Ending your nail appointment with a $270 bill and the police is probably not what any customer going to get their nails done expects. However, one TikToker says this was her experience at a Venetian Nail Spa location in Miami.
In the video, Kell K (@kelliekadiri) says she decided to visit a nail salon she’d never been to. According to her, there were a few behaviors that were red flags from the beginning. For example, although she only wanted acrylic nails, Kell says the staff insisted she got gel nail polish as well, which she agreed to after being asked several times. Then, Kell says that as she got her nails done, the nail technician would ask if she wanted certain services she considered standard in a nail appointment, like getting her cuticles cut. The video she posted with the receipt reveals that she was charged for this and several other add-ons. Lastly, Kell says she noticed the nail technician had left the salon right after they were done with her nails.
Kell was shocked when a gel acrylic French tip manicure and pedicure came out to be $270. According to Dan’s Nails, acrylic French manicures typically cost between $60 to $80, while Q-Nails & Spa notes that acrylic toenails typically cost under $50. Dan’s Nails adds that gel polish can be an additional $30 to $35. Though it does not specify toenail prices, the site indicates that the design of a “timeless French manicure may invite an extra $5 to $10.”
Kell says she tried explaining to the manager that there was most likely a miscommunication with the nail technician, but the manager wouldn’t bargain with her. Eventually, the manager reportedly said she would call the police if Kell did not pay for the service. Kell says she told the manager to go ahead and call the police while she called her roommate to support her.
“I asked the [nail technician] several times, how much is gonna cost me? … Any other manager at any other place would understand the fact that this is a complete miscommunication. But you, you gave me the option of calling the cops on me, thinking that that would scare me. So I said, no, call the cops,” Kell says.
Funny enough, Kell says the police told her she should have just walked out, but at that point, her only option was to pay for the service.
Kell says her roommate came and agreed to pay half the bill to help her out. She adds that based on what he told her about the conversation he had with the manager while Kell was talking to the police, the manager was nicer and more accommodating to her white-passing roommate. She believes the manager was unwilling to compromise with her and called the police because she’s Black. Kell says the manager even texted her roommate after her post went viral, asking him to have her take the video down because the salon received harassing phone calls.
The original video has over 2.8 million views, 472,800 likes, and 11,200 comments.
@kelliekadriri Racist nail salon overchargers me and calls the cops on me! #fyp #miami #miamidade #dadecounty @ONLY in DADE #nails #nailsalons #storytime #wtf #viral ♬ original sound – Kell K
This is not the first time the Daily Dot has reported on people being overcharged at nail salons. In 2023, a customer warned others to always check their receipts before signing after realizing she was charged $10 more than expected for her service.
In the comments section of Kell’s video, viewers echoed her frustration.
“I experience the same situation so sad,” one commenter said.
“The Venetian Nail Spa anywhere is horrible,” a second wrote. “They always upcharge everything!!! But $270 is INSANE!!!!”
“I hate Venetian Nail Spa. So sorry that happened to you,” another sympathized.
Kell says that overall, the experience was a lesson in advocating for yourself, which she mentions is often extra difficult for women to do.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kell for comment via TikTok direct message and Venetian Nail Spa via its website.
Update 8:45am CT, April 23: In a TikTok direct message exchange with the Daily Dot, Kell shared more of her feelings on the experience.
“I just wished the manager thought of me first as a customer instead of a con I think she went so hard bc she assumed my intention was to ‘steal’ from them and didn’t possibly see the potential of a lack of communication and understanding,” she wrote.
She added that she works in the service industry, has past experience at a spa, and knows how certain situations are typically handled. “I know how easy it is to help but I also know how easy it is to stereotype people and I think her biased cost her in the end,” she concluded.
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