Beauty salon.. AIBU?

[Greenleafer19]

Hi all,
Wouldn't usually post this kinda thing here but I have a text waiting for a response from me and I'm not sure how I feel about this.... Sorry if this is confusing..

About 6 weeks ago I went to a salon as a new customer for a set of semi permanent eyelashes (not strip, the individual ones) which were £75 for a full set. Had them done, all lovely very pleased. Went back there for nails, hair etc as nice people, nice salon.

Anyway, about 2 and a bit weeks later I needed a lash top up (was aware of this, usually require a top up every 2-3 weeks price starts at £35 for a top up). Appt made, turned up on the day, the technician wasnt there, 15mins after my appt time the salon owner called the technician, there was a mix up, the technician thought my appt was half hour later than time agreed.. No problem I waited.. Another 30 mins, no show. Salon owner and lash technician having a massive row over WhatsApp as this isn't the first time she's done this and then suddenly lash tech is no longer coming.... At all. By this point I'd been waiting an hour and 20mins. I had a few parties, birthdays etc, I really wanted my lashes done! Salon owner ended up sacking the technician as bad attitude, rude to her etc... . Anyways as there was no other lash tech there, the salon owner said it'd be another few days before I could get them done as she needed to find a new tech. For my inconvenience and time wasted she said I could have a full new set for the price of just a top up (£35-£40) as the new person won't want to work on the previous tech's work and by that time (nearly 4weeks since original set put in) most of my lashes would've come out so I'd need a new set anyway. I agreed but annoyed as I had a few nights out planned and I'd taken annual leave from work to attend this appt around flaky technician. I ended up wearing fake strip lashes to my parties as more of my individual lashes were falling out over the following 7 days as I knew they would.

I did try and book at another salon but couldn't get an appt around my work schedule.

Anyways 7 days later all was arranged for me to go back for my new lashes with a new tech. By then, literally all my lashes had come out (obviously me wearing strip lashes to hide the patches added to my loss of lashes) as it was now 4weeks later since new ones put in.. I turned up to the salon, there was a new lash tech, on time, very good. As I had worn some strip lashes 2 days before I had some glue still stuck to the roots so the new tech had to spend 20mins getting the glue out and removing the old lashes (the old tech had put in) , before putting a new set in. The first time I had them done with old tech it was about 2 hours, but this time it was 1 hour and 10 mins..... It was then time to pay. I took £50 with me as I was expecting it to be about £45 max (as remember... salon owner said I could have a new set for the price of a top up) and £5 tip for the technician. Anyways infront of me the salon owner started saying to the new tech all awkwardly 'I'm not sure what to charge her, I promised her just a top up price but you still need to get your money' to which the new tech said 'well my time is money, I've spent ages getting the glue off, that's got to be covered extra on top..', 'All your lashes had come out so you'd have to of had a completely new set anyway' etc etc.. Salon owner was coming out with numbers and new tech shuttin her down addin extra money on at every opportunity.. I could see how this was going, tad annoyed as I felt the owner should've told the tech the situation and not had that Convo infront of me plus taken into account none of the above was my fault. She then said the price was £65, I was getting a new set £10 cheaper than the usual salon price (£75) but had been promised a top up price of £35-£45 and I didn't bring enough cash with me so I said to the salon owner 'when I came for my appt where I was let down I was coming for a little top up cos that's all I needed, but where its now been left another week, more lashes have come out' to which the owner said 'but you have worn strip lashes so more of the individual lashes have fallen out so it's a bigger job' and I replied 'I only put the strip lashes on because I had no other choice, had I not been let down last week I would've had my top up and wouldn't have been patchy and wouldn't of needed to wear strip lashes'... The new tech was getting quite attitudey at this point, goin on about her time, her work etc. Anyways I went cash point and gave her the full price. New tech wasn't happy at all that I got £10 off for a new set but I felt I'd been turned over anyway as that wasn't what I was promised. I totally get its nothing to do with the new tech, it's not her fault what the old tech did however I think the salon owner should've been the one at a loss here, not the new tech. I think there shouldn't of been this 'I'm not sure what to charge her' infront of me, salon owner was clearly walkin on egg shells with the new tech and I don't think they'd had a conversation about this previously. Convo carried on with Lots of new tech saying 'my time is money' to me when I don't feel she should've been involved in this Convo plus what about my time? The wasted time of nearly an hour and a half and my wasted annual leave for the previous appt cos that's all salon owner could offer me? It just didn't seem they were bothered about customer service at all.

Anyways its now been 2weeks since my new set and I'm due a top up. In all honesty I was really put off going back after that so plan on going elsewhere from now on HOWEVER the salon owner has text me to tell me I'm due a top up and when would I like to come in...bit taken aback... I'm half tempted to tell her I'm not comin back and the reason why but then I think to ignore it.
Or should I tell her? She's only 22, running this business alone, with what seems flaky staff. I would've been spending a good bit of money in there for other things but I felt the situation was handled very wrong and unprofessionally, I'd rather take my custom elsewhere.

Am I being unreasonable to reply or should I leave it and ignore the text? (Trivial I know)

Text her back telling her why you won't be back and also put this on every rating site you can as well as all your local Facebook pages.

That's seriously bad customer service.

Some salons employ therapists as self employed contractors to save costs. It can work for both parties as the contractor gets more bookings and a base from which to work and the owner doesn’t have to pay employers national insurance, sickness, holiday pay etc

I wonder if what happened here is that the owner promised you a discount which was not hers to give. The technician felt that she was losing out. Not that either of them should have treated you like this - it was their problem.

My view is go elsewhere. The owner may be inexperienced but you have been messed around twice at the same place. Good luck finding another place. The eyelashes sound amazing if they are done properly.

Your mistake was paying full price when the owner had agreed a discounted price with you already. It's up to her to make that good with her staff and pay the difference. You do need to text back and tell her very clearly why you won't be returning. I'd also put a review online to save other customers. The flaky technician was maybe unavoidable, but all the rest is clearly incompetence.

As Nettie says, this is a case of a salon owner promising a discount that was t agreed with the self employed tech who is paying either a commission or room rental to her.
I would go back to her and say you are very unhappy that the agreed price wasn't honoured. It was her job to make up the difference in price to the tech not yours and unless they can give you a discount on your next infill equivalent to the loss you incurred you won't be booking any future appointments with them.
I'm in the same industry and if it was in our salon, we would have made up the difference to the tech or offered a free infill to make it up to you and secure future bookings from you.

The problem you'll have otherwise is that a new tech will very likely want to remove the other person's work and do a complete new set so you're out of pocket again going elsewhere.

That was appalling customer service: I wouldn't go back and would tell the salon owner why. She's still young and presumably new to the business: you might even be doing her a favour in the long run. Bickering with the nail tech about prices in front of you, a paying customer, was unforgivable.

Why on earth did you ever pay more than the agreed amount in the first place?

I’d spend your next £75 on an assertiveness course, it’ll benefit your life far more than fake look eye lashes will!

I don't think you should go back and I think you are not unreasonable to state why!

You were promised a service at a specific price. Now, the owner clearly wanted to placate you after the first woman didn't show up, but like we have guessed, the 75 is what the technician charges rather than the salon owner.

So the owner wanted to keep your custom, I think she should pay the difference to the second technician.

But....it was all carried out awkwardly in front of you, and was very unprofessional. I get why you paid the difference, I would have found it difficult to stick to my guns in that situation too.

I think the only course of action is to explain that you were promised the service at x price and this was after taking time off work, the fact you wore strip lashes was to make up for the poor service and you should not be charged for this. But....thw technician should be paid for the service she provided therefore the owner should make up the shortfall.

I would not return.

And to those being aghast at the OP spending 75 pounds on the treatment, leave her alone. Her money, her choice.

I left a review online, 2/5 stars and was very diplomatic but to the point about the customer service. She's text me saying she's very hurt and that I have harmed her business when the situation was out of her control. She still doesn't get it.... :/

Why did you even give it 2, not 0?

Did you tell her why you werent coming back? I think you really have to spell it out to her. She was massively unprofessional. If she can’t see that arguing in front of the customer is bad news then her business won’t be around for long.

I’d also ask her what happened your discount that she promised you for your wasted time? She should have honoured that.

I replied stating the obvious and She has by passed everything I said. She thinks she was fair and keeps saying its all out of her control and that it's her birthday today... Like I care... I'm not responding

You can now feel you have given the salon every chance. It doesn't sound as if they will be in business for long. Hope you have better luck finding an alternative.

You were too generous leaving 2/5! Awful. How can she think she was fair when she didn’t give you discount promised? Bonkers.

Block her.

When I have been let down like you were the first time, I would have decided not to go back - unless I was offered a substantial discount /compensation for my time.
And then if the salon owner did that to me on top of all that, then there would be no chance in hell I would have darken their door again and just left the previously agreed amount on the counter and left.

Awful customer experience- I would have put the £45 down and just left as that was what they agreed... the owner needs to pay the new technician the full amount, owner should be out of pocket.

I would text her and say how disappointed you are.

Find a new salon, I have someone come to the house which is brilliant

Well done on leaving the review of your experience. It's her that's damaged her business, not you cos she failed to rectify the situation.

She sounds immature and unprofessional with a lot to learn about customer service and damage limitation.

She let you take the hit on your time AND money for something that was out of your control too. As the manager, she should have taken the hit and paid for your return treatment.

What an idiot. I doubt her business will last long.