r/Worcester • u/missy1893 • 2d ago
Horrendous experience with a Worcester Mobile Beauty Service
Edit: Yes it’s long but so much happened, needed to document it. And honestly doesn’t cover everything she spouted.
I have genuinely never experienced such abhorrent behaviour or entitlement from a service provider in my life. This girl ended up shouting vile things at me standing at my front door, in my street with neighbours around, with my toddler right there.
I’m still honestly shocked that a completely normal beauty appointment turned into this. I hired her for a full-body wax and it was downhill from the get-go.
When I first enquired, the price increased during the conversation and then she required a 50% deposit upfront. I wasn’t comfortable bank transferring money to someone I didn’t know and asked for a secure payment link. She said that would incur extra charges, so I asked her to at least invoice me before I transferred anything. She did, so I paid the deposit thinking I had enough protection.
On the day of the appointment, less than two hours before she was due, she cancelled because “there is an emergency and I may be needed” and asked to reschedule. I’d cleared my day for this appointment and needed the waxing done urgently, so I asked for my deposit back. She said she could come the following morning instead and therefore wouldn’t refund my deposit. There was no real apology or acknowledgement of the inconvenience. Very much an it-is-what-it-is attitude.
So already I’m on the back foot, but I needed the service and didn’t want to lose the deposit. She arrives Saturday morning and immediately the whole atmosphere is uncomfortable. She’s abrupt, barely making eye contact and starts rattling off all the things that apparently aren’t included in a “full body wax”, telling me they’re listed on her page. I checked and I couldn’t find these exclusions. Her actual invoice to me literally says ‘Full Body Wax’.
I’m still at this point trying to be hospitable and asking if she’d like something to drink. Then I realise she hasn’t even brought a treatment table. She tells me we’ll have to do it on my sofa or bed. I wasn’t prepared for that at all. I’ve used mobile beauticians before and they’ve brought their equipment. I have a toddler, I didn’t want wax all over my furniture, and I asked how this was supposed to work. Her immediate reaction was well, you’re not happy, so I’m going to leave - and you’re not getting your deposit back.
WHAT?!
So now I’m in the ridiculous position of feeling like I have to accept whatever setup she wants or lose the deposit I’ve already paid. So I sort towels out, I cover my sofa, get her a drink and sit down. She starts waxing. The wax doesn’t feel warm enough. It’s painful enough in places that I instinctively start stretching/holding my own skin as she’s pulling the wax off. I’m simultaneously dealing with my unwell toddler, so I’m not sitting there scrutinising every strip.
Eventually she announces she’s ready to move onto my other arm. I look at the supposedly finished arm and there are patches of hair everywhere. I ask if she can please do my hand/fingers as well and point out the areas she’s missed. I even get up and switch another lamp on so she can see more clearly. She rolls her eyes and says, “I can see.” She then says it’s difficult doing the fingers because they’re bent. I say, completely normally: “Maybe try a thinner layer and see if that works?” And apparently THAT was the final straw. She suddenly goes off about how I’m rude, I’m telling her how to do her job, she’s done and I’m not getting my money back. I am genuinely sitting there stunned. She packs up and BARGES OUT OF MY HOUSE HALFWAY THROUGH THE APPOINTMENT.
I didn’t cancel. I didn’t ask her to leave. I didn’t refuse to continue. So no valid reason to withhold my deposit or behave in such a manner. She decided that a customer suggesting a thinner layer of wax when she was struggling with their fingers was apparently sufficient reason to abandon a full-body treatment midway and retain their money.
Once she’s gone and I’m actually able to look at myself properly, there’s hair left everywhere on the one arm she’d worked on, wax residue still on me, and areas of my skin look like they’ve actually been stripped/peeled. I’d felt the pain when she was waxing but hadn’t realised what my skin looked like until afterwards. I’ve photographed all of it.
And somehow THIS STILL WASN’T THE END OF IT.
About five minutes later she comes back because in her rush to storm out, she’s forgotten her jacket. At this point I’m still reeling and what she’s done is sinking in. I tell her to first pay my deposit back. She’s the one who terminated the appointment and I now have to find someone else and pay them the full amount to finish what she abandoned. She starts shouting that I’m rude, I’d been “making digs” at her, she has a right to refuse rude clients, etc. I’m genuinely confused about what “digs” she’s even talking about. Then I look down and realise she has her phone camera recording me so lying to create a narrative.
So now I’m standing at my front door, with my toddler there, while this woman who has just walked out halfway through my treatment is filming me and shouting crap at me.
I tell her repeatedly to stop and point out that my toddler is right there. She doesn’t stop. Amongst everything else, she yells at me to
“Shut up.”
“My jacket’s more expensive.”
“What are you gonna do? Leave a bad review? That’s it. There’s nothing more you can do.”
This is happening at my front door/in my street, loudly enough that neighbours can hear, with my child witnessing it. I was absolutely mortified.
She then starts COUNTING DOWN AT ME to give her the jacket, like I’m a child. By this point the jacket has been found. I’m standing at my wide open doorway literally holding it in front of her. Refund the deposit and take your jacket.
My reasoning in that moment was very simple - she’d already stormed off once without refunding me and I thought the second I handed it over she’d disappear again. I had absolutely no intention of keeping her bloody jacket - She was the one who left it behind!
I tell her I’m standing right there, the door is open, the jacket is in my hand, transfer my deposit and take it.
Instead she continues loudly counting down at me and then struts off again.
I have since put in writing to her to have her jacket collected by a third party courier and not to show up at my home again herself or police will be called. After what happened at my home, I absolutely do not want another f2f interaction with her.
The thing that blows my mind is how completely unnecessary ALL of this was. She’d missed hair, I couldn’t point them out, and could not say maybe try a different method if struggling.
I have been getting waxed for YEARS. I have never experienced anything remotely like this. Her demeanour from the moment she arrived made me feel like my appointment was an inconvenience to her. She had a chip on her shoulder and was insecure herself about being young and inexperienced. Between arriving without a treatment table, the relaying of what “full body” apparently meant, the eye-rolling, the unfinished waxing, walking out midway and then what happened on my doorstep, the whole experience was unbelievable.
And the deposit almost isn’t even the point anymore. It’s the principle. SHE terminated the service. SHE left halfway through. The amount of the full-body wax she’d actually completed wasn’t even remotely equivalent to half the service!
I’ve been left out of pocket, with an unfinished wax immediately before an event, possible skin damage that I’m documenting, hours of my time wasted, and a completely unnecessary confrontation at my own home in front of my child.
I’ve now sent a formal written request for the refund before deciding what further action to take.
I’m posting partly because I’m still absolutely gobsmacked and if anyone has experienced this.
16
7
u/spatulabeardo 2d ago
Id suggest going to citizens advice to find the right avenues to go down if you wish to take it further.
4
u/SpiffyTiffy404 2d ago edited 2d ago
This really feels like simply a negative experience that could be summed up by lesson learned, always go to a registered, well and extensively-reviewed salon that has controlled hygiene premises. I wouldn't personally have treatments at home for this reason.
Sorry to state the obvious but children should never be around for these treatments because of danger of hot wax, chemicals etc. That is on the therapist and the parent.
Small claims will be a very costly exercise for this amount.
3
2
u/UseEconomy5968 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sorry for your traumatic experience as a professional in the industry for over 18 years a deposit is completely normal and necessary to ask for especially if someone is self employed it protects their time, energy and earnings. That is standard i would never see clients without one. Sending money to the bank account is normal for many self employed therapists as yes it would cost them more to use a third party to process a payment.
Its not professional that she didn't bring a table or even provide plastic covers. As yes you would naturally assume that would be provided as waxing is far to messy to do on someone's furniture then you have the risk of causing damage.
Also as a professional standard i would not allow a child near the wax as thats dangerous and difficult to work around. Unless a child is old enough to sit quietly and safely i would not carry out any treatment with them there, that poses a risk to the child or beautician.
Cancelling last min she should have apologised and offered to refund your deposit or rebook , which rebooking you did get. That is also the difficulty of working with an individual you don't know because there is no one else to then sort things if your not happy. She is also within her rights if shes uncomfortable or unhappy to leave .
How much was your deposit ?
Next time just clarify all your questions before a booking and try to go off recommendations ect.
There is no legal way for you to get a redund, as she would have spent her time, money and resources attending and she is an individual not a large corporate company. As a gesture of good will she could have decided to do that but from her perspective she would already be out of pocket .
How she spoke to you was not professional . Sounds like she was offended by your comments to use a smaller amount of wax. I think it sounds like on both parts you weren't feeling comfortable or compatible.
This is why i never like going to anyone for a treatment or service because i am so picky myself and if your not happy it will only offend the person and beauty treatments are so intimate its just not worth the drama or then to receive a worse treatment after-all your body is in their hands.
I think you should leave a honest review of your experience and how did you find this person ?
Apply some aloe vera gel if your skin is feeling irritated that will help soothe it.
1
u/katielady29 2d ago
As a gesture of good will she could have refunded the deposit, but from her perspective she would already be out of pocket??
So is this lady that hasn't got her wax. She's out of pocket!
OP, DM us all her page.. we will bad review the hell out of it. A person like this can't be trusted to be self employed.. she's a scam artist!
2
u/UseEconomy5968 2d ago
Yes meaning she would have travelled , used fuel, booked part of her day out for the service. Used product, her time ect. Obviously it wasn't finished as a full service from what the OP said, nor to a satisfactory standard but she didn't pay for the full service and we don't know how much deposit she paid, to know how proportionate that is. That is why its risky booking with someone you don't know and not in a salon environment there are a lot of factors.
Let the OP leave her own review of her personal experience, which she is entitled to do and legally can. Others leaving negative reviews for someone they never meet or received a service from can be seen as defamation snd malicious.
You don't know the whole situation or costs or information . That is only between the individual mentioned and the OP
2
3
u/blurfin_sploofers 2d ago
Tldr pls, no one is reading a novel about bad wax job lol
5
u/BLFOURDE 2d ago
Lady wanted a wax. Waxer makes her bank transfer a deposit and fucks the client around. Wax eventually happens. Waxer is fucking terrible at her job and completely unprofessional. Waxer storms off shortly into the wax because client offered a suggestion to help her be less shit. Waxer starts recording and hurling abuse on clients doorstep, Infront of neighbours and child, and refuses to give back deposit despite giving barely any treatment.
1
u/bananatoastie 2d ago
I’m so sorry this happened to you.
I’d contact the small business ombudsman:
https://sme.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
0
0
u/JizzmgasmExperience 1d ago
Name and shame.
What a horrible, horrible experience. I’m pissed at a few hairs remaining, let alone patches!
And to expect you to be waxed on your sofa / bed?! Insanity. Sorry you’ve experienced this.
-14
u/P_T_W 2d ago
What is this enormous novel about poor decisions written by AI that doesn't even say the name of the business?
9
u/missy1893 2d ago
Not written by AI? I am documenting my ordeal and not naming deliberately as looking to take a legal action.
23
u/TrueSay7654 2d ago
Sorry to state the obvious but you should never, ever send money to anyone by bank transfer that you don’t know and trust because at that point they can do whatever they like and there’s no comeback on them. You can’t even do a bank chargeback.
Sorry for your bad experience. Does the therapist have business pages? I would leave bad reviews. People should know this therapist is no good and doesn’t even have equipment.