Jun 23, 2006 11:24 AM
13199 Views
Note: This review is limited only to the Vashi - Navi Mumbai branch of Lakme beauty salon.
Being a resident of Navi Mumbai, I have travelled a lot of times to Bandra to avail of the beauty parlour services at Lakme salon but I always wondered why they cannot come up with a place in Navi Mumbai and save me that painful journey. And here my wish was granted. I must have been among the first few of their customers. I desperately hunted for the telephone number and called up to fix an appointment. Even though I have been a regular at the salon since then, there are a couple of things I would like to mention about the experience I have had. To begin with the pros, I must agree that the interiors are very pleasant. You feel relaxed once you have entered the parlour. But it ends there.
There has not been a single day when I did not have to wait at least half an hour for my turn (please note that there was also not a single day when I went in without an appointment or reached late. I always call beforehand to fix a time and be there at least 5 minutes prior). The people performing the services are talented and they know their work well but the management is very poor. Customer service is highly inconsistent. My last visit to the salon has been the most painful. After a wait of half an hour I am being taken in for the service and then the torture starts. The thread being used for threading is so sharp that it cuts through the skin.
The beautician performing the service on me showed me how her finger was bleeding because of the constant use of that thread and think of me getting it used on my eye and upper lip. To add to the ordeal, the manager kept coming up to my beautician every 2 minutes and asking "Are you done". When I asked the manager what the matter was, the reply that came shocked me beyond belief. This beautician had apparently been instructed to leave some other client in the middle of the service and come out to "get over" with me at the earliest and then go back and attend to the same lady she had left in between since they were understaffed. This was enough to make me lose my cool.
How long could I endure the pain of the poor quality thread and at the same time not left at peace to get the work done smoothly. The lecture to the manager that followed after that is irrelevant here but the point is that is such an experience at a brand like Lakme acceptable? And for any service, they charge at least double than any other local parlour. So would I not expect a premium service experience too. If the manager knows that the staff size is not sufficient to handle the customers, is it right on her part to fix so many appointments and leave everyone unhappy with the service. And what about the physical damage - the pain of the service and thread cuts on my nose and upper lip?
People in service industry need to understand that they cannot take the customers for granted. With the strong competition today, customers will always have an option. If they still do nor realise this, they better take some courses on topics like customer delight and efefctive management etc.
