Hair salon alleging I haven’t paid

[wellbugger]

Posting here purely for traffic.

I had my hair done last weekend. Their card machine was down. The stylist charged me over the app. I checked my bank in front of her and showed her that the money had left my account.

They’ve called me today to say that on their end, the money hasn’t come through. I’ve sent a screenshot of my bank which clearly shows that the money due has left my account and gone to them.

AIBU to think this is their issue now? I’ve paid, if they’re having issues with their app that’s not my problem

@wellbugger Hi OP, I'd never heard of Fresha so did a Google search and this is what Co-Pilot says:
"What if my payment hasn't arrived in the recipient's bank account?
If your payment via the Fresha app hasn't arrived in the recipient's bank account, it could be due to several reasons:

• Fraud Checks: Your bank may be performing additional fraud checks on the payment before processing it;
• Maintenance: The receiving bank or your bank may be undergoing maintenance and will process the payment later in the day;
• Payment Issues: There may be an issue with the transaction, such as it not being captued by the app.

If you suspect the payment has been delayed or cancelled, it is advisable to contact Fresha support for assistance. They can provide more information on the status of your payment and help resolve any issues."

This issue is clearly nothing to do with fraud checks or maintenance at your bank OP otherwise they would have told you this (instead they've given you the transaction number, which you've passed on to the hairdresser, so there's clearly no problem with your bank). Which means it's either a problem with the hairdresser's bank (undergoing maintenance?) or the Fresha app. In either case, I think it's the hairdresser's responsibility to chase this up with their bank and/or Fresha - you have done all you can at this stage. So, when you go for your extensions check-up appointment tomorrow stand your ground and tell them they need to contact their own bank and/or Fresha to find out where the payment is as you can do no more (but reassure them that in the unlikely event that the funds bounce back to you then you would of course phone them to pay again).
BTW, the hairdresser will not phone the Police - this is a civil matter, not a criminal matter.

No - you don’t need to do anything more. You’ve sent them proof from your bank and Fresha that evidences that it’s been paid. They need to contact Fresha to query why they’ve not passed it on. Nothing to do with you.

Sadly, unless they resolve this with their app provider and then apologise to you for the error, you are unlikely to be able to return regardless.

Yes that’s what I meant! 🤦🏼‍♀️

They're clearly morons OP (although I wouldn't suggest you tell them this, LOL! 😂 ) but they can insist all they like - so can you!
It's not your fault if "they’re too busy to chase" - they need to understand that taking this up with Fresha is the only way they will get their payment. And, of course they'll say "it would be best if I just paid again" because it will cause the least possible inconvenience for them and a huge inconvenience (and cost!) for you going deeper into your overdraft. As I posted previously, stand your ground tomorrow OP and insist they contact Fresha because you do not intend to pay a second time unless and until the funds bounce back to you.

Does anyone actually read threads anymore?

It sounds like a scam. They would obviously contact fresha if they were that concerned, and have had plenty of time to Message you

Personally I wouldn't go in for a check tomorrow. At this point you only have their word they haven't received the money. Just reply and say, you have paid and have confirmed with your bank that fresha has received the money, you won't be paying for a service twice. They need to contact fresha and if they don't have time to do that that's not your problem, you have no proof they haven't received funds

And then don't engage any further.

You know you don't have to do what they say, right?

You've paid, it's not on you that they have choosen to use a flaky payment system

They arent going to call the police but in the very unlikely event that they are stupid enough to do so the police won't do anything when they see you've paid

THEY have chosen Fresha as the app to take payment through when their machines are down, so it is part of their business admin to chase up issues with it. If you can prove the money has left your account and gone to Fresha, it's their issue now unless / until funds bounce back to you. This is not your headache to absorb - it's theirs.

If it is really weighing on you, the only other thing you could try (although you shouldn't have to) is calling Fresha yourself if you can find contact details. They might not be able to tell you anything, but worth a try. But it's really not your problem and "pay again" when you have proof of the money leaving your account and going to the place they requested is outrageous!

It doesn't sound like a scam to me, fresha appear to be a bit useless and it's much easier for the salon to chase the OP than try to engage with some app where you might not even be able to speak to a person

I'm sure they didn't crash their card machine in the hope that the OP would be gullible enough to pay them twice

OP dont pay again. It is entirely their issue that the card reader they had didnt work. They suggested a different form of payment which you agreed to and paid via and now - despite copious amounts of evidence - they are saying they havent received it and you need to pay again. I've seen this happen before just before a business closed its doors. Make sure you go armed with information tomorrow for your appointment and be prepared to be loud if challenged ie "you are asking me to pay twice when I can confirm I've already paid you, why wont you check your bank/fresha?" etc . I would not use them again after tomorrow - they sound so dodgy

Thanks

I wouldn’t just be up in arms. I would refuse to pay again unless and until the first payment bounced back. Why should I have the money unusable rather than the business wait until it is resolved?

Because your bank have confirmed it's reached them, I definitely wouldn't pay again. If they ask again at your next appointment, explain you've already sent screen shots and contacted your bank. The money has definitely left your account and gone into theirs. Only pay for your next appointment and don't let them bully you.

Exactly right.

And you are absolutely free to do this in a supermarket, when you can just leave the goods. It's a bit trickier when, as in this case, you've received the service.

Oh fair enough, I missed that in the onslaught of PPs saying it's the salon's problem 😄

Just leave it now.
You have proof you have paid. You have provided that proof to them. Do not engage further.
And find a different hairdresser.

Sometimes its in a pending state where its left your account but not landed in theirs.

Tell them youll check in 5 working days if its returned to you, youll repay but as it has left your account you cant repay atm

Well they might be good at doing hair but clearly have no financial sense!

They cannot possibly expect you to pay again when you can prove you've already paid. That's bonkers.

I'd just go along tomorrow to your appointment and if they mention it then just show them in person the money has gone through. They're hardly going to call the police. Tell them if the money gets sent back to you then you'll pay again but you're not paying twice.

If they kick up any fuss then I'd leave a factual review.

Not really. The customer has paid. It absolutely shouldn't be the customer who's out of pocket while they wait for whatever app system is being used to sort itself out. Once the money is refunded to the customer they can repay.

They’ve said that the owner will be at my appointment tomorrow to talk to me about it. I might not go

Why not??? That just makes you look guilty!

Why would you not go? That could look like you're trying to get away with something (which you're not). Are you not capable of standing your ground and explaining to them why it's their responsibility to follow this up with Fresha and/or their bank?

The bank can surely send you a screenshot, or you can access your online banking to show the payment has been taken?
That covers your side of things.
If the app they used hasn't rerouted the money, that's on the app.

You should go to the appointment, as others have said, as if you don't it looks as though you're conceding to their (wrong) view.

All the information you have shows YOU have released the money as per their requirements. They need to take it up with Fresha. It may be that they haven't set it up properly.

Have you looked at Fresha's reviews on Trustpilot?

You are not alone.