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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nail salon no show charge

129 replies

Prettybutdumb · 28/09/2023 14:52

I had a nail appointment recently at a salon that I’ve been frequenting regularly for years. The morning of the appointment my youngest woke up and ran to the loo and poor thing had a bad tummy. I emailed the school, but still had to take the eldest in and it was bad enough that she had an accident on the way to dropping off her sibling.

I messaged the salon as soon as I got back (they weren’t opened yet) to explain what happened and that I won’t be able to make it. This has never happened before. I’ve never been late or had to cancel before. There was no reply and today I saw that my appointment was charged 100% for no show. I completely understand that they have their own employees, costs etc, but isn’t that poor practice? To charge the appointment in full without as much as a conversation or message back when I’ve been a regular customer (I go at least once a month) for so long?

This last minute type of cancellation has happened twice in my life before as I have small children and they can be unpredictable - once with a dentist and a second time with an osteopath. Both said it’s a first occurrence and they won’t charge anything (although their T&C said they would), just offered me another appointment.

I feel pretty miffed and it’s safe to say they’ve lost me as a customer.

OP posts:
Sehenswürdigkeiten · 28/09/2023 16:19

BatteryPoweredMammy · 28/09/2023 16:17

I’d contact your credit card provider directly and tell them that they’ve kept your credit card details on file and taken the money without your agreement on this occasion, because that wasn’t your understanding from their cancellation policy.

Businesses may well lose money for no shows, but they’re still expected to abide by the law when it comes to storing and charging a client’s credit card.

We cannot draw that conclusion without seeing the cancellation policy, unfortunately.

ilovesooty · 28/09/2023 16:20

Sehenswürdigkeiten · 28/09/2023 16:18

'It's not a solicitors appt' - what do you mean by that?

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I wondered that too. Is there some kind of heirachy regarding the value of people's time and skills?

tescocreditcard · 28/09/2023 16:20

If she pays for the missed appointment it has a big impact on her earnings. If you pay for the missed appointment it just means your nails don't get painted.

Blinkinbloodyhayfever · 28/09/2023 16:20

Not at all, just not to be charged the entire over £100 for a weekday morning appointment that I couldn’t make. It’s not a solicitor’s appt. is this the issue? "It's not a solicitor's appt.* she's "just" doing your hair, it doesn't matter, it's cancellable and shouldn't expect to be paid because she isn't doing an important job?

EveryBlinkingDay · 28/09/2023 16:21

YABVU - they don't do walk ins and you said yourself that they would have struggled to fill your space, which suggests yours was a bit of a last minute cancellation. As someone who has had a very similar thing happen to them just this morning it's incredibly frustrating. We have premises rent, overheads, wages to pay, food to buy, mortgages / rent on our houses, bills, council tax, petrol. None of this comes for free.

Why should they take the hit when your kids are ill?

I also think that you feel that people are generally reliable, when they just aren't. People cancel for the flimsiest of reasons (I've had "I just don't feel like it today" WTF) and as a direct result I have to be robust about my fees or some months I wouldn't break even. If I offer a reduced rate to one person ("Please, just this once, I think of you as more of a friend than a nail tech / yoga teacher / pilates instructor / hairdresser" etc etc) then I'd feel morally obliged about doing it to everyone.

Lastly, there's chat about them owing you in some way because of your loyalty. What about you owing them respect for their business, their expertise, their creativity, their attention to detail - whatever it was that attracted you to their service in the first place?

Grrrr.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 28/09/2023 16:22

Is no one else shocked that a nail appointment is £100?!

PinkRoses1245 · 28/09/2023 16:22

Full amount charged within 24 hours is very common. They can’t bend rules just because you’re a regular.

EveryBlinkingDay · 28/09/2023 16:22

Prettybutdumb · 28/09/2023 16:13

Not at all, just not to be charged the entire over £100 for a weekday morning appointment that I couldn’t make. It’s not a solicitor’s appt.

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FFS 🙄😡

Wow, what an attitude. Maybe they have your number and don't actually want your custom anymore.

PinkRoses1245 · 28/09/2023 16:22

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 28/09/2023 16:22

Is no one else shocked that a nail appointment is £100?!

Omg just saw that, madness. I don’t think I’ve spent that much on grooming this year

Atticustheaardvark · 28/09/2023 16:23

Prettybutdumb · 28/09/2023 16:00

Yes, my CC is on file. Why? Should I try to remove it? I looked today but I couldn’t figure out how and left it.

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They are lawfully permitted to store and charge your card (as long as in accordance with their T&Cs), but you definitely need to have signed something - either paper or electronically - to state your agreement for this. It might have been included or 'hidden' in something innocuous like a health questionnaire or info questionnaire when you first started going, but if you are sure that you've never done this, then likely they are in breach of GDPR. Worth looking in to at the very least.

Finteq · 28/09/2023 16:24

Prettybutdumb · 28/09/2023 16:13

Not at all, just not to be charged the entire over £100 for a weekday morning appointment that I couldn’t make. It’s not a solicitor’s appt.

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Oh dear

So if it had been a solicitor that's OK?

Ragwort · 28/09/2023 16:25

teaandtoast I am absolutely shocked that nails can cost so much ... such extremes on Mumsnet .. some threads talking about buying the cheapest tea bags possible and others where £100 at a beauty salon is a 'monthly' expense...

BatteryPoweredMammy · 28/09/2023 16:27

Sehenswürdigkeiten · 28/09/2023 16:19

We cannot draw that conclusion without seeing the cancellation policy, unfortunately.

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Their cancellation policy may be deemed an unfair term of the contract, but that’s for a court to decide. That’s not what my post is about.

The OP states that her understanding of their cancellation policy appears to be at odds with the salon and that’s what she needs to explain to her credit card provider.

Prisonbreak · 28/09/2023 16:27

Yabu. You were unreasonable in your original post but your updates are solidifying your ignorance.

I run a salon and I understand things happen from time to time but my mortgage company doesn’t care. They want paid, rightfully so. You book my time…. You pay regardless of your attendance, rightfully so

picklsey · 28/09/2023 16:29

While I understand where you're coming from in terms of being a loyal customer, you're effectively expecting her to lose 50% or more of her hourly wage because of your emergency.

A lot of nail technicians are self employed and rent a chair in a salon, which she will be liable for regardless of whether you turn up. The rest is for her own wage (which I'm sure you'd expect your work to pay you if you took a sick day), materials, overheads (insurances etc). She has to cover these costs regardless, and it's very late notice to fill the slot.

Arguably there might be a small reduction for materials that she's not using. The rest, are you expecting to pay out of her own pocket?

EveryBlinkingDay · 28/09/2023 16:30

There are some really rather entitled posts on this thread.

For those of you voting YANBU, ask yourself if you would be willing to give a £100 service for free. Bet you wouldn't.

YeahNoYeah · 28/09/2023 16:31

If their rules say 50% for a cancellation within 24 hours then I think you should be covered. They have a messaging system, it's obviously not fit for purpose if they didn't get the message. But they should be able to check the time you sent the message.

Personally, I'd have also called once they were open to make sure they knew, but technically you shouldn't have to.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 28/09/2023 16:34

Ragwort · 28/09/2023 16:25

teaandtoast I am absolutely shocked that nails can cost so much ... such extremes on Mumsnet .. some threads talking about buying the cheapest tea bags possible and others where £100 at a beauty salon is a 'monthly' expense...

It's crazy. At my salon it's about £30 for Biab and shellac on top. Once I wanted a design that required a few colours and it would have been £45. I declined 😂. I couldn't pay £100 for something like that. That said I do pay that for my hair but that's every 10 weeks and colour and cut.

Goingtohellinahandbasket · 28/09/2023 16:37

What do you mean by "they decided" ... have you spoken to them since to confirm this or are you assuming?

Clearly there's been some sort of error their side that has caused this to go down as no show and not cancellation. A simple phone call / visit to shop to explain, show proof and receive credit voucher for the 50% to cover next appointment, or refund to your card = problem solved. Possibly a small good will gesture as an apology for the incorrect charge.

TempName247 · 28/09/2023 16:38

Yes of course there is a hierarchy of job roles 🤷🏻‍♀️

JCWiatt · 28/09/2023 16:38

Why haven't you just called to check? If you don't plan to go back anyway, you've got nothing to lose if they don't like you questioning it. It may turn out it was an error or they can reduce it.

Bluetrews25 · 28/09/2023 16:41

Have we all clocked OP's name?

The nail tech was there, waiting for you, she had no chance of booking someone else in for your slot. If you had never booked that slot someone else would have taken it. So she was there, waiting, in effect working, but because you turned up she had nothing to do. It's mean to want someone to stand around when they could/should be earning and you have prevented them from earning, then complain about having to pay them. Especially when that person is 'not a solicitor' and therefore one hour's earnings is likely even more important to her than someone who can piss £100 a month up the wall....sorry....on nails.

Purpleyogamat · 28/09/2023 16:41

I'm going to cause WWIII with this but....

My partner and I run a small taxi business. if we charged for every cancellation we had, we'd be living on a yacht in the Maldives by now. The amount of jobs that either cancel, or worse, 'no show' is unreal. If we are travelling a substantial distance for a job (for example, a long-distance airport pick up in the middle of the night), we do ask for a deposit or payment in advance, but quite often lose the booking as a result - it's not the 'normal' thing to pay for a taxi in advance, and some people just refuse to do so and go elsewhere. It's costly - lost fuel, we still have to pay the driver for coming out etc.

Problem is, unless the whole industry changes and all taxi companies start taking deposits/payment in advance, we are a bit stuck. Most people know that payment ahead is not the norm when booking a taxi and just won't do it.

It's infuriating that the practice of charging for no-shows or cancellations is accepted and expected in some industries, but a big no-no in others.

WhoWhereHow · 28/09/2023 16:42

How rude.

You're happy to pay for her services normally.

Concannon88 · 28/09/2023 16:44

BatteryPoweredMammy · 28/09/2023 16:17

I’d contact your credit card provider directly and tell them that they’ve kept your credit card details on file and taken the money without your agreement on this occasion, because that wasn’t your understanding from their cancellation policy.

Businesses may well lose money for no shows, but they’re still expected to abide by the law when it comes to storing and charging a client’s credit card.

Lol why have you advised her to do that when you havent seen the terms and conditions? The bank may want to see proof of this or the salon could dispute it and then there will be a mark on her account for a fraudulent claim and the salon then gets the money back.

I always read terms and conditions when placing deposits, and if they have similar conditions then they will have been well within their rights to charge the card.