Stealing clients?

[susieq]

Hi Everyone,
I would like to share my story and hopefully get some feedback from other beauticians and hairdressers and especially from salon owners. Please let me know honestly what you think because I am sure I have done nothing wrong but have been made to feel I have.

I worked in a salon for around 2 and a half years as a nail technician and beautician. When I started there I had no client base but the salon owner had a full client base so I had treatments to do most of the time. I was officially self employed there and earned 40% commission of the total price of all treatments I carried out. 50% on some treatments. In the beginning this was good.
After about 6 months of working there, the salon owner started calling in sick about 1 day a week, this increased to 2 days almost every week. I had to contact all her appointments at short notice and cancel them. Often she wouldn't have numbers for them and I would have to tell them when they arrived at the salon that she wasn't there. Sometimes by the time she told me she wouldn't be coming in, it was just too late to call the clients as they would already be on route to the salon. I hated doing this to people but at the time didn't have much choice.
The last year that I worked in the salon I was the only one working there. The owner had a baby so she couldn't come in and actually didn't even set foot in the salon that whole time except maybe once I think. In the beginning of this arrangement I was earning £25 a week on top of my commission but after 2 weeks the salon owner said she couldn't afford it and I went back to my commission only. So I was effectively running the salon for free. My commission totalled an average of £200 a week. At this stage I can hear you all thinking 'why did you do this?' As I am writing it down I realise how ridiculous it sounds but at the time I saw it as a temporary job and just got on with it by telling myself 'its just for now' and Ill be moving on soon. I was even thinking about taking a completely different career path altogether. I am also the kind of person who will do anything to avoid confrontation. So it was what it was.
OK, so I am getting to the point of the story, I feel the background info is valid.
I left the salon a while ago and around 3 months later decided to start working for myself, renting a small beauty room 2 days a week. Before I left I told the clients I might not work as a beautician again and of course they started wondering where they would go for their treatments. Some clients gave me their numbers and asked me to contact them if I did work as a beautician again. I should explain at this point that around half of these clients were existing clients of the salon owner when I started working there. The reason they wanted my number was because they were worried that she wouldn't turn up or cancel their appointments at short notice. The other half had started coming to the salon in the year that I was the only one there so had only ever come to me.
So when I started up on my own I sent a group message to these clients letting them know where I was. (15 clients in total)
A few days after I sent this group message I received an email from the salon owner saying she had found out what I had done and she really wasn't happy about me trying to steal the salon's clients.
When I checked the list of people I had contacted, there was 1 number in there that wasn't supposed to be so I had sent the message to someone who didn't ask me to. As far as I am concerned that is the only thing I did wrong. Since then I have had clients come into my work place and tell me I am being called names and spoken of badly by the salon owner (oh how they love to gossip!) I find this unfair and a bit embarrassing.

I've heard stories from salon owners in the past (usually hair salons) saying that employees have stolen their customers. Surely if they were the salon's customers, they wouldn't care what the employee was doing after they left and would continue to go to the salon. How can you steal people? You can only make them aware of where you are.

I would like to know what other therapists would have done in my situation and what salon owners would expect me to do in this situation, should I have decided not to contact the people who asked me to? My friends keep telling me I have done nothing wrong but I would really like to hear the point of view of people working in this industry.
I do also want to point out that I regret contacting the clients, not because it was wrong but because of the trouble it has caused and I have since discovered that if the clients want to find you they will.

Thank you to everyone who has read this post, I know its long!
Any feedback would be so appreciated!

 

[squidgernetball]

Hi hon, I am a salon owner and have to say I don't think you have done anything wrong. I am in work about 6 days a week, and when I'm not in, I am often taking calls from work about work. If you left my salon, and told clients where you were working I would be seriously p***ed off, but that isn't what has happened here. You have had to bear the brunt of not only a fellow therapist, but the salon owner not acting responsibly or even communicating well.
As for the bitchiness and name calling, don't even think about it, and definitely don't retaliate. Just smile and say 'oh well'. It's amazing how quickly it can stop when there's no fuel!!!

The upside is I can't see her salon carrying on much longer, so finger x'd for a few more clients.

 

[virtues2011]

Hi Everyone,
I would like to share my story and hopefully get some feedback from other beauticians and hairdressers and especially from salon owners. Please let me know honestly what you think because I am sure I have done nothing wrong but have been made to feel I have.

I worked in a salon for around 2 and a half years as a nail technician and beautician. When I started there I had no client base but the salon owner had a full client base so I had treatments to do most of the time. I was officially self employed there and earned 40% commission of the total price of all treatments I carried out. 50% on some treatments. In the beginning this was good.
After about 6 months of working there, the salon owner started calling in sick about 1 day a week, this increased to 2 days almost every week. I had to contact all her appointments at short notice and cancel them. Often she wouldn't have numbers for them and I would have to tell them when they arrived at the salon that she wasn't there. Sometimes by the time she told me she wouldn't be coming in, it was just too late to call the clients as they would already be on route to the salon. I hated doing this to people but at the time didn't have much choice.
The last year that I worked in the salon I was the only one working there. The owner had a baby so she couldn't come in and actually didn't even set foot in the salon that whole time except maybe once I think. In the beginning of this arrangement I was earning £25 a week on top of my commission but after 2 weeks the salon owner said she couldn't afford it and I went back to my commission only. So I was effectively running the salon for free. My commission totalled an average of £200 a week. At this stage I can hear you all thinking 'why did you do this?' As I am writing it down I realise how ridiculous it sounds but at the time I saw it as a temporary job and just got on with it by telling myself 'its just for now' and Ill be moving on soon. I was even thinking about taking a completely different career path altogether. I am also the kind of person who will do anything to avoid confrontation. So it was what it was.
OK, so I am getting to the point of the story, I feel the background info is valid.
I left the salon a while ago and around 3 months later decided to start working for myself, renting a small beauty room 2 days a week. Before I left I told the clients I might not work as a beautician again and of course they started wondering where they would go for their treatments. Some clients gave me their numbers and asked me to contact them if I did work as a beautician again. I should explain at this point that around half of these clients were existing clients of the salon owner when I started working there. The reason they wanted my number was because they were worried that she wouldn't turn up or cancel their appointments at short notice. The other half had started coming to the salon in the year that I was the only one there so had only ever come to me.
So when I started up on my own I sent a group message to these clients letting them know where I was. (15 clients in total)
A few days after I sent this group message I received an email from the salon owner saying she had found out what I had done and she really wasn't happy about me trying to steal the salons clients.
When I checked the list of people I had contacted, there was 1 number in there that wasn't supposed to be so I had sent the message to someone who didn't ask me to. As far as I am concerned that is the only thing I did wrong. Since then I have had clients come into my work place and tell me I am being called names and spoken of badly by the salon owner (oh how they love to gossip!) I find this unfair and a bit embarrassing.

I've heard stories from salon owners in the past (usually hair salons) saying that employees have stolen their customers. Surely if they were the salon's customers, they wouldn't care what the employee was doing after they left and would continue to go to the salon. How can you steal people? You can only make them aware of where you are.

I would like to know what other therapists would have done in my situation and what salon owners would expect me to do in this situation, should I have decided not to contact the people who asked me to? My friends keep telling me I have done nothing wrong but I would really like to hear the point of view of people working in this industry.
I do also want to point out that I regret contacting the clients, not because it was wrong but because of the trouble it has caused and I have since discovered that if the clients want to find you they will.

Thank you to everyone who has read this post, I know its long!
Any feedback would be so appreciated!

Forgive me here, I have read your post but I've either missed or can not seem to find the part where is says you had a contract, however I have taken note that you were self employed but even so what the salon owner policies for her business are should still be made clear in a written document.

If it was written in your contract (employed) that upon leaving you were not to take customers and you had, then yes I would expect you to receive solicitors letters and the like from the owner, however they have to weigh up the cost of this against the damage you could potentially do to their business. It may not always be worth it to contest for the owner.

Morally for me it is wrong to take/contact clients, but being a salon owner I would say this as these things can be detrimental to the business, but then I will always issue contracts for my employed staff. I do not get involved with self employed. If you didn't agree with the working conditions and the owners lack of communication you should have left. Others will have a different view point on this.

I think that when you have a business that you have worked hard for and someone comes in regardless of what position they are in employed/self employed and a situation like this occurs, it can cause a lot of financial damage - If one day this happens to you (which I hope it doesn't) you will understand what I am saying. As for the comments from clients and the owner it probably will calm itself down as it is probably still raw. There is no excuse for this but it does happen all the same.

 

[Nicolahayley]

Oh my god that is absolutely awful. I'm sorry you have had to listen to people coming to you and telling you that the salon owner is bitching about you. It is absolutely disgusting and not very professional at all. I have experienced the same sort of thing as u from another salon in my area. Things being said on Facebook. A few of my clients from the beginning dnt come to me anymore but go there.. Not sure if they are behind it or not... But what I try thinking when it gets me down is that if they continue to say negative things about u a lot then people aren't stupid... They will start to think ok why are u constantly trying to bring this other salon down and they will soon get sick of it and just not take notice anymore. I hope people will do the same with this salon owner. She's not going in the right direction anyway if she's constantly off sick. It isn't looking good for her. She's maybe lost interest in her salon deep down and she is clearly jealous of you.


Nicola! Xxx

 

[persianista]

My understanding is that with self employed workers, the clients are theirs, as are the client details that they submitted to you.
If you are employed, then all the clients are the goodwill of the salon, and employees have it in their contracts that they may not contact or solicit the clients of the salon after their employment ends.
People can't have it both ways. The salon owner didn't pay you a wage, holiday pay, ssp etc, or employers NI, as you were self employed. That also means that she has no rights to dictate the terms of you leaving.
Conversely, with employed staff, who are paid all of the above, even when they are not physically working, forfeit the right to phone clients after they leave. I have taken legal action on staff who have stolen client data for this purpose in the past.

I'd say, just ignore this woman. There's nothing she can do, and it kinda serves her right for trying to staff her salon on the cheap.

 

[hazeleyes]

Sorry to be blunt, but it seems to me that you were the one doing the clients half the time, they had a good relationship with you, they had a loyalty to you and the salon owner sounds like a bone idle piece of work who rarely came in and exploited you instead! you've done nothing wrong!! You put in the work while she relaxed at home, couldn't even be bothered to come in half the time. That's her problem and it's no wonder the clients are following you. You were self employed as well! Why should you build her business for her? Clients have a mind of their own and they will remain loyal to those they have a relationship with!!! Not your problem if she couldn't be bothered to maintain that.

I wouldn't feel bad in the slightest, In fact I think you should take anyone who would come with you tbh!

It's a dog eat dog world, she wasn't loyal to you so why should you afford her the same. She snoozed, she lost!!

Hope your business shines!!!!

 

[susieq]

Thank you for your reply Squidgy!
Its nice to hear from a salon owner that I am not completely out of line here.
I guess from what you are saying, if you run your business properly then this sort of thing wont happen.
With regards to getting more clients, I have gotten to a point where I don't want anyone I met at the previous salon to contact me in case I am accused of more wrong doing. I have started unfriending them on facebook in case they see my advertising because I now feel uncomfortable when they contact me. My intention was never to attempt to steal clients from my previous work place but to build up my own business from scratch, however contacting people who had asked me to seemed liked the right thing to do.
Thank you so much for your reply! x

 

[laurakate]

It sounds like they were your clients in the first place and in this respect you've done nothing wrong.

If you were paid as an employee and it was the salon owner who worked on the clients then fair enough but that's not the case so meh.

Sounds like she was expecting you to run the salon for just under minimum wage per week and that clients want you because you didn't mess them about.

Let her say whatever it is she's saying about you. If client's tell you things then if they're worth their salt as clients then they should stop going on about it after a while. In this respect don't say anything to them that you don't want to get back to the salon manager.

 

[susieq]

Hi Virtues.
Thank you for your comment. I wasn't given any kind of contract but I understand what you are saying about it being a moral issue. I have decided to rent a small room and don't plan to ever be in a position to employ staff. If I did however, I would know to do everything properly, with contracts, especially if the employees spent all of their time alone with the clients.
It sounds like yu run your business well.
Thanks again.

 

[virtues2011]

Hi Virtues.
Thank you for your comment. I wasn't given any kind of contract but I understand what you are saying about it being a moral issue. I have decided to rent a small room and don't plan to ever be in a position to employ staff. If I did however, I would know to do everything properly, with contracts, especially if the employees spent all of their time alone with the clients.
It sounds like yu run your business well.
Thanks again.

Best of luck - I'm sure you will be fine, it will all settle for you I'm sure. :lol:

 

[susieq]

Hi Nicola.
It is really sad that we had to put up with this kind of thing when all we really want to do is make a living! There will always be gossips and unfortunately in this industry they are everywhere! All I can say is keep your head up and never retaliate!
Thank you for your reply xxx

 

[susieq]

Thanks Persianista,
Your comment reminds me of everything my friends have been telling me to reassure me I haven't done something terrible! Its really helpful to hear it from a salon owner.

Thank you

 

[susieq]

Hi hazeleyes,
Thank you for your response. When I was working there, people were always asking me why I was keeping someone elses business going for nothing when I could've been thinking about my own future. I guess at the time I wasn't sure what I wanted to do long term and also didn't feel confident enough to start something from scratch by myself. Now I just want to put the whole experience behind me and focus on my own business. I really hope I can make it shine! Thank you so much x

 

[susieq]

Hi Laurakate,
Thank you for your reply.
The salon owner told me that I was representing the salon while I was working there therefore the clients were the salon's and not mine. To be honest, I am fine with that description and never thought anyone belonged to me, this is why I think the term 'stealing clients' is silly, people will go where they want. I am not getting involved in any tit for tat and trying my best to brush it off when clients come in and tell my I'm being openly criticised. Thank you so much for you advise xx

 

[emma84]

Hi I had a very similar situation years ago before I became mobile.
To cut a very long story short since I have left all of the hairdressers have left ( through which ever reasons of their own )
There have been at least another 4 beauty therapists/ nail technicians whom have also left, it is only the salon owner now in a huge salon, that is actually a real shame as it is in a fantastic location, I was always busy and there is loads of potential.
But some people can be quite poisonous with words or actions and it can have a really bad affect on you, people will find you if they want to and if you live locally or have a lot of advertising with your name on and if your clients know your full name then they can easily find you on any social network sites ( assuming you are on them ).
You do have to let it become a bit like water off of a ducks back, the best form of defence is just letting your work speak for itself, be proud in what you do and I am sure your client base will be full of loyal clients, after all there is nothing stopping these clients going back to that salon and clients are not silly they can make up their own minds, they are not belongings.
Sorry I haven't read all of threads so I am sorry if this has been said/asked did you have a contract that stipulated anything to do with clients?
I have heard of other people before having things like certain clients are the salons clients and about working within a certain mile radius of the salon, I have never had this in a contract though and clients that carried on going to the salon I worked in but were not happy with the new therapist soon found me & I imagine the same has happened with the other hairdressers/ therapists that have worked there.
Hth x

 

[susieq]

Hi Emma,
Thanks for your reply, it does sound like a similar story. I was never given a contract and was there on a commission only basis for treatments. I did however keep the salon open on quiet days sometimes for hours between appointments, which of course I wasn't being paid for. Virtues said in her comment, that I should have just left if I wasn't happy with the conditions and this is a big regret of mine now. It sounds like your previous employer has no idea how to get loyal staff so will have to deal with the consequences now they have all left. My guess though is that she probably doesn't think she is the one to blame even though it has happened repeatedly. Some clients who I didn't contact have already found me which is really nice but my plan is to put everything to do with the place behind me and focus on new business.
I suppose the lesson here is to anyone running a salon, to do it properly, treat staff well and they wont want to leave, treat clients well and they wont look elsewhere.
Thanks for replying and I hope your business is going well! xx