Discrepancies with payment for treatment

[FredAstairesChair]

What would you have done here?
I feel awful.
I get a beauty treatment done where you pay for x number of sessions and have them then pay for more sessions if required.

However it wasn't so simple for me because I had the first treatments through a voucher and also she gave me a freebie for being late once. I sort of lost track and didn't think it was much bother either way

Last time I attended, beautician told me inwas due to pay so I did

Today I've attended and she's asked me to pay again and refuses to accept I paid up last time.
I most definitely did as I remember all sorts of details about it. She says today is my last session of the last 'batch' of sessions and it would be paying today for the next lot.
I told her I paid last time, and it must be a mistake, that I wouldn't have this treatment today as I'm not wiling to pay again, and to get in touch when her books don't balance but at least this way I've not 'cost' her for today.

She's very upset. I thought about being the good samaritan and just paying but.. I'd have felt resentful.

I'm going to text her and say sorry again because she's a quite elderly woman who's been thru a lot recently too.
:(

Check your bank statement?

I thought about that but last time, I paid some £ into a friend's account and they gave me cash for it. Beautician doesn't have a card machine. So not much help really. One detail I remember about paying is her discussing with me how she really must get a card machine soon!

Do you not have a receipt?

You need to get receipts for everything.
I would not text her as that is saying you are wrong. Feel sorry for her if you like but we've all had it bloody hard over the last 18 months.

Don’t apologies to her, you aren’t in the wrong and she will see it as accepting that you are.

She is upset and has texted me saying I am still welcome for my final session-however that must have been last time hence her charging me. I really do remember although of course her being so certain is making me doubt myself and yes it has been hard and I just know if I pay it I will look like I am admitting fualt, as well as being out of pocket.

In the past I would have done but I've learned.. She says she'll check her books. But if she's disorganised she may not find out either way I guess.

And yes, lesson learned, receipts all the way now! I guess it hasnt really come up as you don't pay each time and the first payment was a voucher.

It's really weird she doesn't have any kind of system in place. You know tickets, a stamp card, or something so people can keep track of things. She really needs to sort something out both for her sake and the customers.

I just felt so bad for upsetting her. She'd been so lovely toward me.

You need to stop acting like this is a friend. It's a business. You have paid for a service. The business should have provided a receipt. Does she not give reciepts or did you throw it away?

Do you by any chance remember what notes you gave her? If you're friend paid you back was it all on tens or twenties?

I would send her a text telling her that you have paid for a new block of sessions, you paid with X amounts of notes. Remind her that you actually had a discussion about how she needed to get a card machine. And then ask her how she is going to rectify the situation she has created due to her lack of recipets and poor book keeping.

I never received a reciept. First session I took my voucher in. For the next few sessions I didn't pay anything, and then the session earlier this monrh I paid as she said taht was the last I had paid up until. I appreciate I should have made sure I had a receipt. All cash only as she doesn't have a card machine.

Then today she tried to charge me again and would not accept I had paid last time-she said TODAY was my last paid-upto session, not last time.

I paid in two twenties and £4 in pound coins, I did remind her over the 'phone before my session that I remembered because we discussed the card machine to which she replied 'I DON'T HAVE A CARD MACHINE!' And then told me to just come in 'And then I'd know'.

She says she'll go through her books, but I am not holding out hope.

I am glad I didn't just pay again though, I think I'd have got rather annoyed with myself afterwards.
As she thinks today should have been my last session, she did try to make me have it and I said no, I would be taking advantage, I had the last session last time and paid for a new start of sessions.

She has had a major op recently and I assume been very stressed and I think she's just become muddled up.

It’s good you didn’t pay. She sounds very disorganised.

I thought about that but last time, I paid some £ into a friend's account and they gave me cash for it.

What does this mean?!

TBH, it doesn't sound like either of you know what you've paid for...

You might be in the right, you might be in the wrong. Who knows?

I don’t know why you’re so sure you’ve paid correctly. You don’t sound sure, you sound disorganised and you say yourself you got lost with it.

I get that you pay for a course in advance, and part of that course was a voucher. But why would you have had to pay LAST time, but not THIS time? Either the course was over last time or it wasn’t 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sounds to me just as likely either of you could be wrong.

So fine - you know you paid one session in cash. You can check your back statement for the others. Surely you know how long a course is, and what what voucher covered?

Do you actually know how many session you had?

Sorry, they were all cash (or voucher) so ignore the bit about the statements.

So how sessions have you had, and how many were covered by the voucher? Did you have to go to an ATM each time?

@tallduckandhandsome

It’s good you didn’t pay. She sounds very disorganised.

I thought about that but last time, I paid some £ into a friend's account and they gave me cash for it.

What does this mean?!

She paid money into her friend's account and the friend gave her cash for it, because the person only takes cash.

Even if she took cash and didn't give you a receipt, it should have been easy to look at her records and check - a 30 second job. Because you have to keep a record of all cash or whatever received, even if you don't actually give someone a receipt.

Unless she isn't putting all her cash through the books.

It sounds a very unprofessional set up.

Do you not have the appts in your diary where you could go back and check?

Was the price you paid last time for a course of sessions or a single session?

@tallduckandhandsome

It’s good you didn’t pay. She sounds very disorganised.

I thought about that but last time, I paid some £ into a friend's account and they gave me cash for it.

What does this mean?!

Sorry, just before I set off there I suspected she would be cash only, so I paid the amount into my friend's account (he was with me t the time) and he gave me cash for it. Doesn't leave a paper trail or receipt obviously.

@MindTheBumps

Was the price you paid last time for a course of sessions or a single session?

A course of 6 sessions.

@therearenogoodusernamesleft

Do you not have the appts in your diary where you could go back and check?

I had the appointment written in my diary and on text message reminders.

@ChristmasFluff

Even if she took cash and didn't give you a receipt, it should have been easy to look at her records and check - a 30 second job. Because you have to keep a record of all cash or whatever received, even if you don't actually give someone a receipt.

Unless she isn't putting all her cash through the books.

It sounds a very unprofessional set up.

I asked her to go through the books and I was sure they wouldn't balance. Asked her to contact me if she found the money as I knew I'd paid it. It's a real shame, I found her a really lovely friendly woman and I wanted to keep using her.

@Cocomarine

Sorry, they were all cash (or voucher) so ignore the bit about the statements.

So how sessions have you had, and how many were covered by the voucher? Did you have to go to an ATM each time?

6, course paid for with voucher. No cash exchanged hands until last time I went when the 6 had ran out. However, I actually had 7, because she gave me a free one (her choice) as she was late once and also had to reschedule due to her operation. This is what I mean,she was so nice.

@jabbyjabjab

TBH, it doesn't sound like either of you know what you've paid for...

You might be in the right, you might be in the wrong. Who knows?

I did get a bit confused as to what the voucher covered until last week when she said right that 'payment' (voucher) has expired, so for another 6 sessions I need you to pay again. And I did