AIBU to want a refund after this nail salon experience?

[Twinklefingers123]

I am genuinely gobsmacked by the treatment I received today, and I don’t know what I should do next.

as background, I’m going through some stressful events next week where I need to feel confident, I decided to have my nails done to boost myself a bit before Monday. It’s a rare treat for me, maybe once every couple of years. I used the Treatwell app and found a slot free not far from me in 20 minutes, so I booked via the app and prepaid.

I arrived a few minutes early and the lady at reception told me she’d receive the booking notification 10 mins ago so I would have a 5 min wait. I let her know that i was happy to wait 5-10 minutes, but I had a commitment later and I’d prefer not to wait longer than that. I went and sat in the waiting area.

after I’d waited 30 mins, I went back to the front desk. She said it would be 5 mins so I moved my evening commitment and sat down again. Then after I’d been there 50 mins I went to ask about the wait time. She said at least 20-30 minutes so I said in that case I’d rather cancel and get a refund.

it all kicked off from that point. She had a 20+ minute rant about the booking system she’d inherited from the previous owners, about Treatwell and their bookings, their commissions etc etc. she was getting more and more agitated and I did really try and deescalate. I kept saying I sympathised with her difficulties but would like a refund. Her husband, who was completing a manicure next to us then joined in, just ranting really aggressively about it not being their problem and an insane range of unrelated things (they have five children at home, one was born premature, did I understand the stress, the wife kept telling me she went to private school and designed the booking system herself etc). They were shouting to other staff in a foreign language but clearly about me from the gesticulating and use of ‘Treatwell’. The man even started telling the clients already getting their nails done that he was sick of people like me. He kept trying to coax me to come back another day and they would honour the booking but obviously I wasn’t comfortable with that.

I honestly wanted to cry, I don’t know how I held myself together. Finally the wife said she’d cancel the appointment on Treatwell. However i checked my emails and she’d marked me as a ‘no show’ which meant no refund. At this point I submitted a one star review of treatwell. All I wrote was I waited 50 minutes but did not receive the service I paid for. Honestly, I think this was mild given the ranting. The wife then absolutely lost it and kept saying they wouldn’t refund me as I left a poor review. In the end I left after an hour. I’ve contacted Treatwell, but apparently they need the salon owner to confirm I attended before they issue a refund, I feel so powerless.

I did check google reviews before I booked, they had a 4.3 but when I look more closely, the higher rated reviews seem to date back to the old owners and a few recent review note the rudeness of the team.

is there anything I can do to get my money back? I’m a quite calm woman in my 40s but I just feel so shaken by the whole thing

Wow, absolute nutters. Push treatwell harder given how unreasoable and unhinged the business owners are. If you push hard enough they'll have to look into it properly. Alt if you can write off the cost, just move on and chalk it up to shitty luck.. Hope your week goes ok OP x

I wouldn't have paid for a service before it was done. You wouldn't have paid for a haircut before you had one. Keep trying to get your money back. In future, paint your nails yourself or get a friend to do it.

She and her husband were doing nails? Was it one of these nail bars run by Vietnamese / other foreign people? I suggest you go to a proper salon in future. I would never go to a nail bar. I don't think they are properly qualified and the polish is sometimes sub standard.

That said, it sounds awful. Probably not much you can do other than to keep harassing them for a refund.

Do you have life 360?

you can screen shot how long you waited

What a super helpful comment. Many of us can’t paint our own nails, and why should be if we want a treat!

You’ve also clearly never used treatwell or any of those types of apps. Good for you, not helpful to the Op.

@Twinklefingers123 Did you pay using your credit card, if so can you cancel the payment as goods/service not received? I can do that in my app.

I don't know why you reviewed them as one star instead of complaining to treatwell.

I had similar shit with a local salon and I immediately complained to Fresha and got a refund pretty instantly.

You need to toughen up. They were dicks. The reason you wanted nails is neither here nor there. You can buy them for any reason you like and get a refund if you don't get the service.

I would say you were very patient to wait so long and defer your later appointment.I You did your best to resolve the problem with the supplier. Im sure you must have paid by card if you used the app.. Chargeback from your card provider. You did not receive the service you paid for.

I think you are being a tiny bit unreasonable but there is fault on both sides.

The app/treadwell should probably not allow live bookings that close to the time especially if they don’t send it over instantly and if they take walk in’s too.

honestly, do you think your stress may have caused you to over react a little for an argument to ensue in the salon? Not good service there from the salon. Maybe they only have no show as an option to cancel the booking too?

Bit unfair to leave a one star review but I can understand

I think in future I would either go in rather than book so close on an app or book further in advance to avoid similar problems

hope your stress passes soon

Aw, bless ya @Twinklefingers123

I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience, and hope next week goes better than you dread

Yes dreadful unprofessional and stressful and things like that can tip you over the edge when you are having a rough time.
Get a charge back in credit card. Do you have any photos you took there? Even a screen shot will be geo located and times stamped.

Claim it back through your bank you paid for a service and didn't receive it

Why was it unfair to leave a one star review. By the sounds of it the service or rather lack there of was an absolute disgrace. We’re all stressed about something but that’s not the fault not issue of those who pay our wages ie Clients.

Why wouldn’t OP be stressed after waiting an hour? Thats a ridiculous length of time to wait for a pre booked appointment.

And it’s not unfair to leave a one star review for a service that’s not been received, why on earth would anyone leave a better review than that?

I think you’ve not understood how Treatwell works, you have to pre book, that’s the point, and it’s literally used so you can see last minute availability - the salon clearly don’t have it set up correctly if it’s showing availability they don’t have but that’s their issue to resolve.

How many stars would you give in a review then, where you waited 50 minutes, didn’t receive the service paid for, and received verbal abuse from the owners and they refused a refund? Is that a 2 or 3 star review for you?

I agree the app shouldn’t allow bookings so close to the appointment time if the salon cannot honour them, but that’s not OPs fault. The salon choose to be on this app/use this booking system, presumably it brings them more bookings or makes their life easier so they choose to use it. They should be honouring bookings, or in OPs case it sounds like they should have called to cancel and refund as soon as she booked.

look in to a chargeback OP. As a small business owner I had one of these (by accident, the client didn’t realise what my payment was for and cancelled it thinking it was fraud) and it cost me £20 as an admin fee, even after the client paid again. So this will cost the business more than just refunding you, which, frankly it sounds like they deserve.

If they are a so-called “chop shop” they could be shut down if anyone looked too closely? 👀

Lodge a complaint with treatwell. They are usually pretty good. Gave me a refund and £10 credit when I turned up for a nail appointment to find the place closed!

@MmeDubois7 In future, paint your nails yourself or get a friend to do it.
What a ridiculous thing to say.

Sorry, what?!

The OP paid for a service and they refused to give it to her and wouldn’t refund her money. If that doesn’t warrant a 1 star review, what does?

And what fault is there on the OP’s side? She booked an appointment at a time, attended it and waiting a really long time (a lot longer than I would) before asking for a refund.

And if no show is the only cancellation option they have, then the business deserves a one-star rating for choosing an inadequate booking system that doesn’t allow refunds to clients they refuse to serve.

Basically, just don't use foreign owned/staffed nail salons. Speak to any social worker dealing with young people/immigrants. They are massively involved in modern slavery.

Sounds awful, and I can’t believe people are defending the owner! Did you pay treatwell on a credit card? If so then you can do a chargeback on the basis of service not received.

“Foreign owned” doesn’t always equate to “modern slavery”, though I do agree with your point more generally

Treatwell are terrible for this to be fair, they should not allow people to book appointments so close- if the salon is busy or in the middle of doing someone else's nails, then it's reasonable to think the may not see the appointment come in. It's quite common that people inherit the system from previous owners and are stuck in a contract.

However they shouldn't have been rude to you. I would continue to escalate with Treatwell, although if I paid upfront I would expect to maybe not see that money again, sorry OP.

You didn’t get what you paid for, so if you can’t get anyone else to play ball, you could try to get a charge back. Credit card companies will consider it, and if it was a debit card, your bank might.

Contact your Bank and see if you can do a chargeback even if you paid by debit card they still can sometimes help. Normally you just have to fill in a relatively short form. Attached all the contact you have had from Treatwell. They are the ones that you paid money to so it is up to them to issue the refund.