Looking for opinions and some advice on what others would do or think in this situation please, it’s eating me up and I just need to know if I’m reading it totally wrong or just majorly overthinking the whole thing!
I’ve been going to the same nail salon for over 4 years now, every 3 weeks consistently to a girl that is self employed there. I would consider myself a regular client and we have shared every detail of our lives with each other, celebrated the ups and downs over the years - new houses, babies etc. I bring her gifts, lunches, coffees, she has met my kids, we are “friends” on social media and someone I would consider as a friend even if we don’t see each other as such outwith appointments. I had to cancel my appointment before Christmas due to illness and we were all dropping like flies. I gave more than a few days notice and cancelled well within the time limit, she said she didn’t have another appointment for me and wouldn’t be able to fit me in for a couple of months and asked if I’d still like to book in with her given the fact she wouldn’t be able to fit me in until then. Christmas is a busy time of year I understood that and I’m always respectful of her time so I accepted the next available appointment and asked if she could contact me if she happened to have any cancellations before then. She knew I had a special occasion coming up and was celebrating a big birthday but she never got in touch which I thought was odd. I booked in with another salon so I could have my nails done as I was also going on holiday and it left enough time that I had a chance to remove them before my next appointment with her. So 10 weeks rolls around and I go to the appointment, the vibes felt off immediately but I put it down to the fact that it was late in the day and that maybe she was tired and had a long day. We sat in silence for most of it usually we have great conversations and have quite a bit to catch up on and fill each other in on what’s been going on between my appointments but it just felt awkward 😕
At the end of the appointment when it came to pay she said she has stopped using her card machine now and she will only be accepting cash or bank transfer. I usually pay by bank transfer anyway but I recently changed banks after trouble with my current one and I still had to set up some of her details to transfer the payment over on my new account. My new card had just arrived the day of the appointment and I didn’t have time to confirm the details of the new card on my internet banking app to do it yet and that I would do it right away when I got back to my car - that was literally parked right across the street from the salon. Her next client was there waiting already so I thought I was saving her time and this is where it all went wrong…She refused to let me leave the salon without paying and went on to give an example of how once she did someone’s nails and she had to chase them for payment and that it was unacceptable, at this point I offered to go to the cash machine along the street and I could even leave my car keys with her until I came back but again she refused and said in no way would I be able to rebook unless I paid. So mortified at what was happening in front of another client, I sat down in the waiting area to set the details up and she said she would just wait and make her run late until I’d done it and huffed and puffed while she sat over me. To make matters worse, the app kept crashing but she kept saying how she knew I was connected to the WiFi so it shouldn’t be a problem. It eventually worked thank god 😳the payment went through and I left, I was so embarrassed. I like to think I’m a person of reason so I’ve thought maybe I need to see it from her perspective and that I wouldn’t be able to go into a shop and leave without paying but maybe I’m too trusting I don’t know, I wouldn’t have had a problem if the roles were reversed? It’s just wild to me that she wouldn’t trust that I’d pay her when I’ve never given her any cause for concern regarding payment before and we’ve known each other for years or AIBU here?
She usually sends me an email with my next appointment I had to message her a week after my appointment asking if she had the next one booked in for me and I got the confirmation shortly after but it wasn’t for my usual service. She knows I can’t do that day or time and I always book in for extra nail art but she said that’s all she had and to let her know if I can’t make it. So I said I couldn’t and there was another time available which she has booked me in for but again not the correct service but she said she wouldn’t have time. I’m feeling like she is just being awkward and that she is maybe trying to sack me as a client?! I have no idea how to go about this I feel like our next meeting is going to be really awkward now. Someone tell me if I’m missing something here or how you see it?