In what cases can a master refuse service to a client?

Yana Melnichuk, brand technologist TM DEPOT

We are accustomed to the fact that work in the service sector is a business in which the main rule is “The customer is always right!” The image of any establishment largely depends on the behavior of the service staff. Ethics and etiquette in this type of activity oblige hairdressers, sellers, manicurists and pedicurists, administrators and specialists in beauty salons to provide the required services, making the most of their professional knowledge and skills, observing the rules of service culture, to be polite and attentive towards any client during time for performing professional duties. But is it always possible to meet these strict requirements? What does the law say? The main problem is that at the legislative level the issue of the legality of refusing service to a client is not clearly regulated. In each specific case, it is necessary to study the laws and by-laws that relate specifically to the type of activity of the institution. In my opinion, it is worth refusing service to a client if the person who came for a haircut is dirty, unkempt and categorically refuses to wash his hair, or if he allows himself to speak disrespectfully towards the salon administrator, gradually turning into an aggressive state, raising his voice at those around him, puts forward various inadequate demands, only on the basis that he is a client, and, therefore, will do whatever he wants.

Natalya Goncharenko, co-owner of beauty salons, founder and manager, founder of the international business school of directors of beauty industry enterprises Beauty Salon Boss™ and the company "Salon Marketing", founder of the NGO "Association of Salon Business of Ukraine"

A client may be denied service in the following situations:

1. Presence of contraindications to the procedure.
2. The client's demands to obtain the desired result in violation of all protocols for performing procedures and indications for them. These are any requirements that will result in undesirable consequences, such as bad hair, skin, and directly harm the client’s health and the reputation of the salon.
3. Requirements to perform a service for which you need to prepare in advance or meet certain conditions, for example, not to sunbathe 2 weeks before the procedure, if we see that the conditions have not been met. 4. The client is late. In this case, we offer him a replacement service or suggest making an appointment for another day. No requests or scandals from a person who is more than 15 minutes late should force you to delay the salon clients following him.
4. When a client makes an appointment and doesn't show up without warning. Constant failure to appear without warning automatically means the client’s refusal to serve on the basis of Article 639 of the Civil Code, paragraph 1. According to this article, when signing up for a service, the client enters into an oral agreement with the salon, in which he undertakes to receive and pay for the service on a pre-booked date and time.

Important! Don’t forget to post the Public Offer Agreement on your website.

Yuri Tsarev, top stylist, owner of ElixirClub and Silverline beauty salons

It is possible and necessary to refuse clients. The question is, first of all, taking care of themselves. For example, one of the most significant reasons is medical indications. In my opinion, the fact of refusal if the procedure may harm the client’s health remains indisputable. There are a number of contraindications to the procedure, namely the person’s condition: pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, fever or undergoing therapy. I will refuse service to a client who is drunk if this very condition disturbs the peace or offends the master and other clients. Refusal to service with an offer of another time, if it is impossible to carry out the procedure due to being late. Repeated delays or systematic failure to appear by the client will be sufficient to refuse to provide the service. Of course, as practice shows, most often such a refusal causes dissatisfaction, and even more often - a scandal. The form of refusal and how it was voiced are also important. Don't forget that caring for clients is above all else for the master.

Yana Tkachenko, director of the beauty salon and SPA Beauty story

Providing services at the highest level is the task of every beauty salon employee. Specialists are focused not only on results. Particular attention is also paid to the client’s mood and emotional state. To achieve better results, we have developed internal rules and standards that are focused on creating comfortable service conditions. But still, “the customer is not always right.” We believe that we have the right to refuse a client if:

1. He behaves aggressively or rudely;
2. Raises his voice at salon workers;
3. Arrived for service while intoxicated;
4. Smoking indoors;
5. Refuses to pay for services rendered.

The administration reserves the right to refuse a client who violates the exact schedule of servicing other clients, namely, allows himself to come to the procedure later than the appointed time. If a person often makes an appointment and does not come for services without canceling his visit in advance, we are also forced to add him to the “stop list”.

Evgeniy Pecheritsa, creative director of HAIRDESIGN Academy

You have the right to refuse a client if:

1. He came to you with an infectious or fungal disease that is transmitted directly through direct contact. True, it is important to remember that neither seborrhea nor psoriasis are transmitted through contact, which means that the master can serve such clients without worrying about their health.
2. The procedure chosen by the client will have negative consequences, and the person insists on performing it. There are times when a client comes with a “brilliant” idea, and the specialist, understanding all the risks, still cannot reach him and convince him not to do the procedure. In such a situation, it is worth rescheduling the appointment, citing the fact that the first meeting is always devoted to consultation. This maneuver will allow you to better mentally prepare the person for the changes. The client must understand the risks and threats, because responsibility always lies with the specialist. • The master is not 100% sure of the result.
3. If the client does not have enough hair length or volume for the haircut he is expecting, reschedule the appointment. Imagine the disappointment of a client who trusted you and did not get the expected result. In such a situation, the person will no longer consider you a professional and most likely will not return.
4. The person is not mentally ready for change. It happens that people come to us for drastic changes, but are absolutely not ready to accept their new look. You can create a stunning image, but the person will still enter the stress zone and conflict will arise. Of course, everything often goes away with time, the client gets used to the “new” self and thanks the master. To avoid conflicts, discuss future changes with the client, and if you see that the person is not ready, offer an alternative.

The material was first published in the Fashion Mirror magazine.