So upset

[Jigglyb4ll]

With regards to working hours, I was in the same position. I started off part time when my little one was in nursery and found it difficult to fit everyone in, but like u I did what I could. Plus worked a night shift to pay for my training. Exhausting and stressful! So really well done for doing this I know how hard it is.
My youngest started full time school in sept. I currently work 8am to 10pm without a break most days and clients still moan that I can't fit them in when it suits you!
You will never win honey so don't stress.
Good luck with your business and enjoy a really lovely Xmas with your family!

Work to live, don't live to work
Xxx

 

['chelle]

Hobby lol very expensive hobby!

I appreciate you work full time and how passionate you are for the business but please don't judge me!! I work all the hours I can to build up to full time when my son starts school next Sept!!! I pay for my son to go to private nursery 3 days a week, although most of my client's want appts at different times which is fine and I work when the client wants the appt!! I have worked past 10pm at night several times and would also work at silly o clock in the morning if I could arrange in advance for someone to watch my Son!

I work from my mums house who has been poorly and so it is unreasonable for me to ask her to be up and out of her house so early!!

It is not that I would not see the client at this time either it is the way that I was demanded to do so! I tried to meet her half way by giving her an appt after my working day when my Son should actually be in bed! If she wasn't so rude to me i would have suggested going to her house to rectify this! I do not believe I should be bullied into doing exactly as she wishes i'm afraid!

I have NOT had any other clients disappointed by my hrs as i have always arranged a time to suit them!! I always go out of my way to suit their needs, to grow my business and I am well aware of having to work all hrs to grow a new business! And I think it is very judgemental being told that I cannot give a full service as I have met every other of my clients needs.

I came on here for a bit of support and thank you to all the lovely people who gave it but don't appreciate being told that the hard work i put into my business day & night to provide for my son rather than sitting back on benefits to be just a Hobby!!

Everything you say here is spot on, I completely empathise with you. Part time hours or unusual hours are not substandard or second best, and as you rightly say you are out there working when so many people would choose to stay home on benefits.

Salongeek is a wonderful community, but some of the attitudes and opinions expressed really are stuck in the dark ages. In any other profession no one would dream of criticising a woman for adjusting her working hours to fit around childcare responsibilities, in fact treating a woman differently for this reason would be illegal in the workplacem so I dont think we should tolerate it in our profession either.

There are some people who expect you to put work before everything else in your life, and some people who understand that you aren't a machine and cannot be available 24/7 365 days a year, and ironically its the people who fit into this latter category who you should make the extra effort for when it comes to opening early/late

 

[Katmoz33]

I think you do the best you can in your circumstances. Sometimes it's just not possible to get them in.

I'm like Geeg I work any day any time pretty much or I did do early on when building my business, it's what it takes to get it off the ground.

I would be doing clients at midnight, days off or Sundays if that's what it took to get them in. Dedicated!

It's hard work, sometimes inconvenient. But the one thing I have done is built a good business with clients that trust me to get them in when they need to be in.
I very rarely let any regular clients down and visa versa.

I'm usually fully booked and I have clients on stand by for cancellations.

If this lady is going to be a difficult client that you just can't please then let her go it's not worth the stress!

The chip was probably coincidence there can't be anything major wrong with them or they would all be off

Hope this helps you, good luck with your business x

 

[geeg]

Everything you say here is spot on, I completely empathise with you. Part time hours or unusual hours are not substandard or second best, and as you rightly say you are out there working when so many people would choose to stay home on benefits.

Salongeek is a wonderful community, but some of the attitudes and opinions expressed really are stuck in the dark ages. In any other profession no one would dream of criticising a woman for adjusting her working hours to fit around childcare responsibilities, in fact treating a woman differently for this reason would be illegal in the workplacem so I dont think we should tolerate it in our profession either.

There are some people who expect you to put work before everything else in your life, and some people who understand that you aren't a machine and cannot be available 24/7 365 days a year, and ironically its the people who fit into this latter category who you should make the extra effort for when it comes to opening early/late

Oh yes, I'm totally in the dark ages! Right! Lol

I never said what the op was doing was 2nd best ,,, those are your words.

What I said if you chose to read it was, pure and simple that if you work part time in a service industry then some clients would inevitably feel let down if they could not be accommodated.

I acknowledged the op's circumstances and did not criticise them. But part time service is not full time service. How can it be?

I have 5 children and not one of them would say I did not fullfill my responsibilities as a mum. But I think my success speaks for itself and also the love I have for my family and they for me. We all worked together to make it work. And it did and still does.

Read my posts again and get a balanced view of what I actually said rather than twisting my words to make your own points. Thanks.

 

[Jigglyb4ll]

I'm working full time and I had a client get grumpy yesterday as I could not fit her in and as said earlier I'm currently working 8am to 10pm. We are not miracle workers.

This post is NOT about working hours, it's about a difficult client.

Lets all stop with the unhelpful comments.

I love that this site is so supportive to one another, lets keep it this way!!

 

[kerriequinton01]

hi,im very new to nails and in need of big help! I use gelish for colour and its great,bit for tips ( French ) I use asp gel and have found it only lasts around a week ad personally think its crap!and want to by a new gel but when im looking is all ' building' gel and 'sculpping ' gel.can someone please tell me what they mean? As the people I trained with was rubblish! I just need a good gel that's easy to work with.as I want my clients happy.
Thanks xx

 

[laurakate]

I know I shouldn't take this personally but I am really really hurt!

I have like all of us been bending over backwards to make sure my lovely clients have all their treatments done for xmas. I am a single mum and only usually work Mon, Thurs, Fri whilst my son in nursery. This last week i worked all day Sat and Sun to avoid disappointment, I understand that people have full time jobs and so its easer for them evening and weekends!

Anyway applied Shellac on a new client Sat AM, I did all my prep thoroughly and was just about to start painting when she says "we will be finished by 10.15" with the time being 10.10 I advised that i didn't think we would it would be more 10.30 would that be ok?? She said this was fine asked if she could get up and wash her hands with water, instead of my cleaning with my soapy water which i wipe over to remove cuticle away! I scrub freshed after she washed her hands with just water and started painting, concious of time at this point!

Anyway she has contacted me today saying her thumb has chipped can I replace 7am wed morning! I work from my mums house and so i was not prepared to get her up and out of her house to look after my son at that time in the morning, so i said unfortunately this was not convenient but I could fit her in 7pm this evening! She said this was the only time she had 7am and she is not happy! I am now getting txt message saying what a waste of money she will never come back to me what a terrible service and that my customer service is appalling!

I am confident with my shellac and all my other clients have not complained of chipping, but i wonder was I rushing, I was prepared to replace this nail but unfortunately she could not make any other time.

I am soo hurt by this and wondered what you would have done or do to rectify this??

:cry:

Urgh! You really don't want a client like this! She'd probably have you up and ready at 7am only to cancel on you anyway.

She sounds far too demanding and not worth the effort in my opinion.

 

[NailsXpress]

I've just had one sounding like her try to book in. She was on the phone for ages trying different times and ended up almost shouting at me that I would HAVE to come to her at 7.30 in the morning. I couldn't as I have a client already at 8. She told me to cancel that one and get myself down to her instead. I just politely told her that as that client is a really nice regular who doesn't shout at me and demand appointments I won't be cancelling her, so therefore I am unfortunately unable to fit her in. She called me a bitch so I just said "this conversation is finished" and slammed the phone down on her. I've not heard back from her and hopefully won't!
How rude!!!

 

[BeautyPrincessH]

No refund - she had the treatment - you said you would rectify but she gave you a silly hour in which to do so - you offered an alternative time - SHE said no - She is being unreasonable. 7am - really?!

And in regards to working hours - it's up to you how many you do. It's no one else's business but your own. If your happy with your hours around your life then that's great - in future point anyone difficult into the direction of another therapist who is full time and can succumb to her silly demands - I myself wouldnt have the time for it - a beauty job is to love and make people feel lovely about themselves - not to start arguments about how long we work and to make you feel bad. It's really not worth it.

xxx

 

[Sayanigirl]

Oh yes, I'm totally in the dark ages! Right! Lol

I never said what the op was doing was 2nd best ,,, those are your words.

What I said if you chose to read it was, pure and simple that if you work part time in a service industry then some clients would inevitably feel let down if they could not be accommodated.

I acknowledged the op's circumstances and did not criticise them. But part time service is not full time service. How can it be?

I have 5 children and not one of them would say I did not fullfill my responsibilities as a mum. But I think my success speaks for itself and also the love I have for my family and they for me. We all worked together to make it work. And it did and still does.

Read my posts again and get a balanced view of what I actually said rather than twisting my words to make your own points. Thanks.

Omg Geeg u have 5 children .wow I can't manage 3 .u r a grt lady .respect .have a good Christmas and thanks for all tutorials x

 

[geeg]

Omg Geeg u have 5 children .wow I can't manage 3 .u r a grt lady .respect .have a good Christmas and thanks for all tutorials x

Thank you. :green: nice to have someone throw a nice word my way rather than instantly 'have a go' and criticise me at every turn just because I put forth a different point of view. :hug: Anyone can do whatever they want to do if they want to do it badly enough. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. X

 

[Zoe lambourne]

Thank you. :green: nice to have someone throw a nice word my way rather than instantly 'have a go' and criticise me at every turn just because I put forth a different point of view. :hug: Anyone can do whatever they want to do if they want to do it badly enough. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. X

It's been a tough forum for you geeg, but you can sure handle it 😉

 

[smoothie88]

It's been a tough forum for you geeg, but you can sure handle it 😉

Ditto lol

 

[HandSam Nails]

Why is it assumed that I don't put my all into my business????? I eat, sleep and breathe my business! My son goes to nursery Mon, Thurs and Fri i am doing my level 3 on a tues but I still work Wed and Sat when needed! My downfall is i don't get as much time to advertise, work on website etc it will prob take me longer to get my name out there as i have not had the time to promote myself as much as i could but i have never disappointed a client !! and when my client base is getting too much for me i have someone in mind to help out! I try to get most of my clients on my so called working days as that is what I am paying a nursery for!!! But I have never turned a client away and arrange time when convenient for them! I work all hrs if not with clients
working on advertising, designing website, I worked at London fashion
Week alongside Marian Newman in February with early 4am starts!

I know you are entitled to your own opinion geek as is anyone, But felt like you were putting me down by saying that i can not be trying as hard as you did because you we're full time! No hard feelings I think we are best to agree to disagree on this one!

Basically we all have a passion for what we are doing or we wouldn't be on here!

Thank you so much to all the lovely people on here who showed me some support whilst I was having a bit of a wobble lol bad week as anniversary of losing my dad but I have my strength back now! Merry Christmas to you all and have a prosperous new year xx

 

[Gabie]

I usually agree with most things you say Geeg, but I have to say I dont agree with you on this occasion. It's true that you need to put a lot of hours into running your business if you expect it to expand and become a success, but I dont think its fair to say that you should expect disappointment from clients if you dont work full time. Clearly the client is happy with her hours of business or she wouldnt have gone to her for the shellac doing in the first place. Ringing up and demanding 7am appointments and saying no other time will do is just rude and unreasonable and no tech should bend over backwards for rudeness like this, these types of clients will be rude and ungrateful even if you opened the salon in the middle of the night for them.

I would remain polite with this lady, if she is criticising your customer service skills just be extra nice with her so that she doesnt have a leg to stand on when it comes to criticising your after sales care, tell her what appointments you have available and ask "which of these appointments is best for you?" Dont give her any options that involve working outside your normal hours, to be honest I frequently open early or close late to help a client but would never do this for a rude client. As far as the chip is concerned well there could be dozens of reasons why it happened, why does she assume that the chip is your fault when she's been the one wearing the shellac?

Sorry if I sound inflexible, I'm really not, I bend over backwards to accommodate my clients, but my clients are pleasant people who recognise the efforts I make for them. If a client was rude to me and criticised my customer service skills for not opening at 7am when she demanded it I wouldnt budge an inch to help her. Some might say that's not good business sense but I disagree, a customer of that disposition is unlikely to be a lucrative one anyway, and besides, some things are more important than money

Completely agree!!!! X

 

[Jigglyb4ll]

Handsam nails...you are doing an amazing job.
Working part time, with a young child, and doing training is a very hard, stressful balancing act and if you manage to keep it up til little un starts school you will find working full time a breeze! Lol

Enjoy Xmas my lovely and feel hugely proud of what you are achieving x

 

[Dizzy nails]

I completely understand that some choose to build their business by doing many hours that aren't set hours and will do what it takes to gain the clients. That is one way. I chose to have set days and set evenings all of which amount to around 35 hours a week, so almost full time and I rarely work out of those hours because if you do it once they expect it again and it gets hard to say well I did it for you that time but not again. My clients all know where they stand. They know my hours. If they need a repair I will do what I can but if I can't/wont do 7am in the morn then I can't/won't. I have built up a successful business but it may have taken longer this way than the way geeg did it. My choice. You do it your way and be confident for it. If 7am is not good then that is that. Don't worry yourself.

 

[Victoria-Cotton]

What time did you start applying the shellac? I only ask because she shouldn't plan things so close to an appointment she has made.
Also I would just ignore her, typical case of baby not getting their bottle and show their anger through hurtful comments not caring how it makes you feel.
Definatly not worth your time

 

[nailzoo]

I find it odd that people want to make money from this industry, but don't want to put in the hours (no excuses). Everyone has an excuse (check my nails, I know I didn't use the right tip) why post?
Check this tan (sorry, I forgot to turn the gun on) why post?
My nails lift (I forgot primer) why post?
I do think 7am is very early, but when building a business, you do have to be flexible.... to be taken seriously, you really have to allocate hours, most business hours are at least 8 hour shifts (ours are often longer, to take into account the 9-5 ers), we often have to work outside these hours to accommodate the working women who can actually afford out services (unless you want clients that are paid by the government and have difficulty paying for their fags, let alone their nails).
I also have a habit (maybe it's terrible), but if you don't assert yourself and put in the hours, I will consider you a hobby-tech.
Nails are not a convenience (for the tech or the customer), it's a 2 way commitment, they expect you their when it's time for refills (you talked them into the commitment), it's your time to keep up your end of the bargain.

Don't lure them in, if you can't do the backup service (no excuses), as my father once taught me "make an excuse to do something, rather than an excuse to not do it" .... or ...... don't start what you can't finish.

There are lots of techs that would appreciate this customer ... and that's where she will end up, but like I said 7am is a bit harsh, set working hours, but you will have to be flexible to make it in such a competitive market

 

[happyfeet]

Hey Lovely

Don't worry about this client. 7am is a quite ridiculous request. There's being flexible and then there's being at someones beck and call. You have offered alternative appointments to her, she can't do them, that's not your fault. I'm sure if I called Debenhams and asked them to open at silly o'clock, once they'd finished laughing I'd be told no.

Yes I too would want to correct the damaged nail, but the logistics as you have said of opening at 7am aren't possible. Whilst we need to show respect to clients, they also do too. Demanding in such a manor is not acceptable to me and I would think many others.

I work hours all over the place but I do have a cut off point in the evening for many reasons. I am no way less committed, a hobbiest or otherwise. Boundaries do need to be set, for yourself, home life and for clients. Unfortunately for some clients you give them an inch they take a mile.

Don't sweat it honey. xxx