I normally don’t leave negative reviews, but after being a loyal client for over a year, I’m extremely disappointed in how this was handled.

I consistently booked my appointments well in advance, showed up on time, never last-minute canceled, and tipped very generously. I also made it VERY clear how much I loved my nails. I constantly complimented her work, told her how happy I was with my sets, and regularly told her how many compliments I received from other people. Yet I was suddenly told she could no longer do my nails because my designs caused her too much anxiety and she worried that I wouldn’t like them.

That explanation honestly makes very little sense to me considering she knew how happy I consistently was with her work. If I was repeatedly expressing dissatisfaction or criticizing my nails, I could understand that concern—but that simply wasn’t the case.

I was also told my designs were becoming too complex for her, yet her own portfolio contains extremely detailed nail art on other clients, including hand-painted designs, characters/faces, intricate patterns, 3D art, charms, rhinestones and elaborate themed sets. So naturally, I’m left questioning whether I was actually given the full reason.

My final appointment made the situation even more frustrating. We specifically scheduled EXTRA time because we knew the set I wanted would require it. She then arrived approximately 25 minutes late to my appointment and told me she wasn’t sure she would have enough time to finish what I wanted because she was running out of time. I don’t think a client should be made to feel as though their requested service is the problem when the appropriate amount of time was booked and the appointment started late for reasons outside of the client’s control.

This also wasn’t my only frustrating experience with her scheduling. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law both scheduled appointments with her, only to have their appointments canceled at the last minute because she said she couldn’t get her regular clients in. She frequently talked about being extremely busy, overbooked and unable to take additional clients, which makes the way everything ultimately played out even more confusing.

What bothers me most is that there was never a real conversation. I wasn’t asked whether I would be willing to simplify my designs. I wasn’t told that we needed to change how much time we booked. I wasn’t given an opportunity to find a compromise. My future appointments were simply canceled, I was told she would no longer see me, and despite being told that it was “not personal,” I was subsequently blocked on Facebook.

Of course, any nail tech has the right to decide who they do and don’t want as a client. But clients also have the right to be disappointed with how they’re treated. After more than a year of loyalty and consistently supporting her business, I expected considerably more professionalism, communication and honesty than what I received.

The unfortunate part is that I genuinely loved her work. I wouldn’t have continued coming back, booking ahead, tipping well and recommending/complimenting her work if I didn’t. Other people regularly loved and complimented my nails too. That’s exactly why this ending was so disappointing.

She’s clearly a talented nail artist, and I’ve never said otherwise. My issue isn’t her artistic ability. My issue is how a loyal client relationship was handled and an explanation that, based on my actual experience and the work displayed in her own portfolio, simply doesn’t add up for me.