June 8, 2004

11:48 AM

EtiquetteFilter: An hour removed from the salon now, I can see that I have just been on the receiving end of a bad spa treatment at a local salon. I've called, explained the problem and asked for a refund. What's the etiquette on tips? I left the appropriate tip for the amount of the service, and charged the rest on credit card.
posted by jerseygirl to (6 comments total)

Do you mean what's the etiquette on asking for the cash tip back since you didn't end up liking the service? Uhm, I think an etiquette book would say to let it go.
But since you already called and asked for a refund on your credit card, you are certainly free to go back to the person who performed the service and ask for the cash tip back. I'm sure you realize this might be an uncomfortable conversation, but if you're mad enough it might be kinda satisfying.
posted by pomegranate at 12:36 PM on June 8, 2004

Yeah, pretty much exactly what pomegranate said. Just out of curiosity: What treatment did you get exactly that you didn't notice it was bad until you got home?
posted by fvw at 1:00 PM on June 8, 2004

It's gone. sorry.
posted by amberglow at 5:43 PM on June 8, 2004

You will never get the tip back, and if you try to get it, you will alienate yourself for good from everyone who works there.
posted by bingo at 6:08 PM on June 8, 2004

If you plan on going back for more services, and you reeeaallly want your tip back, you might ask the front desk or management to compensate for the tip with a gift-certificate.
posted by Feisty at 7:10 PM on June 8, 2004

I wish I could post a comment immediately after I post a question, I kind of had more I wanted to elaborate on. d'oh.

I wasn't going to ask for the tip back, I would have felt weird doing so. I was more curious if anyone had been in the situation & the outcome -- if the tip was returned by the server/technician/etc or if the business establishment offered to refund the tip as part of the entire refund.

I had used this salon once before, recently, for eyebrow waxing and was very pleased with the service, the atmosphere and the staff, so I made an appointment for today for my pedicure. She put me in a dimly lit room that had some music for atmosphere or ambiance or whatever, with the salon "technician" working under a lamp. I asked for the french polish. I started reading a magazine and she was working away.

Routinely, pedicurists clean up the cuticle area and as she was working I kind of felt a little stick, like she nicked me, but upon inspection, I didn't see any blood or a cut. A little later, she started rushing around and she ended up running the pumice over my left foot and my ankle. Again, I stopped and looked. No scratches. No blood. She went on to do the french polish, I went back to my magazine. Once the polish had dried, I was hustled over to the desk to pay. I leave the appropriate cash tip. I did look down for inspection, but the topcoat had a bit of pearl in it, so at that distance from my foot, in the light, everything looked fine.

I had been at my desk for about a half hour or so back at work when I feel a little stinging and see that the pumice scratches are pink and red and where she had nicked me had some blood on it. While I am down there addressing the blood on my cuticle I notice she's done a miserably crooked and uneven job on the white part on some toes. I was shocked because this was a reputable (and pricey) salon.

The outcome of this AskMe: I called, I explained I was unhappy and why. I declined to give them an opportunity to fix it and they refunded my credit card. The salon or the tech never offered a refund on the tip, which is fine. I am just going to go elsewhere. Live and learn I guess.

thanks for the answers!
posted by jerseygirl at 8:44 PM on June 8, 2004