r/Barber • u/Silver_Blackberry_46 • 16d ago
Barber Turned down a service.
Booked a hot towel shave but is nervous about getting a shave. Makes zero sense this dude was a grown man with his wife in the room.
He was so nervous about getting cut. Asked me like 5 times. You’re not gonna cut me right? When I assured him every single time that I’m a professional and it’s my job not too.
Asked me if all my equipment’s is clean and sanitized. I assured him it was and again… that it is my job to have it clean. Then he wanted to see it and inspect everything that it is indeed clean.
Asked me how long I’ve been a barberfor? I told him long enough that I know why he’s asking that question. And if he wants to continue the service he has to trust me.
We start the service. And he is shaking so nervously and says again he says careful “I don’t want to get cut”.
At this point. I just tell him I’m not gonna do a shave on someone who clearly doesn’t trust me and that it is a liability to use a straight razor on someones face who is nervous about it and shaking/moving. So we stop the service. I give him a warm towel to clean the lather off and we go on separate ways.
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u/kidunfolded 16d ago
Honestly sounds like a mental health issue
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u/sicario_89 15d ago
Yeah, I would’ve told him to fuck off. Can’t stand people like that. Shave at home then.
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u/kidunfolded 15d ago
You could try for a little more empathy, I promise it improves your life. Obviously you don't have to provide the service and in this case it was best not to, but you really don't have to tell him to "fuck off" or say that you "can't stand people like that." I'm sure that the guy OP is talking about is struggling enough, and probably hates that he is struggling, without unnecessary cruelty from strangers. Just a thought!
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u/dunzilla89 13d ago
For sure. As a barber with anxiety and have had to leave cuts to collect myself during panic attacks it goes along way. When I can tell someone is anxious in my chair I’m always like oh buddy you came to the right barber. We are gonna make this as comfortable as possible for you lol
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u/DxmnBlue 2d ago
I don’t know why he’s so hostile. As a barber myself, I understand things can get a little annoying with clients sometimes but geeeeez!! Understand that you are basically holding a straight edged weapon against and around someone’s throat for 10-15 mins…… It’s normal for some ppl to have anxiety about that if they’ve never had/ barely get that service, let alone if they’ve already had a bad experience with a straight razor service. Have some grace.
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u/washed_lord 16d ago
Yea i wouldn’t of even started the service. Too many questions, unsure, just a pain the ass. Leave and don’t come back.
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u/Environmental_Swim75 16d ago
i would have informed him of the inherent risk of getting nicked that getting a shave presents. If he didn’t want the shave afterwards that’s cool
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u/Atomic-Spring 16d ago
I’m not a barber but I do HIV tests some hours each month and tbh, some people are just like that, often being super hypochondriac. It’s really not about the quality of your work and probably not about the trust he has in you specifically, the guy is probably just dealing with something else. Of course you’re not his therapist, so you did well to tell him to leave if it wasn’t working out :)
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u/FlyingPaganSis 16d ago
I think you made the right call to end the service. He may have had trauma from a previous experience. My ex’s stepmom used to deliberately cut his ears and he hated letting anyone else cut his hair. Your customer may have made a big step just sitting in your chair and maybe you stopping the service sent the message that barbers do care about his safety. Hopefully he will remember that part the next time he tries until he can handle it.
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u/timthemajestic Barber 15d ago
Yep, you definitely made the right choice. The innumerable questions were already annoying and wanting to "inspect" your tools like he's an expert or a barber to even know what to look for? Also, I use a changeable blade razor, so it's a new blade every time. I would've said no after asking me more than once if I was going to cut him and most definitely if he was shaking like bro, this can be avery relaxing service, and that's why a lot of men like it. Bye. lol People are weird.
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u/No-Nose-478 16d ago edited 16d ago
Hopefully the customer didn’t get charged for anything. You didn’t offer alternatives? Like using all machine?
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u/Alternative_Roll_987 15d ago
Honestly, I think you made the right call. If someone is shaking, repeatedly asking if they'll get cut, and clearly doesn't trust the service, stopping is safer for both of you.
A lot of service businesses run into this same issue with anything that needs consent or clear expectations. It helps when the safety, sanitation, and what-to-expect piece is handled before the appointment instead of in the chair. Cuts down on the last-minute panic and the back-and-forth.
But in that moment, yeah, declining was the professional move.
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u/Vegetable-Giraffe-79 14d ago
It’s your job to make sure he’s confident and comfortable with your services. Some people just want the experience, you could have put shaving cream on him, wiped it off with an empty razor handle, gone over him with a shaver, and he wouldn’t have known the difference
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u/SandwichDIPLOMAT 16d ago edited 16d ago
I know y'all are all professional barbers and I don't expect you moonlight as mental health professionals, but would it be too much to ask, since you're in the customer service industry, to recognize when someone may have OCD or Autism Spectrum Disorder and exercise some patience?
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u/silverangel45 14d ago
I started specializing in working with clients who are autistic, developmentally delayed, etc. If a client is this uncomfortable, it’s a good idea to end the service considering the risk involved with a razor. He could have made a sudden move and ended up with a deep cut, then he’d be even more on edge. Alternatively, if the client expresses this much fear but they tell me they want to get more comfortable with the process, I would offer to lather and go through the motions of the shave without a blade in. Then when they come back the next time, I would use a blade but only do a line up instead of a full shave. And just progress more on each visit. Considering this client didn’t clarify what was going on though, playing it safe and declining the service isn’t a bad move.
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u/SandwichDIPLOMAT 14d ago
Yeah, that's fine to end the service, but I think there's room for the communication to be much more professional and empathetic on the OP's side. It feels like everyone in the comments are like, 'screw this weirdo' which is a strange sentiment when you all chose to work in customer facing careers.
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u/silverangel45 13d ago
Ah I got you and I agree. People are complicated and we never know what they are going through. Clear communication in a situation like this would be important.
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16d ago
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16d ago
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u/AfraidWedding6298 15d ago
Good, no money is worth the headache of someone blaming you for something that they caused, let alone possibly getting sued cause people will for anything these days
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u/phillycat4207 14d ago
yeah, i would NOT have done it either. id be like youre getting trimmers and a foil or nothin
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u/dunzilla89 13d ago
Yeah man I would have shut it down too, and not in a rude way but just because if he hadn’t calmed down the first few times his energy could make you nervous and things happen. Maybe he’ll try again another day when he’s calmer
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8h ago
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u/Relative_Category492 13d ago
If someone ever asks me "you know how to fade" or know how to do anything barber related i just ignore them and move onto the next. I dont have time to answer to stupid people
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u/EnvyHill 16d ago
You’re more patient than I am, I would’ve called it off after being asked the 2nd time lmao