Beauty therapists owed £283m by non-paying customers

Some 73% of UK beauty therapists are currently owed money by late- or non-paying customers. 

Some are owed as much as £5,000 each, a total of £283million across the industry, according to new research.

The study by digital communications firm EE also found that beauty therapists are investing an average of 36 days a year chasing overdue customer bills. Based on minimum wage rates, these lost hours can cost companies up to £125m.

While offering secure card payments would solve the problem, 27% of therapists said they were put off due to the costs involved in running the payment system.

The survey results were announced to promote the launch of iZettle, a mini chip-card reader launching in partnership with EE in the UK, and suitable for use with smart phones and tablets.