Imagine tipping your dentist after every routine visit, or handing extra cash to your doctor following an annual check-up. Seems unusual, doesn’t it?
One Austin, Texas resident, found herself in a similar conundrum when she received a startling message from the medspa where she had been investing a significant amount of money for monthly chemical peels.
Valeria Delgado claimed that received a ‘crazy’ text message from the manager of the business, which she did not want to name for legal reasons, threatening her for not forking over gratuity on top of her $230 monthly membership.
With hopes of enhancing her skin, Delgado signed up for a membership that allowed her to indulge in regular facials.
However, frequent incidents of unexpected charges and errors by her estheticians led her to the decision to terminate her membership.
Upon attempting to cancel, Delgado was taken aback when informed she would incur a substantial fee for not completing the six-month term of her membership. To sidestep this penalty, she resolved to continue for the remaining two months.
That’s when the troubling messages began to appear.
‘I have noticed there is a pattern where you have declined leaving gratuity,’ the message stated. ‘We really stand behind our clients leaving between 15 percent and 20 percent for their estheticians. This is a big part of their pay and they work hard for this.’
A woman from Austin, Texas, was appalled when she received a confrontational message about her tipping habits from the medspa she had been going to for chemical peels on a monthly basis (stock image)
The customer spent $230 every month on a membership to her medspa, where received treatments for her skin (stock image)
‘If this is not something you feel is necessary we may not be the best spot for you,’ the text continued.
‘We hope to see you return, but you just need to be aware of our expectations.’
Delgado explained how her membership worked: ‘Every first of the month I get charged a little bit over $230, and I can use those $230 for one service a month.’
The Texan says that usually she selects the treatment she wants, and then the people who work there tell her she needs ‘this, this, and this’ — which she agrees to without realizing she’s going to be charged even more for the extras.
When Delgado gets to the counter to pay any outstanding balances, she says she is informed that there is going to be an upcharge, even though that wasn’t explained by the estheticians: ‘There goes your f*****g tip,’ Delgado said.
Even so, Delgado insists that she still tips around $15 each time. With the tip plus the add-ons — which cost approximately $25, her $230 membership adds up to around $270 each month.
‘The fact is, maybe it’s not the tip that you want, but you cannot make your clients be the sole reason that your workers are getting paid,’ Delgado said.
‘Nowhere does it say that it’s mandatory to tip,’ she continued. ‘If I’m not happy with the service, why are you expecting a tip?’
She said the people who worked at the medspa would always encourage her to add treatments on to her procedure, which racked up quite the bill (stock image)
The manager of the medspa sent the customer a text, calling her out for not leaving generous tips (stock image)
‘It sounds like all you care for is the money and not really your clients.’
Users in the comment section were outraged by Delgado’s situation — but not because she wasn’t tipping.
‘I feel like you’re not wrong. $230 for a service a month is a lot. That’s what they do for a living!!! Why would you tip for them to do their job,’ one user wrote.
‘File a complaint with the attorney general. You can do it online,’ another said.
A different user wrote: ‘That’s a big hell no — what the hell does the $230 cover? Just showing up?’
‘The manager reaching out to you and letting you know what’s expected is wild to me. If that is the case, then post it on the website,’ someone else argued.
