Solicitor's letter sent out?

[Sarah22]

Hey geeks.

I need some advice please as I have never dealt with anything like this before and am way over my head!!

Unfortunately I'm having a few issues with a fellow professional... They wrote on my business page on a social networking site yesterday and accused me of copying their work... This is 100% nonsense as I have no contact with them and therefore can't see anything they post!! They left catty comments which I took a photo of, and then they deleted their comments.

They are today, making petty, nasty comments about my work, and writing silly comments on their social networking pages (I only know this because people have contacted me to tell me, I can't see anything as I'm not on their pages).

I absolutely hate all of this childish behaviour, and I haven't commented on anything as I see myself as more professional.

However, everybody else can, and they're talking about me in their workplace to their clients. I know that they have their clients and I have mine, but I'm worried that this nonsense is going to be repeated by their clients to their friends, family, etc, and potentially put future clients off coming to me... I've just got to a stage in my business where I'm fully booked and a lot of people are having to book appointments well in advance. I work really hard and don't want silly people spoiling it for me.

I feel so ridiculous typing this, it's playground material!! But has anybody experienced a similar situation and can give me some advice please? Is it something I can have a solicitors letter sent to them over, or is it too petty? Obviously there's more ins and outs to it that I can't go into detail on here, but I've given you the short of it, I'm just wanting to know if I have grounds to seek legal action to have the comments and gossiping stopped? Or in your experience, do you think it's better just to ignore and let it blow over? I think I'm the third or fourth business now that this party has targeted...

Help 😔

 

[facelashbrow]

Unfortunately I do have experience of it and as hard and unfair as it OS, don't make any comment at all about, which it doesn't sound like you would.

You can take legal action, although I imagine it'll be expensive because what they're doing is against the law. If it was me this is what I would do... there will be lots more geeks with helpful info I'd imagine, prob with more details than me, but I'd see pro advice since were not law geeks

A solicitor will usually give 30 mins of free advice so maybe call in the morning and ask them. You may find that just sending them one legal letter saying, stop, delete and leave me alone or I'll continue legal proceedings for defammatory behaviour, might be enough to put an end to it.


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[Sarah22]

Unfortunately I do have experience of it and as hard and unfair as it OS, don't make any comment at all about, which it doesn't sound like you would.

You can take legal action, although I imagine it'll be expensive because what they're doing is against the law. If it was me this is what I would do... there will be lots more geeks with helpful info I'd imagine, prob with more details than me, but I'd see pro advice since were not law geeks

A solicitor will usually give 30 mins of free advice so maybe call in the morning and ask them. You may find that just sending them one legal letter saying, stop, delete and leave me alone or I'll continue legal proceedings for defammatory behaviour, might be enough to put an end to it.


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Thank you so much for your quick reply!!

I really need to ring a solicitor, I just wanted to ask if anybody could advise me if this was an option. I'm so embarrassed about the whole thing and how petty it sounds, I don't want a solicitor laughing at me!!

I hope your experience has been put to bed and all calmed down now 😊

 

[Tomme]

Yes contact a solicitor and don't contact them yourself.

If its any consolation, bitching and saying bad things about other places would put me off that place all together, so they would lose a client. And remember, there must be a reason they are doing this, is it fear that you are good at your job and may take their clients away from their half arsed mediocre work (they can't be putting their full effort into it because they are spending time thinking up things to say about you)

Now chill, out, and be naughty with a glass of wine on a school night. Xoxo

 

[Sarah22]

Yes contact a solicitor and don't contact them yourself.

If its any consolation, bitching and saying bad things about other places would put me off that place all together, so they would lose a client. And remember, there must be a reason they are doing this, is it fear that you are good at your job and may take their clients away from their half arsed mediocre work (they can't be putting their full effort into it because they are spending time thinking up things to say about you)

Now chill, out, and be naughty with a glass of wine on a school night. Xoxo

Thanks Tommo 😊

That's what so many people have been saying, but their comments are suggesting that my work is so rubbish that they're doing similar work to "show me how it's done". Unfortunately I take everything to heart, I wish I could brush it off!!

I'm booked solid for the rest of the week, a solicitor is going to have to wait until Monday I'm afraid.

I'm just worried that this behaviour will put people off coming to me... Although I did have a slight victorious moment last night when one of their clients emailed me to say she had saw what was written about me, thought it was disgusting and that her and quite a few friends haven't been back due to their unprofessionalism and gossiping tendencies.

Thanks for the advice, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't too petty an issue to see legal advice over!! Xxx

 

[Rinn]

Sarah , if you're booked solid then give yourself a good pat on the back and laugh it off.
They're obviously jealous and it's killing them that you are doing so well.

I wouldn't worry about it most people see through BS like that .

They are letting themselves down and are just trying to blacken you in jealousy.

You must have taken some of their clients and they know it.

Don't lower yourself to their level , ignore it , you must be good at what you do and that will stand to you.

If anyone says anything to you about them just reply ' God help them , they must be struggling to get by when they are worried about what I'm at'

:biggrin::wink2:

 

[lissy00]

I'm just worried that this behaviour will put people off coming to me... Although I did have a slight victorious moment last night when one of their clients emailed me to say she had saw what was written about me, thought it was disgusting and that her and quite a few friends haven't been back due to their unprofessionalism and gossiping tendencies.

I am sure that this is how all your clients, who are worth keeping, will react too! All the best xx

 

[lucyboo]

The fact you are fully booked & clients are picking up & not liking what they are saying speaks volumes. If they carry on with this behaviour they won't be around for long.

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[Sarah22]

Thanks everyone. Hopefully when I get the letter issued, all the silliness will stop.

I hate unprofessionalism and hate the fact I've been dragged into it.

But on the bright side, at least when I've been busy with my clients, they've had the time to go through my business page on the social networking site to make comparisons with theirs 😜

Thanks for all of the support, I love SG!!

 

[squidgernetball]

You poor thing. I always think that in this job, whenever something like this happens, it's just so personal. I honesty don't know anyone who would want to go to a place like this. Can you imagine having any treatment and your therapist is slagging a fellow professional off? I'd run a mile! Please keep us updated and let us know how it all turns out! Best of luck x

 

[lucyboo]

How did you get on?

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[Sarah22]

How did you get on?

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Sorry, I haven't been on here in a while to reply. I've just been so busy, and literally haven't had time.

The person giving me the hassle was made aware that legal action for defamation of character and slander would ensue if it didn't stop... They were also made aware that 8 weeks prior to this, it became the law that evidence would stand up in court taken from social networking sites...

When they were told that there was full photographic evidence of every comment that had been made, their comments were miraculously deleted... Haven't heard a thing since and I hope not to!!

"Playground" incidents such as this really do my head in... There's just no need!!

And not to be petty, but the original issue was with me allegedly copying their work... I've since had clients of mine forward me photos that these people have been posting on their business page, of work that I had done weeks ago... It doesn't bother me in the slightest, but why make an issue out of something that they are clearly doing, not me?! I just don't understand some people...