Unprofessional Service, Overbooking, and Overpricing

Item: Harmonynailandbeauty Irene
Rating: 2
Author: Kaylashni C

I recently had a highly disappointing experience at Harmony nail studio in Irene, where my sister and I had booked appointments for Saturday, 7th December, at 10:30 AM. Unfortunately, the service we received fell far below expectations, highlighting several issues with their scheduling, customer service, and pricing practices.

We arrived slightly late at 10:45 AM but still had to wait because there were only three technicians available, and one was still attending to another client. After a 10-minute wait, a technician began working on my nails while my sister continued waiting. She was eventually called to start her pedicure after an additional delay.

While discussing nail length, I clarified that I was new to sculptured nails. When I expressed dissatisfaction with the initial length, I was informed that shortening them would incur an additional R150 charge. Additionally, when selecting nail colors, I was told that choosing more than one color would cost R80 per extra color. These excessive charges felt unreasonable for what should be part of the standard service.

By 12 PM, the technician was still working on my nails, and my sister’s nails hadn’t even been started. The technician then rushed to finish my nails, as she had another client booked for 12:30 PM. My sister was then informed that her service would have to be rescheduled with another technician. Due to time constraints, she was unable to get the polygel nails she wanted and had to settle for a plain gel color instead. Meanwhile, my nails were left unfinished, and a second technician had to step in to complete them.

Both my sister and I ended up having three different technicians work on our nails at different times, which was both inconvenient and unprofessional. The second technician finished my nails, but they were extremely long and bulky. When I asked for them to be filed down, I was told again that I would be charged extra. This forced me to make another appointment later that day to fix them. We ended up staying at the studio from 10:45 AM to 2 PM and had to return at 2:30 PM, staying until 4 PM to get the corrections done. Upon returning, despite having an appointment, all technicians were busy. The massage the****** kindly stepped in to assist, filing and repainting my nails to the best of her ability. She was very sweet and professional, but this should not have been necessary. Shockingly, I was charged an additional R350 for the fix, bringing our total to an astronomical R2,150 for services riddled with delays, confusion, and poor execution.

The initial technician who was supposed to assist me at 2:30 PM only finished her prior client 45 minutes later. This branch clearly overbooks clients, creating unnecessary stress for their technicians and significant delays for their customers.

The overall experience was frustrating and unacceptable. The lack of organization, constant delays, and unjustified charges were appalling. While the massage the****** deserves recognition for her willingness to help, I will not be returning to this nail studio. The service was disorganized, the pricing was exorbitant, and the entire experience was a complete waste of time and money. I strongly advise others to consider alternative nail studios with better service and more reasonable pricing.

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Replies (2)

Kaylashni C's updateReviewer Update

09 Dec 2024, 11:41

After posting my initial review about Harmony Nail Studio, I was contacted by someone from the studio who immediately stated that my review was “serious” and that “jobs are on the line.” I informed her during the first call that I was in a meeting, yet she proceeded to call me twice more. When I answered the third time and reiterated that I was in a meeting, she insisted on continuing, saying that the review was serious and needed to be discussed immediately.

She then argued with me about my appointment, mentioning that we had been late and that they had to accommodate us, even saying they considered canceling the appointment but didn’t. However, despite her claims of accommodating me, when we arrived at the studio, we still had to wait additional minutes for a technician.

During the call, she was rude, confrontational, and unprofessional. She also suggested that I should have spoken to her directly about my concerns instead of posting a review, but when I arrived at the studio at 2:30 PM, she had already left for the day, making that impossible.

I repeatedly asked her to respond to my email instead, but she ignored this and continued to argue with me over the phone. This is not how customers should be treated, especially when providing feedback. I hope this review encourages Harmony Nail Studio to reassess their approach to customer service and prioritize respectful and professional communication in the future.

Kaylashni C's update09 Dec 2024, 11:41

Reviewer Update

Kaylashni C's updateReviewer Update

09 Dec 2024, 12:39

Dear Jennelle,

Thank you for your response on google. While I appreciate your effort to clarify, I find several points in your reply inaccurate and misleading. Allow me to address these in detail.

Arrival Time:
As per my call records, I called Harmony Nail Studio at 10:32 AM, not at 10:45 AM, as you have stated. I can gladly provide my call records to verify this. Despite arriving slightly late, we still had to wait additional time to be assisted, indicating that your schedule was already behind, regardless of our arrival time.
Service Booked:
When I booked the appointment, I asked for a full set as per your price list, which states "sculptures/polygel." I was not asked to specify which one I preferred. I also clearly mentioned that we had never done sculptured nails before, which should have prompted your team to provide proper guidance and clarification.
Experience With My Nails:
After my nails were completed, I looked at them properly and realized I was not happy with the outcome at all. They were bulky and far too long for my liking. I asked for them to be fixed, but I was informed that this would incur an additional R150 charge, which felt unreasonable considering the dissatisfaction was with the quality of the service provided.
My Sister’s Experience:
My sister asked for gel nails, not because she was happy with her original booking, but because it was the quickest option under the circumstances. Your team was clearly rushing to accommodate other clients, and this pressured her into making a decision she would not have otherwise made. Contrary to your claim, she was not happy with the service. She settled for gel because sculptured nails would have taken too long, and she did not want to risk her nails being rushed due to the disorganization at the studio.
Appointment Scheduling:
Yes, it was mentioned at the time of booking that our appointments would be "one after the other." However, despite this, your team still could not accommodate us properly. My sister’s service was delayed to the point where she was referred to another technician because Nthabiseng had another client immediately after me. This raises the question: if both of us were booked for sculptured nails, why wasn’t my sister’s appointment prioritized directly after mine, as initially agreed?
Technician Changes and Delays:
Nthabiseng worked on my nails until her next appointment began, at which point another technician had to step in and complete what she started. This chaotic handover was both unprofessional and unnecessary. Additionally, despite arriving at the studio for our appointment, we still had to wait further to be assisted. This disorganization was not caused by us arriving slightly late but by overbooking on your part.
Blaming Us for Being Late:
Your claim that our lateness caused delays is unfair. Given the services booked, there is no realistic way you could have completed three full sets of sculptured nails between 10:30 and 12:30 PM. Your schedule was clearly overbooked, and this is what caused delays and confusion, not our slight delay in arrival.
Phone Call After the Review:
The follow-up phone call I received regarding my review was handled unprofessionally. Despite me stating that I was in a meeting and requesting a response via email, the lady who called continued to argue with me, calling multiple times and insisting on speaking with me. Her tone was rude and dismissive, and she mentioned that the review was “serious” and that “jobs were on the line.” This behavior only added to my dissatisfaction.

I urge you to review your CCTV footage from the day in question to see the chaos and mismanagement during that time. It will also confirm that your technicians were struggling to accommodate the appointments.

In summary, while I understand the challenges of managing a busy schedule during the holiday season, my experience at Harmony Nail Studio was unacceptable. Shifting the blame onto us for being slightly late does not address the core issues of overbooking, disorganization, and unprofessional communication. I respectfully request that you take accountability for the poor service we experienced.

Kaylashni C's update09 Dec 2024, 12:39

Reviewer Update

Dear Jennelle,

Thank you for your response on google. While I appreciate your effort to clarify, I find several points in your reply inaccurate and misleading. Allow me to address these in detail.

Arrival Time:
As per my call records, I called Harmony Nail Studio at 10:32 AM, not at 10:45 AM, as you have stated. I can gladly provide my call records to verify this. Despite arriving slightly late, we still had to wait additional time to be assisted, indicating that your schedule was already behind, regardless of our arrival time.
Service Booked:
When I booked the appointment, I asked for a full set as per your price list, which states "sculptures/polygel." I was not asked to specify which one I preferred. I also clearly mentioned that we had never done sculptured nails before, which should have prompted your team to provide proper guidance and clarification.
Experience With My Nails:
After my nails were completed, I looked at them properly and realized I was not happy with the outcome at all. They were bulky and far too long for my liking. I asked for them to be fixed, but I was informed that this would incur an additional R150 charge, which felt unreasonable considering the dissatisfaction was with the quality of the service provided.
My Sister’s Experience:
My sister asked for gel nails, not because she was happy with her original booking, but because it was the quickest option under the circumstances. Your team was clearly rushing to accommodate other clients, and this pressured her into making a decision she would not have otherwise made. Contrary to your claim, she was not happy with the service. She settled for gel because sculptured nails would have taken too long, and she did not want to risk her nails being rushed due to the disorganization at the studio.
Appointment Scheduling:
Yes, it was mentioned at the time of booking that our appointments would be "one after the other." However, despite this, your team still could not accommodate us properly. My sister’s service was delayed to the point where she was referred to another technician because Nthabiseng had another client immediately after me. This raises the question: if both of us were booked for sculptured nails, why wasn’t my sister’s appointment prioritized directly after mine, as initially agreed?
Technician Changes and Delays:
Nthabiseng worked on my nails until her next appointment began, at which point another technician had to step in and complete what she started. This chaotic handover was both unprofessional and unnecessary. Additionally, despite arriving at the studio for our appointment, we still had to wait further to be assisted. This disorganization was not caused by us arriving slightly late but by overbooking on your part.
Blaming Us for Being Late:
Your claim that our lateness caused delays is unfair. Given the services booked, there is no realistic way you could have completed three full sets of sculptured nails between 10:30 and 12:30 PM. Your schedule was clearly overbooked, and this is what caused delays and confusion, not our slight delay in arrival.
Phone Call After the Review:
The follow-up phone call I received regarding my review was handled unprofessionally. Despite me stating that I was in a meeting and requesting a response via email, the lady who called continued to argue with me, calling multiple times and insisting on speaking with me. Her tone was rude and dismissive, and she mentioned that the review was “serious” and that “jobs were on the line.” This behavior only added to my dissatisfaction.