Waxing - hoax calls

[The Queen Bee]

hi guys,

just wana ask you opinion on something.

i have never had a customer not turn up for their appointment before and have a 100% client return rate......but i have had two customers in the same amount of days wanting the same treatment (a male brazilian) not turn up!!!:irked:

i took a tel number off of them both.......when the 1st customer didnt turn up, i called the number they gave me and the person that picked up the phone had no idea what i was talking about and the second number was not even a number!!!!!!

Am i being taken as a fool!!!!!Do you think they are playing a joke?or do you think its genuine, and it was just a coincidence its happened within days of each other?

How can i get over this happening?does anybody take card details off of there customers and if they dont turn up, take a cancellation charge off of it?how much?

i do have a card machine but i dont, at present, take any sort of cancellation fee or deposit off of a client....but feel if people find it funny to waste my time then dont think i have much choice.but at the same time dont want to put anybody off!

Sorry its abit long winded!!!

 

[Jessica Rabbit]

Hi

sorry to hear about your time being wasted... I just seem to get males on the phone leaving unsavoury message on what they would like.. It pisses me off...

But taken a deposit might help.. xx

 

[dilly_doo]

i think for such a specialised treatment you should say that you want a £5 or £10 deposit, bet they'd turn up then!! if they book over the phone, then i would ask that they come in as a standard procedure for a 'consultation' and to give you their deposit. if they cancel within 24 hours of the appointment, they wont get the deposit back, simple!

 

[Carron]

hi

yeah, it does sound like haox calls. maybe a group of teenagers thinking their being funny

you should maybe take a deposit next time someone books in for a male brazillian and call the day before to confirm the appointment. if it is genuine and someone does turn up on the day you wont need to take a deposit next time.

do you get many of these?

 

[Kim Lawless]

Hi Nikki. I would lay money on it that these calls were the job of jealous, aka 'frightened by your success' salons. They know you're excellent at what you do and they know you're busy and they feel threatened by you. So what do they do? They start a dirty tricks campaign. the next thing is they'll be spreading lies about you to try to harm you and your business. I've had it all but just rise above it. All they do is get a bad name for themselves. Don't do the same back.....KARMA. Just keep getting better and better at what you do.

The best thing is to confirm the appointment the day before. Something like 'Hi John. Hope you are well. Please confirm your appointment with us for tomorrow at 10am by text. If we don't hear from you by the end of today, we'll assume that you need to re-arrange.'

xxx

 

[number1kitty]

Do 1471 to take the REAL number or have caller ID.

Take a 20% deposit also and send the reciept to their home address that they must bring with them at their appointment (i use this as a safety issue because then I know they have access to that address if they try anything on I can give it to the police!).

Katexx

 

[number1kitty]

Hi Nikki. I would lay money on it that these calls were the job of jealous, aka 'frightened by your success' salons. They know you're excellent at what you do and they know you're busy and they feel threatened by you. So what do they do? They start a dirty tricks campaign. the next thing is they'll be spreading lies about you to try to harm you and your business. I've had it all but just rise above it. All they do is get a bad name for themselves. Don't do the same back.....KARMA. Just keep getting better and better at what you do.

The best thing is to confirm the appointment the day before. Something like 'Hi John. Hope you are well. Please confirm your appointment with us for tomorrow at 10am by text. If we don't hear from you by the end of today, we'll assume that you need to re-arrange.'

xxx

Oh I had this with a salon 10 miles away because I undercut them on spray tanning price!

I just called their bluff and rang their salon and told them to pack it in lol! They didnt know how to respond that they had been caught out (thanks to caller ID) and the hoax bookings stopped!!!

Kate xx

 

[Shell-red]

How can you tell on a mobile if it is caller withheld, I had the same happen to me this saturday for full set of L&P, she only booked on friday. Gave me her mobile number when I came to check it, no such number.

 

[number1kitty]

I dont take bookings from caller withheld numbers. My phone blocks them from calling through. Basically if they have to hide their numbers then thats suspicious.

xx

 

[The Queen Bee]

do you get many of these?

Hoax calls or male brazilians?

Brazilians = yes

Hoax calls = No

 

[The Queen Bee]

Hi Nikki. I would lay money on it that these calls were the job of jealous, aka 'frightened by your success' salons. xxx

This was a thought of mine too!but i like to think people especially in the beauty indestry arn't petty like this!:cry: if it carrys on then i will defo know this is the case. xxx

 

[The Queen Bee]

Do 1471 to take the REAL number or have caller ID.

Take a 20% deposit also and send the reciept to their home address that they must bring with them at their appointment (i use this as a safety issue because then I know they have access to that address if they try anything on I can give it to the police!).

Katexx

iv looked on ebay and they have these caller id things, quite cheap.....may be a good investment!

ok 20% deposit you think. i was thinking on the same lines as you.

i like this idea of sending the reciept to the address..... a really good idea for safety!!but if they came and said 'oh sorry i forgot it....surely you wouldnt refuse to treat them?

 

[The Queen Bee]

I had the same happen to me this saturday for full set of L&P, she only booked on friday. Gave me her mobile number when I came to check it, no such number.

I dont get it, we are only trying to make a living and at the end of the day if we dont do a treatment we dont get paid......they would hate it if there boss turned around to them and said sorry i dont feel like paying you for your last hour you worked!!!or 'come in for an hour on your day off'......then when they get there say 'i dont need you now!':irked:

 

[The Queen Bee]

does anybody here take peoples card details off of them if they book over the phone?then take the 20% deposit off of their card if they dont turn up?

 

[number1kitty]

I take the deposit there and then and then they pay the rest on the day. However I do inform them full payment will be taken if they do not cancel, however i always do everything I can to remind them in the first place.

I take everyones address thats a new customer (i say for adding them to my appointment book) as its computerised. I also say I will send them out a special offer voucher and price list along with their credit card reciept.

I ask them to bring that reciept that I staple to their appointment card with their appointmenmt written on along with my terms and conditions so they dont have to pay full price and can prove they paid 20% already.

As long as you have sent that (always get proof a reciept with their addy on costs no more than your first class stamp) and it contains your T&Cs you can charge their card again for the full whack!

kate x

 

[number1kitty]

Oh and also most card machines ask for the registered address of that card as to process a card holder not present transaction you need the postcode and house number anyway, if you dont (some cards dont ask for this info) ask them anyway as they will give you the right details.

If your a bit suspect about an address just google it! as I di a lot of mobile I check the address is real online first.

Kate xx

 

[gudginda]

I have had men call up on several occassions asking pervey things about waxing & have now come to know which people are genuine and which are the time wasters just by the questions they ask!!. If i think they are having a laugh or abit weird i just tell them i dont do male waxing. try logging the number they are calling from so that you recognise it for furture reference. I must agree that taking a booking fee of 20% is probably the best way to get rid of the time wasters.

 

[Kim Lawless]

The funny thing is, that although I specialise in mens waxing, I never get pervie calls.

Back to the original question.......I never answer 'witheld' numbers. However, that doesn't stop someone buying a cheap sim and making calls from that. They can do that without registering theit address.

 

[number1kitty]

The funny thing is, that although I specialise in mens waxing, I never get pervie calls.

Back to the original question.......I never answer 'witheld' numbers. However, that doesn't stop someone buying a cheap sim and making calls from that. They can do that without registering theit address.

Yes but thats an awful lot of trouble for someone to make hoax bookings when they have to put a minimum of £10 on them to make a call!

My phone just says this number does not accept calls from private numbers. The only times it has cause problems is when a client uses their work phones. It also stops annoying tele-sales callers selling advertising space and other crud!

As to pervy phone calls never had one apart from when i was selling something in LOOT! I think I scare most men before they try to say anything rude lol!

xx