Overcharged for acrylics - is this normal now?

[jolie69]

Hi Ladies,
My friend has just had a set of acrylic nails done at a "nice" salon. She asked for pink and white acrylic, 1/2 cm longer than they were at the time, almond shaped.

I asked about the service as I used to do Extensions - CND trained. For £35 this is what she had done:
No removal of existing polish, cuticles were pushed back with pusher - no cuticle remover
Regular polish was then filed off as nail plate was buffed.
White tip applied - no tailoring and blending, no white acrylic.
Clear acrylic applied over whole nail, shaped shorter than asked and more squoval than almond.
UV top coat applied - no buffing to a high shine.

They were done in an hour - amazing - but I am staggered at the price for what was done.

I would have expected to pay £25 for that level of service not £35 - is this the norm please?
Where has the expertise and professionalism gone?

 

[Martin Duffy]

There are two different issue here, because whilst I don't think the level of service your friend received is acceptable, I don't think asking £35 for an hours work is that unreasonable.

 

[krum]

She should have mentioned the shape at the time.
Dry prep is better as it helps adhesion so unless she had extremely overgrown cuticles there's no need for cuticle remover.
White tips don't need blending.
A uv topcoat helps protect the acrylic from water. Usually you pay extra for this so that's good she got it free.
I think if she wanted pink acrylic that's not fair she didn't get it but it might be a miscommunication as many customer think of pink and white and french tips and as the same thing.

 

[pure]

Well the main issue is that the salon didn't provide the nails that were requested and your friend should have told them at the time. I would point out however that dry cuticle work is perfectly acceptable and for some clients preferable, and with the excellent quality gel top coats available now not many do buff to high shine any more. Why would we when the finished effect looks as good but is quicker? I see nothing wrong with this at all for a set of salon nails.

As Martin says the issue isn't that she was charged £35 for an hours work which is perfectly acceptable but that she didn't get the finished result that she requested.

 

[blossom]

When the clear acrylic came out, I would have queried that if I'd asked for pink and white acrylic. Also the shape -it can be so easily changed.

As it had been discussed beforehand, white acrylic should have been used without your friend having to point that out, but I wouldn't have let her apply clear without saying something.

I charge similar for white tips, if they'd like p&w acrylic it's £40. Personally I always give a client the option of buffing to a shine or uv topcoat but many consider uv to be superior and many charge extra.

Agree about dry prep. If cuticles are in need of cuticle remover etc I charge extra.

 

[pinkthistle]

I don't charge differently for tip/sculpted/pink/clear etc. my acrylics are £30 regardless, have been many years. I complete in an hour with a gel polish or top coat x

 

[jolie69]

Wow, thank you for all your replies. This has certainly opened my eyes - mainly that I need to put my prices up which I have been told - not for nails as I don't do them, but for my other services.
I was only going on how I was trained by CND Leeds and this would have been unacceptable by their standards.

Thank you again x

 

[pure]

I was only going on how I was trained by CND Leeds and this would have been unacceptable by their standards.

I am CND trained and as said before gel top coat and dry prep are perfectly acceptable and up to standard. As products and science move forward so do salon practices.

 

[jolie69]

Ah ok thank you - good to know xx