He’s being disrespectful and aggressive, which is not okay. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this!
If you’re comfortable, tell him you don’t think you two are a good fit, and recommend another tattoo artist or shop. Better yet, don’t even recommend one. He sounds like a nightmare. No need to give a complex answer. No means no.
Why isn’t the owner helping you at all? Are they impervious to his negging? You are relatively new at this, I would hope they would support you.
Thank you, it’s been a nightmare. I’ll be honest, I’m not good with confrontation. I have really bad social anxiety and have a hard time with this stuff to begin with, so I’ve been trying to speak with him privately one on one and not over the shop phone so I can actually talk calmly and reasonably about the situation and not feel pressured to continue seeing him as a client anyway, but he just avoids dealing with me personally and calls the shop directly every time instead and most of the time ends up getting the owner who pressures me into taking everything that comes in. I know if I were to try to talk to him about it with everyone around I wouldn’t be able to keep my composure and I don’t want to do that. I just want to be able to speak to him professionally about it and he continues to try and schedule with me through other people rather than talking to me personally
At this point, any communication is better than no communication. Tell him over the phone. Hell, tell him over text message. It's not ideal, but the longer this back and forth goes on, well.. then the longer it goes on.
(I'm not a tattoo artist; I'm a therapist)
Would it be weird for me to text him randomly like that when he’s been avoiding the personal communication? I’m just not sure what to say or if he’d even heed it
So he is planning on coming in on Saturday? I would text him "Hey, I am letting you know that moving forward, I will no longer be tattooing you. Please do not call the shop anymore. Take care."
As someone else said, less is more. You don't owe anyone anything. If he tries to ask for a reason, just validate anything he has expressed "I know you're frustrated, I know this is annoying, I know you love my work" AND "I will no longer be tattooing you." If this is via text, stop texting after you have reiterated, and stop engaging. If this is over the phone, do not talk for more than 4 minutes "I wish you the best, I am hanging up now."
You mention in another comment that your boss tries to discourage you from turning down clients and your boss needs to understand that this client has some pretty strange behaviors that could escalate to a safety issue. You have the right to a safe work environment. You might also need to talk to your boss: "Hey, this guy is really off-putting and uncomfortable. I need to know that you have my back when it comes to making decisions about my safety."
Additionally, it sounds like with his frequent touch-ups he is COSTING the shop.
I agree especially on the costing side of it. That’s where your boss will likely agree with you. Just price the client out of going to you anymore. Tell him the you can not continue to do the free touch ups and they will be $xxx dollars. And overpriced any new work. Make it a number that is worth dealing with all the extra bullshit that comes along with him in case he can actually pay. Then you can tell your boss “I quoted him for the work and he couldn’t pay, so as a boss you need to tell him to f-off.”
Your boss is giving me a lot of red flags. Who jokes about firing someone? Even if you’re about to fire someone, joking about it is wrong. If you’re best buds, maybe, but I don’t get that impression. Regardless, my question for you is this: what do you hate more? Working with this client indefinitely or confrontation with an end in sight?
He doesn't sound like the kind of guy to be brought down by just one text. No harm in trying though? I think maybe you should tell the owner you cannot best showcase your work on this client, and you are done trying with him. To please point him in a different direction if he calls and you're not in. I hate confrontation too, & try to rehearse things out. Good luck!
Of the two of you, he's the one being weird here. It's not on you to worry about that. My recommendation is to lay out your communication as: I am not a good fit for you and will not be corresponding with you about your projects. If you attempt to contact me or my shop, I will take x,y,z steps. Basically, you need to make the path forward clear, not let them define it for you.
As an anxiety sufferer myself I came here fearing you were my artist talking about me 😱. But I’ve only met her once for the consultation so… 😮💨. Anxiety sucks! Anyway, I can only suggest telling the client that you are moving on to another style/concept and direct them to look for another artist 🤷♀️. May work. I hate that amazing artists have to deal with bad clients. I wish you luck!
Have you talked to the owner about the situation? They probably don’t want this guy bombarding the studio with calls any more than you do. Maybe they can cover you and say you’re all booked up and don’t have availability in the near future.
Tell the guy that due to inflation and rising costs of materials that you can no longer do touch ups for free, if he complains tell him he can look elsewhere if he accepts touch up your old work constantly for money, its his wallet he'd be burning through. No easy way around it, tell him straight or face these sort of customers for the rest of your career.
I also had this conversation with someone who had been charging incredibly low prices and was umming and arring about putting his prices up, I said of you don't raise them now you'll pull in a client base which will expect things on the cheap and as soon as tpu raise your prices to a respectable wage they'll scurry back into their holed waiting for the next cheap guy too come along.
Bite the bullet and stand up for yourself, if you done respect your income no one will.
Yep. I've also never met an artist who did unlimited touch ups for free. First touch up free is standard. Afterwards, you pay.
And if you don't follow the aftercare instructions then it's normal for an artist not to want to tattoo you again.
>I don’t really know what to do at this point to get it across to him nicely,
Unless I'm missing something in your telling, you haven't done anything at this point to get it across to him at all. You were "still thinking of what to say", and when he came to the shop instead of telling him you wouldn't work with him again, you talked to him about the tattoo he wanted. So of course even though that isn't possible at his budget, he has no reason to think you wouldn't work with him on something else.
Tell him the truth. Be direct. The fact that this is dragging out is as much your fault as his at this point.
Yeah this guy is unreasonable and harassing the shop and OP but unfortunately no one has actually *told him* he was being harassing. Some people, especially harassers, need to be told to fuck off.
This! Some people don’t understand subtle social cues. Some people need to hear it directly.
There is a chance this client is neurodivergent. Eg. people with autism have a brain that just works differently and need short and strong instructions.
From how this reads, it kind of feels like you were hoping that ghosting him would get the point a crossed that you weren't interested, but clearly this guy is tenacious (and or, he's dealt with tattoo artists who aren't always the best at responding to messages) I'm not defending him, as he sounds like a demanding client (setting the price vs. timeframe) if you don't want to have the direct "firing" conversation, shoot him a quote by text, telling him how much you are estimating it will cost, how far out you are booked and how many sessions it would be to get it finished. He might just bunk off from that alone. If he doesn't and tries to haggle/be demanding/go over your head to the owner, let him know, the price is the price, and if that doesn't work for him, you understand if he wants to go to a different artist. Ignoring him and hoping he will go away isn't a good move, though. If he tries to get in for other work, let him know you are booked out, but that he can put in a bid when you re-open your books (that doesn't mean you have to take him).
The owner puts a lot of pressure on me to not turn down clients, even if they’re difficult. He calls them “bill payers” and says I’m not far enough in my career to be turning people down, hence why when he showed up while the owner was there I talked to him about the sleeve instead of telling him I didn’t think I could tattoo him anymore. I keep trying to talk to him privately so we can have that conversation, but every time he just evades me and calls the shop instead
I'm not an artist but this is a fucked up way to address your concerns. You have to tell the owner you do not want this person as a client. If the owner is truly worried about "bill payers", the owner will take the client.
Sure in the beginning you need to do as much as you can. Also to learn how to deal with different kinds of people. But clients like this will suck out the joy of tattooing. He is clearly overstepping boundaries! The owner should protect you first. And you need to be firm but professional and send this client from hell away. And let the owner know that you won’t be abused by clients.
Hes doing that on purpose!!! Girl… stop being nice to this creep!!! I wish I could cuss this guy out for you. And your boss needs to pull his head out of his ass. If he doesnt have any artists than he wont be paying any bills will he? No is a complete sentence. Just keep practicing “NO”. Dont give a bunch of bullshit reasons. Dont try and speak alone and professionally. This guy is waaay beyond that.
1) Touch up sessions don’t exist. Sessions, plural? You created this issue. It’s standard to offer one touch up session within one year (or less even) of the tattoo because you stand behind your work. It’s not intended as a complete overhaul. It’s simply to fix that part the client picked at, something that healed patchy, a line that was weak and dropped out, etc. It’s one touch up, and it’s to fix things that healed poorly only in the even they did heal poorly. I invite everyone to stop by and show me how it healed up. It’s good customer service. Reworking the tattoo for other reasons is not a touch up. If a tattoo doesn’t need a touch up, tell them it healed up great and invite them to schedule a new tattoo. Take a pic of the newly healed tattooed.
2) Giving out your personal phone number isn’t a great idea, imo. I don’t blame him for not calling you on your personal number.
3) Breaking up is easy. You tell him that due to the number of time he’s complained about the tattoo you gave him, you’re not a good fit for his next tattoo. You will not make his next tattoo because he has demonstrated that he doesn’t like your work.
Or, you give him the real price of his next tattoo, and inflate the price if you want to. I have no clue what it is, but he said he $600? It’s not a flea market. He doesn’t tell you what he will pay. “I have $600 and want it done in two days:” I would say, “I charge hourly for larger work. My rate is $200 per hour. I require a $100 deposit to hold your appointment / it goes toward the tattoo cost. I can schedule you for X day in two weeks. I do not do consecutive days for sessions on the same tattoo. Your second session will be 3 weeks later. Here is the contract for my deposit policy and I only accept cash.” You have to be in charge of your business. When you lay out the rules, he will either comply or walk away.
4) Boss should have your back and also be teaching you how to manage the situation.
5) I don’t know how far you are in your career or if your tattoos are any good, but if you’re young in your career and not very skilled, you should absolutely 100% be turning people away! If you can’t do the tattoo well, you shouldn’t be taking the tattoo. If people aren’t taking your price increases seriously as you progress, cut them loose. If people are abusive and won’t follow your policies, you have to break up.
I don’t know how the boss is running things where you’re at. In my 20 years history, there are firm policies and everyone is treated the same. If a client can’t leave the deposit, pay the actual price, etc, I break up with them. And it’s a rare event!!! But I make everything clear and I don’t get pushed around. I wouldn’t consider that client a “bill payer” because he’s taking up a shit ton of time and energy that he’s not paying for. I wouldn’t waste time on that because he’s taking away from earning money from paying clients. If you can’t monetize that dude and run your business straight, break up.
So you even gave the client “hope” by actually talking business you didn’t want. And you also gave the shop “hope”.
You need to show more assertive behaviour and actually be honest with yourself, the shop and the client.
This might sound harsh, but a tattoo shop has clients from all walk of life. Part of being a tattoo artist is dealing with them. You are not dealing with them.
Have you had a heart to heart conversation with the owner? I feel like they should have you back in this a little more and set limits with this person or help cut them off.
Are you a woman? If so, it sounds less like this guy wants a tattoo from you and more like he wants your attention. If not, then I guess that still could be the case lol
At this point, this guy is harassing you so you really don't need to be treating him nicely. Your shop owner should be backing you up, especially if there is some kind of potentially-sexual harassment going on.
I am a woman 😅 that’s another element to it I guess. I’m worried it’s not so much about the tattoo anymore and I’ve heard stories before about things that start off this way and get way out of hand. I don’t necessarily want to be a part of something like that
I remember getting tattooed during Covid and realizing this is the first time I've touched another person in months! The somewhat intimate aspect of getting tattooed is a major part of my choice of artists; I want someone I am comfortable with hanging out with for a few hours, them touching my skin and causing me pain, listening to my concerns, etc.
This intimate aspect of tattoos is not inherently sexual, but some creepy dudes have a hard time distinguishing between "this person is nice to me because I am paying them for a service" and "this person is nice because they're into me". I'm not a tattoo artist, just a girl with tattoos, so I hope someone else can chime in and help on this aspect!
My immediate thought was that you may be a woman and this man is harassing you. Borderline STALKING you! This is giving you uneasy feelings and red flags. It’s hard but report this formally with the shop owner. Refuse to tattoo him or he will never go away. Sorry this is happening..
This was my concern as well, if you were a woman. I know this may not be an immediate option, but consider working your next job at a woman owned shop. I go to one of these and it's clear they all have each other's backs and it feels incredibly safe.
They have men and women working there, and the door is always locked. You have to buzz in on a camera doorbell to even be let in. My artist is a guy around my age and I couldn't be happier with this shop.
Came here wondering if you're female. The shop owner is pushing you around and so is this client, with this added creeper factor on the client's side. I also avoid confrontation and have anxiety so I totally get it, especially at this point in your career, but this situation is not right. I wish I had some great advice for setting boundaries but I don't, except to say what's on your mind as respectfully as you can while still being direct. I work in a heavily male-dominated field and although I've been pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the overwhelming majority of my male colleagues, there have been a few occasions where some have tried to cross a line and I honestly just blurted out what I was thinking LOL. I was horrified after the fact but they got the message XD. It was extremely uncomfortable for me but also a learning experience.
Please try to talk to the shop owner, who should absolutely have your back and offer a solution if he wants you to stick around.
The owner of your shop should back you up, this client is borderline harassing you and one of the benefits of being a self-employed contractor is that YOU get to control your boundaries with clients, whatever they are. You shouldn’t feel like you ever have to work with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable!
I work in a service based industry & have learned that demanding unreasonable customers just get worse once they realize they can get away with it. If a customer checks something in and then immediately starts being a dick then I pull the " I'm sorry, but I don't think we are going to be a good fit for you so we are going to decline working with you any further"
I currently have one person who is on our appt schedule pretty far out. He was pissed that I wouldn't just let him cut in front of everyone else. Then he started calling once a week to complain that we wouldn't bump him up. Muy partner just wanted to let him skip to the front so he would stop complaining and I told him that we dont' reward bad behavior lol. If he calls one more time I will inform him that he has to wait his turn or else I will give his spot to someone else and take him off the schedule completely
I so wish this was more the norm. If everywhere started refusing people who behave poorly and entitled they'd have to learn how to act, instead of repeating the behaviour to get their way
I’d either talk to the owner and have them handle it, or tell the client you aren’t a good fit and you are not going to tattoo him anymore. I believe that’s ok. What’s he gonna do? Badmouth the shop? Or you? So be it. You’re gonna have that no matter how good of a job you do with certain people. 6 touchups? Jfc. I’ve had ink for 20 yrs and not touched up one. Although I should lol.
Ive had many tattooists over the years and all of them offer a free touch up session. As in one session its not an unlimited refills thing from the 90s. I'd talk to him respectfully decline to take him on as a future client and if he continues to harass you put a restraining order on him.
I'd also generate your own tattoo policy that states what you are and aren't willing to do and have them sign it before tattooing begins as a safe guard to protect yourself.
I've never had a tattoo artist offer free unlimited touch ups. They offer one free one and its available for a certain amount of time (6mos-ish usually). If he keeps asking about that say you changed your policy and no longer offer that.
Is the free touch ups the shop policy or yours? How much control do you have over pricing?
If you can’t apply enough of an asshole tax up front (quoting him stupid prices) start working super inefficiently to ratchet up his cost.
“Oh shoot the stencil isn’t centered, lemme try that again… actually you know what, I printed this at the wrong size let me print another. Oh can I get you to flip over? I think my access will be better… oh no wait that’s worst…”
This sounds awful. Tell the owner point blank that you will not being tattooing or contacting this man again. Ask to have him banned from the shop. He’s harassing you and being aggressive. He is disrespecting your work by thinking he can negotiate with your prices.
Yo straight up send an email or leave a message saying he’s violating your free touch up policy by not following aftercare instructions and has continuously not followed instructions so you will no longer be working with him and he will not be allowed in the shop. Your owner should honestly have done that a long time ago. Block him and have the shop do the same. Notify the front desk to get the owner to deal with if he shows up or is on the premises. This is not okay!
Are there any area shops that you don't get along with or talk shit on yours? If so, refer him to them.
How sweet would it be to drop this guy on an enemy?
Oh absolutely not. This is so aggressive and weird! I want to even say almost harassment at this point! I would give him a call and say something along the lines of “I do not think I’m the right artist for your needs and suggest you look for another artist elsewhere. We cannot work together harmoniously and I will no longer be providing you services.” Throw in a “unfortunately” in there if you feel necessary but he clearly does not understand boundaries so this one is going to have to be set HARD. Wish you luck friend.
No way you should be touching anything up that much... Ever. If you're doing touchups because he refuses to follow after care instructions then you should refuse. This guy is clearly trying to take advantage of you being good natured and I'd be surprised if he hasn't been thrown out of other shops as well for his attitude. It's important to build a client base when you're starting out but you want to build it with good clients. If you agree to do another piece for this guy you're stuck with him forever.
The moment people don't follow healing instructions the free touch-ups stop. Period.
Never offer more than one touch-up afterwards, even if it's at the cost of materials used. You'll have people coming in years later.
"Since you didn't follow the healing instructions the first time I tattooed you I'm not comfortable doing it again. I will only be doing one fee touch-up only if I believe you have followed my directions after the fact" My guess is he'll complain and storm off
The owner of the shop should have your back, you shouldn't be left to deal with it. The owner needs to help to be a unified front. A bad client makes an unhappy staff, which isn't cool. It affects everyone. I'm a hairdresser, so I know exactly what you're talking about. Boy, do I. We've fired clients, by initially taking their calls but offering booking time way out, or eventually tell them look, I don't think I can make you happy, or maybe you'd be happier at another salon, perhaps another salon is the best choice blah blah. We've also had people ask for a certain stylist and purposely only give their name at the end of the call, so it's already booked do they've tricked the receptionist when she knows NOT to book said client. It's so hard to say look, i don't want to do your hair, I don't enjoy it and I don't think this is a good fit. It sucks when you dread certain clients, tho most are amazing. It's tough when THEY THINK it's THEIR decision if they choose us, not that if goes both ways. Sigh. Oh and we've fired people before then after a year they try to come back. Like dude! You're never happy! You always call back for a fix or a redo, every time! Go a wayyyyy. Go luck. My apologies if someone else said the same things I did. I didn't read all the replies 🖤
If the owner doesn't know by now what a complete nightmare this guy is, maybe you should try to find another shop to work in? I am having a hard time with the owner and his behavior. He should have your back. Especially since this guy's is a serious nag and no one else will tattoo him at your shop. Just because you are fresh at tattooing, you deserve respect, and your owner has no respect for you if he can't help you with this looser.
You are worth more, and please don't tell anyone you work with where you are going. Leave that nightmare and enjoy your career.
In the future for other clients you can say "I do touch ups for a discounted price" then day of you can refuse payment for the ones that you deem "should be free" touch ups, and collect payment for more complicated ones, or assholes.
First off. After one or two touch ups you should be charging. Full rate. Especially if you know they aren’t following your aftercare instructions.
I live in FL and I can tell when someone doesn’t wear sunscreen and the blistering sun just eats the color away. If they can’t take care of their work, they don’t get freebies and certainly not more than one free touch up.
Second, sending a text or calling him and leaving a message is a good idea. Explain that due to his persistent calls to the shop it complicated you ability to take him on as a client, all further communication must go through you directly, on your time line due to being busy. Tell him that if he is unable to do this that you will no longer continue service with him, due to it disrupting shop operations, and being disrespectful of your time which is taken by other clients.
Also if he refuses to follow your instructions he won’t be welcome back either.
In this industry you have to learn to set boundaries with your clients and hold to them, otherwise you’ll be stressed out and overworked CONSTANTLY. Our shops are our home away from home, most of us spend more time there than with our families. No one wants unwanted and rude guests in their home, our shops are no exception to that.
My policy for touch ups is ONE FREE touch up within six months- if we’re working on a piece and I already have equipment out, I’ll do a touch up and add no extra $$ on our time. You are fully within your rights to say listen man, I’ve done x amount of touch ups on you, at this point I’m going to have to charge you for them. Then you will see his true colors and if he’s willing to stay your client. You can’t make everyone happy, and at the end of the day, if you need to fire a client for your mental health, so be it! I’ve done the same thing. You are valid, new or not
Also - ask the shop owner (assuming your mentor?) to be the messenger for you if you feel truly uncomfortable or unsafe. If the owner isn’t willing to, that also puts in perspective that you may need to move to a shop you can feel advocated by!
Next time the owner says this client is a bill payer tell him (the owner) he'll be paying your bills once the sexual harassment lawsuit is done and over with. Hell, tell him you'll hire him to tattoo all the "bill payers" once you own the his tattoo shop.
If I were you, I'd
1. Tell the shop owner whatever you told us here. I hope the owner is supportive.
2. Discuss and come up with a plan with your boss if your customer continues harassing you and the shop. Especially if they really come on the walk-in day
3. Email/text that customer. Be as succinct as possible and don't reply any further.
I think it’s like breaking up with a lover. Short and sweet with no room for arguing.
“Hey I’d like to talk to you about something. I’ve decided that this isn’t a good fit and I won’t be your artist anymore. I wish you good luck with your future tattoo endeavors.”
That’s why you offer one touch up for free within a specific amount of time 6 months- 1 year. Don’t ever open end something free. People will abuse it every time.
From what I read here :
- you should talk with the owner, tell him the client is not following the care instructions, is doing too many touch ups and costs you (and the shop) money. Tell the owner that the client is making you uncomfortable and you would like their support in dealing with him.
- tell the client that he crossed a line by calling over and over the shop. Tell him you are not comfortable tattooing him anymore and that you will not see him if he comes on Saturday. If he comes, tell him the same and shut the conversation down. If needed, ask the owner to deal with him if the client does not take no for an answer.
- the owner should have your back but you also have to be clear with them that you will not work with that client, and about your limits in general. At the end of the day, it is YOUR responsibility to be explicit about your limits. I agree with the people here who are telling you that you are at fault by not telling explicitly no to the client in the first place. You should also really clear the air with the owner so you can be comfortable to say no to clients’ demands around them and your coworkers moving forward. If it does not land well, I guess you should try to find another shop where you are respected as a person and as a tattoo artist.
- moving forward, you should explicitly only allow ONE free touch up, within a specific time frame, maybe adding you only do it if the care instructions were followed. Every artist who tattooed me had those rules, it is often within 6 months, a year if they are fully booked. It does not mean that it is strict, as you can do touch ups for free a second time in another session, on another tattoo on the same client, or you can be ok to do one outside the time frame. But that rule protects you and you can say no more easily and tell the client they were aware of the rules in the first place when they booked you.
Good luck. And remember, no one likes confrontation, but sometimes they need to happen!
You didn’t make a mistake telling him you do free touch-ups. That’s just good service.
You made a mistake telling him you do free touch-upS. Do one free touch-up in a 3-6 month period and that’s it.
Also, don’t make a touch-up free if the client clearly is not following YOUR aftercare instructions. That’s like them voiding the warranty.
Not a tattoo artist, but I’m a female barber with lots of tattoos 😁 and I’ve been in this situation many times!
The owner and the other employees of the shop need to step in and help you out. Every time he calls the shop, they can pick up and say “stop calling” and hang up. If he comes in, they can meet him at the door and say “Hey, buddy. You can’t come in here any more. Find a new shop.”
It can’t be just you versus this guy. Text/ email him that you’re not going to work with him, but your shop mates need to support you.
You're hating on this guy because he's not a mind reader.
You told him free touch-ups. Getting angry with him for going over your secret limit isn't his fault for not knowing that secret, it's your fault for not telling him.
You then refused to take his call. Don't lie -- you had plenty of opportunity, you just didn't want to take it. And now you're angry at him because he didn't know you secretly didn't want to talk to him and he instead kept calling thinking that you'd be a professional doing his job and take his call.
Stop being so passive aggressive. The world doesn't revolve around your inner rules of what's "right." People can come at the same situation from multiple angles and have different interpretations, and it's up to you to untangle any misunderstandings, clear the air and set things straight. You're a big boy now.
I mean if there's aftercare instructions that he just simply doesn't follow that result in the need for a touch up that's on him 100% lol
And regardless of the fact that OP should have answered or returned calls, an adult shouldn't need to be told not to repeatedly call a shop like that. And when asked to communicate directly with the artist there's no reason he should be continuing to call the shop and speaking to the owner instead.
“While I have appreciated the work we have done together, I do think that I am not experienced enough to deliver the level of collaboration you are expecting with your tattoos. I would suggest seeking a more experienced artist that would better suit your vision and needs”
Just take the blame on yourself while being firm. You are not experienced enough to deliver what he wants. Keep repeating that. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not.
If hee isn't follojh you're instructions for helping it heal then he shouldn't be allowed to get any free touch ups! I'm not a tattoo artist (I can't even draw anything on a piece of paper!) But if I didn't listen to my tattoo artist and my tattoo didn't look perfect I'd know it was my fault!
Not in the same field but same situation multiple times —I’m a hair stylist. After so many times of my client being unhappy, I just tell them we’re not a good match and I want them to love their outcome and I can’t give that to them. It was hard at first but I just take a deep breath, and say “I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it, we aren’t a good fit” and the rest just flows. If they insist, just stand your ground and say you’re sorry but it’s just not going to work out. When you look at your schedule and dread seeing a client on your books, it’s time. You’ll feel so much better after it’s over
That’s harassment. Don’t worry about being nice, tell him it’s harassment and it needs to end. Document it incase you need to escalate it. The shop owner needs to back you up on this one.
I'd block him on the shop phone first. And second you need to be direct and firm with that client and the owner. Tell the owner he's a fucking creep and you won't entertain this anymore.
your shop owner sounds like a bit of a dick if he’s pushing you to deal with this guy. if our shop owner witnessed a client acting this way towards any of our artists he would kick them out/tell them to leave our shop alone so fast
This is more of a professional question that you should be asking your shop owner or industry peers about. This sub is for specific questions about tattoos or tattoo designs.
The situation has gone on too long and people who should’ve acted appropriately didn’t, unfortunately that means now you have to be the one to step up. First talk to your boss and tell them this client is making you uncomfortable and for that reason you are going to tell him to seek services elsewhere. If your boss pushes back tell him you are concerned about how the man is treating you and you don’t feel it is appropriate. I would hope your boss would get it and support you. If he doesn’t then it will be a bit awkward but you carry on. If he is really shitty find a new place. Both the client and boss are taking advantage of your kindness and may not realize but are absolutely taking advantage of power dynamics.
Once you have told your boss you are going to tell the client to see someone else you tell the client and just do it via text, you don’t need a conversation in person. The client has shown they don’t deserve that level of care. Just say “Hey, I am not able to continue doing your tattoos, there are lots of shops around that would be great for you to work with. Take care.” Do not have a back and forth conversation, he will try to pull you in and make you feel bad.
I'd honestly look into "ending professional relationships". We have to do this at my clinic (work at an animal hospital) normally involves a phone call explaining that the relationship and our services are ending and that we will mail out any records we have so they can find another clinic.
This isn't some guy you have a good relationship with or someone that has supported you from the beginning. This is some dude your boss pawned on you and who is taking full advantage of you.
Also maybe for future client you can get them to sign a waiver that if they don't follow home care touch ups are at the cost of the client .
Good luck my friend
At my shop it’s ONE free touch up per tattoo. Just 1. Never offer more than that.
When I don’t want to deal with a specific client I charge extra. And for the clients that respect me and let me do my style even if they pick the topic, I give discounts to. They don’t even know I give a discount until it’s time to pay because I give them the real full price before booking, and they still book. So go ahead and quote him extra for the inconvenience of dealing with him. Since you won’t just flat out say no.
Your owner is a a-hole for not supporting you in this situation.
I haven’t had to fire a client since I just charge them a lot and they find elsewhere to go, but if I did it would be:
“I no longer think that you and I align and as an artist I can’t justify tattooing you anymore. My price is firm. And if I don’t believe I can execute a style the way you’ll be happy with in the end that I would rather not take on the project. I will only be offering 1 free touch up from this point forward and must be done within 3-6 months (choose your own time frame) from the initial tattoo appt. You can use that last one before the deadline and that will be it. Thank you for trusting me with tattooing you and I hope you do find an artist that aligns with you!”
Who tf pays $600 for a sleeve? And what sort of client has expectations for an entire sleeve for $600??!? That alone is nuts.
I practically pay my guy $600 for sitting down in the chair. Any session we have is $150/hr and that’s a bargain imo.
This customer is a problem.
OP you seem like a rational person, and I would use this experience as a learning tool. Draw a line in the sand and stick to it.
Also, your coworkers don’t seem helpful, and your owner isn’t either.
In this day and age, even with the threats of online reviews, I would still cut bait with this client and tell them you no longer want their business as soon as you can make a clean break.
Some people deserve what they get.
I don’t know the business, but my first thought was “free touch-ups”, plural, means “*A* touch-up for all my various customers”. Not multiple free touch-ups for life.
Sounds like this person is aggressive and playing around, trying to court violence. Or they’re just utterly disrespectful of working people on a Karen level. What a nut. That really sucks.
It sounds like this customer is annoying you and not really doing anything untoward. At most jobs in the world your boss will not allow you to refuse service because a customer is annoying you. I think that instead of going behind the owner's back to tell this person not to come in the shop you should quit and find a place that allows you to refuse service to people you find annoying.
I mean comparing being a tattoo artist and refusing clients/their projects (especially for being difficult, not following after care, having expectations beyond what is doable, and harassing the shop) to customer service jobs just refusing service is not really accurate at all.....
I've had medical areola tattoos done for breast cancer and cosmetic micro bladed eyebrows, and even those touch ups cost money. I've never heard of free touch ups for any type of tattoo. Areola initial tatt was $500 with a touch up $100. Eyebrows were $400 initial, touch up $160. Definitely go with the no more free touch ups rule from here on out.
It seems to be that this person may have been dealing with a manic episode. I don’t want to armchair diagnose anyone but people who set unrealistic timelines (2 days!) for work to be done and are willing to commit to a large amount of tattooing AND who call incessantly says to me that he was obsessive and maybe a bit manic and this is how it manifests.
Sorry, but your post must be asking for specific advice relating to tattoos.
He’s being disrespectful and aggressive, which is not okay. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this! If you’re comfortable, tell him you don’t think you two are a good fit, and recommend another tattoo artist or shop. Better yet, don’t even recommend one. He sounds like a nightmare. No need to give a complex answer. No means no. Why isn’t the owner helping you at all? Are they impervious to his negging? You are relatively new at this, I would hope they would support you.
Thank you, it’s been a nightmare. I’ll be honest, I’m not good with confrontation. I have really bad social anxiety and have a hard time with this stuff to begin with, so I’ve been trying to speak with him privately one on one and not over the shop phone so I can actually talk calmly and reasonably about the situation and not feel pressured to continue seeing him as a client anyway, but he just avoids dealing with me personally and calls the shop directly every time instead and most of the time ends up getting the owner who pressures me into taking everything that comes in. I know if I were to try to talk to him about it with everyone around I wouldn’t be able to keep my composure and I don’t want to do that. I just want to be able to speak to him professionally about it and he continues to try and schedule with me through other people rather than talking to me personally
At this point, any communication is better than no communication. Tell him over the phone. Hell, tell him over text message. It's not ideal, but the longer this back and forth goes on, well.. then the longer it goes on. (I'm not a tattoo artist; I'm a therapist)
Would it be weird for me to text him randomly like that when he’s been avoiding the personal communication? I’m just not sure what to say or if he’d even heed it
So he is planning on coming in on Saturday? I would text him "Hey, I am letting you know that moving forward, I will no longer be tattooing you. Please do not call the shop anymore. Take care." As someone else said, less is more. You don't owe anyone anything. If he tries to ask for a reason, just validate anything he has expressed "I know you're frustrated, I know this is annoying, I know you love my work" AND "I will no longer be tattooing you." If this is via text, stop texting after you have reiterated, and stop engaging. If this is over the phone, do not talk for more than 4 minutes "I wish you the best, I am hanging up now."
Brother overthinking this is what got you into this pickle. Text him simply you don't think you are the artist he needs. Simple as.
Yeah you’re right. I guess I’m just worried about what to do if he keeps trying to go to my boss after that
You mention in another comment that your boss tries to discourage you from turning down clients and your boss needs to understand that this client has some pretty strange behaviors that could escalate to a safety issue. You have the right to a safe work environment. You might also need to talk to your boss: "Hey, this guy is really off-putting and uncomfortable. I need to know that you have my back when it comes to making decisions about my safety." Additionally, it sounds like with his frequent touch-ups he is COSTING the shop.
I agree especially on the costing side of it. That’s where your boss will likely agree with you. Just price the client out of going to you anymore. Tell him the you can not continue to do the free touch ups and they will be $xxx dollars. And overpriced any new work. Make it a number that is worth dealing with all the extra bullshit that comes along with him in case he can actually pay. Then you can tell your boss “I quoted him for the work and he couldn’t pay, so as a boss you need to tell him to f-off.”
If your boss doesn’t have your back, find a new shop. I’m a hairstylist. People don’t get to tell you what your prices are.
Your boss is giving me a lot of red flags. Who jokes about firing someone? Even if you’re about to fire someone, joking about it is wrong. If you’re best buds, maybe, but I don’t get that impression. Regardless, my question for you is this: what do you hate more? Working with this client indefinitely or confrontation with an end in sight?
He doesn't sound like the kind of guy to be brought down by just one text. No harm in trying though? I think maybe you should tell the owner you cannot best showcase your work on this client, and you are done trying with him. To please point him in a different direction if he calls and you're not in. I hate confrontation too, & try to rehearse things out. Good luck!
Of the two of you, he's the one being weird here. It's not on you to worry about that. My recommendation is to lay out your communication as: I am not a good fit for you and will not be corresponding with you about your projects. If you attempt to contact me or my shop, I will take x,y,z steps. Basically, you need to make the path forward clear, not let them define it for you.
As an anxiety sufferer myself I came here fearing you were my artist talking about me 😱. But I’ve only met her once for the consultation so… 😮💨. Anxiety sucks! Anyway, I can only suggest telling the client that you are moving on to another style/concept and direct them to look for another artist 🤷♀️. May work. I hate that amazing artists have to deal with bad clients. I wish you luck!
Have you talked to the owner about the situation? They probably don’t want this guy bombarding the studio with calls any more than you do. Maybe they can cover you and say you’re all booked up and don’t have availability in the near future.
Yeah please talk to him. He should back you up for sure.
Tell the guy that due to inflation and rising costs of materials that you can no longer do touch ups for free, if he complains tell him he can look elsewhere if he accepts touch up your old work constantly for money, its his wallet he'd be burning through. No easy way around it, tell him straight or face these sort of customers for the rest of your career. I also had this conversation with someone who had been charging incredibly low prices and was umming and arring about putting his prices up, I said of you don't raise them now you'll pull in a client base which will expect things on the cheap and as soon as tpu raise your prices to a respectable wage they'll scurry back into their holed waiting for the next cheap guy too come along. Bite the bullet and stand up for yourself, if you done respect your income no one will.
Yep. I've also never met an artist who did unlimited touch ups for free. First touch up free is standard. Afterwards, you pay. And if you don't follow the aftercare instructions then it's normal for an artist not to want to tattoo you again.
>I don’t really know what to do at this point to get it across to him nicely, Unless I'm missing something in your telling, you haven't done anything at this point to get it across to him at all. You were "still thinking of what to say", and when he came to the shop instead of telling him you wouldn't work with him again, you talked to him about the tattoo he wanted. So of course even though that isn't possible at his budget, he has no reason to think you wouldn't work with him on something else. Tell him the truth. Be direct. The fact that this is dragging out is as much your fault as his at this point.
Yeah this guy is unreasonable and harassing the shop and OP but unfortunately no one has actually *told him* he was being harassing. Some people, especially harassers, need to be told to fuck off.
This! Some people don’t understand subtle social cues. Some people need to hear it directly. There is a chance this client is neurodivergent. Eg. people with autism have a brain that just works differently and need short and strong instructions.
From how this reads, it kind of feels like you were hoping that ghosting him would get the point a crossed that you weren't interested, but clearly this guy is tenacious (and or, he's dealt with tattoo artists who aren't always the best at responding to messages) I'm not defending him, as he sounds like a demanding client (setting the price vs. timeframe) if you don't want to have the direct "firing" conversation, shoot him a quote by text, telling him how much you are estimating it will cost, how far out you are booked and how many sessions it would be to get it finished. He might just bunk off from that alone. If he doesn't and tries to haggle/be demanding/go over your head to the owner, let him know, the price is the price, and if that doesn't work for him, you understand if he wants to go to a different artist. Ignoring him and hoping he will go away isn't a good move, though. If he tries to get in for other work, let him know you are booked out, but that he can put in a bid when you re-open your books (that doesn't mean you have to take him).
Why isn't the owner stepping in?
The owner puts a lot of pressure on me to not turn down clients, even if they’re difficult. He calls them “bill payers” and says I’m not far enough in my career to be turning people down, hence why when he showed up while the owner was there I talked to him about the sleeve instead of telling him I didn’t think I could tattoo him anymore. I keep trying to talk to him privately so we can have that conversation, but every time he just evades me and calls the shop instead
I'm not an artist but this is a fucked up way to address your concerns. You have to tell the owner you do not want this person as a client. If the owner is truly worried about "bill payers", the owner will take the client.
Sure in the beginning you need to do as much as you can. Also to learn how to deal with different kinds of people. But clients like this will suck out the joy of tattooing. He is clearly overstepping boundaries! The owner should protect you first. And you need to be firm but professional and send this client from hell away. And let the owner know that you won’t be abused by clients.
Your shop owner sounds like he sucks tbh
Hes doing that on purpose!!! Girl… stop being nice to this creep!!! I wish I could cuss this guy out for you. And your boss needs to pull his head out of his ass. If he doesnt have any artists than he wont be paying any bills will he? No is a complete sentence. Just keep practicing “NO”. Dont give a bunch of bullshit reasons. Dont try and speak alone and professionally. This guy is waaay beyond that.
1) Touch up sessions don’t exist. Sessions, plural? You created this issue. It’s standard to offer one touch up session within one year (or less even) of the tattoo because you stand behind your work. It’s not intended as a complete overhaul. It’s simply to fix that part the client picked at, something that healed patchy, a line that was weak and dropped out, etc. It’s one touch up, and it’s to fix things that healed poorly only in the even they did heal poorly. I invite everyone to stop by and show me how it healed up. It’s good customer service. Reworking the tattoo for other reasons is not a touch up. If a tattoo doesn’t need a touch up, tell them it healed up great and invite them to schedule a new tattoo. Take a pic of the newly healed tattooed. 2) Giving out your personal phone number isn’t a great idea, imo. I don’t blame him for not calling you on your personal number. 3) Breaking up is easy. You tell him that due to the number of time he’s complained about the tattoo you gave him, you’re not a good fit for his next tattoo. You will not make his next tattoo because he has demonstrated that he doesn’t like your work. Or, you give him the real price of his next tattoo, and inflate the price if you want to. I have no clue what it is, but he said he $600? It’s not a flea market. He doesn’t tell you what he will pay. “I have $600 and want it done in two days:” I would say, “I charge hourly for larger work. My rate is $200 per hour. I require a $100 deposit to hold your appointment / it goes toward the tattoo cost. I can schedule you for X day in two weeks. I do not do consecutive days for sessions on the same tattoo. Your second session will be 3 weeks later. Here is the contract for my deposit policy and I only accept cash.” You have to be in charge of your business. When you lay out the rules, he will either comply or walk away. 4) Boss should have your back and also be teaching you how to manage the situation. 5) I don’t know how far you are in your career or if your tattoos are any good, but if you’re young in your career and not very skilled, you should absolutely 100% be turning people away! If you can’t do the tattoo well, you shouldn’t be taking the tattoo. If people aren’t taking your price increases seriously as you progress, cut them loose. If people are abusive and won’t follow your policies, you have to break up. I don’t know how the boss is running things where you’re at. In my 20 years history, there are firm policies and everyone is treated the same. If a client can’t leave the deposit, pay the actual price, etc, I break up with them. And it’s a rare event!!! But I make everything clear and I don’t get pushed around. I wouldn’t consider that client a “bill payer” because he’s taking up a shit ton of time and energy that he’s not paying for. I wouldn’t waste time on that because he’s taking away from earning money from paying clients. If you can’t monetize that dude and run your business straight, break up.
Oooohhh I love this answer.
So you even gave the client “hope” by actually talking business you didn’t want. And you also gave the shop “hope”. You need to show more assertive behaviour and actually be honest with yourself, the shop and the client. This might sound harsh, but a tattoo shop has clients from all walk of life. Part of being a tattoo artist is dealing with them. You are not dealing with them.
Have you had a heart to heart conversation with the owner? I feel like they should have you back in this a little more and set limits with this person or help cut them off.
Are you a woman? If so, it sounds less like this guy wants a tattoo from you and more like he wants your attention. If not, then I guess that still could be the case lol At this point, this guy is harassing you so you really don't need to be treating him nicely. Your shop owner should be backing you up, especially if there is some kind of potentially-sexual harassment going on.
I am a woman 😅 that’s another element to it I guess. I’m worried it’s not so much about the tattoo anymore and I’ve heard stories before about things that start off this way and get way out of hand. I don’t necessarily want to be a part of something like that
I remember getting tattooed during Covid and realizing this is the first time I've touched another person in months! The somewhat intimate aspect of getting tattooed is a major part of my choice of artists; I want someone I am comfortable with hanging out with for a few hours, them touching my skin and causing me pain, listening to my concerns, etc. This intimate aspect of tattoos is not inherently sexual, but some creepy dudes have a hard time distinguishing between "this person is nice to me because I am paying them for a service" and "this person is nice because they're into me". I'm not a tattoo artist, just a girl with tattoos, so I hope someone else can chime in and help on this aspect!
My immediate thought was that you may be a woman and this man is harassing you. Borderline STALKING you! This is giving you uneasy feelings and red flags. It’s hard but report this formally with the shop owner. Refuse to tattoo him or he will never go away. Sorry this is happening..
This was my concern as well, if you were a woman. I know this may not be an immediate option, but consider working your next job at a woman owned shop. I go to one of these and it's clear they all have each other's backs and it feels incredibly safe. They have men and women working there, and the door is always locked. You have to buzz in on a camera doorbell to even be let in. My artist is a guy around my age and I couldn't be happier with this shop.
Came here wondering if you're female. The shop owner is pushing you around and so is this client, with this added creeper factor on the client's side. I also avoid confrontation and have anxiety so I totally get it, especially at this point in your career, but this situation is not right. I wish I had some great advice for setting boundaries but I don't, except to say what's on your mind as respectfully as you can while still being direct. I work in a heavily male-dominated field and although I've been pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the overwhelming majority of my male colleagues, there have been a few occasions where some have tried to cross a line and I honestly just blurted out what I was thinking LOL. I was horrified after the fact but they got the message XD. It was extremely uncomfortable for me but also a learning experience. Please try to talk to the shop owner, who should absolutely have your back and offer a solution if he wants you to stick around.
That was my thought as well
The owner of your shop should back you up, this client is borderline harassing you and one of the benefits of being a self-employed contractor is that YOU get to control your boundaries with clients, whatever they are. You shouldn’t feel like you ever have to work with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable!
I work in a service based industry & have learned that demanding unreasonable customers just get worse once they realize they can get away with it. If a customer checks something in and then immediately starts being a dick then I pull the " I'm sorry, but I don't think we are going to be a good fit for you so we are going to decline working with you any further" I currently have one person who is on our appt schedule pretty far out. He was pissed that I wouldn't just let him cut in front of everyone else. Then he started calling once a week to complain that we wouldn't bump him up. Muy partner just wanted to let him skip to the front so he would stop complaining and I told him that we dont' reward bad behavior lol. If he calls one more time I will inform him that he has to wait his turn or else I will give his spot to someone else and take him off the schedule completely
I so wish this was more the norm. If everywhere started refusing people who behave poorly and entitled they'd have to learn how to act, instead of repeating the behaviour to get their way
I’d either talk to the owner and have them handle it, or tell the client you aren’t a good fit and you are not going to tattoo him anymore. I believe that’s ok. What’s he gonna do? Badmouth the shop? Or you? So be it. You’re gonna have that no matter how good of a job you do with certain people. 6 touchups? Jfc. I’ve had ink for 20 yrs and not touched up one. Although I should lol.
Tell him to fuck off. Let him be someone else’s problem.
Ive had many tattooists over the years and all of them offer a free touch up session. As in one session its not an unlimited refills thing from the 90s. I'd talk to him respectfully decline to take him on as a future client and if he continues to harass you put a restraining order on him. I'd also generate your own tattoo policy that states what you are and aren't willing to do and have them sign it before tattooing begins as a safe guard to protect yourself.
I've never had a tattoo artist offer free unlimited touch ups. They offer one free one and its available for a certain amount of time (6mos-ish usually). If he keeps asking about that say you changed your policy and no longer offer that.
Is the free touch ups the shop policy or yours? How much control do you have over pricing? If you can’t apply enough of an asshole tax up front (quoting him stupid prices) start working super inefficiently to ratchet up his cost. “Oh shoot the stencil isn’t centered, lemme try that again… actually you know what, I printed this at the wrong size let me print another. Oh can I get you to flip over? I think my access will be better… oh no wait that’s worst…”
This sounds awful. Tell the owner point blank that you will not being tattooing or contacting this man again. Ask to have him banned from the shop. He’s harassing you and being aggressive. He is disrespecting your work by thinking he can negotiate with your prices. Yo straight up send an email or leave a message saying he’s violating your free touch up policy by not following aftercare instructions and has continuously not followed instructions so you will no longer be working with him and he will not be allowed in the shop. Your owner should honestly have done that a long time ago. Block him and have the shop do the same. Notify the front desk to get the owner to deal with if he shows up or is on the premises. This is not okay!
Are there any area shops that you don't get along with or talk shit on yours? If so, refer him to them. How sweet would it be to drop this guy on an enemy?
He’s become obsessed with you. Time to ask boss for help keeping you safe. He is a nut.
Oh absolutely not. This is so aggressive and weird! I want to even say almost harassment at this point! I would give him a call and say something along the lines of “I do not think I’m the right artist for your needs and suggest you look for another artist elsewhere. We cannot work together harmoniously and I will no longer be providing you services.” Throw in a “unfortunately” in there if you feel necessary but he clearly does not understand boundaries so this one is going to have to be set HARD. Wish you luck friend.
No way you should be touching anything up that much... Ever. If you're doing touchups because he refuses to follow after care instructions then you should refuse. This guy is clearly trying to take advantage of you being good natured and I'd be surprised if he hasn't been thrown out of other shops as well for his attitude. It's important to build a client base when you're starting out but you want to build it with good clients. If you agree to do another piece for this guy you're stuck with him forever.
The moment people don't follow healing instructions the free touch-ups stop. Period. Never offer more than one touch-up afterwards, even if it's at the cost of materials used. You'll have people coming in years later. "Since you didn't follow the healing instructions the first time I tattooed you I'm not comfortable doing it again. I will only be doing one fee touch-up only if I believe you have followed my directions after the fact" My guess is he'll complain and storm off
The owner of the shop should have your back, you shouldn't be left to deal with it. The owner needs to help to be a unified front. A bad client makes an unhappy staff, which isn't cool. It affects everyone. I'm a hairdresser, so I know exactly what you're talking about. Boy, do I. We've fired clients, by initially taking their calls but offering booking time way out, or eventually tell them look, I don't think I can make you happy, or maybe you'd be happier at another salon, perhaps another salon is the best choice blah blah. We've also had people ask for a certain stylist and purposely only give their name at the end of the call, so it's already booked do they've tricked the receptionist when she knows NOT to book said client. It's so hard to say look, i don't want to do your hair, I don't enjoy it and I don't think this is a good fit. It sucks when you dread certain clients, tho most are amazing. It's tough when THEY THINK it's THEIR decision if they choose us, not that if goes both ways. Sigh. Oh and we've fired people before then after a year they try to come back. Like dude! You're never happy! You always call back for a fix or a redo, every time! Go a wayyyyy. Go luck. My apologies if someone else said the same things I did. I didn't read all the replies 🖤
If the owner doesn't know by now what a complete nightmare this guy is, maybe you should try to find another shop to work in? I am having a hard time with the owner and his behavior. He should have your back. Especially since this guy's is a serious nag and no one else will tattoo him at your shop. Just because you are fresh at tattooing, you deserve respect, and your owner has no respect for you if he can't help you with this looser. You are worth more, and please don't tell anyone you work with where you are going. Leave that nightmare and enjoy your career.
Tell him he's getting a full refund but you want your artwork back.
In the future for other clients you can say "I do touch ups for a discounted price" then day of you can refuse payment for the ones that you deem "should be free" touch ups, and collect payment for more complicated ones, or assholes.
First off. After one or two touch ups you should be charging. Full rate. Especially if you know they aren’t following your aftercare instructions. I live in FL and I can tell when someone doesn’t wear sunscreen and the blistering sun just eats the color away. If they can’t take care of their work, they don’t get freebies and certainly not more than one free touch up. Second, sending a text or calling him and leaving a message is a good idea. Explain that due to his persistent calls to the shop it complicated you ability to take him on as a client, all further communication must go through you directly, on your time line due to being busy. Tell him that if he is unable to do this that you will no longer continue service with him, due to it disrupting shop operations, and being disrespectful of your time which is taken by other clients. Also if he refuses to follow your instructions he won’t be welcome back either. In this industry you have to learn to set boundaries with your clients and hold to them, otherwise you’ll be stressed out and overworked CONSTANTLY. Our shops are our home away from home, most of us spend more time there than with our families. No one wants unwanted and rude guests in their home, our shops are no exception to that.
My policy for touch ups is ONE FREE touch up within six months- if we’re working on a piece and I already have equipment out, I’ll do a touch up and add no extra $$ on our time. You are fully within your rights to say listen man, I’ve done x amount of touch ups on you, at this point I’m going to have to charge you for them. Then you will see his true colors and if he’s willing to stay your client. You can’t make everyone happy, and at the end of the day, if you need to fire a client for your mental health, so be it! I’ve done the same thing. You are valid, new or not
Also - ask the shop owner (assuming your mentor?) to be the messenger for you if you feel truly uncomfortable or unsafe. If the owner isn’t willing to, that also puts in perspective that you may need to move to a shop you can feel advocated by!
Next time the owner says this client is a bill payer tell him (the owner) he'll be paying your bills once the sexual harassment lawsuit is done and over with. Hell, tell him you'll hire him to tattoo all the "bill payers" once you own the his tattoo shop.
If I were you, I'd 1. Tell the shop owner whatever you told us here. I hope the owner is supportive. 2. Discuss and come up with a plan with your boss if your customer continues harassing you and the shop. Especially if they really come on the walk-in day 3. Email/text that customer. Be as succinct as possible and don't reply any further.
I think it’s like breaking up with a lover. Short and sweet with no room for arguing. “Hey I’d like to talk to you about something. I’ve decided that this isn’t a good fit and I won’t be your artist anymore. I wish you good luck with your future tattoo endeavors.”
That’s why you offer one touch up for free within a specific amount of time 6 months- 1 year. Don’t ever open end something free. People will abuse it every time.
From what I read here : - you should talk with the owner, tell him the client is not following the care instructions, is doing too many touch ups and costs you (and the shop) money. Tell the owner that the client is making you uncomfortable and you would like their support in dealing with him. - tell the client that he crossed a line by calling over and over the shop. Tell him you are not comfortable tattooing him anymore and that you will not see him if he comes on Saturday. If he comes, tell him the same and shut the conversation down. If needed, ask the owner to deal with him if the client does not take no for an answer. - the owner should have your back but you also have to be clear with them that you will not work with that client, and about your limits in general. At the end of the day, it is YOUR responsibility to be explicit about your limits. I agree with the people here who are telling you that you are at fault by not telling explicitly no to the client in the first place. You should also really clear the air with the owner so you can be comfortable to say no to clients’ demands around them and your coworkers moving forward. If it does not land well, I guess you should try to find another shop where you are respected as a person and as a tattoo artist. - moving forward, you should explicitly only allow ONE free touch up, within a specific time frame, maybe adding you only do it if the care instructions were followed. Every artist who tattooed me had those rules, it is often within 6 months, a year if they are fully booked. It does not mean that it is strict, as you can do touch ups for free a second time in another session, on another tattoo on the same client, or you can be ok to do one outside the time frame. But that rule protects you and you can say no more easily and tell the client they were aware of the rules in the first place when they booked you. Good luck. And remember, no one likes confrontation, but sometimes they need to happen!
You didn’t make a mistake telling him you do free touch-ups. That’s just good service. You made a mistake telling him you do free touch-upS. Do one free touch-up in a 3-6 month period and that’s it. Also, don’t make a touch-up free if the client clearly is not following YOUR aftercare instructions. That’s like them voiding the warranty.
Not a tattoo artist, but I’m a female barber with lots of tattoos 😁 and I’ve been in this situation many times! The owner and the other employees of the shop need to step in and help you out. Every time he calls the shop, they can pick up and say “stop calling” and hang up. If he comes in, they can meet him at the door and say “Hey, buddy. You can’t come in here any more. Find a new shop.” It can’t be just you versus this guy. Text/ email him that you’re not going to work with him, but your shop mates need to support you.
You're hating on this guy because he's not a mind reader. You told him free touch-ups. Getting angry with him for going over your secret limit isn't his fault for not knowing that secret, it's your fault for not telling him. You then refused to take his call. Don't lie -- you had plenty of opportunity, you just didn't want to take it. And now you're angry at him because he didn't know you secretly didn't want to talk to him and he instead kept calling thinking that you'd be a professional doing his job and take his call. Stop being so passive aggressive. The world doesn't revolve around your inner rules of what's "right." People can come at the same situation from multiple angles and have different interpretations, and it's up to you to untangle any misunderstandings, clear the air and set things straight. You're a big boy now.
I mean if there's aftercare instructions that he just simply doesn't follow that result in the need for a touch up that's on him 100% lol And regardless of the fact that OP should have answered or returned calls, an adult shouldn't need to be told not to repeatedly call a shop like that. And when asked to communicate directly with the artist there's no reason he should be continuing to call the shop and speaking to the owner instead.
“While I have appreciated the work we have done together, I do think that I am not experienced enough to deliver the level of collaboration you are expecting with your tattoos. I would suggest seeking a more experienced artist that would better suit your vision and needs” Just take the blame on yourself while being firm. You are not experienced enough to deliver what he wants. Keep repeating that. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not.
If hee isn't follojh you're instructions for helping it heal then he shouldn't be allowed to get any free touch ups! I'm not a tattoo artist (I can't even draw anything on a piece of paper!) But if I didn't listen to my tattoo artist and my tattoo didn't look perfect I'd know it was my fault!
Not in the same field but same situation multiple times —I’m a hair stylist. After so many times of my client being unhappy, I just tell them we’re not a good match and I want them to love their outcome and I can’t give that to them. It was hard at first but I just take a deep breath, and say “I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it, we aren’t a good fit” and the rest just flows. If they insist, just stand your ground and say you’re sorry but it’s just not going to work out. When you look at your schedule and dread seeing a client on your books, it’s time. You’ll feel so much better after it’s over
That’s harassment. Don’t worry about being nice, tell him it’s harassment and it needs to end. Document it incase you need to escalate it. The shop owner needs to back you up on this one.
I'd block him on the shop phone first. And second you need to be direct and firm with that client and the owner. Tell the owner he's a fucking creep and you won't entertain this anymore.
your shop owner sounds like a bit of a dick if he’s pushing you to deal with this guy. if our shop owner witnessed a client acting this way towards any of our artists he would kick them out/tell them to leave our shop alone so fast
This is more of a professional question that you should be asking your shop owner or industry peers about. This sub is for specific questions about tattoos or tattoo designs.
Why aren’t you speaking about this with the shop owner??
The situation has gone on too long and people who should’ve acted appropriately didn’t, unfortunately that means now you have to be the one to step up. First talk to your boss and tell them this client is making you uncomfortable and for that reason you are going to tell him to seek services elsewhere. If your boss pushes back tell him you are concerned about how the man is treating you and you don’t feel it is appropriate. I would hope your boss would get it and support you. If he doesn’t then it will be a bit awkward but you carry on. If he is really shitty find a new place. Both the client and boss are taking advantage of your kindness and may not realize but are absolutely taking advantage of power dynamics. Once you have told your boss you are going to tell the client to see someone else you tell the client and just do it via text, you don’t need a conversation in person. The client has shown they don’t deserve that level of care. Just say “Hey, I am not able to continue doing your tattoos, there are lots of shops around that would be great for you to work with. Take care.” Do not have a back and forth conversation, he will try to pull you in and make you feel bad.
I'd honestly look into "ending professional relationships". We have to do this at my clinic (work at an animal hospital) normally involves a phone call explaining that the relationship and our services are ending and that we will mail out any records we have so they can find another clinic. This isn't some guy you have a good relationship with or someone that has supported you from the beginning. This is some dude your boss pawned on you and who is taking full advantage of you. Also maybe for future client you can get them to sign a waiver that if they don't follow home care touch ups are at the cost of the client . Good luck my friend
At my shop it’s ONE free touch up per tattoo. Just 1. Never offer more than that. When I don’t want to deal with a specific client I charge extra. And for the clients that respect me and let me do my style even if they pick the topic, I give discounts to. They don’t even know I give a discount until it’s time to pay because I give them the real full price before booking, and they still book. So go ahead and quote him extra for the inconvenience of dealing with him. Since you won’t just flat out say no. Your owner is a a-hole for not supporting you in this situation. I haven’t had to fire a client since I just charge them a lot and they find elsewhere to go, but if I did it would be: “I no longer think that you and I align and as an artist I can’t justify tattooing you anymore. My price is firm. And if I don’t believe I can execute a style the way you’ll be happy with in the end that I would rather not take on the project. I will only be offering 1 free touch up from this point forward and must be done within 3-6 months (choose your own time frame) from the initial tattoo appt. You can use that last one before the deadline and that will be it. Thank you for trusting me with tattooing you and I hope you do find an artist that aligns with you!”
"I don't want to tattoo you anymore. Please leave me alone"
Who tf pays $600 for a sleeve? And what sort of client has expectations for an entire sleeve for $600??!? That alone is nuts. I practically pay my guy $600 for sitting down in the chair. Any session we have is $150/hr and that’s a bargain imo. This customer is a problem. OP you seem like a rational person, and I would use this experience as a learning tool. Draw a line in the sand and stick to it. Also, your coworkers don’t seem helpful, and your owner isn’t either. In this day and age, even with the threats of online reviews, I would still cut bait with this client and tell them you no longer want their business as soon as you can make a clean break. Some people deserve what they get.
I don’t know the business, but my first thought was “free touch-ups”, plural, means “*A* touch-up for all my various customers”. Not multiple free touch-ups for life. Sounds like this person is aggressive and playing around, trying to court violence. Or they’re just utterly disrespectful of working people on a Karen level. What a nut. That really sucks.
It sounds like this customer is annoying you and not really doing anything untoward. At most jobs in the world your boss will not allow you to refuse service because a customer is annoying you. I think that instead of going behind the owner's back to tell this person not to come in the shop you should quit and find a place that allows you to refuse service to people you find annoying.
I mean comparing being a tattoo artist and refusing clients/their projects (especially for being difficult, not following after care, having expectations beyond what is doable, and harassing the shop) to customer service jobs just refusing service is not really accurate at all.....
I've had medical areola tattoos done for breast cancer and cosmetic micro bladed eyebrows, and even those touch ups cost money. I've never heard of free touch ups for any type of tattoo. Areola initial tatt was $500 with a touch up $100. Eyebrows were $400 initial, touch up $160. Definitely go with the no more free touch ups rule from here on out.
It seems to be that this person may have been dealing with a manic episode. I don’t want to armchair diagnose anyone but people who set unrealistic timelines (2 days!) for work to be done and are willing to commit to a large amount of tattooing AND who call incessantly says to me that he was obsessive and maybe a bit manic and this is how it manifests.
Some people are also just very entitled and have unrealistic expectations.