stroppy client - advice needed

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Sassy Hassy

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Okay we had the client from hell in today. My poor colleague had to do nail art on this most obnoxious woman. She criticized everything she did ... "oh the nail bar I go to doesn't do it like that" was what she said to everything Kelly did. She eventually said she wanted to complain to me about her.... said K's hands were shaking, flooded cuticles with polish, mentioned that she was still at college (even though she is NVQ 2 beauty qualified and in 2nd year of level 3), applied too many coats of polish .... you know the professional ranter type!!

So I coolly said that if she wasnt happy with the work I would happily take it off and give her her money back (even though Kelly hadn't finished applying nail art I do get the impression she was after a freebie) and this soon shut her up! I would like to say thanks to this site, because I would normally have given her a refund and let her have the nail art ........ but I called her bluff and said refund only if I removed product and it worked as she let Kelly finish.

But this is now where I need your help, because I am sure she is going to phone back and say the polish didn't last and wants a refund. I want to say to her that I was thinking of sueing her for totally knocking my therapists's confidence!!! lol, but there is no way I want to give this nastly little moo her money back, so any advice on what I can do/say?

Please guys loads of replies needed - don't be shy lol!
 
sarah haslam said:
Okay we had the client from hell in today. My poor colleague had to do nail art on this most obnoxious woman. She criticized everything she did ... "oh the nail bar I go to doesn't do it like that" was what she said to everything Kelly did. She eventually said she wanted to complain to me about her.... said K's hands were shaking, flooded cuticles with polish, mentioned that she was still at college (even though she is NVQ 2 beauty qualified and in 2nd year of level 3), applied too many coats of polish .... you know the professional ranter type!!

So I coolly said that if she wasnt happy with the work I would happily take it off and give her her money back (even though Kelly hadn't finished applying nail art I do get the impression she was after a freebie) and this soon shut her up! I would like to say thanks to this site, because I would normally have given her a refund and let her have the nail art ........ but I called her bluff and said refund only if I removed product and it worked as she let Kelly finish.

But this is now where I need your help, because I am sure she is going to phone back and say the polish didn't last and wants a refund. I want to say to her that I was thinking of sueing her for totally knocking my therapists's confidence!!! lol, but there is no way I want to give this nastly little moo her money back, so any advice on what I can do/say?

Please guys loads of replies needed - don't be shy lol!

Hi Sarah!

Wow this takes me back to a client I had early last year, she was a total nightmare! the whole time she just criticised every last thing I did and changed her mind several times during the appointment, I have to say I handled it quite badly and in hindsight I wished I had been a bit cooler, when she called back a few days later to say her gel nails were 'all cracked' I just said 'Fine, come in and I will remove them for you then', she said 'Can't you repair them' and I said (and this is the bad part) 'No, I don't really want you for a client giving me a constant running comentary on my work thanks', anyway she came in the salon to show me her 'cracked' nails which was a load of pish posh and she was just after a refund, she told me 'I'm going to tell everyone I know you are a bad nail tech' I said 'Yeah go for it I'm sure your friends know what you are like' (cringe). Anyway, turns out my neighbour knew her and she said she did this all over town and alot of the salons had refused to book her!

So, I'd handle it better than I did (not difficult :rolleyes: ) and simply say you cannot guarantee the time nail polish will stay on, some people who have had appointments with the nail tech in question have had it last a week, some longer, just who can tell how long it will last! She probably won't book again but really....would you want her to??

J xx
 
thanks JoJo that's great advice - think I'll take your diplomatic route though lol! I don't want her back as a client so not worried about appeasing her, I just want to be able to stand my ground, be firm and NOT give her her money back. Any other suggestions peeps!?
 
Hi Sarah, I hope this hasn't knocked Kellys confidence to much. I started in a salon last week and was asked to go in early by the owner as it was a new client and they thought it would be good for me. I have only just done my training. I have a procedure that I follow in my head so that I dont get any service breakdown. What I thought was a good treatment turned out that the client said my leg was shaking (I am 6ft 4 and was sitting right down lol) and that I didn't cut her cuticles. The owner of the salon who is not trained in nails in any shape or form gave her a discount and proceeded to tell me in front of other clients. I am all for constructive criticism but to have that thrown at me in front of clients was wrong. I would have rather she bought the the client to me and I would have discussed the treatment with her. I found out afterwards that she wasn't a new client and that she had made a complaint against two other girls just to get a discount but sadly I feel that the owner lied to me by saying that she was a new client instead of being upfront and honest. At least I would have known what may have been coming instead of having the stuffing knocked out of me lol. I would definitly not give her a refund if she phones back to complain. If you think that the work that Kelly done was good enough then tell her that you felt the work was of a high standard and you or your technicians have given sufficient aftercare advice for her to look after them, she left the salon with beautiful nails and it is down to her to follow the aftercare. Phew thats my bit, talk about cut a short story long.

Love David
 
Hi David, thanks for your comments. Yeah, I'm afraid Kelly was really badly shaken by it. I gave her a big hug and she burst into tears, it was so sad to see.:sad:

However she was lucky cos I fully supported her and said I didn't have a problem about it at all - you can't please all of the peeps all of the time. Sounds like your boss is my client's relative - what a cow! If she had known anything about nails she would know that it is sinful to cut cuticles, and missed a retail opportunity to sell her cuticle oil. I would get the hell out of there and find a better place to work!! I know - easier said than done!

Come on peeps - keep them coming - if you've never replied to a thread for fear of being shot down then give this one a go, whatever you say can't be wrong. Perhaps give the funniest way of dealing with it, one that I could never actually use lol! Like shooting her!
 
Hi Sarah, that is so nice to hear that you supported Kelly and backed her all the way. In my situation, I am the only therapist who speaks fluent English (its not a NSS that I'm in) I have retailed well for them in the last week and dont get commision on that, I only get paid 5% of every treatment. It did knock my confidence but then I looked at how I have treated my clients and shared with them the correct products and procedures they should be using with the aftercare of their nails and decided that I am worth far more than to have all this s**t. Tell Kelly to pick herself up, dust herself down and get out there to continue doing amazing work. It will really mean something to her to know that you believe in her.

Love David.x
 
Hi Sarah

Well, I am still training in the nail industry so have no real life bad nail client experiences to share, but I have spent a fair few years in the training arena on a consultancy level and know what it is like to "feel the heat" when you're being attacked by someone. It's no fun and certainly puts you on the spot. My boss always used to say "trust the process" (typical consulting talk and I certainly remember times I had to remind him of that!), but it applies in all walks of life. In this case, Kelly's confidence, which she obviously had before this loser walked in the door (trust her confidence). I guess what I am trying to say is that you need to make her see that it was just a bad client (she's got the problem, not Kelly), you have confidence and faith in her and she needs to learn from the experience, store it for future similar situations, move on and believe that she is still great at what she does. Sorry, I'm rambling on and its easier said when you're not the one in the "hot seat".

If I've lost the plot - blame it on the wine - its my birthday tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Uggg! Another year - err - younger?
 
Hi

We had a bit of a disaster in the salon today one of my girls (only 17) has just passed her nail training (the only one on the course who passed) and has been practicing like mad. Anyway this client booked in for Nail ext and toe nail art. Well it turned out she wanted ext with a coloured gel over and gel coloured toes.
To cut a long story short she came back 30 mins after her appt and complained they wernt up to standard (she hasnt practiced the col gel much) and so i have to go in on my day off tomo (i have one sat a month off) and soak them all off and reapply.
But my poor girl was so upset in floods of tears and totally demoralised the client was really nice about it so i carnt think what state she would be in if the client had been horrible about it!
Anyway she has another set in tomo morn while i am there so i hope that goes well and gives her a confidence boost.
As for your question i would NOT give her a refund at all i would definatly say you carnt guarantee how long it will stay on and that you inspected the work and it was up to your highest standard.
 
Thanks guys - I have been picking Kelly up and dusting her off all day, she knows I am in full support of her and that sadly she will get clients like this again - fortunately they are a rare breed. She's only 18 and just the sweetest thing.....it was funny when I gave her a hug as she's miles bigger than me!!

If this client phones back I will say what you guys have already said, but I am afraid she will say that when she has it done as the other local nail bar that it lasts ages (she only came to us cos they were fully booked - or were they? perhaps she's a ranter to them and they wouldn't book her)

so how would I handle that one? Just want to be fully armed in case she does
 
David - for goodness sakes you're in London and they only pay you 5%? Take my advice - look for another job ........ as the l'oreal ads say - you're worth it!
 
Hiya

Well i would say that she had best go there from now on. As maybe your products dont suit her. or some such and fob her off and never book her again.
 
in a way, you dont want clients like this to be satisfied coz if they come back for another treatment you will dread seeing them again, and not perform at your best. i had a lady come to me a few months ago and before we comenced the service, she asked me exactly how i was going to do things. she told me that she had been to nearly every nail tech in town and never been satisfied, then her 20 year old son who was with her piped up 'yeah, do you remember that technician that you nearly punched coz you didn't like your nails.' she also told me that she had done a training course but didnt do nails coz it was too boring.harder than it looks more like! :rolleyes: anyway, at the end of the service, she said they were the best set she had ever had, and though i was momentarily filled with pride, i soon realised that it would mean she would be be back. every time i saw her name in the book i would think 'oh no, i hope it goes o.k' and i even got to the point where i would be thinking 'only one more week and then i have to do so+so's nails again,' and then counting down to the dreaded day. thankfully now she has disapeared from the scene, probably terrorising some other poor tech by now ! i dont think you should give your customer satisfaction in this case, because it will only be a matter of time before she finds something else to complain about.
 
I'll have to amend that a little as she brought in a China Glaze polish that she got from them!!!!!!
Little Angel said:
Hiya

Well i would say that she had best go there from now on. As maybe your products dont suit her. or some such and fob her off and never book her again.
 
Hi angel fingers, thanks for your comments. I am not worried about having her back, I'd rather go bankrupt!!!!! I just wanted to be able to handle it in a professional manner rather than getting personal which is hwat I am probably likely to do. Hopefully she won't call back, but forewarned is forearmed as they say, and I want to end up feeling I "WON"!.
 
Good thinking Little Angel! What are some people like???? Trying to push their unhappiness onto someone else!!! I know we're all guilty of it sometimes, but some people just take the P*(&.

I know when I get nightmare clients in the future, I will be desparately using the search function on here to remind myself how to deal with them!!!
 
My god Sassy. I'm getting worked up just reading it. I'll come down there and tell her to **** off for you! I'm just in that kind of mood at the moment. I agree with the others. Tell her they were done to your highest standards and that she obviously hasn't followed your aftercare advice.
 
You might want to consider posting or making clients aware of a no refund policy, we will not refund money. If a client is not satisfied, the product will be removed for a small fee (enough to cover the cost of the product remover or polish remover) or if possible the service will be corrected (we are human after all) and if this is not what the client wants, they are gently reminded that this is the practice of Nail Technology/Cosmetology what ever service you are providing and that maybe we could be of help locating someone who would be able to provide this service to their standard. (at this point you must have a list of numbers handy) Offer to make the call, and if needed make the call to the other technician and book the for client (we usually know other technicians or stylists who may have the temperment to deal with these people) and move her right along.

This strategy worked well for me, I had to "fire" Mrs. Happy Yellow Hair, whose color I could never quite get right, she brought pictures, formulas from other stylists, and I spent hours consulting to make sure I got it right. She wanted it to look like Princess Dianna's only happier and more yellow. (I felt like turning her flaming pumpkin orange and accidentally striping it blue, but restrained myself) Went through the phone call of "I want a refund, it doesn't look like the picture" DUH!! She had the color, and you cant take that back, so I tried to please her (what was I thinking?????) and ended up asking one of the other girls to take her, introduced them set up the appointment the whole 9 yards...she must of gotten the hint, because she never came back to me and after doing the same thing to the other girl, she didn't come back to our salon.

Stick to your guns and don't let her mow you over, your girl knows what she's doing, and she will always be practicing, even Doctors practice!!! (the PRACTICE of medicine) Be firm but polite and kill her...with kindness...not that you can't think of ways to torture the woman that would be much more satisfying!!! What goes around, comes around, and I'd rather be on the good side in the end:wink2:
 
Hi Sarah

How awful for Kelly. Really knocks their confidence at that age.

The thing is if someone starts saying "oh they don't do it like this etc" why aren't they at their usual place?! Perhaps you should calmly say, "This is the way I was trained, but if you are not happy with the way I do things, perhaps I should remove the product and discontinue with the service".

That's a good idea re "no refund policy" you could put a disclaimer up saying "Once you leave the premises we cannot guarantee the end results to remain 100% due to factors outside of our control, ie your lifestyle, medication, home aftercare, maintenance etc. However, if you do have any problems please contact us and we will rectify the problem as soon as possible and charge accordingly"

Or words to that effect.

I had a client from hell she even told me she was! Wanted her eyebrows and legs waxed. When I did her eyebrows I told her I would put vaseline on the brows not needing to be waxed. She immediately said "you don't know what you're doing do you!" I almost laughed, and told her I was trained to do it that way. Oh she said!

You really don't need customers like this, just be firm and don't let them treat you like your beneath them.

Be strong Sarah if she does ring back, I would say your fully booked for the rest of the year!

Deb379
x
 
Thanks guys, but just to let you know this is a VERY old thread! The woman never came back BTW
 

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