Appointment Dilemma - Appointment v Walk-in - Page 5

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@RealtyGal2 wrote:
@BarbiHollywood wrote:
Hello, first time on this Among Friends board...

I'd like opinions, please, on something that just happened to me at the nail salon I've been going to for over five years. I've been with the same nail tech for even longer than that as I have followed her from place to place. My question is about appointments vs walk-ins. I'm warning you, this is a lengthy post!

I always make an appointment at least a day prior. I've had a rough couple of weeks dealing with an elderly, sickly stepmother and really looked forward to today's 3:00 appointment for a much-needed mani-pedi. I arrived on time, saw my tech was finishing up the lady in her chair, so I fiddled on my phone to kill time. I saw that the lady in the chair had already had a pedicure and was apparently getting a manicure now. She kept making the tech go back and forth to help her pick a color. Every time the tech went over with the sample boards, the lady didn't like the color. This went on for a while. The tech came over to ask me if I could wait another 15 minutes. I said no and left. As I walked out, I thought to myself, go back in, just wait, you'll get your mani-pedi. But it was the principle. I walked to my car and phoned the manager inside to ask if the lady in the chair was a walk-in or had an appointment. I was told she was a walk-in. I then asked why the tech was scheduled with such a long appointment knowing that she had a 3:00 appointment coming in and also asked why the lady wasn't shown over to someone else to finish since the appointment (me) had arrived on time and waited a pretty long time. I was told once they start, they can not pass to another nail tech. I've never heard of that before. Not sure if it's their salon policy or a law.

So my question to you is this: Should someone with an appointment be expected to just sit there and wait or should the salon have handled things differently? I know there have been times when I've asked for additional services at the last minute but have been told they were too booked to accommodate me. I also know that sometimes you have to wait, but 45 minutes isn't right.,

(Is it the end of the world? No! Guess I'm just grumpy today!!!)

The walk-in should have been asked to wait for the manicure, while you had your pedicure and manicure, since you had an appointment. This way the walk-in learns that she needs to make an appointment in the future and choose a color in advance. You were nicer than I would have been. I would have gone up to the walk-in and told her that you had an appointment and would be most appreciative if she would wait to have her manicure done until you were done with your appointment, particularly since she could not make up her mind about the color and this would give her more time to do so. Put the pressure on the walk-in since she is the problem. I have just solved this problem for myself. When I make my hair cut/color appt., I have my stylist make an appt. with the manicurist to do my toenails while my color is coming up (usually 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. It works great and I only have to make one trip for both services.

@RealtyGal2, it is not the walk-in woman's fault. She came in and they took her. What did she do wrong? Confrontation is not called for here; in fact, it's best to avoid whenever you can.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

happycat · ‎09-18-2010

@BarbiHollywood , It's just frustrating when we want and need to treat ourselves and our plans seem to go up in smoke. I'd be irritated too, I hope you can get your mani pedi somewhere else and have an enjoyable experience.

CrazyDaisy · ‎03-20-2010

@RealtyGal2 wrote:
@BarbiHollywood wrote:
Hello, first time on this Among Friends board...

I'd like opinions, please, on something that just happened to me at the nail salon I've been going to for over five years. I've been with the same nail tech for even longer than that as I have followed her from place to place. My question is about appointments vs walk-ins. I'm warning you, this is a lengthy post!

I always make an appointment at least a day prior. I've had a rough couple of weeks dealing with an elderly, sickly stepmother and really looked forward to today's 3:00 appointment for a much-needed mani-pedi. I arrived on time, saw my tech was finishing up the lady in her chair, so I fiddled on my phone to kill time. I saw that the lady in the chair had already had a pedicure and was apparently getting a manicure now. She kept making the tech go back and forth to help her pick a color. Every time the tech went over with the sample boards, the lady didn't like the color. This went on for a while. The tech came over to ask me if I could wait another 15 minutes. I said no and left. As I walked out, I thought to myself, go back in, just wait, you'll get your mani-pedi. But it was the principle. I walked to my car and phoned the manager inside to ask if the lady in the chair was a walk-in or had an appointment. I was told she was a walk-in. I then asked why the tech was scheduled with such a long appointment knowing that she had a 3:00 appointment coming in and also asked why the lady wasn't shown over to someone else to finish since the appointment (me) had arrived on time and waited a pretty long time. I was told once they start, they can not pass to another nail tech. I've never heard of that before. Not sure if it's their salon policy or a law.

So my question to you is this: Should someone with an appointment be expected to just sit there and wait or should the salon have handled things differently? I know there have been times when I've asked for additional services at the last minute but have been told they were too booked to accommodate me. I also know that sometimes you have to wait, but 45 minutes isn't right.,

(Is it the end of the world? No! Guess I'm just grumpy today!!!)

The walk-in should have been asked to wait for the manicure, while you had your pedicure and manicure, since you had an appointment. This way the walk-in learns that she needs to make an appointment in the future and choose a color in advance. You were nicer than I would have been. I would have gone up to the walk-in and told her that you had an appointment and would be most appreciative if she would wait to have her manicure done until you were done with your appointment, particularly since she could not make up her mind about the color and this would give her more time to do so. Put the pressure on the walk-in since she is the problem. I have just solved this problem for myself. When I make my hair cut/color appt., I have my stylist make an appt. with the manicurist to do my toenails while my color is coming up (usually 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. It works great and I only have to make one trip for both services.

While this may have made YOU feel better, it likely would have resulted in you being asked to leave. What sane person would confront another customer?

Someday, when scientists discover the center of the Universe....some people will be disappointed it is not them.

BarbiHollywood · ‎11-09-2011

@Kachina624 wrote:
Whether you wanted to wait or not is up to you depending on your time available and patience. However, the situation your tech found herself involved with was beyond her control. The customer was paying just like you do and deserved good service, however it seems she was unduly picky and difficult. Those people come along and must be delt with as tactfully as possible. I'm sure your tech would have been happy to be rid of her. When dealing with people, things often don't go as we'd prefer, requiring patience on your part too. You could have rescheduled if unable or unwilling to wait.

@Kachina624 Yeah, now that I've had time to really think about this, I know my tech didn't want to have to deal with the lady in the chair being so fussy or having to come over to me, the longtime customer, to ask me to wait. I think the tech was overbooked most likely by the manager. I've calmed down (a bit) and will likely try to get an appointment again.

Everyone's comments are great! Thank you, everyone.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Although I would not have confronted the customer in this case, I did walk up to the employee and customer once at a garden store and once somewhere else and said to the store employee "I'm sorry but you were helping me" when someone "hijacked" the employee from me by interrupting to ask a question and the sales person turns attention to them for too long.

Have you had that happen? Someone walks up, interrupts and asks a question, then the employee attention and time go to the interrupter?

Yep! I can recall specifically twice I've said "But you were waiting on me" and felt it was justified.

SXMGirl · ‎07-07-2010

@BarbiHollywood I think that you did the right thing for you; and, depending on my time frame, I probably would have also left. What I think should have been done was that the nail tech should have told her walk-in that since she was having difficulty picking a shade, she would take her appointment (you) and let the walk-in take her time to pick out just the right shade. Of course, if there was a manager there, the manager should have stepped in and taken care of the situation. Good clients, especially those who follow the tech from salon to salon, should be treated well. You might want to make another appointment and speak directly to you tech about this situation. If she has your number, I would hope that she has called you.

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!

Isobel Archer · ‎04-04-2015

What "should" have happened is that the walk in should have been told that the tech had an appointment at x time and that she would not have time to do both a mani pedi prior to that - so the walk in could either wait until after the appointment or get one service and then wait for the other. That would have been reasonable.

In my view it is NOT reasonable to think - oh I'll either just rush the first customer or make the appointment wait and no one should blame me either way. And if it was actually the manager forcing the problem, then that's another reason to change shops.

SurferWife · ‎12-12-2010

@BarbiHollywood

You're right, it's not the end of the world, but as a lifelong mani/pedi customer I have stuck with the same person for years & book my next appt. at the end of my current appt. I go every 5 weeks.

1. Any nail tech can pass a customer to another nail tech, so it must just be that salon's policy not to. I've had this happen. My nail tech was helping with a walk-in & as soon as I come in for my appt. she passed the walk-in to someone else.

2. If you've had the same nail tech for many years, she should not want to do a walk-in over you. Loyalty works both ways.

I would have been perturbed if my nail tech of many years did that to me. In an industry where you can go to the next corner to find a nail tech, you'd think she would jump through hoops to keep you. Finding a new nail tech is also a PITA!

Best of luck!

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It isn’t how long you live that matters; it is how well you are prepared to die. ~~Colonel Robert B. Thieme, Jr.

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

If I had been going to the same tech for over 5 years, I would have talked to her before walking out.

You have no idea what time this walk in came in. Maybe there was plenty of time for an average customer to get a pedicure and manicure. But this was not an average customer. But your tech could not possibly know that she couldn't figure out what color polish she wanted.

You could have found out by talking to the tech, maybe the walk in came in at 2:30. And the tech thought that she had plenty of time before your appointment.

After 5 years with the same tech, I know I would have been looking to find out what happened.

Tessa Mendoza · ‎01-27-2020

Something similar happened to me and I walked out, too. After I left I remember thinking that I just should have stayed, but I was furious at the time. I ended up not ever going back.

That said, it also depends on the way the situation was handled. I don't expect a groveling apology, just an acknowledgement that they are sorry that a customer (me) was treated poorly.

I am tired of having to walk on eggshells with hairdressers, nail techs, etc They are being paid to perform a service for us. Unlike some others, I enjoyed not going to the salon during the pandemic.