Am I in the wrong?

[Megs300]

Quick back story!
My husband needed a confidence boost so decided to book an smp treatment as he was beginning to lose his hair.
We researched and found a women around 30 miles from us. We had a consultation via video chat her website looked legit and great comments from Google reviews etc.
We decided to go ahead with her and she requested £700 up front payment. Apparently her app to book was down so she asked if we would pay via bank transfer which we did. I was hesitant but we went ahead. First appointment went well, second one she messed us around and didn't answer my messages for 10 days. It eventually went ahead and she asked us to the rest of the payment (another £700) as she had bills to pay. (He needed 3-4 sessions) she asked us to transfer to her personal account again as she doesn't have a business account. I felt reluctant this time and asked for her business one. She said no and started getting angry and threatening to take legal action if we wouldn't pay. (We never said this)
I don't feel we should pay until the treatment is complete and I don't like the idea of paying her personal account but....am I in the wrong for refusing??

You can have a personal account as a business account, it is perfectly legal.

Is that all that is bothering you?

No that's not a huge issue. What bothered me was wanting full payment before finishing the treatment. Is this normal within this industry?

What was agreed re payment when you decided to choose her?

What are the contract terms?

There was no agreement.
We understood we had to pay £700 as a deposit but were under the impression we would pay the remainder at the end.
I just want to know others thoughts as felt uncomfortable paying all this money before the final treatment.

Legally it all depends on the terms of the written or verbal contract.

if you have a written contract check the terms and conditions.

if it is a verbal contract and, and she has, since you engaged her service introduced a new condition of payment upfront, then she would not succeed in a claim against you.

i would advise that under no circumstances pay by bank transfer.

No contract, no invoices or receipts.
She said she'd told us on the video chat we would have to pay the full amount before the treatment has been completed but neither myself nor my husband remember this being said.
I don't want to upset her or cause an issue but something just isn't sitting right.

What does her website say about payment?

Nothing on her website or socials regarding payment.

your concern is understandable @Megs300 but where will this leave your husband wrt his treatment, if you refuse to pay the remainder up front?

I would imagine you have done your due diligence and that she has;

By law, a practitioner must have a licence from the local authority to perform Scalp Micropigmentation

a Scalp Micropigmentation Practitioner member will have an awarding
organisation (AO) accredited Level 4 qualification specifically in Scalp Micropigmentation

and you've checked her before and after photos.

Could you negotiate a further partial payment and then if your husband is completely satisfied at the end of treatment, the remainder?

I dont think i would be continuing with a “service “provider” who threatened to sue me if i did not pay up front.

I would demand my money back bar the consultation fee and look elsewhere.

Could you negotiate a further partial payment and then if your husband is completely satisfied at the end of treatment, the remainder?

As with any cosmetic procedure, expectation doesn't always meet reality.

I imagine that would lead to a lot of people trying to get out of paying if it didn't have the desired effect. And what's to stop anyone claiming to be unsatisfied in order to avoid the full payment?

From what OP has said this woman is giving off all kinds of bad vibes, but for all we know she may well have mentioned the payment situation on the call. And if she didn't, more fool OP for not asking before the work started.

Regardless of anything else, I would find it unprofessional her saying she needs payment because she has “bills to pay” rather than just because that is her policy

I understand paying a deposit, but not full-payment before the final treatment. I would be concerned that this person isn't running a viable business and is in fact in financial trouble. Some people run a 'business' on a shoe string, and don't really have the finances available to afford to run their own business. Yes, margins can be tight, be not so tight that you're threatening legal action if the funds aren't immediately paid!

Given you are paying by bank transfer, you have no real legal recourse, to claim the money back, unless you went via the Small Claims, if something did go wrong. She obviously has no facilities to pay by credit card either, so you can't claim on that.

In this situation, I don't think you have much choice. You committed to the treatment, and you'll have to go along with it. I hope you checked out her medical credentials to do the procedure too. In all honesty given the amount you are paying, there should be a written contract.

Nope I’m sorry, I’ve had plenty of beauty treatments done including stuff for hair loss and I’ve always paid the deposit upfront and then the rest on completion. No one should be stupid enough to send over money when it’s not finished no way. The job isn’t completed so why would you pay the balance.