What Do I Do When a Client Says the Fragrance Is Too Strong After Handover?

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Almost always level, almost never register

The instinct when a client says it is too strong is to change the scent, and that is the last thing to change rather than the first. There are two reasons. The first is that the register is almost never the cause - in the great majority of cases the complaint is about intensity, distribution or an unaddressed smell that the fragrance is combining with. The second is mechanical: in a home with any real quantity of textile, a change of register does not take effect cleanly, because the old one continues to be released by curtains, upholstery and rugs for weeks. The new register arrives layered over the residue of the old one, so the client smells a combination nobody specified, concludes that the change did not work, and by then you have spent goodwill on the wrong fix. Work through the causes in order instead. First, level and run pattern, which resolves most cases on its own. A strong intermittent schedule and a low continuous one can deliver similar quantities of fragrance and feel completely different: bursts read as fragrance being applied to a room, while a low continuous output reads as the room simply being a certain way. So drop the output and lengthen the schedule before touching anything else. On a machine with app and timer control this is a two-minute change, which is one of the reasons that control is worth having on a project where you will not be present afterwards. It is also worth resetting the client's expectation of how they should judge it: the household adapts to a steady background within about an hour and can no longer detect it, so if they have been adjusting by nose they have almost certainly been climbing. Give them a rule instead - leave it at the low setting, and adjust only if a visitor remarks on it, because a remark means it is above the line. Second, placement, which is the cause people never diagnose. A source standing next to or above a large absorbent piece - a velvet sofa, heavy curtains, a wool or jute rug - loads that material over days, because textiles take fragrance up while a system runs and release it back slowly. The setting has not changed but the room becomes gradually stronger near the seating, which is exactly where people sit. Move the source onto hard surface, in the path of general air movement, and away from the largest soft piece. The other placement error is a source too close to an air conditioning grille, where it is either pulled away before doing anything in the room or distributed far more widely than its position would suggest. And in a stone-floored or heavily glazed room, remember that the air itself is moving - stone stays cooler than the air above it so fragrance rises, and solar gain through large glazing drives a convection current that makes an afternoon read considerably stronger than an evening on the same setting. A client who set the level at nine at night will find the room too much at two in the afternoon. Third, an unaddressed source. This is the case where the complaint is real and the fragrance is not the problem. Fragrance does not mask an existing smell, it combines with it, and the combination is consistently worse than either component alone - drifted cooking, monsoon damp, a musty rug, a bin, a drain, new joinery still off-gassing adhesive, fresh paint or sealer. What the client is smelling is the combination, and the correct response is to fix the source: extraction between kitchen and living space, dehumidification and airing, cleaning or removing the offending textile, and time for anything that is curing. Turn the fragrance off entirely for a few days while the source is dealt with, then bring it back at a low level. This is also the moment to remind them that the kitchen is never scented at any time, because that is where this problem most often originates. Fourth, and only fourth, the register. If level, placement and sources have all been checked and the client still finds it wrong, then move - and move sideways rather than dramatically. Quiet Luxury, with white tea, bergamot and cedar, or White Tea Serenity, with white tea, aloe and cedar, are the two quietest registers we make and the usual destination. If the original specification was Old-World Glamour, with amber, violet and woods, or a warm or sweet direction, that is the one case where the register genuinely may be the cause, because rich profiles are the ones that turn most reliably over long exposure, particularly in humidity. When you do change, tell the client honestly that it will take weeks rather than days to read cleanly in a soft home, and that washing and airing textiles speeds it up while running the new register harder does not. There is a fifth cause worth checking in any home with more than one point: two registers colliding. If a bedroom reed and a living room machine are running different scents, they will meet in the doorway many times a day and the brain reads that collision as something being wrong, which clients frequently describe as too strong. One register throughout the home, varied by intensity, resolves it. Finally, check the consent question, because sometimes the person complaining is not the person who chose. Anybody who shares the home and cannot leave it - a partner, a live-in parent, staff, a long-staying guest - should have a low neutral register and a physical off switch, not an app-only one, that they never have to justify using. On specification, the Hotel Collection is Rs 299 for 15ml, Rs 999 for 100ml and Rs 1,799 for 300ml, water-based for ultrasonic machines only at three to six drops per tank with a rinse between scents, never reed oil, which can damage a machine. The Vaayu is Rs 11,999, waterless with no tank, coverage up to 1,000 square metres or roughly 10,700 square feet, with Bluetooth app and timer control; the Megh Rs 3,499 with a 6L tank; the Sukoon Rs 1,799; the Boond Rs 799. Reeds are Rs 749 to Rs 849 and last three to four months, with refills at Rs 2,399 for 300ml and Rs 3,499 for 500ml. SOSA is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or associated with any hotel brand, and we make no claim that fragrance affects mood, focus, sleep, stress or wellbeing. Everything is alcohol-free and made to IFRA-compliant standards, and a portion of every order supports girl-child education through Nanhi Kali. Volume pricing is quoted against the specification on WhatsApp.

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A diagnostic order that works

The instinct is to change the scent, and that is last rather than first. The register is almost never the cause, and in a home with real quantities of textile a change does not take effect cleanly, because the old register keeps being released by curtains, upholstery and rugs for weeks - so the new one arrives layered over it, the client concludes the change did not work, and the goodwill has gone on the wrong fix. Work in order. First, level and run pattern, which resolves most cases: a strong intermittent schedule and a low continuous one deliver similar quantities and feel completely different, because bursts read as fragrance applied to a room while continuous low output reads as the room simply being a certain way. Drop the output, lengthen the schedule, and replace the client's dial with a rule - leave it low, adjust only if a visitor remarks - because the household adapted within an hour and judging by nose only climbs. Second, placement, which nobody diagnoses. A source beside a velvet sofa, heavy curtains or a wool rug loads that material over days, so the room strengthens where people sit without the setting changing; a source at an AC grille is either pulled away or distributed far too widely; and in stone or glazed rooms the air itself is moving, so an afternoon reads stronger than an evening on the same setting. Third, an unaddressed source - drifted cooking, monsoon damp, a musty rug, a bin, new joinery off-gassing, fresh paint. Fragrance combines with those rather than masking them, so turn it off for a few days, fix the source, and bring it back low. Fourth and only fourth, the register, and move sideways rather than dramatically - Quiet Luxury or White Tea Serenity are the usual destination, and a rich or sweet original specification is the one case where the register genuinely may be at fault. Tell the client a change takes weeks in a soft home, and that washing and airing speeds it while running harder does not. A fifth cause: two registers colliding in a doorway, which clients describe as too strong - one register throughout, varied by intensity, resolves it. And check who is complaining, because anyone who shares the home and cannot leave it gets a low neutral register and a physical off switch. Hotel Collection from Rs 299, water-based for machines only, never reed oil. SOSA Vaayu Rs 11,999 with coverage to 1,000 m², SOSA Megh Rs 3,499, SOSA Sukoon Rs 1,799, SOSA Boond Rs 799, reeds Rs 749 to Rs 849. Everything is alcohol-free and made to IFRA-compliant standards. Volume pricing is quoted on WhatsApp.

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