Urban Company beauticians protest at Gurgaon office over ID blocking, booking woes: report

Beautician partners staged a protest at the Gurugram office of Urban Company. (Representational)

A group of beautician partners staged a protest at the Gurugram office of Urban Company, raising concerns over the purported permanent blocking of their IDs by the company, according to reports. The protesting workers claimed that their IDs were being blocked, both temporarily and permanently, due to issues such as booking cancellations and a decline in user ratings, Inc42 reported.

This issue of blocked IDs is not limited to salon services providers but is being faced by many Urban Company partners across various segments. The protesting beauticians also highlighted another problem they are encountering regarding service bookings.

They reportedly explained that even if they have open slots available for appointments, Urban Company's app sometimes fails to display the availability of its partner beauticians, affecting their income.

The protesting partners also alleged that the company is promoting new beauticians on the platform, resulting in existing partners struggling to secure repeat bookings. This alleged favouritism toward new entrants has raised concerns about fairness and equal opportunities for long-standing partners.

The aggrieved beauticians finally came together to voice their concerns and seek resolution from Urban Company, one of the leading home service providers in India.

This recent protest is not the first time Urban Company has faced backlash from its partners. In 2021, salon partners staged demonstrations against the company in response to policy changes. During that time, Urban Company took legal action against four protesters, deeming the protest illegal.

The current agitation comes at a challenging time for Urban Company, as the company grapples with mounting losses amid a funding drought. In the financial year 2021-22 (FY22), Urban Company's consolidated net loss more than doubled to INR 514 Cr from INR 249.2 Cr in FY21 due to escalating expenses.