A woman’s hope not to pay for her nail service at a Texas salon came crashing down after the police intervened. The woman claimed that the salon provided “illegal services,” and appeared to expect that the police would support her refusal. However, the tables turned on the woman as the authorities defended the business owner. The interaction between the customer, the salon owner, and the responding police officers was shared on Reddit. The video opens with a policeman already at the scene explaining to the customer that the law enforcement intervenes in matters involving criminal activity.
When the customer alleged that the workers had locked her in the salon, preventing her from leaving, the responding officer informed her that the business owners had the right to do so. He likened the situation to Walmart security personnel tackling a thief who had left the store.
The officer said, “In this case, you’re committing theft by getting the procedures done and you’re not paying.” The woman defended herself, saying, “I’m not committing theft because I’ve not left the property.”
The officer demanded she pay her bill, leaving the woman to bring up the issue of illegal services. “So you’re gonna have me pay for illegal services that’s being done?” the customer asked. The policeman responded pointedly, “You’re gonna come here and get illegal services?”
The policeman further used an analogy to clarify his stance on why the woman couldn’t walk away without paying, citing the illegality as the reason. He explained, “That’s like going to someone and getting a joint. And then you go, ‘Hey, this was illegal. I’m not paying for that.’ It doesn’t work that way.”
When the officer asked the customer when she discovered the service was illegal, she replied that it was when her services were already done. In resolving the issue, the policeman advised the woman to file her complaint with code enforcement, but insisted that she pay for the services.
The video went viral, and social media users wasted no time sharing their opinions on the situation. One internet user mocked the woman for not getting the reaction she wanted from the police. “She was expecting ICE but got flamed instead,” the user joked.
A second individual added, “She’s probably gotten away with it numerous times, because immigrants are much less likely to involve the police.”
A third netizen blasted the customer, writing, “This lady is disgusting, I hate when people take advantage of foreign businesses like this, and then expect the police or code enforcement, or whoever they were, to jump in and protect them.”
Better luck next time, Karen!
