A striking blonde woman who caused a scandal in a sleepy market town – by doing a runner from a series of beauty businesses without paying for treatments – returned to pay one of her bills.
The woman was said to have hit at least three local independent businesses in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, allegedly walking away without paying for botox, a haircut and a facial costing £500.
Among them was a £160 cut and highlights from Ooh La La hairdressing, where she accidentally left her handbag. The salon later discovered the bag was empty and still had a price tag on.
Owner Emily Curtis confirmed the woman got in touch over the weekend to pay her bill.
She said: ‘She called up crying down the phone and blaming her mental health. The police had also been to her house.
‘She claimed she didn’t do it to any of the other businesses and we asked her why she did it she said embarrassment because she had no money.’
In a post on Ooh La La’s Facebook page, Ms Curtis wrote: ‘Due to the power of social media, the client has called today and made payment. The amount of messages we received was overwhelming, and just people’s kindness in general has taken us by surprise.
The woman has hit at least three independent businesses in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, allegedly walking away without paying for botox, a haircut and a facial costing £500
She booked under a fake name of Sophie Brown and after the treatment would tell staff she needed to get her bank card from the car before leaving
‘We would like to now draw a line under the issue from our point of view.
‘This has definitely made us more vigilant and hopefully it has brought more awareness to all us small businesses, and shown that although competition is healthy, we are all here for each other when the chips are down.’
‘We would like to thank everyone for their support following our post.’
After Ms Curtis shared CCTV pictures of the woman on Facebook, two other business owners in the town came forward to say the same woman had targeted them – one only minutes before.
In each case she booked under a fake name of Sophie Brown and after the treatment would tell staff she needed to get her bank card from the car before leaving.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon the same woman allegedly walked out without paying for £200 botox treatment at Enhanced Faces UK in the town.
Sophia Lorenzo, 31, confirmed this morning she still hasn’t been paid. She said: ‘It was definitely the same woman, she even had the same handbag with the tag sticking out.
‘She used the same fake name and contacted us both through the same Instagram profile. When she contacted me to book I asked to go online and make a reservation as that’s how we take deposits but she said she couldn’t as she was dyslexic.
‘She sent me a screenshot to prove she had paid the deposit but on the morning of the appointment I noticed the money hadn’t come in.
‘When it came to pay I told her about the deposit and she said she would get her card from the car to pay. I sat there and just had this feeling she isn’t coming back and when I went out to the car park she was gone.
‘Losing the money isn’t good but it’s more I’ve lost trust in people. As a business it makes you not trust other clients and now I’m thinking of having to take cash up front.
Emily Curtis who runs Ooh La La hairdressing confirmed the woman got in touch over the weekend to pay her bill
She left her handbag which they later discovered was empty and still had a price tag on
‘It’s my money and it’s my time. It’s knocked my confidence a lot. You don’t expect to have that.’
The woman – wearing all black – is said to have been driven to the shops in a green pickup truck.
Several weeks earlier on October 26 ‘Sophie Brown’ is said to have done exactly the same after receiving a £140 hydrafacial treatment at the Hestier Clinic in the town.
Clinic owner Lauren Aristotelous, 33, confirmed she still hasn’t been paid for the treatment, adding ‘She has only paid the hairdresser, nobody else’
She said: ‘She had a high-end treatment with all the premium extras and when it came to pay she said she’d forgotten her card but offered to bank transfer.
‘She showed me a fake screenshot and I was there on my own so I didn’t feel I could do much. I said it’s not gone in, have you got other means to pay? She said her phone’s not working but would pay by the end of the day.
‘We’re normally fully booked so she’s not just not paid but she’s taken the spot of perhaps two other people who would.’