Lucky Star Nails Spa

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
ALL THE OTHER PUNCH CARDS IN THE VALLEY - I.E.: DUTCH BROTHERS, BIS STAR AND ALL YOGURT SHOPS ALLOW YOU TO USE
DEBIT CARDS OR CREDIT CARDSWHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE IF THE CUSTOMER PAYS!!
YOU CAN BARELY SPEAK ENGLISH SO YOU DID NOT WRITE THE RESPONSE BACK! NOT ONLY THAT; I HAVE A COSMOTOLOGY
LICENSE; YOU SOAK OFF THE GEL POLISH LIKE I ASKED AND YOU IGNORED; YOU DONT USE A ROTOR TOOL TO THE NAILS AND
RIP HALF THE NAIL OFF; bumpy results: very unprofessionalI MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR GEL POLISH ONLY; I came back twice
YOU HAD KNOW IDEA WHEN I CAME IN WHAT SERVICE I WAS IN FOR AND ARGUED WITH Me ABOUT ITThen did it with the next
customerVERY UNPROFESSIONAL; discussing banking and deposit descrepencies in front of the customer! IT IS DISCRIMINATION
TO THE CUSTOMERS NOT TO HONOR THE PUNCH CARD FOR USING DEBIT OR CREDIT CARDS! THE FIRST THING YOU ASKED ME
DO YOU HAVE CASH!!! FOR THIS I WILL NOT RETURN!! You are still doing it cause u don't v to report cash to IRS
IF I AM NOT SATISFIED I WILL TAKE IT TO A HIGHER SOURCE!!!
Sincerely,*** ***

I would like to thank you for forwarding me Ms*** feedback and I am sorry for mydelayed responseI can see that Ms*** was still not satisfied despite my thoughtful anddetailed initial responseHence, she decided to extend her complaints to now include somefabricated items which conflicts with her initial assertion that she received professional qualityserviceAlthough I do not think I necessarily have to respond to what I perceive as an aggressiveanimosity and stereotype towards my person and my staff, but because the customer's attitude atthis point is tending towards harassment, I would state the following directly to her:Dear Ms***, as I carefully detailed in my response to your initial complaints,providing punch card to my customers is a "discretionary" business decision intended to boostour business and to encourage customer loyaltyI have spoken to my lawyer about this matterand she assured me that there is no law under the Idaho Uniform Commercial Code or anyexisting regulation that obliges me to make my promotional gift available to all customers or toextend the "gift" to all payment typesBig stores like Costco, Winco, to mention a few, applycertain rules- e.g., accept cash and debit card only, different from that applied elsewhere -likeWalmartRegardless of what other similar businesses do or don't do, our promotional gift optionis what is viable for our business within the confines of the lawMoreso, my ability to speakEnglish to your satisfaction is inconsequential to my business prowessI am intelligent enough tothink in multiple languages, understand my environment, make a living for myself and myfamily, as well as make positive impact in the community at large.Since you "have a Cosmotology" and you understand the dynamics of business andhuman relations, I hope you will now put this matter to rest, because as much as I would like toend on a good note, I would not put up with unnecessary harassmentI run multiple businesses,take care of my family, as well as commit my time to helping people within the community, so Ihardly have the spear time to attend to frivolous mattersIf this is a matter of "territorialignorance" and superiority complex, I can only advise that you eat your humble pie and do notover estimate yourself beyond what is necessaryThank you again!Sincerely,Hoi * T***

January 13,2017
RE: Customer Complaint
I would like to thank you for bringing this complaint to my attention and for giving me theopportunity to respond accordingly. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the customer forher fair and honest assessment of the service we provided to her by...

stating that she was "notcomplaining about the gel polish services", she received from us. This to me means that
1. She received a professional quality service (nail polish) at a price that was reasonable andacceptable to her,
2. The environment of the salon was clean and welcoming;
3. She was accorded the respect and human dignity due to her as a valued customer.Therefore, based on these facts, I will like to conclude that the service rendered, at least, metthe customer's cognitive expectations. Thus, the customer's allegations can be summarized as (1)The cash payment condition for our optional promotional gift was improperly discriminatory, (2)We encourage cash payment in order to evade our tax obligations, and lastly, (3) We do not speaknor understand standard "American English."
Here are my responses to the stated allegations:
1. The Punch Card - As the customer rightly stated, we have a "lucky star punch card" thatworks the way she described. This card serves as an in-house optional promotional gift toour customers as a token of our appreciation for their patronage and as part of our businessstrategy to retain customers loyalty without raising the costs of doing business. Thepromotional gift is purely a discretional initiative that we have carefully tailored to ensurethat it is best suited for the overall goal and sustainability of our business. Hence, ourpractices may sometimes defer from that of our competitors.
2. Improper Cash Payment Preference - As the customer rightly noted, the gift card ispunched each time the receiving customer visits the salon and pays cash. The customer ischarged the regular price with the sales tax and issued a receipt as an evidence of thetransaction, and we keep a copy for our records for tax purposes. On the tenth visit, thecustomer receives a free fill-in or manicure for free. We did not violate any local sales tax,or IRS laws by this preference because legal tender includes cash and businesses areallowed to choose their preferred method of payment so long as legal tender is used, theappropriate taxes are charged, and proper book keeping is kept (e.g., receipts). Restrictingthe promotional gift card to cash paying customers only, is a business decision made, firstfor mitigating the increasing costs of merchant services credit card processing fees andsecondly, for easy tracking of how many free services we offer while remainingcompetitive. This becomes our expense and we meet our burden of proof by keeping thesupporting documents and receipts. In addition, we value all our customers regardless ofwho they are or their method of payment, but we needed to put this process in place toensure efficiency in our business decisions as well as stay competitive in business. Contraryto the customer's notion, our English speaking proficiency may not have met herexpectations, nevertheless we have been in business for over 10 years. We maintain veryhigh professional standards in the service we provide and we have lots of customers fromdiverse backgrounds that we cater for, including Americans that can attest to our highstandards and business etiquette. More importantly, we are law abiding citizens with aproper grasp of the laws and ethics as it applies to our business and daily living and abideaccordingly.
3. English Speaking Proficiency - We may speak English in variation, style andpronunciation, given that English is our second language, but that should not subject us tonegative evaluation and discrimination. The customer is oblivious to our capacity andability to conduct and do business based on her perceived perception of our Englishspeaking proficiency. Worst of all, she has assumed that we are likely running anillegitimate enterprise with practices to evade taxes. This couldn't be further from the truth.Fluency in English couldn't be overstated because this is the business language and weunderstand this thoroughly thus an obligation we do not take lightly. However, thecustomer's reaction to this is an indication of an uninformed bias and a stereotype that weneed to overcome in our community. I would like to believe that the customer is a goodperson, of noble intentions, however she needs to learn to outgrow the smallness ofprejudice and biases through education and engagement, and "do to others what she wouldlike others to do to her", regardless of the diversity in the background.
Nevertheless, I would like to apologize to the customer for her lack of satisfaction at this timein our promotional strategy and for any inconvenience caused for our inability to meet her Englishspeaking expectations. I would also like to assure her that she is still a valued customer and wewould like the opportunity to make her feel proud to seek our services further if she so wishes.
Sincerely,
Management