Policy Vs Fairness

ALL professionals within the service industry should have a cancellation policy. Most that do ask for a minimum of 24hrs notice, so that your spot has some hope of being filled if you cannot be there (almost all professionals within the service industry have at least a small handful of clients hoping to swoop up that cancellation, with enough notice). If you do not give 24hrs notice, the usual policy is to charge you a portion of, or all of, the fee of your regular service, to be paid before the next service. In my chair, this is the policy.

All my clients know this, have been told this, and are rarely (some, never) late (no one more than 10m; and that's usually due to traffic). There are variations of harshness included in this policy. Some service professionals I know also require prepayment of all services from that point on, to make sure the client doesn't "forget" again. I have yet to do this.

I also have an emergency policy. If it is a TRUE emergency (car accident, death, etc), you get a "pass". I also let my clients have a one-time late/missed appt "pass", with a reminder for next time. But, if you just "forget", especially if it becomes a habit, I will enforce this. I haven't had to give more than a warning to anyone in the 8 1/2 years I've been doing business.

Then, though, there's this problem: what if your client, who's never forgotten before, forgets? Then, when you call & text, doesn't answer. You start to worry because she's in her 70's, that's what happens...

Sure, I *could* charge her... but I think I'll just remind her of my policy this time. One reason is the fact that she was one of my first clients, and I'm not sure I actually ever told her my policy. Another is that I had to be at my studio anyway; I had another client after her that couldn't move her time, and I had a friend of mine meeting me to pick up some things.

So, my plan is: when I put my certificates, calendar, licenses, etc back up on my wall, to make sure front & center (visually) are a short list of rules (including everyone washing their hands -- still get some flack about this one -- and my cancellation policy). I will also make sure those rules are included on my brochure, and will inform all new clients when they make their first appt with me.

Decision Made

Long, drawn-out, too many emails back-n-forth, story short -- BR-client and I are taking a break; both on a professional level, and on a personal level.

For the record, I don't regret what I've said or how I've said it. It is what it is, and I am who I am. You don't have to like it (or me), but as I've said before, I will not tolerate ANYONE being unprofessional, or being treated in an unprofessional manner within professional spaces.

Dilemma

After 8 1/2 years in the business, at the same salon ('cuz I love it there), I was fired. Now, before you get your undies in a bunch, let me explain. A certain biologically-related client of mine is good friends with a couple of my other clients. BR-client has been friends with N for over 10 years, and L for about 4 years. Both of those ladies have been coming to me for less than two years. BR-client and I had what some refer to as a "come to Jesus" talk (although, honestly, it had nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with personal & professional boundaries), away from my salon. I *thought* we finished this discussion on the same page...

I was wrong. The following day, BR-client & L went to a specialty camp on the coast. When BR-client & L got back, I got a phone call from L. She told me that she needed to cancel her appt (which was scheduled two days after that day), and her other two we had on the books. I asked about rescheduling and she said, "No. I need to find another nail tech. I value kindness above all, and I feel you weren't kind to" BR-client. This threw me completely for a loop; I've never been fired like that before. I don't know about you, but I value HONESTY above all, & I was nothing but honest with BR-client in The Talk.

While I'm irritated that I lost a client due to nothing regarding my professional life, I'm more irritated that BR-client's ranting about my "mistreatment" of her (playing the victim as she has for as long as I can remember) was the reasoning. So, now, I take another difficult step. I must tell BR-client (although I'm positive she already is aware) that L fired me, and that her personal feelings toward me, when *I* thought we were fine, have now affected my professional life. I came close to telling her that I will no longer do her nails. I cannot, and *WILL NOT*, have my professional life affected by someone's incorrect, and one-sided, opinion of something that is (honestly) none of their business... and has nothing to do with how well I do her nails.

But, then, I had an epiphone. It would only be fair, and professional, to give BR-client warning of her impending firing. So, I decided that I would email her what happened between L & me, my feelings about the subject, and insist that in the future, her personal feelings toward me not affect my professional life. If they do once more, I *will* fire her. I do not need that kind of stress in my life... especially my business.