit of an idiot really. But I felt I made her feel a bit better about her life.

 

[ch-ela]

JoSu, I feel your pain. I could cry, because I could have written your post. My client comes to have her nails done, talks all through the treatment, points out all sorts of bits an bobs during the treatment, inspects each nail after I have filed it, just a little bit shorter this one, no, now that one looks too long, is this a break?.. fiddle, snap.. oh yes, well now it is.. seriously! At the end of her appointment, which takes a good half hour longer than anyone else's, she faffs around, pays (a discounted price!) and then I have to sit and wait until she rummages around in her purse to find me that £1 tip.. oh I only have 20p pieces today and proceeds to take one by one out counting them as she goes. Double checks her next three appointments, need to tell me why she needs then on that day, bla bla bla!

Why the discount? She is my partners sister and because she has been good to him in the past, I felt obliged to do this for her. I had endless discussions with him about whether I should do her nails before I started up, and had I known that she would be like this I would have said no right from the start.
Why is she like this? She is unhappy in her life although she wont admit it ( I don't think she is aware herself) and she likes to think she has this power over me, basically thinking "I'm paying, so I call the shots".
One of these days, she is going to get a surprise, because I will have had my fill of this drama, and will tell her, that I don't think that I can satisfy her needs where nails are concerned. At the moment, I will only book her in as a last appointment so that she cannot make me late for my next client.
I feel sorry for her sometimes, because she must be really unhappy in her own life to treat other people like that, and I have every faith that Karma will bite her in the bum.

Bloomin families, eh?

 

[USCosmetologist]

I totally agree with those who said to charge her more. However, perhaps you could tell her that her extra requirements move her service from a basic tint and tidy to the more expensive deluxe tint and tweeze and give her the new price. I find that I can stand pretty much anyone when priced correctly!

 

[JoSu]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I really do think the solution will be to get rid of her altogether as even the thought of her being booked in at what ever cost, makes my blood boil.

She always books months in advance so think she wouldn't believe that I'm fully booked up but hey, this may be my polite way of saying do not return. Shes due back in a months time so think I will email her and tell her that I cannot fulfil her appointment and will have to cancel - end off!!

Will let you know how I get on . Thanks again Geeks xx

 

[elliebee]

I completely agree with the others.

Just explain that as her appointment takes you twice as long as everyone else, you will need to charge her accordingly. Leave it at that.

Don't get into any other details, (this is when you get flustered and say the wrong thing).

If this isn't an option or doesn't work, simply tell her that you're sorry, but you can't offer her any more appointments and suggest she finds another therapist.

 

[wonderwoman]

I have a client just like this, and well none of my staff want to deal with her. She is a pain!

However i do feel for her, she is lonely and i honestly dont mind giving her a hour of my time now as i know its a way for her to be busy. (also not like a factory setting in and out).

My kindness towards her faffing around ways, she knows i am blunt but to the point with her. for instance as in if shes breaks a nail- the nail tech is like you do it....shes gona do my head in. Im honest have a lil chin wag with her and happy days... I tell her to stop panicing and ask about her life.. whats going on, genuine interest.

She is one of my regulars and she is a lovely lady, but since her husband died, she tries to fill up her days. And i know its got nothing to do with the treatments, its the convo thats shes after. Shes even admitted it. Therefore for me, yes i will be patient and i will allocate the timeframe for her, and class it a a tea break for me! (shes even brought me xmas prezzies!)

I wouldnt sack her, but i would reaffirm that maybe your ocd with your time and make it all about you...just so she doesnt feel bad that it is her thats doing your head in. Its human nature but i wouldnt intentionally hurt her feelings- sometimes some ladies do become difficult with age. xoxo