to charge or not to charge???

[blondienailgurl]

hi i was wanting some advice, i am only new to the business and work from home i also have a small boy so i don't get to do many nails have time for etc so when i get a person that books and cancels on me 5 times in the space of two weeks what should i do,
I feel like I'm being taken for granted coz i work from home and people seem to think i sit on my bum all day twiddling my thumbs unless i have a booking.
Sooooo i was wondering would it be acceptable to charge a cancellation fee if they haven't given me 12 hours notice coz most of the time it's like half and hour before an appointment that they cancel and i could put other people in but when i ring they can't make it, it's so frustrating coz I'm losing out.
wanting to know if i can add to their next appointment fee when they come back and if they don't how would i go about getting it?
also would like to know some kind of price i charge 30$NZ for a full set pink and white L&P coz i'm still learning.

any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks :lol:

 

[Yola]

I think that is very ignorant and inconsiderate of clients to do this. I have been having problems with this lately as well. It is standard here in Canada to charge 50% if they cancel or change their appointment within 24hrs of their sceduled time-slot and 100% if the are a no-show. It's a lot easier said than done, though! I think it is important for us technicians (whether at home or in a shop) to carry our selves as professionals. Our time is worth money!

 

[blossom]

What a cheek!

Personally I would not re-book this person. She's had plenty of chances already. 5 times in a fortnight! :smack:

You deserve better than that. Have more respect for yourself :hug: . I work from home, my kids are at school now and I work school hours and evenings and it's busy busy; however I know what you mean, there IS a tendency (by some people) to think because you work from home you just sit there unless someone happens to drop by for some nails.

In my experience, people who think they are going to be charged for not turning up don't come back . . . this can be a good thing in the case of this person! lol But sometimes, in a real genuine case, you can lose a really nice and 99% of the time punctual client.

good luck x

 

[magsham]

I agree with Blossom - she sounds like a shedful of trouble to me. And i bet you you'd have problems with her if you did do them for her. Better to stay clear - you've probably enough stress in your life without adding to it!! x

 

[chantell simone]

you don't need clients like that hun

you are so much better off without all that hassle and stress

in terms of prices you need to check salons in your area and see what they offer and what they charge for it

 

[Beautyandme]

Hi, in practice its a good idea to charge a cancellation fee. but actually getting it is another matter.

What I normally say to people is if you should have to cancel for any reason please try and let me know, and that way there are no hard feelings.

 

[Esthersnails]

Hi not sure how to deal with no shows it is very frustrating. As for price I just went round and checked out prices at other solons and undercut a little as I work from home to, and i am new to nails to. I charge $55 for a full set of pink and whites, you no there is a nail solon in Feilding that charges $90 for a full set she is a awesome nail tech her nails are beautiful I hope I'm as good as that one day. Wanganui prices seem to range from $75 down to $30.

 

[VHunter]

I had a client that 9 times out of 10, would cancel the last possible moment.
I "fired" her. I don't have time for that. I have a life and things to do. If she waits till the last possible moment, I can't give that spot to anyone waiting for a cancellation OR make plans for myself to go and do something.
Waste my time? I think not.

Just today, I had a client who in all likelihood, would NOT have called me had I not called her.
She had booked during xmas rush. Was a no-show. Didn't call to say sorry, nothing. When I called her "oh, I had to work" (AND at the time, I remember distinctly having 8 people waiting for a cancellation, but it was too late to call them, as I had a client booked immediately after her slot)
She rebooked.
Today I called to confirm (which I dont usually do, sorry, I'm busy, I have my own things to track and I'm not anyone's babysitter).
Left her a message and she called back "no, can't make it, I have to work, I"ll call back to reschedule. Sorry, I forgot":irked:

NOW if she didn't work in a boutique, with the public.. I'd write her off IMMEDIATELY. (why? it's advertising for me IF she ever gets her butt in here)
BUT I've given her one last chance. After that, she can kiss my backside.
AND if she does show, but makes a habit of cancelling without calling or waiting until 5min before she's due.... I'll fire her backside as I did the other client that did that.

YES , sometimes, life gets in the way of living and things happen. Yes, occasionally appointments need changing, or something happens that throws the client for a loop and whoops, they've forgotten the date. That's "life".
S**t happens sometimes. It's ok. I'm human too.
But for clients for whom this is a habit, wasting my time and disrespecting me? NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Show them the door!

 

[IllumeGirl]

hi i was wanting some advice, i am only new to the business and work from home i also have a small boy so i don't get to do many nails have time for etc so when i get a person that books and cancels on me 5 times in the space of two weeks what should i do,
I feel like I'm being taken for granted coz i work from home and people seem to think i sit on my bum all day twiddling my thumbs unless i have a booking.
Sooooo i was wondering would it be acceptable to charge a cancellation fee if they haven't given me 12 hours notice coz most of the time it's like half and hour before an appointment that they cancel and i could put other people in but when i ring they can't make it, it's so frustrating coz I'm losing out.
wanting to know if i can add to their next appointment fee when they come back and if they don't how would i go about getting it?
also would like to know some kind of price i charge 30 for a full set pink and white L&P coz i'm still learning.

any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks :lol:

ok..first off i find text reminders work well. i send mine out 24 hours prior, so usually if a client cant make it, then i know well in advance.
I have a sign permantley under my glass table top desk in full view of my clients with my cancellation policy asking for 24 hours prior notice or a fee of $35 au applies(my refill price), which of course i allow exceptions for...my notice is basically to make clients aware they do need to give some kind of decent notice, and it does work!
IMO if i was busy and had standby bookings waiting ( as i understand from your post?)then i think somewhere around the 6 hour mark would suffice?
You could add it to thier next appointment fee, but IMO i would only add it to the clients you wish to lose.eg. habitual reoffenders.
As for your pricing i think $30 is quite cheap, esp when you consider the cost of your product, time and taxation all taking a slice of it.
what are you charging for refills and or rebalances?

 

[grafxgal]

When I first started training in the salon I was classed as a junior and charged out at half the price of the senior techs for a fullset and half again for a rebalance, after I qualified I was classed as an intermediate and charged 3/4 of a fullset and charged half of that for a rebalance. Once the owner was happy with the quality of work and my times I was then classed as a senior tech and was able to charge full price for a fullset etc. This was nearly 8 yrs ago and I charge more for a fullset now.
I am guessing that you have only just qualified or are about to qualify, so I would start out charging about 1/2 what the locals are and explain that you are newly qualified in any flyers/promotions that you do, also put that prices are subject to change.

 

[Little Angel]

Hi

I have a cancellation policy at the bottom of their record cards. My policy is that unless 3 hours notice is given 50% of the appointment will be charged or no further appointments will be given.

I have enforced it with a couple of clients so far and guess what?? they never no show or late cancel anymore! (ps i do give them 2 chances on the second i say look i cant afford to have empty appointments so if you no show/ late cancel again i will have to charge you! Lets face it we all have emergencys etc.)

If you dont show for a dental appointment they wont give you another untill you pay their fee, they are professionals and so are we!

For some clients who are a constant pain for doing it i insist on a deposit over the phone via their credit card.

HTH