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?

But it no skin off their nose as she was happy to be shorter time wise

Well I wouldn’t be going back. And I’d be leaving an honest online review

Horrible experience for you for what should be a treat. I would never walk through their door again. I don't like the online review thing but it I had the energy would send an email and explain exactly how they had made me feel, emphasising the fact that I'd made apologies and accepted appt time being curtailed.

Thank you - yes that's the crux of it- I'm usually very punctual but today life just took over and I ended up dropping a ball and being a bit late. I did feel bad about it hence the apologies (and why I'm still feeling disconcerted about it all 8 hours later 😅) but I can't reconcile the hostility when I arrived and during the appointment.

OP you’re obviously a very nice person in the fact that you’re questioning this. The wheels fall off for all of us sometimes. And I’m sorry but you were a few minutes late after your child’s play, not because you were sipping a cup of coffee and couldn’t be bothered to be there. You didn’t take up a booking with a no show, you showed up and didn’t ask for any special treatment. I wish some of my customers were like this. The majority are great, but there are some who make things unnecessarily difficult all because they don’t want me there in the first place. It makes me sad because I enjoy building good, if fleeting customer relationships. I really wouldn’t think any more in this. It’s her problem not yours. Find some of your favourite poison whether it’s a cup of tea, a hot choc or a Baileys and admire your nails

Of course you haven’t done anything wrong. I can’t remember the last time I had an appointment run to time. My dentist is routinely 15-20 mins late, my hairdresser often is finishing another client as I walk in. I never assume things will be bang on time. Occasionally that might mean I am a tiny bit late but I very much try not to be. Life happens and there is give and take on both sides . This lady has now lost a long standing regular client in a business that relies on relationships and repeat business.

She was rude to you full stop.
Don't return.

Please say you didn't tip her!

Thank you so much, that's made me feel a lot better 😊 I'd never purposefully disrespect anyone's time or business which is why I think I feel so bad about this situation!

Go elsewhere. It’s a business transaction, not a personal relationship.

I haven’t been late to my appointments but my nail lady has never been on time. Like ever. I’m always waiting for her. So if I was late and she said a tbrj g then I I think I’d be reminding her and I’d be leaving. I think I’d go somewhere else if I was you.

I’d find another salon; one that didn’t take over an hour to do a manicure and charge £80 for it.

Go somewhere else in future, if they ask why then be straight and tell them. It might make them think in future.
Their loss.

Thanks I defo will do. Manicure was only about £40 but I usually spend £80ish per month on toes, brows etc.

I would definitely have done this but unfortunately I'd paid in advance via treatwell so would have lost £40 😩

I sometimes find that when you go to the same person for a long time, be it a hairdresser, nail person or whatever, they soon start to show their true selves when they know they safely have your business and it’s almost like they are doing you a favour every time. I’d definitely find somewhere new to go.

I'd day next time arrange your appointment for a time when you haven't got anything right before. Make the appointment the first thing you do (and give yourself time to get to the next thing).
I do this but despite my best efforts I was late for a nail appointment last week as despite leaving over an hour to get there (10 min journey but I wanted to go to the supermarket first where I park the car) but there was an incident in the supermarket car park and we were all gridlocked in unable to park for 40 minutes. It was the most frustrating thing ever - I could see the nail bar from the car. I rang and said I'm here look out the window but I don't know when they will let us park (it's kind of a funnel system to get in) and they were ok about it. I was only 10 mins late in the end.

I'm back to back from 9am - 11pm most days this week, including Sunday.

Sometimes the only break I get to eat/grab a drink/wee is when I finish a client early. People turning up early/late mean that I don't have time to nip for a wee/eat. I also have people who habitually turn up 10-15 minutes late, apologising for being late. Maybe she'd been dealing with those all day and you got the brunt of it.

It doesn't excuse her rudeness, but maybe she'd planned to have her lunch after your appointment and then wouldn't have time.

Only you can decide if it's still the place you want to go.

Take your custom elsewhere next time, basically 💅

Fuck no! I would of had an absolute psycho bitch fest at this. I go to a nail shop regularly during Spring to Christmas and the amount of times I'm sat there waiting 20/30 minutes after my booked time is a regular issue. I get it so I'm patient, so for this to happen, wow, I would have kicked off big time. I'm level headed, but that is taking the absolute piss and so damn rude, you let them know you were running late.Then they say to the walk-ins '20 minute wait' whilst that person waits over an hour, drives me insane, so I've reverted to Superdrugs cats eye nails with dot glue, that stuff is like cement, so my nails last 3 to 4 weeks until I can prise them off and they take less than 10 minutes to put on. Money and more importantly, time saved. Leave an honest review as a loyal customer of 4 years + on TripAdvisor, local FB etc and find a new 'salon'. They know we want our talons done, usually for an event of some kind, so think they've got us by the flaps (sorry, knackers didn't sound right on the subject lol)

From the title, I might have said unreasonable, but if she was sending lots of messages during your appointment, sounds like she was wasting more time than you took arriving! If she had just said sorry I can't take you today, that would have been fine. The rudeness isn't.

Wow. What an odd way to treat a client. Either honour the appointment or don't. No need for all the passive aggressiveness, especially when nail salons are ten a penny.

My manicurist did this exact thing to me. We had become quite good friends, she'd even offered to look after my cat when I was away. Years of custom with no lateness/missed appointments etc. Then on ONE occasion I ended up coming out of a docs appointment later than I'd anticipated, had given her a heads up with a message, full apologies etc. It wasn't xmas, she wasn't busy - nobody in the shop when I arrived and nobody arrived during my appointment or as I was leaving.

Like you I apologised profusely, explained the situation, told her to cut the appointment short if needed etc. Got daggers, silent treatment throughout the entire appointment and charged extra at the end.

I'm self employed and work on appointments, I get how annoying it can be. I'm mobile and drive to my clients, and sometimes they're not home so I'm sat around waiting for them to arrive.

But I still understand things happen sometimes, we're all just human trying to spin a million plates at once. If a customer is usually great and this is obviously a one-off I'd be understanding. I would never treat a good paying reliable customer in that way because of a one-off lateness by a few minutes.

I never went back. Found someone else. She lost reliable frequent loyal custom of several years because of that ONE instance.

I think they get cocky around Christmas. Bursting with appointments, drowning in tips

I can see being annoyed with everyone being late, even by 5 mintues, can be a nightmare. However, if it’s your first time, I’d give you a pass.

Her behaviour was awful though. I would go elsewhere. Don’t say anything . Just move.