From a set of complaints sent to the Texas Cosmetology Commission by customers of various small salons throughout the state, excerpts of which were reprinted in The Texas Observer, February 14, 1997. In January, Republican State Senator Jane Nelson announced that in response to "thousands" of complaints received by the commission she would introduce legislation to "crack down on 'manicure mills.' " Nelson said that her bill would "protect women who go into a nail salon expecting a treat, not a painful nightmare that could threaten their lives."

On Wednesday, January 24, 1996, I had a 5:30 P.M. appointment for a "fill." I was attended to by a girl known as "Melinda." However, her license stated a Vietnamese birth name. I had three nails that needed to be repaired. Melinda grabbed my hand and looked at my nails and said in a very authoritative and scolding manner, "You broke three nails!"

I have been getting my nails done for years now, and I can truly say that this was the worst experience I have ever had. Not once did Melinda strike up a general conversation, or introduce herself, or even offer me her business card. While working on me she received personal phone calls. In addition, one of her friends was in the salon and literally hung over her workstation, invading my personal space.

When Melinda gave me my fill, she glopped the acrylic compound all over my nail. It was running all down the nail. I realize that the procedure for doing a fill can be messy, but to say that it was ridiculously sloppy would be an understatement. At that point in my frustration, I knew that this person was either an amateur or unlicensed. I asked her politely, "How long have you been doing nails?" She replied, "One year." I thought to myself, "It shows."

Melinda finally began to shape and file the nails. My normal shape is the squared-off tip, which gives the nails a rectangular look. By the time Melinda was finished, my nails looked like uneven, multiple-sized triangles. While I was still sitting in my seat, she asked me, "What color do you want?" Well, she was not done with my nails yet, so I could not even get up and look at the color selection. The proper way to say it would have been, "You can select a color now." It is my belief that sometimes it is not what you say but how you say it.

I would like to reiterate that I have been getting my nails done for a very long time, and never have I experienced such rudeness and unprofessionalism.

—Andrea S. Davila

Top Nails is filthy! I was completely shocked when it was time to do my pedicure to find that they had only one towel. It was a dirty pink towel that they expected you to put your clean feet on. The bathroom where clients must wash their hands looked like a roadside bathroom that had not been tended to in months. There was a car hood in the back room. One of the manicurists had caught a very young wild bird—I'm sure it was a rescue, since we have had many sever storms of late. However, this animal was hopping around all over the place. While I was there, one of the manicurists got tired of the bird and decided to put it out. She left her client, caught the bird, and did in fact put it out. She never gave a thought to washing her hands before returning to her customer. The customer had to tell her to go wash her hands!

It is awful. Please do something about these dirty conditions.

—Debra Creasy

I'm writing to you concerning my left index finger. The problem started at ProNails. I went in to get my fill on a Saturday, and the following Monday my finger began to throb intensely. I've had swelling and discoloration in the finger, and severely bad, bad pain, nonstop. It continues to this day. This problem keeps me from writing or doing anything else, especially at work. I've had to take time off from work with no pay. Enclosed are some pictures of the injured finger.

—Trina L. Smith

On a Saturday afternoon my sister and I went to P.L. Nails to get a full set of nails. It took four hours to get my nails done. I have been to other salons and it usually takes only one hour. When the manicurist was done my nails looked horrible, and I mentioned it to him, but I was so tired and frustrated that I just paid so I could go home.

I returned to the salon Monday and asked for Kim, the owner, to show him how badly my nails had been done. He laughed and said they would fix my nails for $10. I told him that I was not going to pay anything, because my nails were not done right in the first place. You could see (after one day) that each acrylic nail was separating from my nail at the cuticle.

Kim asked me where I usually get my nails done. I told him off of Buckner, and he told me I should go there next time. This remark offended me, so I gave him a piece of my mind. I told him that in America we can go anywhere we want, when we want. He yelled at me to get out of his store, so I left to gain control of myself.

—Gwen Chambers

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