Dubai: There have been reports of people running away from huge debts, but running away from a beauty salon without paying could be a one-off incident.
Workers of a salon in Dubai were stunned after a woman, who availed of a three-hour pampering package last week, brazenly disappeared into the night after pretending that she would bring money from her husband who was waiting outside.
“The customer came alone, looked at the prices, and even requested for a discount,” Celine Crasto, a partner and co-owner of Anchor Beauty Salon in Karama, told Gulf News.
Crasto said the woman availed of 12 services, including a face and full-body bleach, full-leg waxing, threading in select areas, a saffron facial, manicure and pedicure with scrub, and a hot oil head massage. On top of that, she also requested for some snacks from the cafeteria and promised to pay for the same along with her bill.
“When the services were over, she said she would get money from her husband, who, she said, was waiting in the car,” Crasto recounted.
“She went out and never came back. My girls came out to look for her but she was not there anymore.”
Crasto said she called the police but cancelled her complaint since she had no other information on the fraudster. She requested to review the surveillance cameras installed in nearby shops but the cameras were not recording at that time.
“We are not allowed to install CCTV cameras inside the salon because this is for ladies. Now we are thinking of putting one outside,” Crasto said.
Joshi, one of the hairdressers who worked on the alleged fraudster, said: “We feel so sad because three people spent three hours on her only that night.”
“If she did not have money, she could have told us. We have clients who have credit with us and promise to pay us during their next visit. She did not have to run away.”
The woman’s bill was Dh300, she would have gotten a discount as well, Crasto said. But it’s not the money Crasto is more concerned with.
“The lesson is to never let anybody leave unaccompanied. At least, make sure one of your staff accompanies the customer to the car.
“For a small business like ours, our charges are already minimal. So to be cheated of something this small, it hurts you. If she had had the services done in other salons, she would have been charged Dh1,000.
“I just hope this doesn’t happen again and other shop owners would learn from our experience.”
