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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU or have I just been extremely naive?

183 replies

ClittyClittyGangBang · 07/07/2014 22:57

I have NC'd for this, think I might get flamed.

I sell handmade crafts and soaps, vintage bits and pieces and the odd piece of retro furniture. There are some shabby chic in there as well. I also sell chalk paint. At the moment I am based out of my garage and my kitchen and had been looking at a property for a while.

Moving into a shop will also mean my sister can have an outlet for her dressmaking and haberdashery bits that she sells.

Anyhow, a retail shop close to us became vacant months ago but no one was interested as it had been a really dodgy takeaway. We viewed and worked out that we could afford the rent between the two of us. The only problem was the refitting of the shop, so I approached a builder who I know personally for a quote for a strip out of the kitchen and counter and obligatory fish tank.

Anyhow, he was quite taken up with what we wanted to do. He listened to what we wanted and then gave us a quote which was a little higher than we had expected. We then approached the letting agent, imagine our surprise from being the only person interested to the shop had suddenly been rented out earlier that day. A change of usage notice was posted on the door, so I guessed it was going to be a shop of some kind.

Roll on a few months, and guess who is starting up a business in there selling all of the above? The builder's wife. Guess what she is selling? Exactly the same stock as we were going to have, she is on FB posting about all of her "vintage stock". Guess how they have done the decor? Exactly to our specification.

Am I right to be devastated or AIBU and this is just how people do "business"?

OP posts:
magoria · 07/07/2014 23:42

You need to re label your marketing. Something along the lines of 'The original and best'

XiX · 07/07/2014 23:47

That's really cheeky of them. He should have at least mentioned it to you. I would be tempted to contact him but I suppose it would be pointless.

I'm not too sure you can read too much into them copying your white Welsh dresser display as it's a very common thing to have in a shabby chic shop.

Did he copy the fish tank?

Original poster
ClittyClittyGangBang · 07/07/2014 23:48

Just wanted to add that he is a builder, so of course everything they are doing is at cost price, so the start up price is a fraction of what mine would be.

Now have PMs from people who are asking if this is my piece for sale. Some are apologising for their behaviour, as the pics are quite easily recognisable as being copies of mine. She is asking for any second hand furniture for sale on local FB pages, especially pine. Good grief, it is like watching someone else live your life, walking in your shoes. It is almost as if she is just copying and pasting from other FB pages though, because she, in the last hour, liked identical pages that I have previously posted on. She must have been stalking me on FB for months....

Some of my before and after pictures of a piece I did last year have just gone up, she can only have downloaded them from my FB page. One has one of my cats in the background ffs!

I am wracking my brains to think what I could have done to deserve this, I cannot think of anything.....

OP posts:
hiddenhome · 07/07/2014 23:53

She's not going to get very far just by copying someone else's ideas. She obviously lacks original thought and talent too. She'll most likely fail.

XiX · 07/07/2014 23:57

OMG! She is actually using your photos. I would take screen shots and bide your time for a while.

There is not that much 'original' shabby chic stuff about so unless you are doing something really unique then her stuff may well look like your stuff IYSWIM

TheReluctantCountess · 08/07/2014 00:00

You can continue to sell online, but can be cheaper than her as she will have the overheads of the shop.

XiX · 08/07/2014 00:00

Umm, I don't quite understand Confused. Have the PM's and the new photos been posted in the last hour since you started the thread? That's, err, odd Hmm

I only just saw when the thread was started I had presumed it was over a much longer period of time.

PintOfWine · 08/07/2014 00:03

Report her pics to FB, start asking why she's reporting your work, repost all your pics to your FB feed with note to let people know those are yours and you're not sure why they're being illegally used to promote someone else's new business.

sykadelic · 08/07/2014 00:04

I would report those photos to FB as having been stolen.

Honestly, I'd consult a lawyer. If he gave you a quote for the business (which you presumably have a copy of), plus the text asking you for the photo, and screenshots of the stolen photos... a "cease and desist" letter might not be a bad thing.

It's one thing to copy your "idea" but this is a whole other level!

sykadelic · 08/07/2014 00:05

Agree with PintOfWine you have proof they're your photos and your work (your cats are in the background!!) Most definitely name and shame all over social media.

ICanHearYou · 08/07/2014 00:07

Surely you would have secured lease on property before approaching builders?

MagicMojito · 08/07/2014 00:11

No practical advice I'm afraid :( must be awful right now for you and dsis. What knobs xx

AshaH1982 · 08/07/2014 00:21

Is it usual to get a builder to quote on renovations before securing a lease? The property had been empty for months, but there was always the possibility that it could be leased out at any time. Presumably the letting agent was aware of your interest (the builder must have been given access to measure up), but didn't inform you that someone else was interested in leasing?

XiX · 08/07/2014 00:25

Btw you might want to consider changing your name, it's a bit Confused

Voldemort ?

KingJoffreysBloodshotEye · 08/07/2014 00:30

I have no advice regarding the legal side but would like to say;

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Her work can't be up to much if she's using your photos. She won't be able to keep up to your standard and will crash and burn.

If she's using stolen photos then she has no idea how business works, legal stuff works or has any faith in herself.

AGnu · 08/07/2014 00:31

Definitely report if she's using your photos to promote her business! That's ridiculous!

RainbowB7 · 08/07/2014 00:32

To the people asking - yes is usual to sort out fit out plans and get it all quoted before completing the lease. Usually however you would have agreed heads of terms, so agreed in principle that you want to take it, rent etc and main terms! It's not usual to get builders in if you haven't agreed with the agent that you will be taking it.

In normal circs you would be getting the fit out sorted in the mean time while lease was being agreed, as you will need specs to be authorised by landlord and annexed to a licence for alterations (authorising your fit out) which you would in most cases complete at the same time as the lease so that your workmen can get straight in there and commence fit out on the first day of the term.

RainbowB7 · 08/07/2014 00:34

And yes the builders wide sounds a cheeky mare tbh

Bobulate · 08/07/2014 00:46

This is crazy OP. I'd chat to a few friends but otherwise be totally professional about it as she is bound to trip herself up.

Original poster
ClittyClittyGangBang · 08/07/2014 07:07

Thanks for all your responses and comments.

Not really slept, spent the night telling myself to "Man the ^&*% Up".

Just to explain as I was not very clear in my posts. We had viewed the premises and were in discussion with the owner via the letting agency. Our town centre has a large supermarket that actually owns the lease for all the little shops around it, they are currently trying to promote local small businesses so the terms are "easy in and out". Even so, we were a little wary because it was in a bit of state. Although in hindsight, the shop is in a very poor location with no daytime footfall, this particular row of shops is not retail, just takeaways. It is all a bit takeaway odours really.

We felt that because of the amount of work, we wanted to get the quotes before we actually signed. It was a takeaway (not a restaurant), so if you can imagine there was the shop door, then the seating area for those waiting for food, the desk where you would order. It was all very 80s, very dirty, little bits of damp. The kitchen and venting needed to be stripped out and we were going to turn into a small office space with stock storage.

I approached him because I know he has done a lot of shop fitting and he could do everything rather than getting three or four trades in. My sister and I wanted to get the quote to know exactly what our start-up costs would be, we did not want any nasty surprises. How ironic is that?

I was sent PMs by three people who have collected items from my house and recognised the layout and my style of photo. I think they were in as much shock as I was, the original post about the opening of the shop was put up at just gone six, I was alerted by my daughter of its existence just before seven. By the time I had logged in (I was painting a couple of orders) it was half past seven and I had already received two PMs.

I have to move on from this as soon as possible, I have not really slept last night because I have to move on this incredibly fast.

My sister is no longer interested in moving forward with any type of project, I can understand her logic, that if we were to open something similar we would be seen as imitating them. I have to respect her decision.

I am unsure what stock she is going to open the store with, she could have spent the last month or so duplicating my entire collection. I have no way of knowing until she opens the doors on her "opening day".

This is the way I have decided to proceed, I have craft stalls booked between September and Xmas, in addition I have retail space booked. Between this and my online sales I will try and sell as much as I can as soon as possible. I will be selling off my furniture and projects, as quickly as possible, ditto the paint.

Hopefully I can make it through the Xmas season as a viable business, fingers crossed.

Sorry if the NC sounded a bit "Voldemort", not intentional but I won't be posting under this name again anyway.

Thank you all so much for your support.

OP posts:
Balaboosta · 08/07/2014 07:11

What's all this stuff about ignoring? No no no! Go to the citizens advice bureau and talk about breach of intellectual property rights. I would also be tempted to confront them. Presumably you have the record of the picture you emailed? I would also draw up the evidence for the design ideas for the shop that they have stolen. In effect, they owe you money for your interior design concept. I would make a load of noise about this. But get your evidence together in a file. I hope your sister gets her mojo back! Good luck!

Balaboosta · 08/07/2014 07:13

I would be taking legal advice. Really. Keep fighting OP!

Eastpoint · 08/07/2014 07:19

If she's opened her business somewhere where there is no daytime footfall & is copying everything from you she won't last long, it sounds as if she is just playing at having her own business.

babymouse · 08/07/2014 07:24

you may want to start adding water marks to your fb photos so they aren't so easy to steel.

Glastokitty · 08/07/2014 07:28

If she is as lacking in ideas as you describe, in an area full of takeaways with no footfall, she will be out of business in six months. As someone else pointed out, should you wish, you can then take advantage of an already renovated shop. But honestly, your idea isn't original, in fact one of my cousins opened a very similar sounding shop a couple of months ago. They aren't making money at it either. You may have had a lucky escape!