1 /5 Morelle Noah: I’ve been coming here for two years and have usually received decent service, but today was by far the worst customer experience I’ve ever had.
I called a week ago to ask about fixing my nails, and the male owner answered. He was immediately aggressive, saying he was very busy and that if I couldn’t come at 5:30pm, he wouldn’t be able to do them then abruptly hung up. I was so shocked I called back to clarify, explaining that we hadn’t even agreed on a day. He responded rudely again, saying, “Well, you can’t do that day, so what do you want?” Eventually, he offered me an appointment for Monday at 12pm. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he might have been having a bad day though that doesn’t excuse such unprofessional behaviour.
When I arrived today and greeted everyone, I said I was there to have my nails fixed. He looked at me and said, “Oh, it was you?” I calmly replied, “Yes I was actually really shocked by your tone on the phone last week.” He then raised his voice and claimed that I had said I wouldn’t be returning, which is completely false. When I told him I never said that, he dismissed me and told me to “calm down,” despite the fact that I was speaking very calmly the entire time.
He then started questioning how many days it had been since my nails were done. I told him 17 days, and at that point, two white teenage girls customers began laughing with him as he made sarcastic comments and repeatedly said “okay, okay” in a patronising tone, implying that I needed to calm down. It felt mocking and condescending a clear display of micro-aggressions. He also made a bizarre joke that I should “know what it’s like to be stressed.” I still don’t understand what he meant by that, but it certainly didn’t feel professional or appropriate.
At that point, I decided to stay quiet, get my nails done, and never return again.
Over the years, I’ve brought friends and family to this business. I’ve often overlooked subtle microaggressions, assuming they might be cultural differences, but now I see a clear pattern. A friend of mine recently shared that she had a terrible experience here as well and I wasn’t even with her. The male owner is clearly defensive when questioned, and based on my experience, he seems particularly hostile toward Black customers. It’s incredibly disappointing.
It’s a shame, because his wife is lovely she does my nails beautifully and is always kind and professional. I genuinely wonder if today would’ve gone differently had she been there.
I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but this experience was unacceptable. One star only because I can’t leave zero. Rude, unprofessional, and racially insensitive service. I will never step foot in there again.
