Sitting here at diva nails with my feet in cold water after waiting for 20 minutes since my noon appointment. People just walking by blissfully ignorant. What's the point in making an online appointment for a specific time if they can't adhere to the time? I've been coming here for years and have never experienced such poor client care. Now the tech has spent another 8 minutes trying to put her gloves on. Really?? This stuff cannot be made up! Now they're making me change chairs since the water was cold. Never, in the five years that I've been coming here have I experienced such a disconnect. Sad.
UPDATE AFTER READING RESPONSE FROM DIVA NAILS: As most people know, there are two sides to every story, so I ask readers to please note the dismissive tone used in the salon manager's response and use your own best judgment. You'll probably also note the attitude of the salon manager that if you expect a minimum quality of service you will be called "entitled."
Here are some more deets -- but I warn you, it's lengthy -- so maybe grab a beer and popcorn before you get started:)
The salon manager appears to think that her writing that I only waited 10 minutes past my appointment time instead of my actual 20 minutes somehow makes it the truth. There's a big clock on the back wall. I looked at it. I also checked my phone to make sure the time was right.
It's also untrue that anyone offered an explanation for the delay because they were short of staff.
Nor is it true that I requested a change of chairs. A nail tech started filling the bowl on the station next to me with warm water and she motioned for me to move. She did this after I told the nail tech that eventually came to my station that the water was very cold.
Now I know what some of you reading this might be thinking: "What difference does it make if the water is cold or warm?" It does. Otherwise, they wouldn't teach the benefits of warm water during pedicures in beauty school. Nor would I think, that the health department wants customers' feet soaking in cold water for 20 minutes or longer.
The takeaway for the salon manager is this: This chair change was a perfect opportunity to let a customer know that you were short-staffed.
But that's hindsight since the salon manager doesn't seem willing to understand that explanations go a long way in deescalating most things
Okay, here are some truths:
It is true that a woman sitting next to me did interject while I was quietly writing my Yelp review that she's been coming to the salon for years without incident. I concurred that the same was true in my case, but something was really "off" about this visit on a number of different levels (research looks like there's been a recent change in ownership/management -- wish I'd been told that. I'm very empathetic with new business ownership ;).
Also untrue is that contrary to what the salon manager classified as a major scene where customers and techs had to get involved, it was not. It is, however, an ideal example of the salon manager deflecting responsibility.
Nor was there any "verbal attack."
As I sat with my feet in cold water continuing to wonder why my appointment time was late, I started to read Yelp reviews to pass the time. I did make a comment to my tech during my eventual service (using my inside voice ;) that there seemed to be a lot of negative reviews on Yelp.
I was then told dismissively (maybe even sarcastically?) that "anyone can write anything." I was then told, "We don't use Yelp". That's when I opted to start writing my legit review of the event since many people rely on Yelp. Hi there ;)
I wrote quietly. There was no verbal attack.
Here's the sad truth: I very rarely write negative reviews (see my other reviews and you'll note that over 90% of them are positive), but when service sucks without any attempt of an explanation being offered, I do believe that readers need to be informed about the mindset of the business they are considering (especially when service is inferior and no reasonable reason is provided).
New ownership/management growing pains would have been such a reasonable explanation that I wouldn't have even looked at Yelp reviews, to begin with.
Also, and this is kind of strange.....what difference should it make to the salon manager if I wrote my review while in the salon or afterward? Why did she take such offense at that? Weird.
It seems the salon manager has her priorities skewed by resorting to calling anyone who expects the courtesy of their time and a basic level of service that we're paying for "entitled."
Buzz word of the year. Sad indeed.
Final note: the reviewer from yesterday who gave 5 stars may have been asked to do so by the salon manager in response to my poor review since the author has zero previous reviews. Not saying it happened that way, just saying that it may have happened that way. Glad that most Yelp users see through this type of game playing. read more