‘Nailed it!’: Woman discovers nail salon charges $30-$70 according to how much they can get out of you, alerts other patrons and leaves the place in complete chaos

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Apr 7, 2025 6:00 AM EDT

If you have ever been a patron anywhere, then you know how things should go down. You should be alerted of pricing before you commit to the product. That is just how an honest living works. You don't want to go somewhere where they don't tell you the price until after you have purchased the product, and then it's something you would have never agreed to pay for in the first place if you kew, but now it's too late. That feels icky and also is a strain on you wallet. 

 

So when this loyal nail salon customer found out she was being taken advantage of, she didn't keep that knowledge to herself. 

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  • She was used to being told varying prices for her basic manicure. It would usually be somewhere between $30-$40. She didn't mind the $10 difference because she liked the service she was getting. So she usually would just pay and let it be. However, after two years of coming to that salon, she got hit with a shocking price. All of a sudden, she was given a bill of $70 for her usual. She thought that was insane, but also didn't want to make a big deal, so she paid it and made a mental note to not return. 

     

    However, when she was leaving she made sure to drop this little new found information to the other patron she had been chatting with earlier, and this patron was not happy. In fact, she started speaking very loudly about it and soon the entire salon was in chaos about it. Hopefully they learned to be more upfront with their pricing after that. 

  • Cheezburger Image 10489811712
    via Unsplash+ (and Tahir osman)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Overcharged me at the nail salon and led to chaos"

    I got my nails done this morning at the same nail salon I've been patronizing for almost 2 years. It has 1000+ great reviews online and they have always done amazing work. They don't post their prices anywhere,
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • but I've always paid $40-$50. However, it hasn't been consistant, as in sometimes I would be asked to pay $50 and other times later $40. When I asked about the price, usually when it was $50, they would say I got a
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • nice discount at $40 and standard was $50. The $10 never bothered me so I never made a fuss about it and kinda chalked it up to more inexperienced front desk workers not tracking well to the established price. I also have gotten
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • into the habit of asking the price before they start, but forgot to ask this AM because I was just getting my normal nails. Today, I finished up my appointment and the front desk told me it was $70!! |
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • was surprised because I got them done last month and I'm pretty sure it was only $40. The lady said prices went up, which I felt should have been stated somewhere but I know that businesses are nervous about the economy, so I
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • understand a hike. I paid my bill and internally decided to find a new salon, not because they did anything wrong, but paying $70 for nails isn't worth it for me while there are cheaper places around
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • (given the quality will almost definitely decrease). After I paid, I realized I left something at my seat. I had been quietly chatting with the lady sitting next to me during our
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • appointments and we were getting the exact same service in different colors. As I went to grab my bag, I couldn't help making a quiet comment to her that $70 for our nails is crazy. Yes, this was a complaint but also wanted to warn
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • her about what to expect. She immediately got agitated and asked her nail tech how it could be this much, because she had NEVER paid MORE THAN $30 FOR THE SERVICE.
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • She looked like she was going to cry and said she didn't have $70 for the service today. Her nail tech quickly tried to do damage. control and said that since she was such a loyal customer, her price would. be $30. This didn't really
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • calm her down though, she asked how long I'd been going there and I said 2 years and she said she'd been coming for less than a year.
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • At this point, other customers at the busy salon started paying attention to what was going on, and a few (7-8) other people started sharing what they had always paid for their nails.
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • and it ranged from $30-$70! At that point, I had my bag. and no reason to stay, but as I left almost the whole salon was getting heated with everyone realizing that they actually don't
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • have a set price for their services and just charge as much as they can get out of you! I will definitely be leaving a review and something tells me that the others there will as well. :)
    via LegalGazelle9080
  • Cheezburger Image 10489829120
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • PrimarySele... Nailed it! (the jokes just write themselves...)
    via www.reddit.com
  • Liu1845 The salon I go to has all prices pisted. If there is an increase, that fact is posted and I am told again before my appointment starts. Sounds like OP was at a shady shop.
    via Liu1845
  • scarfaroundmy enis They could be doing some trickery with methods of payment too. If someone consistently pays in cash, charge them less than someone who always pays with a card.
    via scarfaroundmy*enis
  • avid-learner-bot it's almost unbelievable! My cousin had a similar experience, I guess, and she was quite upset about it, those prices should be consistent, shouldn't they? It's a question of respect for the customers, really, not just about money. I reckon that
    via avid-learner-bot
  • salon owner is going to learn a hard lesson, transparency is key. A friend of mine said the best way to handle it is to simply walk away. And, well, maybe leave a pointed review. It'd certainly teach them something
    via avid-learner-bot
  • texan-yankee I stopped going to one salon because instead of increasing their posted prices, they would add on $5 for "shaping" or $5 for long nails. I have short nails, that are just shaped in a basic round. Filing that should be a part of the price! I made them take it off and never went back. Oh yeah, I was a regular mani/pedicure customer for 5 years since they had opened
    via texan-yankee
  • Deranged Kitsune Dollars to donuts they're cooking TF out of their books. No way they're paying proper taxes on income and likely paying stylists under the table.
    via Deranged_Kitsune

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