should I charge for this?

[blossom]

well.....i dont charge !

How bad is that (and why i will never be rich !)

If it's a regular...(and lets say that regular comes to me every 2-3 weeks and has done for the last 3+years) and she has a disaster now and again...one here or there i dont charge (in the interest of good business relations)

If i had a pain in the arse client who did it all the time and was on my case (i havent had one yet !!and dont forget i dont do mobile so no travel expense) and it was clearly her being clumsy yes i would charge EVERY time to nip it in the bud.

Weighing it up then....as you are mobile...and she's told you its her fault after playing with the dog...i think you have to and i'd say the minimum call out is a good rule to start off with and stick by !


Amb xxxxx

I totally agree with everything in this post.

And given your situation Sodabubble I would have done the same as you last night, given it was sooooo tiny but if she keeps on "chipping" then defo charge or she'll be back every night lol.

There is a big difference between being a "pushover" and in having the sense to recognise where, for the sake of not charging for something relatively insignificant, as this turned out to be, you can help to create a good business relationship with a client who will become regular. For instance, if that was me, and I had a tinsy chip like the size of a pinhead, and I was charged the price of replacing a whole nail say £4 plus, I wouldn't be a happy bunny. IMO you can't charge the same as a full new nail for a tidgy repair.



Edited to say I work from home, if mobile then I think you have to make a charge because of the effort involved

 

[nicjill]

I always tell new clients that I charge for every repair on their first appointment. My prices are set out in my price list so there's never any arguement. The only time I let someone off is a regular who has been with me for years, never normally breaks one and has a bad day. I don't think it hurts to waive a small fee every now & then if it is a one off for a regular. My clients are loyal to me so why not give them something back? I would never do it for a new customer though as they'd expect it all the time. I also wouldn't do it if I was mobile, it costs you too much in both petrol & time to be doing freebies.

 

[Deena]

I agree with the delicate balance between creating good business relationships with a regular client versus being a pushover. I suppose I have a couple of questions, though. How do you decide what is your fault or their's, if they insist they've looked after them like the crown jewels and, if you're mobile and aren't 'Registered/insured' <as a home salon> for little jobs like this, what's the position for offering to do it if they pop round to you at home? It's a lot of faffing about to go them for such small/non existent remuneration, especially if they're not one of your better or most regular clients. :irked:

On a slightly different vein, for those of you who are mobile, who takes their own table with them, please? A very experienced tech of my acquaintance said that most people would think you were mad to lug it around and would work at the corner of their dining table. Just interested in your views. x

 

[Little Angel]

HI

I charge for repairs definately, its a minimum charge of £5 for one nail now if they have broken 3 say i charge £5 for the first then £3.2 for each other breakage, so 3 nails is £11.40.

BUT when i have finshed the repairs in the interests of good customer service i replace the top coat on them all and finish with hand cream.

 

[Little Angel]

On a slightly different vein, for those of you who are mobile, who takes their own table with them, please? A very experienced tech of my acquaintance said that most people would think you were mad to lug it around and would work at the corner of their dining table. Just interested in your views. x

And if you should knock over your monomer? Acetone? Polish? or stick gel to thier table??

It wouldnt be a good idea IMO

 

[Deena]

Yes, I see what you're saying, thanks, although it's always possible to spill something on their floor! :irked: I thought it might be to difficult to do it properly on the corner of an ordinary table, but she says not!

 

[chantell simone]

I think you should charge for repairs but you will have to use your discretion

your client had a tiny repair and she came to you so that can be done for free but if it were a larger repair and you had to go to her I would say this is chargeable

trust your own judgement and you will know when and what to charge for and how much

 

[Nco London Gina]

Free repairs can become a nightmare, especially when you are really busy and have no time to fit them in.

We charge :
£5 for each repair
2 free repairs at time of maintenance
If the nail has broken within a few days of having them done, we repair for free unless they admit it was their fault (hardly ever do they admit that though!)

We have a sign up in the salon, no phones & no eating!
Trust me, we have had them come in with their sandwich & a coffee !!

We don't say no phones at all, but if they do use the phone, we mark it on their record and they will have to pay for a repair.
This is because whilst using the phone they either don't put their hands in the lamp properly or long enough / they touch their face and get make-up on it or something.. etc

Gina xx

 

[aliceellen1974]

Too right you should mate, otherwise clients will have you running around like a headless chicken if they don't look after their enhancements! x

this is soooo true and tbh her lifestyle means that she is likely to need repairs quite often, if you charge her she might look after them better!

 

['chelle]

I charge for repairs, the price is detailed on my price list, although I like to strike a balance between charging for what I do and thinking about ongoing client relations.

I charge 1/10th of a full set price per repair, yes it takes longer than it takes to do one nail during a full set, but I want clients to return to me and I think its a valuable PR exercise not to over price little things like repairs. We might be able to see the reason behind the pricing, but most clients will see it as over pricing. Repairs dont take up a great deal of time, if I was getting frequent requests so much that it interfered with booking other services in I might reconsider, but being that they are less common I think I can afford to utilise them as a R exercise.

That said though.......... If a client was blatantly taking the wee wee and was regularly taking up my time for repairs, I would be charging her for my time AND the repair to make it worth my while.

:green:

 

[BRI]

I must admit in the begining i didnt charge for the odd repair as i didnt have the confidence in my work. But now i know my nails are of a good standard & after reading this thread i realise that i have to charge!!!

No more freebies from me, no way!!!!