Asking for advice on how to "Control Clients"

[kylieb]

Firstly I would just like to say to you well done for being so calm. The blo*** cheek of some people, Honestly!
Don't see it as a bad thing because we all learn from our mistakes hun.
Any clients that come to me late, I will either knock off the time in their treatment or tell them that I cant do it. I know you need the money but you are not super woman and they will get the message in the end.
xxx

 

[Bev Rose]

This is what I have up on my salon wall, since the 'Damien Child' of last year!..........

POLITE NOTICE
HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE & CHILDREN
Nails at Home Policy
Due to Health & Safety in the workplace, I would like to point out that children are not permitted in attendance during services at this place.
Nor are childcare services offered.
Could you please book appointments at times when your child has alternative care facilities.
Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.​

It has worked a treat - no more kids in since lol!​

 

[Teebster]

I have just read that on your thread, would you mind if I copy it and use it please? x

 

[Bev Rose]

Be my guest hun, I stole most of the wording from Victoria Hunter - and she knows that:lol:
xxxxxxx

 

[Teebster]

Thank you Bev x

Thanks everyone else for all your replies and help - I really do appreciate your help. x

 

[shell28]

This is what I have up on my salon wall, since the 'Damien Child' of last year!..........

POLITE NOTICE
HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE & CHILDREN
Nails at Home Policy
Due to Health & Safety in the workplace, I would like to point out that children are not permitted in attendance during services at this place.
Nor are childcare services offered.
Could you please book appointments at times when your child has alternative care facilities.
Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.​

It has worked a treat - no more kids in since lol!​

This is great but how can i do this when mobile? I try and work mainly from home and dont allow children but if im going to someones house how can i say no children?!!

 

[essentia]

Because they were models for you previously, you obviously feel indebted to them and you have not drawn a line about their behaviour. It is difficult when people help us out but they do get a discounted treatment when they are a model. You could always say in future that models can have 1 month of discounts after you qualify if you feel you owe them something in return. However they are well out of line now and you need to be firm. It does not matter if you are home based or mobile you can give clients your terms and conditions on booking or at their first appointment - and stick to them. :hug:

 

[blingbling]

hold your head up girl and keep doin your thang . people like that are not worth worrying about, just learn from this experiance and move on. xx :hug:

 

[Prionace]

Don't worry too much about it. Bad things happen. Today is this tomorow will be no-shows, then clients pretending that are unsatisfied to avoid paying, then clients that book for manicure but decide they what to have gels and a pedi even if you don't have time, clients that JUST have to come in today... You get the lot. I agree with geeg, only by experiencing this you can learn how to deal with it.
Now i've decided to be very firm. If a client comes in any latter then 15min after the booked hour i say i no longer have enought time to perform the treatment, even if my lunch hour is next. I rebook and send them a text the day before reminding of the appointment. I remind them if they miss this one or come late again i only allow to rebook by paying 50% of the treatment fee upfront (this never happend, as they usually get the idea).
Kids can be a pain... i usually take care of them by putting the carttons on tv and promising a treat if they behave... But clients usually don't bring them.

Respect yourself, if you don't why should others?

 

[Vetty]

This is great but how can i do this when mobile? I try and work mainly from home and dont allow children but if im going to someones house how can i say no children?!!

You can't! One of the main reasons people want a mobile tech/therapist is so they don't have to find someone to watch their kids while they have their nails done....... You need to make it clear to your client that kids cannot touch your equipment or sit on her lap but you can't say she can't have her kids present while you're there. Why not make the appt for the evening when the kids are in bed or their dad is there?

I very rarely have a problem with kids, and because I am sympathetic if a baby cries or needs something I often get referred to their friends because the service is stress-free for them! Tbh, if someone came to my house to do a treatment of my choice and then told me the kids couldn't be there I would find someone else....... It's different when you have a salon of your own.

 

[shell28]

You can't! One of the main reasons people want a mobile tech/therapist is so they don't have to find someone to watch their kids while they have their nails done....... You need to make it clear to your client that kids cannot touch your equipment or sit on her lap but you can't say she can't have her kids present while you're there. Why not make the appt for the evening when the kids are in bed or their dad is there?

I very rarely have a problem with kids, and because I am sympathetic if a baby cries or needs something I often get referred to their friends because the service is stress-free for them! Tbh, if someone came to my house to do a treatment of my choice and then told me the kids couldn't be there I would find someone else....... It's different when you have a salon of your own.

Thanks for that its very difficult when they have 4 though LOL!! I dont mind children being there its just difficult if they keep touching things and the mother does nothing!

 

[Vetty]

Thanks for that its very difficult when they have 4 though LOL!! I dont mind children being there its just difficult if they keep touching things and the mother does nothing!

It's really tricky but you need to tell the mum tbh. Tell her it invalidates your insurance if kids touch your stuff, or make up a or health and safety excuse.......

Or just allow more time and grit your teeth and think of the money, lol!!!!!

 

[shell28]

Or just allow more time and grit your teeth and think of the money, lol!!!!!

Oh i did and came away with a banging headache aswell!:green:

 

[mollylolly]

I think your situation is something that most of use have had to deal with at some point.

You say you can't afford to loose these clients, but can you really afford to keep them? They are costing you money, plus knocking your confidence.

I work from home, but I do have rules that I try to abide by. Firstly, I do not allow small children and use Health & Safety as my reason. Secondly, all my clients know that if they are more than 20 mins late and I have a full diary, then I may have to re-schedule their appointment.

It's not fair that some people treat us as if this is just a "hobby" and do not appreciate that it is our living.

The most cheeky thing is telling the children to sit in your lounge. This is your personal space and I would hate to have small children in my lounge if I am worning in another room. What if something of value is broken. Would the mother replace it?. And as for asking what food you have for the children, well I am gobsmacked at her cheek.

Don't let these people knock your confidence. Next time she phones for an appointment, just say that you have reviewed your policies and in future will not be offering any concessions or discounts. If she decided not to come back, then OK, you do not have the problem of being stressed out when you know she is due or feel resentful of the fact that her appointment could be replaced with a full paying client.

There are lots of lovely clients out there, but just a small few that spoil it for us.

Good luck & keep smiling

Mollylolly

 

[Violet Star]

What annoys me is that we try hard to be a good therapist we go through all our training and spend much money and have blood sweat and tears when running a business either from home or a salon or mobile. When the client comes we make the effort to wear our uniform, we put on a pleasant attitude and we give the best service we possibly can give and then clients react like this or dont pay full amount or have a bad attitude.

If we make the effort to be a plesant therapist then why cant the client make the effort to be a good client? rather than causing the nail technician/therpist to become annoyed/stressed/disheartened.

 

[Lynne Baker]

Because that's the way of the world, I'm afraid. What marks you out as a better therapist is the way you deal with it, and if you can turn the client into a "good" one, so much the better, for both of you.

 

[nora525]

I hear so many people saying there is nothing we can do....
I know that you are all working hard and it is hard when the kids are around, however, the thing is with acrylic and all the other chemicals, when they are making the appointment, I thin kit should be pointed out that there should be another adult available for children when you are working. Reason being, even in someone elses house, you go there to do a job, on which you have calculated a certain time. You possibly have a nother client after and it is important that youa re able to keep the time.
When I go to the clients house to do hair, I ask them if there is apossibility to have another adult around for the children. I politely and firmly explain the reasons and tell them that I will be working with chemicals and it would not bee good if the kids would be around them. They do not mind this, as a matter of fact, they think that this is a very professional approach and accept it. I always tell them that I myself have children too and I know how demanding they can be. So the option of not having another adult would be then later, when the young childrena re in bed.
This has been working fine and I think that if there you politely and professionaly explain that you only are conserned of avoiding any possible accidents, then how could they be offensive? You are conserned of their children!
It is not what you say, but how you say it

 

[sarahcarrick]

You can't! One of the main reasons people want a mobile tech/therapist is so they don't have to find someone to watch their kids while they have their nails done....... You need to make it clear to your client that kids cannot touch your equipment or sit on her lap but you can't say she can't have her kids present while you're there. Why not make the appt for the evening when the kids are in bed or their dad is there?

I very rarely have a problem with kids, and because I am sympathetic if a baby cries or needs something I often get referred to their friends because the service is stress-free for them! Tbh, if someone came to my house to do a treatment of my choice and then told me the kids couldn't be there I would find someone else....... It's different when you have a salon of your own.

I agree you can't say no kids if you are mobile, but I find it difficult to tell other people's kids off when they are touching things. I have only done a few home visits as I am still training but in one house I went to - I was just replacing one nail that had miraculously 'fallen off' (I could see where the tip had been yanked off)- there were three children, two of whom were straight in my case as I was trying to set up.....their mother laughed at this...the 7 year old painted her nails with Little Red Wagon, rubbed it off with a buffing block and then painted her nails with Lincoln Park after Dark!!!:irked: The other child was equally as liberal with my nail varnish and spilt rhinestones all over the inside of the case
I had initially done a full set of tips with P&W acrylic on this woman for an assessment and I was grateful she'd come to the college so I could be assessed - I'm finding it hard to get folk that are available during the day. Her nails had been in such terrible state -they were really badly bitten and the cuticles were so overgrown, they nearly covered what was left of the nail plate. The next time I saw her, she had pulled every single ine if the nails off! She wants me to do her daughter's nails for a formal....think not!

 

[nora525]

Oh sarah, that is horrible!!! I bet she wouldhave stopped laughing if you would have said to her, that's ok, this adds £10.00 on the price for the lost equipment!
I just hink that you should make it very clear, if they are touching it, mother is paying for it! I would and have! They might roll their lower lip, but once you tell htem this is professional stuff and not a arty crafty thing from Asda, they will understand. And if they don't, well that is just stupid.

 

[tog]

there were three children, two of whom were straight in my case as I was trying to set up.....their mother laughed at this...the 7 year old painted her nails with Little Red Wagon, rubbed it off with a buffing block and then painted her nails with Lincoln Park after Dark!!!:irked: The other child was equally as liberal with my nail varnish and spilt rhinestones all over the inside of the case

Shame they didn't spill nail varnish all over their mum's carpet . . then you could have charged her extra for 2 pots of varnish and she would have had to get the carpet cleaned.
Bet she wouldn't have let her kids be there next time she had her nails done. . .