A while ago, many of my fill clients were coming in with broken nails. I became a detective and narrowed it clown to the liquid, which had a funny smell. My guess is that it sat on the shelf too long before I bought it. I guarantee my work so I explained the situation to my clients and offered them a free full set. Most of your loyal clients will understand.--Aimee Ginsberg, Salon 544 (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Recently, a couple of my nail technicians noticed that when they removed the polish from their fill clients, the nails had yellowed underneath and the product easily lifted off. We brainstormed to figure out the cause, and one of the technicians realized it was due to an old batch of acrylic powder. Only a couple of clients came in with broken nails, which we fixed for free.--Denise Adams, Beyond Nails (Florence, Mass.)
When a number of clients come in with lifting problems, at first you start to question your work: “Am I prepping the nail completely?” or “Am I using the correct liquid-to-powder ratio?” Actually, your liquid, powder, or both might have gone bad if you left it in the heat for too long. I had a bad batch of product once so I gave complimentary fills to my clients. If you aren’t honest with them, the word will spread last because many clients know each other. You want the word to be that you stand behind your work no matter the cause of the problem.--Nilsene Privette, Panaché Salon (Phoenix, Ariz.)
I bought a bad batch of tips once. As I was trimming them, they shattered so I thought my tip-cutter blade was dull. Many clients called me to complain that their tips were breaking. They were aggravated by the situation, but they understood once I explained to them the cause of the breakage. I gave them a free manicure and replaced the tips.--Elizabeth Kessler (Gaithersburg, Md.)
It’s never happened lo me, but if it did, I would give the client a free till. In order to keep your clientele, you pretty much have to eat it, and do whatever it takes to keep them happy. The buck has to stop someplace.--Judy Michaels, Sea Glide’s Salon (Malibu, Calif.)
I would offer the client a free till because it’s my responsibility if I know for a fact that the breakage was caused by a bad batch of product. I use only one product line and I know that the company stands behind its products and would do whatever it can to help it a problem arises.--Sandi Garcia, Nails by Sandi (Port Hueneme, Calif.)