...

I hate clients like this. They really get my goat.........

Give her the money back for the waxing only, but not for anything else. Then steer clear of her because guess what will happen?

She's gonna go home and everyone is going to tell her how great she looks and it'll grow on her(no pun intended). Then!! horror of horrors!! she will ask you to wax her again!! Say NO! because if it's not exactly as she is picturing it to look when you finish, you'll get the same scenario.

When people try to treat me like this I boot their butts out the door....with all of the awful and sad stuff going on in the world today....I have NO sympathy for over dramatic self centered types like this. And the client will make no mistake that I certainly do not have the time to give them for this kind of stuff either.

So please don't beat yourself up over this: It's my guessimate that there is one of these clients for every 50-75 clients (maybe less...). They are out there and none of us are safe! Sooner or later we run into one of these no matter how good our work is. You did nothing wrong ditzlitz!! Chin up!!

-Nicole-

in this business that happens to everyone.  There are alot of nuts out there.  It is not you and you are definitely not alone.  Its happened to me.  The best advice i can give you is what someone gave to me:  this is not brain surgery.  Eyebrows do grow back.  She should probably grow up and get a life!  I know how awful you feel believe me I was sensitive too when i first started out but you get over that.  You just move on and be the beautiful happy person that you are!  Good-luck to you.

Lily

I was actually fired because of a crazy client. Part of it was my fault I did a bad haircut, the father of the boy asked me to do a zero fade and leave enough hair on the side to cover a one inch circle shaped scar,  I said sure no problem usually i have no trouble covering scars, but its kinda hard to do if it's a zero fade. I left hair around the scar but it looked really bad. And i felt awful and apologized. All wihile the father was yelling at me and saying I was such a bad stylists, that i shoulnt be a hairdresser yada yada. I asked him if he had someone who could do the haircut prior to me, because honestly to me it was very difficult, i had a huge clientele at this shop and always made the most amount of money for the owners. This guy came back to the shop and complaind about me for an hour to the manager, next thing I know im fired. The owners have never worked in a salon they don't know about "crazy costomers" as i like to call them and apparently they didn't realize hair grows back! Lucily I'm now in a shop that understands that this does happen, but now thanks to this situation, I'm so afraid that something bad will happen, I've become much less confident in my work even though I know I'm good, I'm soooo confused....I's that a nightmare or what. Are we not supposed to be alowwed to make mistakes ive been doing hair for a year and a half, And now i feel like i should go somewhere where i dont need to deal with this but i love hair... anyway I think you should be happy if you work for somene who really understands the hair biz, becouse some salon owners expect you to take abuse from rude people, expect you to be perfect, and blame the crazy guest on you, they feel like 14 dollars is more inportant than a healthy working atmosphere. I love the idea of giving bad clientele the boot if they abuse the stylist. I'm so tramatized.

If you think that something isn't going to look good in a haircut, you should be able to say so to the client.  Or turn the client in another direction.

We have to be able to make these calls, and if thee client refused to take my advice and insisted that I do something that I thought was un doable or was going to look bad. I would refuse to do it, in a very professional polite way of course.

Learn from it, be sure you know what your boss expects in these situations. And try to recognize bad situations before they happen in the future.  Don't let it effect your confidence, it's a part of the job and we've all been there.

OK, so yesterday i had a client first thing. She wanted color and hi-lights, easy enough. She marveled at the short time it took me, and at the results in the end. Not only did she not leave a dime for a tip but she took off with my damn scissors. No tips whatever it happens, no big. My scissors!!

-Nicole-

Before you call the client and say those things you have to be absolutely certain without a shadow of a doubt that she did this. You may find that they accidently got wrapped up in a towel and dumped into the hamper. And don't do anything without your boss's knowledge and approval. If the shears only cost $100.00 then I would just buy a new pair and chalk it up to "live and learn". I realize $100.00 is a lot of money, but it isn't a lot of money for shears.

Just always make certain you know where these items are at all times. Maybe a shear holder that goes on your waist is the way to ensure this never happens to you again?

-Nicole-

yep val, they are trash if they steal, but how many times do missing salon items show up in the towels? Or a co-worker's station? or for some unknown reason the back room...etc. etc. etc. I've heard of horror stories like the cleaning crew picking up $700.00 shears and cutting stuff with them!!

The gist of my post was a response to lin's post: Accusing any client of anything like this is really playing with fire. This stylist has to be certain that this in fact happened before they go calling up the client and threatening police action. And no one should do anything without the boss or owner's knowledge and approval.

Clients will do a lot of weird, brain-dead and it's true: MEAN things to us, eachother and even to their hair. That's just a part of dealing with the public and dealing with the public is all "live and learn." The term people are strange is true, You never know what someone will be thinking or even how they will act any given day.

How many times have any of us thought we knew a client and they totally surprise you by showing a whole other side that you have never seen before? Either they cop a strange attitude or treat us funny one day?  How many times have any of us had a client for years who we just adored and got on well with and then they just stop coming? and you find out later from someone else that they left because of something we did or said? And we had no idea? That happens sometimes no matter how gracious we try to be to them. People are strange....

We all should always have half an eye on our stuff or our stuff on us to be certain that no one gets away with them. Not only will it save us money from having to replace them, but save face. Who wants to deal with anything as unpleasant as clients or co-workers ripping us off?  Plus having a handle on your stuff like this is a part of efficient work habits that are so important.

Ditzlitz, there are many shears priced under $100.00 as well. The big guns are around $300.00 to $1000.00 One can buy a pair of shears for $20.00 or less but they will probably unscrew and fall apart during a haircut....lol! EEPS! (how graceful would we look then?!? ha ha ha) Or dull themselves unusable after the first haircut.

Oh I'm not sounding SARCASTIC on this one? lol

I ALWAYS make good point whether anyone agrees with them or not hee hee hee

I simply agree with all of you!!  This is a very rewarding business, but it also has to be the most "touchy" business out there.  We, as professional hairstylist are either demi-gods or dirt.  Luckily we are mostly demi gods to our clients but there will ALWAYS be a client we all dread seeing.

I'm sorry about your shears.  If anyone ever took my shears, I'd go loco, my cheapest pair is $350 and I couldn't imagine loosing them, but this experience will make you sharper and more aware of your professional surroundings and items.  Keep you chin up and I hope you get them back.

Dawn

I have a story for you all

I have done hair for 5 years now. I have been a stylist and an instructor I hve never had such weird clients as I have had in the last two months. I had one lady who was not quite all there. she would go pumpy pumpy pumpy every time I raised or lowered the chair and would not tell me any direction other than shorter. that I could handle it was when she peed her self under the dryer and didnt say a word that I was a little up set. I then had that same day a lady come in who was I am guessing a stripper who either didnt take her meds or took some illeagle kind. and she spent 30 min in the mirror fluffing her hair then went to the bathroom and spent 30 min in there then another 25 min infront of the mirror again. after she left we went to check the bathroom and the brand new can of air freshener was empty sitting in the middle of the floor and the toilet paper was shredded. a little while later in the week we had a girl come in in march in WV with no shoes on and told a story of how happy she was that she met her new boyfriend cause he had the same name as her ex husband and she would not have to change her tatoo. I had a lady get her hair colored we did a test strand to make sure it was the color she wanted she went home and called up and said she couldnt stop crying cause her hair was orange so we said come back in and we will fix it so we grabed the swatch book and aske dher to pick out what color she wanted and she grabed the same swatch she had before.  I had a lady whos hair was too green form home hair color and when I "fixed" it she desided it was to gold by the time she left she was back to the green it was before a lady to day was in who could talk to God. I have had many ladies who say it is too bushy when they come in and I take off 1/2"  or less they scream that I scalped them. I have had those I cut my own hair but I want you to wrap it in a perm and in one section there is a spot 3" one 6" and one almost 10" and they dont want me to cut any of it. does anyone have any idea how to get motivated and enjoy doing hair again after a month like that. that is not even the half of it. I could go on for pages on the people I work with.

One way to combat these types of people is to work in (or own) a salon that's more exclusive. Am I correct in assuming the salon you work at charges ridiculously low prices?

 Location of the salon is another indicator of what type of clientele you're going to pick up. I haven't run into the types of people you describe since Cosmetology School. That's where a high percentage of less than able minded people flock. Why? Low prices and students who have not yet the confidence (not to mention the authority) to refuse service.

"The truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
Winston Churchill

unfortunately i am sure you are right. I work for SC and i would say a good 90% of our customers fall somewhere between the lines of filthy, cheap or just a few bricks shy of a load or worse all three! just the other day I had to publicly shame a twenty-seven year old client into having his hair shampooed.  Can you imagine!  I wont put up with it. And yes I'm on the look out for a better situation I know i deserve better!

Lily 

 Have a nice day!

Lily 

ditzlitz do you not have a manager in this salon, if this women has a history of carrying on, good bye, some people aint worth the money!!!

I was managing a Regis Salon, and had been transferred to one of their high volume salons I hadn't been there more than 2 weeks.  When this woman comes in for a hair cut.  My receiptionist says this woman has been in here before and she is a wing nut.  But the stylist who took her on new that and said no problem.  So I was at the desk when she was being signed out and I said your hair looks great, she said thank you I am very happy.  1 hour later the phone asking for the manager, it is her complaining that her hair is awful looks nothing like the picture, blah, blah, blah....She returns to the salon and finds out that I am the manager and that jars her a bit, because she spoke to me at check out. The stylist comes to the front of the salon and the women is going off and shows the picture but it wasn't the same picture she had shown the stylist at all.  WEIRDO!!!!

She wants her money back, the stylist is saying no way am I giving her money back.  This stylist is operating on a 50% commission, the stylist says she got what she asked for.

So I said to her look you have come in her before and you are never happy and I understand that the other manager would always give you your money back, we have a file on you.  NOT!!  But what's a lie to a weirdo!.  So I am asking you to leave and not to return to this salon ever again.  She hit me, I kid you not!!On my side, not hard, but yes she hit me.  We had a male sylist working at the time and he approached her and said look we have called the police and you better leave or else.

She left we took down her liscence plate and the police showed up.  They knew of her and had had problems with her in the past.  They paid her a visit and told her I was going to charge her with assault, she never showed her face there again.  I was there for 5 more years after that!!

So at the end of the day, I would not trade anything for what we do, and there will always be those ones out there, you can't escape that when you work with the public.  But having a good manager and working for a good salon is a huge factor that you know your boss is going to back you up!!

Just thought I would share!!!

Actually we don't have a "manager" the owner jjust comes and goes as she pleases and there really isnt anyone else with full authority when she isnt there.

I can't believe she hit u....lol gosh people are just nuts!!!! Luckily I havent had any other situations lately but if someones hits me....I dunno lol i might be done....i didnt know this job had probablity of physical injury lol....

-Nicole-

i liked reading all these threads there very interesting cuz its like we can all relate to each other in many diff't ways..when i started in this profession i was very shy and timid..and insecure...I never thought I was gonna make it...because I felt like everyone expected high expectations...but this is my passion so i held on.2 things that really motivated me starting out were 1) my first job had a good team of managers that supported me and my bad haircuts..and gave me chances...so im thankful for that...and 2) was experience and time....the more haircuts i did ...the better the quality.etc....
I hate when i have bad days...its so hard when you are starting out...b-c it feels like a hard rock on your shoulder...You are still learning after finishing school...and you want to make everyone happy.....but as time went on.i found that I will never make everybody happy and i accept it...I try to learn from my mistakes..and every person is diff't that sits in the chair....I can usually judge a person by there body language and facial expressions......after 10 yrs...you learn these things....so if i feel uncomfortable with a client...i try to dig in deeper and sometimes its not them....its us......But always remember if a client we do is unhappy....remember all the ones that come to us and request us....(how much they love us and that always puts a smile upon our faces)

You Live and Learn....Keep The Passion Allive

we had one client whos name was joy, which she wasn't she would complain about everything, the paint on the walls, the lighting, our prices, etc.  as we would walk by her she would tell us to f off, she would jump in her car and flip us off as she was leaving, totally insane.  she would always threaten to not come back and we would tell her if she felt that way it would be for the best, then the next week there she would be again.  finally i guess she just gave up tiorturing us and went on to some other unlucky soul. 

i also have an older client who is always offering her pills to everyone.  she will come in and starting screamiomg that she has pills, anybody want some.  its all very strange, but hey, she tips well and is loyal.  and no, i don't take her pills.  but at least she is a fun crazy.

My husband and I own a salon in a fast growing area. A lot of well to do people come to our salon. We  have a great reputation. Most of the salons here charge between 25 and 40 for female haircuts. I have a sign with prices by the front desk. It is fairly large and framed.

 Yesterday a woman and her daughter came in for haircuts. She told me her husband was an electrician and she is a para professional at the elementary school. We had a great converstion and she was very happy with her haircut. The other stylist cut her daughter's hair. Her daughter had long thick hair and she got about an inch cut off. I took her to the desk and told her it was 28 each. She said wow that is a lot. Even for her? I said yes. She said you did not even wash it. I said it is 37 for a shampoo cut and style. We wet, cut and dry for 28. She left and we were doing other clients when she came back with a woman in her late 40's. Her and the  other woman proceeded to scream and yell at me. Saying we just trimmed the little girls hair and the woman has been crying hysterically. She does not have that kind of money and it is highway robbery. She went on and on wanting her money back. She said I should have my prices posted. I took her to the desk and pointed at the sign. She said like I am supposed to see that. She said we should have prices posted at every station. She was screaming shame on you, shame on you over and over. She said how can you charge that for a trim on a litlle girl blah blah blah. I named 5 or 6 salons in the area that are in my price range. I said it is the going rate here. I told her she should have asked the price if she could not afford to pay. The older woman said she has used me before and I should be ashamed of myself. (If she used me before she should know our prices). She said shame on you and I said shame on you for acting this way. She yelled that she was going to tell EVERYONE SHE KNOWS! Well one of them called back and said one of the salons said they do kids for 10. I am good friends with that salon owner and she told me herself they charge 30 for girls with or without the shampoo. Thanks for any feedback.

Thank you guys for the feedback. I feel like we stylists need each other's support.

A greatclips came in 2 months ago. First they had a banner for 2.99 haircuts then $4.99 haircuts. They are half the price of the closest beauty school. I wonder if some people think that is the going rate. I have done hair 22 years. I just doubled my square footage and did a total remodel. We try very very hard to please our clients. It took me years to go up on my prices. I have weeded out the discount clients. I gradually raised my prices over the last 7 years. There are some salons that are higher. I would definately ask the price if I were a consumer and was on a budget. I do know what electricians make. Definately more than me.... Thanks again for your support.

with the economy deteriorating rapidly.. we'll be seeing more of these "nuts".  I heard two great quotes that I use ...

- "prices too high???" quality never goes on sale

- "$$$ that much you only took off ___" yousay   "it's not what i took off but what i left ON! "

also please keep in mind that 90% of the time this has NOTHING to do with thier hair. It could be the only thing they have control over (or so they think) try to have sympathy for them and you will keep your confidence intact.