1 /5 Antoinette Matthews: First things first: This post is intended to share an honest perspective of my recent experience with Lady Nails salon in Arlington, TX, and specifically, with the owner, LeLe.
LeLes attention to detail was terrific, but her professional courtesy is not to that same level of excellence. On the day of my last appointment, she was a full 30 minutes late, and no, she didnt communicate with me ahead of time to let me know. I didnt know she was going to be late until I was already parked in front of her salon at two minutes before my appointment time. Many people may not have waited, but because her work was always good and her shop would be closed over the next week, I waited.
Yes, I was feeling frustrated and disappointed as I waited, but when we spoke at about 6:10 and 6:20, she asked me over and over again to (exact wording) "please, please wait for me." My feelings were as they were because I always expect my service-providers to give me the SAME courtesy and professionalism they expect from me. Now, you may be thinking, "Give the lady some grace." However, that was not her first time being late to my nail appointments. In the past, I have waited from 10-20 minutes for her to even ARRIVE to the shop. That particular day was the first day she was a full 30 minutes late arriving.
Fast forward..... Once she arrived, she apologized, she did my nail service, I paid, and I left. No, I didnt tip her because she made me wait (outside, in the evening) 30 minutes beyond the time she scheduled me. Also, she didnt offer to reduce the price or accommodate me in any way because of her tardiness. (If I would have been 30 minutes late, she would have canceled my appointment.) Service providers should be on time too. Right? The weight and/or blame cannot always be on the client. At the very least, she could have and should have communicated with me beforehand if she thought she would be late. That would have been nice.
Fast forward..... Today, nearly two weeks later, I messaged her for a pedicure appointment. The text message I received from her was (exactly), "Good afternoon maam. Your standard so high i cant make you happy May you check some different salons. Im so sorry for the inconvenience." I must admit that I was hurt by that message. My immediate thought was that she chose to drop me as a client because I failed to express enthusiasm when SHE was 30 minutes late. I mean, I didnt yell, talk badly, or cause any type of a scene. I spoke, sat quietly, and I paid the full bill I owed.
While shes certainly not the only nail tech around, she is very detailed and I was always happy with the outcome. However, according to her, my standards "are too high" (because I want my service-providers to be on time in the same way they want their clients to be on time). I do hope the best for her in the future, but I also hope God shows her that "in this case," she was wrong and she should have taken responsibility for her error.
So, if youre in search of a nail tech who will consistently be on time, this may not be the place for you. However, if youre okay with the random waiting in the parking lot and still paying full price, this tech may be a perfect fit.
If youve read this far, then you know Im on the hunt for a new nail tech. My new person MUST be timely, communicative, welcoming, extremely professional, and FAIR. If you know of anyone, I would appreciate a referral.
