The customer who never asked
She finds a salon she likes. The page says "Call or DM for price." She does not want to call, so she books the salon next door, which shows its price list. The first salon never finds out why it lost her.
Grow your business · Karobar barhayen
Customers leave when they can't see a price.
- Shy customers stay
- No surprise bills
- Fewer "how much?" messages
Some people are too shy to ask "how much?" They simply go to the place that already tells them. Others see a low price and find out the real one at the counter. Both are avoidable, and fixing them is good for customers and for honest businesses.
Read the film as text
A made-up story about a made-up salon. The film has no speech; the words below are the ones written on screen.
Evening. Sana, in a teal kameez with a long braid, looks at herself in the mirror. On screen: "Sana wants a facial." She picks up her phone: "So she checks Google."
The salon's Google listing says "call for price". Its photos are from 2019, the map pin is on the wrong street, the phone number says "call now" but nobody answers, and the owner line says "own this business?". A red stamp lands on each one: not shown, old, wrong, no answer, and three question marks.
She messages the salon on WhatsApp: "salam! facial kitne ka hai?" The reply: "sirf Rs 2,000 :)". She answers: "done! 5 baje aati hoon."
On screen: "5 pm. The salon." At Noor Beauty Salon, the owner, Noor, waves hello and prints the bill: facial 2,000, gold mask +500, deep cleanse +500. Total: Rs 3,000. Sana clutches her face.
Sana: "You said 2,000!" Noor: "That was the basic one!" Sana: "Nobody told me that!" Noor points at a tiny price list on the wall: "It's... on the list?" On screen: "Neither of them lied. The price just wasn't written down."
Sana gives the salon one star and writes "overcharged. never again." Outside the salon, three neighbours read the review on their phones and walk away. On screen: "One bad bill. Four customers gone." The picture freezes in grey on the empty door.
Silence. Then the letters s, i, t, e, y, dot, p, k stamp onto the screen, with the words "real prices · real photos · real reviews".
On screen: "Sitey puts it all up front." The same listing is rebuilt, one gold tick at a time: facial Rs 2,500, mask and cleanse included; real photos from this week and real reviews; the pin on the right door; a phone that is answered, on WhatsApp; a verified owner; Urdu and English. Next to it, the salon's own website shows the same price in both languages, with a button to book on WhatsApp.
On screen: "The next customer: Ayesha." She shows Noor the listing on her phone: "Rs 2,500, sab included? Book!" The bill says facial, all included, Rs 2,500: the same as online. Both of them smile.
On screen: "And Google moves them up." In a search for "salon near me", the salon climbs from fourth place to first, and its pin grows on the map. Three green charts, for visits, calls and bookings, rise bar by bar, and a big green arrow shoots up.
The film ends: "Show the price. Keep the customer." sitey.pk: websites and Google listings, in Urdu and English. WhatsApp 0334 1415240.
Two stories you may know
A scenario, not a real business
A scenario, not a real business
Rs 2,000 that became Rs 5,000
The offer said Rs 2,000. At the counter, one extra is added, then another, and the bill says Rs 5,000. The customer pays, and never comes back.
For customers: ask three things before you book
- The full priceNot the lowest price in the advert: the price for what you actually want.
- What's includedWhat you get for that price, in plain words.
- What costs extraWhich extras there are, what each costs, and when they apply.
A business that answers these clearly is usually one that will treat you clearly.
For business owners: what to show
- A price, or a starting price. "From Rs 2,500" is fine when the job changes.
- What is included in that price.
- The common extras, each with its price.
- When a quote is needed, and what it depends on (size, guests, distance, date).
- How to book: WhatsApp, a call or a form.
Custom work can still be clear: show a starting price or a range, and what changes it. And if you would rather quote in person, that is your call. Sitey builds your website either way.
We show ours too
Every Sitey price, from a small shop to a wedding venue, is on one public page, with what is included and what is not.
See Sitey's pricesCommon questions
Does every business have to show a fixed price?
No. Work that changes every time can show a starting price, a range, or what goes into the quote. The problem is not custom work; it is hiding a standard price or the extras that change it.
What if my prices change often?
Then the page should be easy to update. On a Sitey website you change prices from your phone and the change is live straight away.
Will competitors copy my prices?
They can see them either way: a competitor can simply ask. What a clear price list wins is the customer who was never going to ask.
What should a salon or a wedding hall show?
A salon: each service with its price or starting price, and what changes it (hair length, products). A hall: the per-head rate or package, what each package includes, and the extras such as décor or stage.
Is this only about websites?
No. A price list on your Google listing, in your WhatsApp catalogue or on the wall of your shop does the same job. A website just keeps it in one place that is always up to date.
Want your prices shown clearly?
Send your business name on WhatsApp. Sitey builds a site with your prices, menu or packages laid out properly, in Urdu and English.
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