Do beauty professionals really injure clients?
YES! Accidents happen and clients sue. Some claims are minor, such as a product reaction. Other claims can be expensive due to serious injuries such as a slip and fall. So make sure you are covered!
Risky Treatments
So, what treatment do you think is the riskiest? If you guessed waxing, you’re correct. Waxing is an excellent moneymaker. It’s a fast, high-profit service, great for brow add-ons and almost always guarantees regularly booked visits from a consistent clientele.
Waxing claims can be minor, but they can also be MAJOR with lifting and tearing of skin that results in scarring. And we’re sure you can all use your imaginations to think of what might be considered some of the most painful and undesirable places to have skin tearing and scarring.
Here is our chart of what type of services get the most claims:
- Hair removal (waxing, sugaring, hair removal product reaction, Brazilian waxing)
- Eyelash extensions, tinting, lift
- Miscellaneous (hair falling out, hair dye causing stains, water damage)
- Accidental (shampoo lid falling on client, dropped mirror on client’s face)
- Product reaction from retail or professional use (bumps, welts, infection)
The $10,000 Hair Cut
Stephanie is an AHP member and has had years of haircutting experience. She never expected that a haircut gone wrong would result in one of her clients making a $10,000 demand for damages from her.
Stephanie’s client came in for a haircut. It happened to be two days before the clients’ retirement party. The service seemed to go smoothly, and the client left without incident.
Weeks later, Stephanie received a letter from her client’s attorney. She could barely remember the incident because the client had seemed so unconcerned post-service. In actuality, the client had gone directly to her audiologist. Unbeknownst to Stephanie, during the haircut service she had accidentally cut a wire on her guest’s custom-fit hearing aid. It was such a small wire; she didn’t even notice she had cut right through it.
The client had several follow up appointments with her audiologist to have her hearing aid custom made to fit her ear. AHP handled the entire suit from beginning to end.
Some accidents are small, and some are big. Regardless of the size, our member was covered and didn’t incur any out-of-pocket expenses. Make sure you have the best professional liability insurance and a team to support you so you can survive an incident like Stephanie’s. We hope you choose AHP as your insurance partner and check out all the benefits we offer to support you and your career.
Not an AHP member? Join today and gain access all the benefits we offer to support you and your career as a barber or cosmetologist.
Note: The insurance coverage descriptions above are illustrative only. Refer to a copy of the policy for specific coverages, limitations, exclusions, terms, and conditions. The insurance information contained herein is not a part of your insurance policy; it is instead a partial illustration of benefits, conditions, limitations, and exclusions. In the event that there is confusion or conflict between the policy language and any information provided herein, the policy language shall control.