I am extremely disappointed with my experience at Devine Nail Spa in Haymarket, and I absolutely…read morewill not be returning.
Before coming into the salon, I called specifically to ask about pricing. I was quoted $50 for a full set and an additional $10 for French tips. Based on the prices I was given directly by the salon, I decided to bring my daughter with me. My daughter wanted French tips, while I wanted a cat-eye design.
Once we were actually in the salon, however, the pricing and service were completely different from what I had been told over the phone.
My nail technician was Kevin. While Kevin was doing my nails, I specifically told him that I did not like how they looked and wanted them changed. Instead of listening to my concerns and correcting something I was clearly unhappy with, he refused to change them. Despite me expressing that I did not like my nails, I was still charged $90 for my set.
My daughter was charged $82, and she DID NOT even receive the French tips she originally wanted.
When I questioned the pricing, I reminded them that I had specifically called before coming in and was quoted only $10 additional for French tips. I was then told that the French tips my daughter wanted were somehow "special" and that her nails would have been approximately $100 if she had gotten them.
That explanation made absolutely no sense to me. If there are different types of French tips that can turn a $50 full set into approximately a $100 service, that should have been clearly explained when I called and specifically asked about pricing. A customer should not be quoted one price over the phone and then encounter completely different pricing once the service is being performed.
What made the situation even more uncomfortable for me is that I am a Black woman. I cannot say with certainty what motivated the difference in treatment, but after being quoted one price over the phone and then being treated and charged so differently once my daughter and I arrived, I genuinely left questioning whether our race played a role in how we were treated and priced. No customer should ever leave a business feeling that way.
My problem is not simply that the salon is expensive. A business has every right to establish its own prices. My problem is the lack of transparency, poor customer service, refusal to listen to a paying customer, and unexplained difference between the prices I was quoted and what I was actually charged.
Between the two of us, I paid $172 -- $90 for my nails and $82 for my daughter's. My daughter didn't even receive the French tips she originally wanted, and I left with nails that I specifically told Kevin I did not like and asked him to change.
I have attached photos of the finished nails, so anyone reading this review can judge the work for themselves. Do these look like two sets of nails you would expect to pay $82 and $90 for? Because I certainly do not believe the finished results reflect those prices -- especially considering what I was originally quoted.
I DO NOT recommend Devine Nail Spa.
If you would like to waste your money and potentially leave feeling frustrated and unheard, then this may be the place for you. But if you are looking for a reputable nail salon that provides great customer service, is transparent about its pricing, respects its clients, and actually listens when a customer expresses dissatisfaction with a service they are paying for, I strongly suggest finding another establishment.
There are too many nail salons in the area to spend your hard-earned money somewhere that leaves you feeling overcharged, disregarded, and questioning whether you were treated fairly.
Look at the attached photos and decide for yourself whether this looks like $172 worth of nail services. I certainly will be taking my business elsewhere.
