A hairstylist says one client canceled 27 appointments and cost her almost $4,000 without ever being charged. Then she finally called her

Sarayah, a hair stylist based in New Jersey, recently decided to confront a client after enduring 27 separate appointment cancellations. This persistent behavior resulted in what she described as “almost $4,000 in lost income, one client.” She shared a video of the phone call on TikTok to show how she handled the situation after realizing that being flexible with her rules was hurting her business.

The stylist decided to call the client to address the pattern of last-minute cancellations that had been happening since 2024. During the call, Sarayah explained her position clearly. She told the client, “We do appreciate your loyalty, but 27 cancellations is a lot of cancellations. And we’ve never charged you once, ever.” The client attempted to justify the missed visits by claiming she was sick or lacked transportation at various times.

Things turned sour when the client started yelling at Sarayah over the phone. Sarayah did not back down, telling the client, “I don’t appreciate this. We don’t feel comfortable serving you if you’re gonna scream and talk to me this way. It’s not acceptable.” 

She felt attacked during the conversation 

She emphasized that she was only trying to enforce the cancellation policy that had been ignored for far too long. Sarayah made it clear that she felt attacked during the conversation, telling the client, “It’s very unfair for us for you to come in and attack us on the phone when we’ve been so gracious with you.”

The client insisted she would show up for the appointment she had cancelled earlier that day. Sarayah agreed to let her come in for that specific appointment, but she made a firm decision about the future. She stated, “This has to be the last time we book her appointment.” 

Viewers on TikTok were quick to weigh in on the situation. Many expressed confusion at how the client managed to rack up so many cancellations in such a short window. As one commenter pointed out, “I don’t think I’ve gotten my hair cut 27 times since 2024.” 

Others were surprised that Sarayah tolerated the behavior for as long as she did. One person noted, “I’m shocked y’all let her do this for so long! I fire clients after two consecutive last-minute cancellations.”

A common piece of advice from viewers was to implement strict fees to prevent this kind of issue before it starts. One commenter wrote, “This is why you have to charge the cancellation fee right from the start. It weeds out disrespectful clients.” Sarayah is now telling her audience that “giving grace” is not always possible when it means her business losing money.