15 minutes = extra charge to my way of thinking!! But I wouldn't allow it in the first place.
Yes, I think you are encouraging the use of cell phones if you are allowing them to be used during a service. Not only is it RUDE, it is insulting, disrespectful and DISMISSIVE of you as a person ... as if you are just a servant and not worth the attention or talking to. Outrageous way to treat a person.
I wouldn't allow cell phones either as the people using them can't keep their hands still when they are talking on them. It is not asking too much I feel to ignore, put on silent or switch off the cell during an appointment. Any other beauty service would not allow it.
Maybe I've lived too long in North America (where work is worshipped) but I do allow cell phones (to a degree)
I have a lot of business women as clients and they often come during work hours (they work in this area and live further out of town).
One dear client of mine often appologizes and tells me that she has a conference call she has to listen to.
She uses hands free and listens while I do her nails. I don't have a problem with that.
Another clients often comes during her work hours and she is on call as well. She uses a head set.
These women are professional, they ask me first so I don't have problem.
I feel that they pay for the nails and not for chatting with me and sometimes their work wins. Otherwise they would have to come after work when the traffic is bad etc.
To be honest it's refreshing actually sometimes not to having to talk to the client
During my pedicures I have clients who read magazines or read their Blackberry or do their paper work. Some talk and some sleep. I don't mind. It's their time. Sometimes it's their only time during the day to do whatever they want.
If people don't have head sets I usually tell them that I'm really really sorry but they cannot touch their nails during the service.
Their hands are either in the lamp or I'm working on them.
For that reason I keep the lamps on usually, so even though one hand is cured and I'm still working on the other, the first one stays in the light untill I'm done with the other one.
If the light goes off the clients think that their hand is "theirs"
If they really have to call someone (like to call someone 10 minutes before they are finished so they can be picked up) I just tell them that I will let them know when they can use their phone.
No long conversations though.
None the less.. Like Gigi said, talking on the phone while you are with someone is rude.
Laptops? How? The client has to sit straight? Where would they put the laptop? On my workspace? No way.
