Late to nails appointment

[Cherry346]

• Had a nails appt today with my usual manicurist (of around 4 years). I was running very slightly late (a few minutes) as I'd been held up at my child's nativity. I messaged and said "really sorry I'm going to be slightly late, on my way now" (husband dropping me off). Manicurist replied saying "if you're more than 5 mins late you can't have your appointment". I replied and said I'm just round the corner but I understand if you need to cut the appt short so you're not late for the next client. I ran in, 5-6 mins late, profusely apologised, but all the staff were giving me daggers. Manicurist then lectured me about how busy she is and how she couldn't get behind. I again apologised and said I totally understand and that she could cut the appt short if my allotted time (1hr 15) expired and I'd just accept however far she'd got with my nails (to be honest it usually only takes an hour anyway). I spent the next hour getting the full on silent treatment and monosyllabic answers every time I asked about Xmas plans etc (we usually have a good chat and catch up). She also spent time during my appt sending personal WhatsApps and voice notes, as if trying to make some kind of point. I left feeling really awful and actually quite badly treated. I've never previously been late to an appt and have given the manicurist free professional advice in the past relating to issues she was having with the salon. I don't expect special treatment but surely this was an overreaction? To be clear, I fully understand that people arriving late to appts can be very frustrating for businesses but we were talking a matter of minutes and I'd said I would be happy for the appt to be cut short if the time ran out. I don't feel like I want to return but also feel I need to explain why I'm going to go elsewhere given I'm a longstanding client (average spend £80pm). AIBU?

surely you're not so condescending irl?

is this your mic drop moment? 🙄

Haha, I’d say you forgot to say the tech needs to manage her manners better, but I’m deducing you didn’t.

I get that she’s busy and will have back to back clients but you’d offered an alternative of just do what you can and that was fair. Plus you warned her!
she behaved badly

Don't go to her again

Ah she was pissed off for not being able to make easy money.....very poor form.

I would have done exactly that but had pre paid for the appointment on Treatwell so would have lost all the money 😫(and she'd have got £40 for doing nothing!)

I'd actually paid the full price in advance on Treatwell so she'd have kept the entire £40 if she'd refused to do my nails 😑 had I not paid in advance I suspect she may not have been so quick to try and refuse...

I wouldn't go back . On the other hand she could have cancelled your appointment if it was that much of a problem to her.
It's not like it's a hospital or doctors appointment, to me you cannot be even a few minutes late for those , but you rang ahead and she didn't cancel.
She doesn't deserve your business and she was rude.

This. My nail salon is open until 8pm on Christmas eve ( and every evening up to then) because they are so busy. If you are late it bumps the next start time. That eats into the next start time. In the end people arriving for later appointments are left waiting for half an hour or more beyond their booked time slot when they made sure to arrive on time. If you are having a complicated Christmas design then she can't just stop and send you out with 2 nails not done because you'd take a photo and post a review that harmed their business.

I'd leave her a shit review and go elsewhere, you were 5min late, granted not great but if you only usually take 1 hour and have an hour and 15 slot she was just making a point. There's no excuse for her rudeness. I'd take your custom elsewhere and let others know how rude she is.

OP she was ridiculously rude and you are right to take your business elsewhere

just to echo AngelinaFibres point that it isn’t actually a good solution for the nail tech to do a shorter appointment for a latecomer. It runs the risk that they will give you shit quality/ unfinished work that you could then photograph and use online to give them a bad review

But 5 mins is not the end of the world and she has lost a good regular customer with her attitude!

Just saw you paid in advance, she was trying it on! If you hadn't paid up front of course she wouldn't have said anything, she knew there was still enough time to do them.

Yes if she was happy to do your nails and take your money then she should have given you a professional service. I definitely wouldn’t go back.

I think it's more I want her to know the reasons - in that I want her to know her behaviour wasn't acceptable (and maybe so she thinks twice acting like that with other customers). Though after her reaction today I suspect I'd just be met with a barrage of abuse anyway and agree it's best to just walk away 🙂

Of course there are two sides to every story but everything I've said is accurate, and I'd actually missed out the fact I'd paid in advance for the appt (£40) on Treatwell so had she refused to treat me for being 5/6 minutes late I'd have lost the money (and she'd have got £40 for having a free hour). I also said I wouldn't expect any time beyond my allotted 1hr 15. The reality is the appt usually takes about 50-60 mins max and she knew that, so trying to cancel for a 5/6 minute delay in circumstances where I'd already paid seems completely unreasonable to me. The worst part of it is I'm usually very punctual so it isn't like this is a pattern of behaviour that would understandably cause frustrations!

Is she 13? She sounds like a dick: most towns have multiple nail bars

Yes agreed. Had I not paid in advance I don't think she'd have been as quick to try to cancel.

How unprofessional of her to be sending voice notes during your appointment, immature and passive aggresive.

Um ....yes YANBU & not the a/h. I would have clapped back with 'Sorry I was late BUT there are plenty of times you've kept me waiting over the years and I think you aren't being fair here as I am never usually late . There is obviously an issue as you haven't spoken to me throughout the whole appointment, or been on your phone and I am sorry you are having personal problems and I do sympathise but that's not my fault. You've made me feel as if I don't want to come back if I am perfectly honest as I feel the way you are behaving is quite unprofessional. "

I think the issue is, you’re approaching this from the practical perspective of, you understand that she can’t run late because she has other clients, they are particularly busy at this time of year, etc. The part that you are missing is the disrespectfulness of being late.

She doesn't value you as a customer. Another vote for elsewhere.

I've had situations where I've had to phone from a delayed bus to say that I'm running late for a hair appointment. I've been told that they might only be able to do my cut and not my colour. Have said that that's fine - I'll pay for the full appointment.

However, they've always gone out of their way to make it work. My stylist actually said "It's not as if you're always late. You can't help if it there's been a problem on the [Forth Road] bridge."

I absolutely agree being late is disrespectful, it's actually one of my pet hates! And I profusely apologised both in my messages and in person. But there are times when life intervenes with unavoidable situations to make even the most punctual of us late from time to time (eg. traffic, issues with kids etc.). To have zero tolerance for those occasions, particularly when dealing with a longstanding client who's helped the salon out by offering professional advice previously, seems completely OTT to me. And we are talking a matter of minutes, not 15-20 which would clearly have made the appointment unviable.

Gosh my hairdresser wouldn't bat an eyelid at me being 5 minutes late.