I followed my technician here to Daisy Salon. When that person left, Anna agreed to continue my…read morepowder dip nail service twice a month, and she is a perfectionist, as was my regular tech. Then one day, Anna tried to tell me it would be better for me to switch to traditional ultraviolet gels. I was caught off guard. She actually argued with me, and insisted that I try it (Even though I told her I'd used those for years before and didn't like them). Because I could see I wasn't getting anything else done that day, I said, "Okay."
The ultraviolet gels performed poorly as expected. Gels get spongy when your hands get wet a lot, for example, while doing dishes, swimming, or bathing kids. Then the gel nail becomes unstable and lifts from the base. Not to mention that this instability invites bacteria to settle into and underneath it, creating puffy cuticles, irritation, redness, and itching, which it did. I didn't go back for 8 months.
But when I did go back, I asked Anna point-blank: "I know you don't like doing the powder dip nails, but would you do it?" She said Yes, no problem. Guess what happened when I got there?
Anna tried to show me her new system, where the nails are thicker and use only ultraviolet gels, again. I couldn't believe her nerve. This time I argued back No, I don't want anything else but powder dip nails. So Anna starts digging around for powder dip nails, which are different from those used for ultraviolet gels. So Anna starts the job by removing the old powder dip and applying tips to the nails that needed them. But on my left hand, all the nails were grown out long and didn't need tips. Would you believe she used this tall stand where I couldn't see my hands on the other side? She cut all my long nails off and put tips on both hands. I was watching TV and talking to a friend I brought with me (Yes, I actually brought her business) when I caught on too late. I wasn't going to walk out in the middle, but needless to say, I was pissed, but I held it together and held it in.
Would you believe that after that, Anna switched me over to her trainee tech and went to do someone's eyebrows. Anna never came back. The trainee was very nervous, not from me, but because this was her first time doing the powder dip. Can you believe that happened? I have been going to Salons for powder-dip nails for 10 years, twice a month. Do you know how much money I have paid my techs? Plus 20% twice a month. That's a mid-size monthly car payment. And she tossed me over to her trainee and never came back to check on me.
You know, when I first met her and saw the perfectionist she was, I never could've expected she would behave this way.
The trainee did some things well, like her filing, and the nail shape was very flattering. But one hand didn't get as much of the French nail pink color, so under the white line, you could see right through the nail to the other side. That's a telltale sign that you're wearing tips, and that's not why I pay them $85 plus 20%. So that's no bueno.
When I paid, Anna asked, Will you be back? You know I don't blame the trainee. She performed despite also being abandoned by Anna in the middle of her first powder-dip nail service, and I felt a lot of compassion for her because of that, too. Look, it's nails. It's not a physician's office. But to be fair, I'm being upfront about what I want. I'm being kind, and I pay well. But I want to pay for what I asked for. It's pretty standard for people to ask for a specific tech and get it. If a switch must happen for some reason, a discussion with the customer should take place. It did not here. In fact, Anna knew full well that when I arrived, she was going to argue with me AGAIN about what service I was going to pay for. That's no bueno. I noticed that some of this salon's 11 highly regarded reviews are from 2 years or 1 year ago. Look, businesses go through changes. It seems Anna is more in charge now than before, and she's on a journey to learn how to treat customers to gain the almighty loyalty. I was loyal to my previous tech for seven years. I am a commodity in the nail salon business. I am a good, well-paying customer, and I will not be loyal to this kind of treatment. You will have to make up your own mind.
