Clipping "error" by professional clipper

MissTyc

MissTyc

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Posting this for a friend who does have an account here but doesn't want to be identified if possible.

Paid £50 for a blanket clip to someone advertising clipping services, adverts stated fully insured (though she says she did not double check this). Clippers were in good condition, woman seemed to know what she was doing. Clip was fine in principle BUT the woman accidentally ran the clippers over the horse's bottom, as in over the top of the quarters!

So the horse now is sporting a blanket clip + random 3 inch clipped line across the quarters. Woman said she "got distracted" and thought she was doing a full clip (having already finished the other side of the horse as a blanket).

Luckily friend is of the Life is Too Short variety and decided not to bother getting upset about something that will grow back, however daft horse will look for the rest of the winter, but she did try to negotiate a discount on the basis of the error. Woman was having none of it and got angry and said horse was clipped now, as agreed. She offered to turn it into a full clip for another £20 and made that sound like a huge favour as she didn't really have time. My friend decided to stick with the ruined blanket clip for rugging purposes and handed over the cash as she felt a bit intimidated.

Nothing one can do about it now, but was wondering if this had ever happened to anyone? What did you do, what should one do, is it just one of those things (and yes, life is definitely too short, but I still think I would flip out. I clip my own and I even hate myself for bad lines lol) ,,,
 
The nearest I've come to something similar was watching the person I paid to clip mine start heading away from the target area at which point I gave a strangled cry and I just ended up with a slightly larger clipped area than I planned. Still looked ok, no harm done, paid the required amount.

I am not a 'Life is Too Short' person under those circumstances and would have had a major sense of humour failure followed by a refusal to pay for a shambles clip.
 
The woman doing the clipping should have fessed up and either knocked the price of the blanket clip down or offered to do the full clip for no extra charge.

Clipping the wrong area is the kind of daft, distracted thing I might do but then I only clip my own horses!

Silly of the lady doing the clipping anyway, as news of this sort of thing gets around.....
 
That does sound a lot for a blanket clip.

Someone once did similar on mine, many years ago, forgetting they were doing a blanket on one side. They converted it all to a hunter clip for free (which is what I would have done).

I would be telling people I hadn't done it and who had, if it were my horse!
 
Hippona said:
All I can say is...fifty quid for a clip??!!
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Too cheap?
Too much?

(fairly standard around here for an insured clipper)

"Sense of humour failure" is a good way of putting it. I think I fall into that category. Yes, of course there are worse things - most things are worse - BUT it is really annoying and I would be annoyed lol.

You're right re the reputation aspect. Can't imagine anyone on my friend's yard will be calling out this particular clipper again!Shame as the lines/etc are really tidy and it looked like a clean finish ... just THAT STRIPE ARGH!!
 
£50 for a blanket clip? I best start offering my services a bit more often!! I would never pay £70 for a full clip that's crazy money, esp as my horse is clipped every 4-6 weeks as it grows back so quickly!

Sure it will grow back in a couple of months and horsey won't look so silly hehe!! maybe she can say its a go faster stripe until then!!
 
I wouldnt be impressed

If the rest of the clip was crisp and professional and the horse was handled well i would accept it was a mistake

If the job was overall cack handed i would be less tolerant and would be looking for a refuction or at this late stage i would certainly put the word about on how shoddy the job was
 
Of course it's not the end of the world, but I would have been extremely miffed if I was not offered a discount. Not a professional approach at all.
 
What is the going rate for clipping, then? Say for a blanket clip and for a hunter clip (legs and saddle area left on).

(Sorry, OP, hope you don't mind a slightly off topic diversion. Actually, it is on topic, because if you pay top dollar you expect a top service, which your friend clearly didn't get.).
 
It would have been good karma for the clipper to offer to do a full clip for the same price OR knock a bit off what she had done....

Well, your friend can vote with her feet and use someone else next time, certainly won't do 'Miss Distraction' any reputation favours though!
 
£50 for a blanket clip does seem a bit pricey! What area are you in op?
She should of at least offered to do the hunter for the same amount seeing how she messed the blanket clip up.
 
Interesting to see the range of reactions.

As said, friend falls into the "Oh well" category .. whereas I feel myself getting more and more irate at the thought of it lol. I too would full clip. In fact, have done so on my own horses many times after a dodgy line teehee. But I think there was a rugging consideration. Go faster stripe, love it! Maybe I should offer to pop down with clippers and add a matching one on the other side!

Going rate round here (east Sussex) I see anything between £40-£80 for clipping (insured!) or much less from non-insured or "semi-insured" people (e.g. insured only for liability) ... That would include mileage to come out as well.
 
I would not be impressed I'd be paying half of it and i would tell her to take it or leave it ;) Round here some people charge £30 for a bib so not surprised she's charging so much for a blanket though your in a different area, Would not pay £70 for a hunter or a full.
 
Tern said:
I would not be impressed I'd be paying half of it and i would tell her to take it or leave it ;) Round here some people charge £30 for a bib so not surprised she's charging so much for a blanket though your in a different area, Would not pay £70 for a hunter or a full.
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I was just thinking if I were to do "professional" clipping I would charge less for a full clip than a blanket. I hate the long, straight lines! Have to admit on that front I can't fault the woman who did my friend's horse as the lines are indeed perfect.
 
For the extortionate cost of her blanket clip (for the record I'd not pay more than £30) this professional clipper seems to have lost a lot of repeat business and recommendation. What an idiot.
 
Seems to me that her mistake was not the amount she charged or indeed the go faster stripe (tho of course that was an unfortunate error) but arguing about it afterwards and failing to make good in some way. If she hadn't done those things this thread might never have seen the light of day.
 
I am a freelance groom and also clip for a living. Firstly I understand you are not arguing the cost of a blanket clip but I have to say that is expensive. I am in Hertfordshire. If, and I hope it doesn't, ever happened to me I would be HUGELY apologetic and sort out the clip at no extra cost.
 
MissTyc said:
Too cheap?
Too much?

(fairly standard around here for an insured clipper)

"Sense of humour failure" is a good way of putting it. I think I fall into that category. Yes, of course there are worse things - most things are worse - BUT it is really annoying and I would be annoyed lol.

You're right re the reputation aspect. Can't imagine anyone on my friend's yard will be calling out this particular clipper again!Shame as the lines/etc are really tidy and it looked like a clean finish ... just THAT STRIPE ARGH!!
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I must be a tight wad.

Can I ask why people don't clip their own horses? At prices like that you could quite quickly pay for a top of the range pair of clippers....
 
Sounds like a lot of money to me Most of the clippers round here are cheaper for a full clip than one with lots of lines. I prefer to full clip as it is so much easier but mine live out so it is a bit extreme for them
 
I would be contacting the woman and pointing out that anytime anyone asks you for a recommended clipper you would be telling them who not to go to on the basis of the poor quality job (incorrect lines in clipping is poor quality!). I would not have handed over the cash in the first place though! I would have expected it converted for free or 15 off the price.
 
She should of offered to do a full clip for the same price or done sort of star/pattern to cover it up.

Btw my professional clipper lady charges £30 for any clip, she does it that way as some will take longer then others no matter what the clip is. But she will charge you extra if your horse is very dirty and blunts the blades, does tell you when you book.
 
Agree with this, my clippers paid for themselves after 3 uses and now I have some I clip every 6 weeks so it's not such a big job.
 
£50 is a fair price round here, in fact it tends to be one price for any clip too, since doing a hunter is less fiddly than doing a chaser or blanket. As for your experience, I would have expected some sort of discount or a hunter clip offered for that same price at the time of the mistake. I do wonder about 'professional' clippers, we had one come into work at last minute notice so our usual lady couldn't come. Said Pro clipper turned up with one set of clippers and one set of blades to full clip two horses for transport abroad, after one clip the blades were blunt, she then expected me to stay behind after work whilst she went home to get her partner to 'sharpen' the blades. An hour later she reappeared, still with one set of clippers and one set of blades, plus her partner. I had been a bit short with her before she left as I really was shocked at her lack of professionalism, my usual clipper has two sets of clippers and multiple sets of blades and would never ever sharpen her blades herself. Anyway, the blades were so blunt this time that the second horse couldn't be clipped, so she wasted my time and I ended up having to beg some clippers so I could finish the job myself!
 
How very unprofessional. Mistakes happen but a discount should be offered. That seems a lot for a clip, I only pay £25 for a hunter clip.
 
As others have said, its not he end of the world, but I would EXPECT a discount.

Word of mouth is a bitch. I doubt they'll be getting repeat business or any recommendations!
 
I'm so glad I have my own clippers! I have 3 to do and they seem to need doing every 4 weeks or so....I would be spending a fortune...

I would be *mortified* if I had mucked up a clip and wouldn't have been able to take any money at all....
 
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