'AITA for refusing to pay my nail tech’s $65 cancellation fee despite being friends for 5 years?'

A woman recently turned to Reddit's "AITA" forum, asking for advice in her post titled, "AITA if I refuse to pay my nail tech’s $65 cancellation fee?" The story quickly went viral, with many supporting her stance against the fee.

The post ignited a lively discussion, garnering over 3.1k likes and 703 comments. Most Redditors deemed the OP (Original Poster) as NTA (Not the A*****e) while criticizing the nail tech’s actions.

Woman refuses to pay $65 cancellation fee to her nail tech

In the Reddit post, OP begins by sharing some context, "So, long story short, I’ve been going to my nail tech for over 5 years. We’ve become really good friends and have even hung out outside of work. I’ve consistently been her client through two studio changes, during the pandemic when she worked from home, and again this past year when she decided not to have a studio anymore. Despite the friendship, I’ve always respected her business. I tip every time and treat it like any other nail salon."

"In over 5 years, I’ve probably had to reschedule a total of 5 or 6 times, only half of those within a day or two of the appointment, but always with more than 24 hours’ notice," she explained.

OP explains that her nail tech scheduled a recurring appointment on Christmas Eve without much discussion. When OP realized she couldn’t make it, she texted her nail tech at 2:30 PM, more than 24 hours in advance, to reschedule. 

"At my last appointment, she mentioned she had booked my recurring slot for December 24th, Christmas Eve, at 6:30 PM. My recurring appointments are usually at 6:30 PM after work. I’ll be honest—I was a bit surprised because I assumed appointments would be pushed back to after the holiday. She told me she didn’t have plans for Christmas Eve, so she was still working. I expressed some concern about being able to make it since there was talk of a family Christmas Eve dinner (which I let her know). We talked about moving the appointment to 5 PM, but she couldn’t. It ended with me saying I think I can make it."

The nail tech offered a same-day midday slot, but OP, who had work obligations, couldn’t take it.

"Flash forward to December 23rd—I get confirmation the dinner is happening. At 2:30 PM, I texted her saying I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it. I asked her if she could please move the appointment to after Christmas, giving more than 24 hours’ notice. She responded offering a 12:15 PM slot that day, but I let her know I couldn’t take it because I was working. After that, just radio silence for 2 weeks. I followed up again and still got no response."

Two weeks later, OP was blindsided by a message demanding the cancellation fee. 

"Then finally today, she sends this message: “OMG SO SORRY I told you I’m terrible about checking my texts—you HAAAVE to DM for me to see it. What do you meeeaaaann double move. And uhhhhh so awkward part. Remember when we confirmed your recurring? I did inform everyone these appointments would be on Christmas Eve, so I had to be really strict with my cancellation policy. So your last appointment missed was on Christmas Eve. I do need to ask for that $65 fee whenever you’re ready. Sorry, I HATE this part of my job, especially when it comes to friends.”

OP shared her frustration, "She didn’t mention any policy when I asked to reschedule. She’s never told me about this policy, and it’s not posted anywhere. I still don’t even know what it is. My understanding is that 24-hour notice is standard in the beauty industry and doesn’t incur fees, let alone the full appointment cost."

OP also pointed out past issues with the nail tech’s professionalism, like late starts and questionable sanitation practices.

"There have been other times where I’ve felt taken advantage of because of our friendship: appointments starting late (sometimes over 40 minutes) and questionable safety practices since she moved her studio back to her mom’s house, like reusing drill bits, unsterilized tools, and old nail files. I’ve been a loyal client for over 5 years and have always supported her business, but I feel like this has gone too far. AITA if I refuse to pay the $65 cancellation fee?"

Internet supports woman refusing nail tech's $65 cancellation fee

One user wrote, "Get a new nail technician and a new friend. This is sketchy business practices. Do NOT pay her a single cent. You cancelled the appointment within 24 hours. You have the text messages as proof, so she can't take you to court or anything over it," while the other user wrote, "Yeah scheduling people late on Christmas Eve and then going "oh oops I didn't check my messages which means I didn't get yours which means you didn't ACTUALLY cancel and owe me a fee!" screams scam attempt lol. Shady af."

Another agreed, "NTA. A loyal 5-year client shouldn't be blindsided by an unposted cancellation policy, especially when you gave over 24 hours' notice and consistently supported her business despite questionable practices."

A fourth user wrote, "NTA. Get a new nail tech before you get a new fungal friend, or worse. Just tell her, ‘I hate this part of being a customer…I am not paying that fee. I gave you more than 24 hrs notice and even more notice that xmas eve was problematic."

"LOL, no. Cancel any and all future appointments. Here we part ways, best of luck," a user said, while the other user wrote, "Screen cap your conversation with her on the 23rd where you notified her and she responded. And say you won’t pay a missed appointment fee when you canceled with more than 24hrs. Then find another nail tech. NTA."

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