I had a client do that to me ONCE. She came into the salon to get her hair done, the owner never said a thing to her. When I did, she commented that it was my problem - not hers. I told the girls never to re-schedule her again - I never got my money but at least she will never do that to me again.
> To: [email protected] > Subject: NailTech:: Re: What the he!! is wrong with me? > From: [email protected] > Date: Thu, 7 May 2009 21:51:40 +0000 > > Maggie... > Sugar Bunches.... > > I had a client do that to me before. The first time, the check bounced. She > came and paid me. The second time, she called me and asked me to hold the > check- she would bring me the cash. The next time she booked an appoinment, I > said, "ok.. notta prob! But bring cash when you come!" She got pissed- I > wasn't sitting on a full book- but so what? I have bills to pay too! I don't > care if I pissed her off because I just don't appreciate someone taking > advantage of me! But... That's just me... > > Personally, I think you should tell her you can't do that anymore. > > Melody > Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular > > -----Original Message----- > From: Maggie in Visalia <[email protected]> > > Date: Thu, 7 May 2009 13:48:43 > To: 1Nail Tech list<[email protected]> > Subject: NailTech:: What the he!! is wrong with me? > > > > > I admit, at this point most of what I'm about to rant about is rhetorical, > but by all means! If anyone has input that help me gain new perspective I > sure would like to hear it! > > So, I have THIS ONE CLIENT, right? Here's the skinny: This gal has been off > and on my books since 2000 or 2001. I'm talking, she and I go way back. She > is more on than off-- only taking her nails off for a few weeks or months at > a time for major events like having a baby, moving, losing her job, etc. She > LOVES her nails and she takes very good care of them. > > So she OUGHT to be a great client, right? > > Except that whenever I get a notice from my bank that someone's check has > been returned, I know it's hers. I don't get many returned checks at all, and > I haven't had one I couldn't collect on since the 1900s. Even this client > always manages to take care of the problem plus the fees-- it's just that she > bounces a check at least once a year. > > Or she used to. She has been really good for the last year. But that's > because she writes me the check and then texts me the next day saying, "don't > deposit that check, I'll bring cash after work." Or, "don't deposit that > check, I'll pay you on Pay Pal." > > Which is irritating in it's "OMG, you are 33 years old, when will you grow up > and figure out how to balance your checkbook?!" way-- but wouldn't be TOOOOOO > inconvenient on me IF she actually came by after work the very next day and > actually dropped off the cash. But instead, it usually takes her several > days. If I call her on it, she says "blah blah blah...have to wait till I get > paid." > > Like I said... I have received several bank notices from her checks in the > past-- I'd just as soon wait for the cash. > > OR, she comes in as scheduled, gets her nails done, writes out her check, > hands it to me and says, "Can you hold that until....?" > > I know I know! You are thinking, "Maggie! Stop taking checks from this girl!" > > DUH, huh? > > Something in my brain says I can't refuse to take checks from just one > client. Discrimination issues and such. Maybe that's not true? > > But wait! There's more! > > ASIDE from her fiduciary immaturity, there is the constant rescheduling. It > is not unusual for her to reschedule 2 to 3 times in a row! Sometimes she's, > "cough cough...sick" sometimes "the baby is sick" sometimes "it's too foggy > to drive" (she lives in a neighboring town and it does get foggy around here) > sometimes *...@!ifiknow-- she just reschedules. > > I have always had a relaxed policy on how much notice I require for cancels > and reschedules. I have always said, "At least 2 hours" because that is the > bare minimum for managing to call someone else and get them in on short > notice. Recently I've changed everything to "24 hours greatly appreciated" > but I know that there are days when you went to bed feeling fine and wake up > with a fever, puking your guts up-- I just don't understand why you wouldn't > call and cancel ALL your day's appointments at the same time you call your > boss to let them know you won't be in that day? > > Nevertheless, it's not unusual for THIS ONE CLIENT to call me up barely 2 > hours before she's supposed to be in my chair with her best little girl "I'm > sick" voice to tell me she can't make her appointment. THEN she proceeds to > validate her claim by letting me know that she was so sick all day that she > didn't even go to work! Ummmmm-- why didn't you call me earlier than? > > Oh! Trust me, the list goes on and on! > > And YES! I HAVE fired her before! LOL! And everytime she has stopped coming > in I have noted in her file that I DO NOT WANT HER BACK! But eventually she > comes crawling back. Literally BEGGING me to take her back. She has even > bribed me with gift cards! > > Seriously, if she were a boyfriend I was trying to break up with, I'd change > my phone number! > > Usually what happens is that she'll eventually come begging at a time when > I'm slow and looking to fill spots and I give in. > > It starts out ok, then goes right back to the old crap. > > But for the most part-- she walks that thin line between > crappy-but-acceptable and past-the-point-of-my-patience. > > Truth is, I have had WAY worse clients over the years. And I have some > unwritten set of conditions in my head where I draw my lines. This client is > always dancing right at that edge and just when she's about to put her other > foot over the line, she jumps back instead. So I don't like her. I don't miss > her when she's gone. But I just don't feel like she's done anything to > warrant a flat out refusal of service. > > Her latest drama: Last week I did her fill. She wrote me a check for $50 > (BTW: She has NEVER tipped me. Not once. She does not bring me presents-- she > even went through a phase where she was constantly late to her appointments > and arrived with Starbucks in hand-- for HER, never brought me one! she only > bribes me when she can't get an appointment.) She was my last client and she > left. > > Mom was at the salon with me and as I locked up, I looked at the check and > noticed which bank it was written on. It's the same bank my grandmother banks > with and since Mom has recently been tasked with doing g'ma's banking, I > asked if that bank was one of the ones that charges non-customers to cash a > check? Mom said, "no." So I had EVERY intention of cashing the check at the > bank in the a.m. > > EXCEPT! First thing the next morning I got a text from the client to tell me > to "hold on to that check" because over night her car had been broken into > and her purse had been stolen. > > Nevermind why the heck was her purse in the car overnight?! > > So began a week long saga of me shaking my head thinking it's always > something with this one. > > The BF said I should have run to my bank and deposited the check pronto. Then > demanded a copy of the police report. > > Mind you: I was not really comprehending his grand plan at the time. He was > thinking it was a line of BS and she was making up the story because she > didn't have the funds. (For the record, I don't think so. I think her purse > really got stolen. She's just not that creative and she's never had a problem > just plain telling me to hold a check before.) I was thinking that it wasn't > really worth the bank fees just to call B.S. > > I wasn't really thinking that if I did produce a police report that the bank > would reverse any charges associated with the check not clearing. But > whatever. > > So now I have had this check sitting around for over a week. > > The day after I got her message, I left her a message asking about the check. > I did not receive a reply for a week. > > One week after her appointment she informed me that her checking account was > wiped out by the woman who stole her purse. And that the bank will not > "replace" the money in her account until the 15th, so she can't pay anyone > till then. > > The thing is: if it were anyone else, I'd be sympathetic. But it's not anyone > else, it's this one. And even though I don't think she's making it up, I > don't care. > > But I just don't understand why I haven't plain and simple cut her off? I've > never had any trouble firing clients who deserved it before. > > Everyone around me has heard this story. Everyone around me says I should > just stop doing her nails. But there's got to be some reason in my head that > makes me feel like my line hasn't been truly crossed. Something must not be > as clear as the telling of the story makes it seem, right? I honestly can't > think of anyone else in the history of my clientelle who has been allowed to > skate this close to the line for so long before. > > I need therapy. > > > > Maggie Franklin: Attitudes Salon; Visalia, CA > "Visionary rebel dreamer; obviously way ahead of my time." > http://www.nailsbymaggie.biz > http://blogs.nailsmag.com/maggie/ > http://myspace.com/nailsbymaggie > http://twitter.com/Artofnailz > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ One at a time or all at once? 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