Refund policy

[tiara08]

Hi Geeks. Just wondering if any of you have a refund policy or even give refunds. Got caught out today. Was under lots of pressure and ended up refunding a client. She arrived back after a few months - She had paid for a course of treatments and said she had a reaction to a Caci facial and that she wanted the rest of the course refunded. She said she had tried to contact the owner on different occasions but could not get her. Im sorry now i gave in but at the time there was a lot going on. So just wondering what you all do in that situation? thanks!

 

[surf girl]

Hi Geeks. Just wondering if any of you have a refund policy or even give refunds. Got caught out today. Was under lots of pressure and ended up refunding a client. She arrived back after a few months - She had paid for a course of treatments and said she had a reaction to a Caci facial and that she wanted the rest of the course refunded. She said she had tried to contact the owner on different occasions but could not get her. Im sorry now i gave in but at the time there was a lot going on. So just wondering what you all do in that situation? thanks!

Why are you sorry you gave in? I would give someone money back if they bought a voucher and then changed their mind, I don't have a formal policy but I just think it's fair, what did your boss or the owner say?

 

[tiara08]

When i explained the situation to her she felt i shouldn't have gave in - That no way would she have given the refund she said it was months ago and felt the client had just changed her mind about having the treatments and didnt deserve the money back:|

 

[surf girl]

When i explained the situation to her she felt i shouldn't have gave in - That no way would she have given the refund she said it was months ago and felt the client had just changed her mind about having the treatments and didnt deserve the money back:|

Aw that's a bit of a bummer for you, tbh if I was in your situation I would have done the same, the problem is tho unless she has a propper enforced policy (which if she did you would have know about & been trained about it) she really should reimburse her, also she should have been available for you to ask what to do, not moan at you later lol

 

[tiara08]

I still feel i would do the same thing again! Obviously its hard to hand over the cash but i really didnt feel like I had much choice! Its a hard one!

 

[surf girl]

Don't beat yourself up over it, realistically the boss should have dealt with it, or at least trained you on what to do in the event of something like that happening, next time call her and make her do it... Then grimace as the customer kicks right off when she refuses 😂😂

 

[squidgernetball]

If a client isn't happy I would usually do my utmost to rectify it.

If you were my member of staff, I would have wanted you to refer it to me so I could be sure that the client did leave happy in the end. I don't necessarily think that giving a refund was wrong, but I would want to be the one to give it. Having said all that, it sounds like your salon owner/manager had been a bit lax in her contact with the client.

Vic x

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[tiara08]

ya normally i would run something like this by her but as the client had travelled over a half hour , i was in the middle of a treatment and under pressure i just gave in!

 

[TheDuchess]

I've had therapists give refunds when they were under pressure and I've felt irritated that I didn't get the chance to deal with the issue myself. So I think it's a good idea to clarify whether or not you are authorised to give refunds.

Having said that - I think it is unethical to keep money for treatments you haven't actually given. I don't think that keeping the cash would stand up in a small claims court either. We have a single treatment price and a discounted rate (per treatment) for a course. If we give a refund we can decide whether to refund pro Rata or at the single treatment price.

I would be really annoyed if a therapist gave a client a refund because the client said she wasn't happy with the response that the owner had given. I'd be sympathetic but firm - and I'd clarify the situation by giving a written warning that it must not happen again.

 

[AcidPerm]

In this instance, I think the OP did the right thing.

As Kahuna pointed out, the owner should have put her terms and conditions regarding the purchase of a course of treatments in writing, drafted a policy for the staff to follow and made sure her staff were given adequate training on how to manage a complaint in her absence.

It's really not that difficult to be a competent boss but it's far to easy to be a lazy one and blame staff for your own shortcomings!

 

[BettyBaa1994]

I've had therapists give refunds when they were under pressure and I've felt irritated that I didn't get the chance to deal with the issue myself. So I think it's a good idea to clarify whether or not you are authorised to give refunds.

Having said that - I think it is unethical to keep money for treatments you haven't actually given. I don't think that keeping the cash would stand up in a small claims court either. We have a single treatment price and a discounted rate (per treatment) for a course. If we give a refund we can decide whether to refund pro Rata or at the single treatment price.

I would be really annoyed if a therapist gave a client a refund because the client said she wasn't happy with the response that the owner had given. I'd be sympathetic but firm - and I'd clarify the situation by giving a written warning that it must not happen again.

In regards to a small claims court as long as the rules/terms and conditions regarding your courses were given and shown before hand and the client agrees.If they have used the course even just one it may be considered you have entered into a firm agreement and therefore a salon can take all the money.

Citizens Advice - Can you change your mind about buying a service?

a client would not have a leg to stand on, this nearly happened to me some months back as I had paid a consultation fee. Luckily I got back my money after many months.



In regards to the OP I have been in these situations in my last job (the owner rarely came in i.e once a month and I was alone with no manager). I NEVER give refunds on courses/vouchers bought you can only transfer money to other treatments. You would not ask or get a refund on a gym membership just because you did not use it for a few days or even if you had an accident so why do consumers feel hair/beauty is any different. You agree to terms and conditions that's FINAL otherwise they would not be there.

 

[tiara08]

Been front of house manager i felt i had the authority to make the decision. Normally i would run everything like that by owner but was in the middle of a treatment, the women had travelled from a nearby town an was standing straight in front of me so just went ahead an gave it. Would not give in so easy next time i think just gicen the situation on the particular day i just wanted it sorted. Pressure eh!

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[LondonRee]

I don't have an official policy, but do give refunds. I also give all my staff the power to decide whether to give refunds. Clients are often super forgiving and lovely if they feel an unhappy situation is dealt with well. I've even had offers of refunds turned down by clients! But it still made us look lovely and welcoming. I refunded a client half recently, and she even emailed to say how fabulously the salon had dealt with the error, and she couldn't wait to come back again.

 

[AcidPerm]

In regards to a small claims court as long as the rules/terms and conditions regarding your courses were given and shown before hand and the client agrees.If they have used the course even just one it may be considered you have entered into a firm agreement and therefore a salon can take all the money.

Citizens Advice - Can you change your mind about buying a service?

The OP lives in Ireland. The laws are a bit different over here.

 

[BettyBaa1994]

The OP lives in Ireland. The laws are a bit different over here.

Sorry about that yes, I meant in U.k.