Panda Nails — Local services in New York

My experience at Panda Nails was nothing short of terrible. The service from the receptionist completely baffled me. In terms of the end result of my mani pedi: I attached a photo of what I wanted but the end result is okay. The length may be too short for that style. My nails now are the ones on the train. My toes are patchy and clumsy and aren’t shaped well. These are pictures taken immediately after service. What really upset me was that I called beforehand and asked if they take split payments. I clearly explained that I wanted to split the payment between cash and card in the case I did not have enough cash on me (hard to predict the prices). I didn’t have enough cash to cover the $143 balance left minus the deposit already paid for. I had $141. I asked if I could just cover the remaining $2 with my credit card but they flat out refused and said that I would need to pay all cash or card. I even told them that I did not care for the cash discount and that I just wanted to cover the total with the cash I had on hand and pay the remaining with card. They refused. They had literally reassured me that they were able to do this but I guess not. I had to accept this and go out of my way to take $20 out for the remaining $2 owed because despite what they assured me of multiple times, I had to give them cash. I literally had to walk 15 minutes to an ATM for $2. So I got the $20 and now had $161 cash to cover my $143 total. I handed her over the money and the receptionist gave me a different total altogether ~$174 I believe. Ridiculous! I asked her to explain the sudden increase in the total and she told me that I needed to pay a tip. NEEDED? They didn’t even give me an option to choose the amount. They added it for me. It says everywhere posted that a tip is PREFERRED. Even worse the lady told me I was short on money again even though she only showed me the $143 total. She again said I either pay all on card or on cash. Mind you I had just gone out to fetch them cash for the balance I thought I owed. I ended up having to Venmo this lady extra. I wish they told me that in the first place but clearly I wasn’t given much of a choice. A tip is earned and I don’t care for rushed, overbooked service. Don’t believe the “hype” behind this place. Subpar results and ridiculous tip expectations. I’d rather to get these removed and owe nothing. Waste of time and money. Now I am stuck filing the nails down myself or rebooking with another salon. Please be transparent with your customers from...

I had a really uncomfortable experience here. I came in during my lunch break for a mani/pedi and planned to Venmo tip each technician after I left. I took photos of their Venmo info and walked out, only to be followed down the street by a staff member asking why I hadn’t tipped yet. I was shocked—they then proceeded to call me three times about it. I had every intention of tipping (which I did later that day), but I didn’t realize there was a strict time limit on expressing gratitude. While the technicians did a good job, being chased and contacted multiple times over a tip left a really bad taste in my mouth. It felt less like customer service and more like harassment.

EDIT: My service was paid in full before leaving your business. In New York City, it is generally not legal for a nail salon to enforce a mandatory gratuity or service charge on customers without clearly informing them that the charge is not a tip for the employees. Tips belong to the employee: Under New York Labor Law Section 196-d, employers are generally prohibited from demanding or accepting any tip left for an employee. "Service charges" must be clearly identified: If a nail salon imposes a mandatory service charge, they must clearly communicate to customers that this charge is not a tip and may be retained by the salon owner. New York state requires clear disclosure if a service charge is not being fully distributed to employees, according to FordHarrison LLP. Voluntary tips: Customers have the unrestricted right to determine the amount of a voluntary tip. Mandatory service charges: If a salon charges a mandatory service charge, it must be clearly indicated that it is not a gratuity, and whether or not it is distributed to employees

As you said, it is posted throughout as a tip policy. Is it in fact a service charge that...

The first time I visited, it was a great experience. I got the Japanese tip gel extension with cat eye polish. They were the thinnest extensions and overlay I ever had and they still looked great 3 weeks later. For my next appointment I wanted to get some semi-intricate nail art, so I emailed after booking the appointment (as it says to do when booking) a week in advance to see if the art would be possible. When I didn’t get a response 2 days before my appointment, I followed up. Still no response. I decided to keep the appointment with the idea that I’d ask for lesser art if they couldn’t do what I originally wanted. I had a different tech this time who was very nice but perhaps less experienced. The gel is much thicker and she seemed a little flustered. So, I decided I’d just ask for the less complicated art (pink stripes with a 3D metallic line across - reference photo I showed attached) from the get go. When I showed her, she definitely seemed stressed and I felt bad for even asking for art. First, her and who I think is the owner would not let me choose the pink I wanted. She then attempted one nail a few times before tagging in another tech. This tech somehow seemed to realize this was not the pink I wanted and let me get the one i had asked for. This tech did do a lovely job and my nails look fine, but there is no 3D element and just a black line. I was tempted to just leave at several points as it was all a bit chaotic so I didn’t bring it up. Alls this to say - if you want a manicure with just one color or a cat eye, definitely check them out. If you prefer nail art,...