How would you proceed with this stylist situation?

[Anonymous]

Wow.

I do not blame you for being miffed at this.

Life happens.
As long as you do not cancel often (which I am sure you do not!) she should give you a free pass.
Plus it’s not fair that she has canceled on you before w/no repercussions…..?

Unless she is FANTASTIC at doing 💇🏻‍♀️, etc., I would find a new hairstylist.
Because this one sounds very cheap as well as money-hungry.

This is about principle here - not the $35 - this woman cannot extend an act of goodwill to a very loyal client.

This would leave a very bad taste in my mouth.

[Anonymous]

I’d be very annoyed. I’ve seen my stylist for about the same length of time. She has canceled on me more than a few times and I was understanding. The very few times (2-3) I’ve needed to cancel she has not charged me. If she starts charging me tomorrow, I’m done. I like her a lot but to me it’s about mutual respect.

[Anonymous]

Why are you tipping 45 %? I would drop down to 15% for the rest of the year. Consequences.

[Anonymous]

I’d be miffed. And I would hate to have to find another stylist. Pay the $35. If she’s not able to bend the policy, I’d find myself unable to bend past a 15% tip.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t go back either. Customer service is really important to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not go back because to me after 15 years (or even a few) you know regular clients, and that it's not your style to do this to her, plus you've had her cancel on you and were kind about it. So it's not like I would even care about the money, but more the idea that you're just the same to her as some random new client to her when you've been loyal through the years.

+1
This has happened to me and I moved on. It's really not that hard to find a new stylist. I got a wax at a new salon, had the waxer recommend a stylist, bam, done.

[Anonymous]

Very bad form on her part. Tip her 15-20% moving forward and find a new stylist.

[Anonymous]

I would be annoyed too.

If you want to stick with her, pay the cancellation fee but tip 20% going forward. If she wants to treat your relationship as strictly transactional, you should too.

[Anonymous]

A good stylist you are happy with is hard to find. Good clients are hard to find also. Considering your long-term relationship and generous tipping, she should waive the fee. I can't remember if OP said she asked for it to be waived. If not, ask.

[Anonymous]

I would quit with the 45% tip nonsense. Just give 20% from now on.

[Anonymous]

OP, if it were me, I would probably have had the same initial reaction you did. Then I would have figured that I out-earn her by a huge margin and $35 is really nothing, so I would pay it, be grateful for the years of good service, and consider what to do if it happens again. But for one time, $35, and a long-term relationship, I would be able to move past this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's $35. I'd let it go personally. Maybe tip $7 less the next 5 times. I get she has cancelled on you, but this is her livelihood.

I get that, but I would have thrown an extra $25 at her as an apology the next time, and she knows that’s my style.

So you cancel at the last minute a lot? If so, honestly she's probably tired of it. If not, how would she know that's your style?

So just don't give her the $25 next time and you're only out $10 net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I totally forgot my appointment one time. Rescheduled when they called. Didn't charge me the $50.
Unless that stylist is so in demand that she fills every hour, her livelihood would have been fine if OP rescheduled. And $35 isn't a full service anyway.

I would look around and certainly not tip 45% anymore.

The point is that the stylist had to get the chair at the salon and she booked her day accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been going to the same hairstylist for the past 15 years. I’ve followed her to three different salons. I tip her 45%. I give her a similar tip if I come in around the holidays.

I had an appointment today at noon for a simple trim (no color or anything else). Early this morning my child woke up sick and I had to stay home. I sent her a text at 9am and even called the salon when it opened at 10am to cancel my appointment. She is now working at one of those salons where you rent the chair/space and run your own company, hers is her own LLC. She has a policy where if you cancel within 48 hours, you are charged a $35 fee. I mention this to say that this policy is her own, not mandated by the salon. More than once she’s called ME to cancel when something has come up and I’ve simply rebooked—life happens. So you can imagine my surprise when she texts back that she’s sorry but she still has to charge me the $35 because it’s policy. I don’t know how to feel about this, because that was a choice. I don’t expect preferential treatment, but maybe a certain level of camaraderie and reciprocity due to my loyalty, perhaps, if that makes sense? I’m left with a really bad taste in my mouth over this and don’t know what to do.

Right, but I bet the salon charges her for the hour of chair time even if no one is sitting in it, so her charging you the fee is her way of remaining whole. I assume if she's the one canceling on you, she is the one eating the cost of the chair time when she doesn't have a client in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's $35. I'd let it go personally. Maybe tip $7 less the next 5 times. I get she has cancelled on you, but this is her livelihood.

I get that, but I would have thrown an extra $25 at her as an apology the next time, and she knows that’s my style.

You over tip big time!

She knows this and she knows that she’s not going to lose you because you feel some type of way about keeping her happy when in fact she is the one who needs to keep you happy. It honestly sounds like she doesn’t respect you, but you grovel for her approval via cash.

Moving forward, I would just do a 20% tip with nothing extra, anytime.