advice on client complaint?!

2015newbie

Hi all, I'm just looking for a bit of advice on how to deal with a client complaint as Google searches were not giving me much help! I do a small bit of part time hairdressing from home (all above board and legit!) And I had a brand new client in for a full head of highlight, cut and blowdry.
I received a text message from this client this morning that 3 weeks after receiving this service from me she was now unhappy and felt I had not put enough highlights in her hair and wants to come again for me to re do it for her one evening after she has finished work. I have not yet replied to this message.
Luckily I have only had one other complaint over my three years being self employed and that client had informed me of her dissatisfaction within 24 hrs of that service and I rectified the situation to her satisfaction within a 3 day period.
Where I am perplexed is that this lady has waited three weeks to complain and on the day of the service I asked her was she happy with her colour to which she replied that she was delighted! I am not an unreasonable person and understand people sometimes don't like to say things to your face but waiting three weeks to lodge a complaint especially when it is verging on the time of when regrowth of hair roots is due( her hair natural hair brown and highlights bright blonde) is a bit dubious to me. I charge very reasonable rates and I don't want to be taken advantage either! So if any one has advice of what to reply or the correct course of action that she or I should take, I would be grateful as I don't have much experience with this situation! Thanks!

dudara

Because 3 weeks have elapsed since the original treatment, I don't personally think she has much cause for complaint. Her hair will have grown in the meantime, and she may have used shampoos/products that could have dulled the colour.

BTW - how long would highlights last for? I have no experience in this area.

I'd personally say the above to her, but as a favour to her, offer to redo the highlights at some sort of discount (nothing major, maybe 20% off).

wmpdd3

No way after 3 weeks would I expect to get another treatment for free!

24 hours maybe, but its way to late, def go for a percentage of next treatment.

Also isnt too early to go dying her hair again, should she wait for 6 weeks?

If she is still unhappy, I'd refund her and refuse to do her hair again.

emeldc

Tell her as she has had the use of her hairdo for 3 weeks you'll refund 30% and then to get it done again somewhere else. You don't need chancers like her.

antoinolachtnai

Are you sure it's really a 'complaint' in the sense of being unhappy with the service you provided?

If things are really as described, it sounds like what she is unhappy with is her hairstyle. That is quite a different thing. Are you absolutely certain she expects to get this done without paying for it?

It is, as you no doubt know, every woman's prerogative to change her mind about her hairstyle. People change their minds about fashion products all the time. That's why there's a fashion industry and why the styles change every season.

You sound like a happy upbeat kind of person. I think you have to keep the happy upbeat tone going and get this lady in and talk to her. Find out what she is worried about. It may be that she just wants a larger quantity of what you have already supplied her, i.e., more highlights. There was nothing wrong with the highlights per se, there just weren't enough of 'em. You can suggest that the next time you do it, you will do more than last time.

So concentrate on how you are going to make this customer happy and go from there.

She may be very negative when you meet her. But you have to ask yourself whether this is really because you did something wrong, or because something bad has happened to your customer. She may be directing her anger about something at you. Don't take it personally, that's just life in the service industries.

This is a new customer, so it may well be that you will lose this customer. There is a risk that someone will try to take advantage of you because they think that because you don't have a salon and all the rest of it, you don't have any overheads. If it comes to it, you should be ready to explain that you've got to buy materials, keep a car on the road and all the rest of it, and that accounts for the cost of the service you provide. You sound like a friendly, accommodating person, but you are also a business person and you need to be paid for the work you do.

I don't know if there's much use in getting this done again by you if she is really unhappy about it, even after meeting you and discussing it. She might be better going to some other hairdresser, even to get that person's view. Maybe you could arrange for another hairdresser, maybe a senior person in a salon whom you know, to have a look at it for the customer and give the customer their opinion. If this other person thinks you did a bad job then maybe you should refund her some of her money, but it doesn't sound to me like you did a bad job.

You should also consider how you got this customer. If you got them through a reference, be aware of what the referring customer might feel (although you should not discuss the matter with the referring customer).

Would love to know how you get on.

irishgirl19

Same story when I worked in a salon. Most complaints happened 4 days or so after service,which my boss reckoned was to get a free blow dry!