For the life of me, I do not understand why electrologist’s cannot “pencil me in” if I am aggressive with my treatments. Do they just not like money? The first 3 months or so I was getting almost 5 hours a week, and I was going to two people. One of them even told me straight up, she could not get me in more than 1 hr a week. The other one was doing 4 hrs a week, two 2 hour appointments.
Now…I am LUCKY to get one 2 hour a week session in. I always tell her why can’t we just make appointments for way in advance, and keep them like that. Something will come up, or she’ll say she will have to look at her schedule and let me know. Then when I come in, she acts like she couldn’t of got me in. I don’t freaking understand it. Most of the electrologists on this board complain about clients not coming often, and I am in the exact opposite scenario. This isn’t like I’m being terribly unflexible with the times I can come in. I am available everyday from 8-12 PM, and I can take up to a 2 HOUR LUNCH anywhere from about 2-6 PM, and could get an hour of treatment in there.
She was supposed to call me Monday to set up an appointment because she said she had to move some people around and would call me. I have not gotten a phone call and I am getting very aggravated about this. I would just get another electrologists but the only problem is she does the best work out of any person I have ever gone to. She is slow, but she has by far the best technique. With E3000 and the other electrologists I experience alot of breakoff and see a lot less roots. I see roots and black ends on almost every hair, but her method hurts EXTREMELY bad.
Ideally if I could schedule 5 days in a row of 2 hour appointments, with 10 hrs in one week. And then not come back for 4 weeks, and then do that same again. I would love to do that, but of course why would she want to do that. For god sakes, she works 30 hours a week, 4 days a week. I work close to 45 to 50 sometimes, with or without pay. She is getting 60 bucks an hour and doesn’t want more money. Amazing.
I don’t get this either. You are a nice guy who wants the hair off fast and are willing to sacrifice time and money to do so. I would much rather have clients who come in for longer appointments. It is a pain to robotically set up for a 20 minute appointment on upper lips cases all day long as oppossed to doing a longer case.
I don’t understand why a big block of time can not be reserved for you week after week, if that is what you want. That will be the only way to get this done in a reasonable time frame. If you were the type that makes two hour appointments and did not show up or cancel at the last minute, then I would never give you a block of time. That kind of client creates an internal volcano reaction in any electrologist who has other people requesting time that we reserved for a “no show”. We don’t like to sit idle for two hours when we could be earning the money it takes to keep an expensive office open and running, not to mention the obvious fact that a paycheck is our livihood to pay our own bills in this life.
Good ole’ fashion plain talk may help you understand this. Be persistant, like a stuck record or CD, and ask her the same questions you asked here. Oh, and it is okay to rant anytime you want here on hairtell as we all have big, strong shoulders.
Playing devil’s advocate here: I am by NO means saying you are at fault here, but just observations from someone who could be “her.”
You say her method hurts EXTREMELY bad, are you complaining all during your treatment, even jokingly?
You sound resentful that she works 30 hours a week, 4 days, and charges $60 and hour, and doesn’t “want” to make more. Could she be picking up on this resentment? Keep in mind, maybe she doesn’t “need” to make more. Few of us do electrolysis for the money, trust me!
Two hours a week is a lot of time to spend with someone who you just don’t click with. Two hours every day may be torture to her if there is some tension going on between the 2 of you. If she’s truly that busy then she can make more money treating 4 clients in that 2 hour span than from just you. Liking you and enjoying being around you for 2 hours would be her motivation to schedule you over those 4 other clients.
I usually love having clients like you, and I’m ashamed to admit I’ve had a few that made me unmotivated to be their electrologist.
And yes, it’s her job and she should treat everyone fairly. But it’s a little different when money isn’t the motivating factor, as it obviously isn’t for her.
I am 100% sure it is not how I act. I’m very nice to her, and we have a good relationship. Talk all the time. I don’t even complain about anything, I think that might be the problem. I think I should complain more. Make a fuss. I really don’t understand, but she has business up the wazoo evidently. I don’t complain about the pain at all, I just wince in pain real bad and she’ll say are you sure you are ok, and I always go “I’m fine, it’s got to get done sometime.” and she seems to marvel at my determination.
I think she just lets things slip her mind, and doesn’t like to do 2 hours at a time, and get there at 9 AM. It does not seem like she likes being there at 9 AM. And she has never came in before 9 AM. It just bothers me that I can’t get something set up easier.
I actually think it might be about the money. She charges more per capita for a half hour, and 15 minutes, etc. I have missed one appointment out of like 55, so I am sure thats not the issue.
I think I have found what the “it” is in your problem.
If you are having her schedule your treatments outside of her normal business hours, that is a strain on her life. You might do well to ask her when the best days and times would be to get a 2 hour block or what ever, and she can offer what would be most convenient for her.
I remember the days when trying to schedule a 9am appointment was useless because with 10 children in school, somebody’s school nurse was bound to call requesting that I pick up a child just as my appointment was starting, or one of the high schools was calling to have me come in for someone fighting or some such nonsense, or it was the actual kid calling to report that the term project that counts for 50% of their grade was left in their bedroom and they fail if the thing doesn’t materialize on the teacher’s desk in 45 minutes. It was just futile to even attempt anything before 10am.
If she has a day or time slot that is usually empty she would most likely be happy to have that time filled. You just have to find a way to make yourself available during that time.
James is not only a top-notch electrologist, he is also a sleuth detective! Holy gold probe Batman, I think you got this case solved. Thinking back, I, as a mother of four (thank God, not ten) had real difficulty if I tried to start work before 9:30 or 10, but I never wanted to use my kids as an excuse for not being available. To compound this, my kids had to play every gosh dern sport available from football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, bowling, basketball to track, which further jerked my chain in other directions so that some late afternoons and evenings were not available. That’s when I decided to add Saturdays and Sundays to catch the overflow.
Things are more quiet now that the college era has arrived and I’m sorry to say that I still don’t know what the term “off sides” means and I can barely can identify someone who is “traveling” in basketball. I just stayed dumb, I guess, on purpose, so I didn’t become a psycho sports parent.
So Chuck, James has a great suggestion. What do think?
Also, it just popped in my mind that maybe longer appointments leave her with a back or neck ache and that’s her motivation for not doing long appointments??? You can only pop Advils for so long if you tend to get sore with those longer appointments.
That’s great that you get along so well! And I agree that James may have found the real reason on this.
I don’t have kids and I rarely come in at 9 AM and NEVER earlier. The few times (while I was a newbie and building my clientele) I scheduled a few 7 AM appointments I was stood up! Fool me once…
I start my day between 10-11 AM and try to finish by 8 PM. I could easily work later, but I won’t. From 3 PM on, I’m always booked solid for several weeks in advance, first the school teachers come in followed by the rest of the work force. Fridays and Saturdays I work 9a-6p. So if clients can’t come during those times that I make myself available, I’m very sorry, but I need to have time away from the office so that I look forward to going back to the office.
Two hour appointments tire me, but I don’t avoid them, 3 hours… we’re taking a break halfway through! Maybe during the holidays or really anytime, you could surprise her with a massage gift certificate.
Hmmmm, Massage…
Funny you should mention it. I just completed a ridiculous 30 days of 12 hours or more, with no days off, and just got up from a 2 hour massage. Now my body worker is on the way for a massage as I was just one big bag of knotted, twisted, angry muscles. Now I am off to make my chiropractor’s day and tomorrow and Saturday will be stewing in the jjaaccuuzzii.
Money for nothing indeed. People just don’t know what we go through. That’s why so many people who train to be electrolysis providers, get out of the business so fast. They find out that it is actually work!
I know both of the electrologists that you see. I haven’t asked them, but James is probably right on it with the answer.
I do know that the electrologist in the salon is dealing with a daughter who has been very ill for quite some time and her other daughter has just left for college. This can be an emotional time that results in forgotten messages…I know - I have to write everything down!
My electrologist books me weekly for months in advance. It does sound like she is trying to keep her schedule as flexible as possible, and it is hard to juggle a two hour appointment.
I don’t go to the one in the Salon anymore. I was seeing almost no results at all, and the other one is cheaper and I feel does a better job. But I did have great results on one area of my neck with the other one.
Anyways, I don’t have to do 9 AM appointments. As I said, I can take up to a 2 hour freaking lunch. ANY TIME monday through friday 9-11 AM or 2-6 PM for an hour I can make. I am being flexible. She works like 10-5pm… I am lucky. If you have a 8-5’er you couldn’t get in at all.
I would like to comment on the current issue regarding the electrologist who isn’t scheduling appointments for you. You label her, “unmotivated” but you don’t know this for sure. The given is that she is not scheduling appointments for you and that you do not yet understand her motivation in not scheduling you.
It might indeed be that your electrologist is preoccupied/busy, it could be she is not comfortable with you, it could be this or that. Surmising online, in a public forum where folks might know who your electrologist is, could be an issue for her too. Actually, I might know her also.
How do you get to the bottom of this?
Ask, “Should I make 1 hour appointments instead of 2”?
Ask, “Should I schedule a month in advance”?
If you can’t get an appointment, then:
Ask, “Is there something about me that makes you uncomfortable”?
Chuck, if you make little progress, consider saying, “It would mean a lot to me if you could give me a truthful response as to why I can not get an appointment with you.”
Another opportunity in life to address the real issue, yours, hers…
