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I’m glad I checked this. I signed my contract and she sent it back to me because I didn’t initial each page. I have not yet sent my $40 initial fee or ordered the dr.dot shirt. I was going to ask her about the 1099, but assumed that she had to send that to all her independent contractors. Each massage practice that I have worked for has issued a 1099. So if she doesn’t give you a 1099, how does she do her own taxes.
I had a similar experience as IrishCarBomb.
I made an apt with a tester. He clearly didn’t want to do it and only did one gig himself. He was very nice to my face and I liked the guy. He said so what are we doing, I said “I assume a practical. I brought my sheets.” He just sat down with me and was saying the $1/minute. I said, that’s not what was posted on her add for $120. So I said I wanted to call Dr.Dot.
I called her and she said that the tester said that I showed up late and my nails were way too long and he was way too chatty. I said and I should have shut him up. I wrote back, “you must have me confused with somebody else, because I showed up 20 minutes early, I had my sheets and told him that I was ready for a hands on. He just wanted to chat in his waiting room.”
She got mad at him and said she was taking him off the list (he’s still there). So she had me see another therapist who was a friend of hers. Her comments were that I didn’t wear a holster. I haven’t worn one since school, but told her that I would use one. She liked my drive and tenacity and hired me. I wonder if a lot of therapists stop before this point because she is quite aggressive and curt and they don’t like all the steps. Perhaps she is hiring me because, through 2 negative experiences, I was still pushing to get hired, which makes me think she’s not maintaining a lot of therapists. She says she has close to 500 people. How does she do that without issuing 1099s.
She also forgets what she puts in her documents versus her emails .such as u must include your pic an intro to the stage mgr and send it to Dot for apprlval i did on my first gig and she said . I am not sendjng thjs to tbe mgr READ MY DOCUMENTS! Um i did and it said this.. then she confuses u w/ other ppl. And her asst Tanisha is just as ### i bailed them out of a gig cuz the other therapist backed out . I asmed for the details she was sorude to me and got back to me 5 hrs later. Ummmkeep i mind im helping u out . Never got a thanks ..
Exactly what kind of "Doctor" is Dot? And why does she dress like a sexy nurse? She certainly doesn't give the appearance of a professional or "legit" massage therapist!
I'm actually fairly certain she doesn't have a massage license let alone a PhD.
No kidding. I hear she was a groupie back in the 80s or something.Turns out I never worked for her. She's like 'Nope, I can't have ppl like you who don't respond working for me'
I am so pleased to read this complaint - not because i like it that you had a bad time, but because I just had my own terrible experience with Dr Dot which left me questioning my own sanity - and I didn't even get beyond booking an appointment! Wow, I'm so glad it wasn't all in my own head. This woman is deeply offensive and disrespectful, does not bother to read your messages properly, and then treats you like trash when all you want is your muscle pain to go away. Am also not convinced that her team of "therapists" have proper medical training either...
I just asked her three questions related to taxes(NYC has a 4.5% tax on massage therapy), fees (on the posting she says $120/h and $1/min which are different numbers) and who pays for transportation. The answer was: "Seriously? Too many questions, just forget it!". Poor manners and unprofessional...
This Dr Dot woman is a complete bleep! I paid her the initiation fee, bought her t-shirts & paid to have her flyers mailed to me (all of which was roughly $80). I haven't worked a single gig since I was hired. She is so incredibly rude & if you don't follow her long & exhaustive list of instructions, then she treats you like an idiot. She constantly complains about everyone making mistakes & doing the wrong thing. She is never pleasant & mostly a PITA. AVOID THIS WOMAN & HER COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!
Yep same here! I saw red flags when after applying they asked if I did "deep tissue work, " which considering the modalities I had listed, it was clear that I did. Then it took a total of 16 days to get any information about the job and set up a "audition.". I wrote a polite email saying I didn't think the company appeared to be run very well and I wasn't interested. Dot immediately responded saying how they needed people in my area and to please try out. When the reviewer said I needed to bring my sheets and a table to the tryout (where there was already going to be a table) I called boundary. Also said a copy of my licensee was required on the spot. I said scheduling was too tight for a table (because the requirement struck me as ludicrous) and my license was actually online.
I got a 9 out of 10 on the review and rated an "awesome." and said I was best massage she'd ever had. The reviewer (was very nice and it was a great albeit free treatment) and Dot showered me was abusive emails that night because she couldn't figure out to check my license online (it required typing in my last name... that's it... really) and apparently not bringing a table rated among a 7 deadly sins in freak out and blow things out of proportion land.
After the 5th or 6th illogically rude and abusive email I wrote her.
"No thanks on the job, I am very careful who I work for and it appears we are not a fit."
And she responded.
"You are correct. We only hire people who follow instructions."
There was no reason for that other then to be mean for the sake of being mean... NO THANK YOU
She's no nicer if you're an actual client wanting a massage. I was working abroad and needed a massage for a chronic sciatica problem; her company was recommended by a client of my massage therapist in my home country. I went to the website and picked a therapist who lived nearby, and filled in the online form to request an appointment. I didn't hear anything back for 3 days, then finally I got an email from Dr Dot asking if it was ok to be seen by a male therapist. I don't care if a therapist is male/female/an alien as long as they can do their job well. So I said that was fine. Over the next 24 hours, I got put in contact with a different therapist from the one I had requested (who in the end turned out to be female) and booked an appointment. My regular therapist in my home country had offered to send on my medical records to the dr dot therapist so that I could get the best treatment for my condition, and so once the appointment was booked, I gave my old therapist the email address of the new one. The next morning, I had a very angry email from dr dot (cc'd to my regular massage therapist) that I was not allowed to pass on the contact details of her therapists. Furthermore, the dr dot therapist had complained to dr dot, on receiving an email from my regular therapist, that she wasn't medically qualified to deal with my problem, and recommended another therapist. So dr dot cancelled my appointment, and told me I must make an appointment with a 3rd therapist, and I was not allowed under any circumstances to pass on her email address to anyone else (apparently she was only sharing the email address with me "to be nice and save everyone some time"). I didn't like the rudeness of her email, and the fact that she'd been rude to my regular therapist, who is very nice and competent. Furthermore, I was actually in a lot of pain at this point, and was unimpressed at being passed between 3 therapists over 5 days. But most importantly, I was no longer confident that I could trust her therapists with my body since a) some of them appeared not to be medically trained and b) she was more obsessed with protected her therapists' contact details than ensuring that I got the best and safest treatment for my medical condition. I also cc'd her on an email to my regular therapist, apologising for the whole episode, and explaining that I didn't know it was a policy of dr dot that I wasn't allowed to pass on the email addresses of therapists. dr dot wrote back another angry email to me saying "How rude!" and that it should be HER i was apologising to for "spreading her contacts", and not my regular massage therapist. I wrote back "I am not psychic! Other therapists do not have such a policy about passing on contacts". She wrote back "Our therapists are not like "other therapists". Clients are lady gaga, rolling stones, etc. Stop contacting us". So apparently, if you're less than an A-list celebrity, you don't matter. Needless to say, I was very upset about the whole episode... I certainly don't advise anyone with a serious pain condition to book an appointment with this company...and I would question the competency, medical safety and ethics of anyone who works for it.
how much did she charge?
p.s. i apologise for the strange formatting issues in the last post - apparently my computer does not like apostrophes
Plain and simple, Dr. Dot is extremely rude. She comes off as a complete biotch, and I also got the whole "remove her immediately from the list b/c she is unresponsive". I want to work for an employer who values me and treats me with respect. She acts like she is the superior queen on her throne and we are the ant servants. She calls us Dotbots and treats us like we are below her, and like we are her slave robot therapists. This woman is on an ego trip, and unless you enjoy being told what to do, and being sent dozens upon dozens of emails with a whole degrading slew of insults on "do this' and "don't do that"s", I suggest you steer clear of this woman and the Dot Bots.
I currently work for this rude, conniving, paranoid, self-rightous, belligerent ###. She has the WORST attitude and manners that I have ever experienced. She needs a reality check, in a HUGE way. No employer should be able to communicate with their employees as rudely as this, if I knew of somewhere to report her horrible behavior that could result in some legal ramifications towards her and her company, I would LOVE to know about it. Do yourself a favor and do not bother working for this mess of a human being. She believes in "karma", but she must be mostly-###ed because I don't think she understands what that word means. She will get back exactly what she has put in...she is in for a rude awakening sooner or later. I do hope sooner than later, however.
I agree with this post. I sent her a resume in 2011, and my cover letter has apparently not opening. Instead she sent me back a rude email telling me I was IGNORANT and stupid. And I apologized and she told me NOT TO BOTHER and PSYCHO. She is a complete ### and very unprofessional. She is not authentic. Apparently she thinks she is a star. Its nice to be important, but more important to be nice. Which I have continued to do in my own private practice. I massage professional football, hockey, and baseball players. Along with a few celebrities. No athletes use this lady, or her services.
Dr. Dot is insane. She is so unorganized (have you read her 11 page contract where she repeats the same commands over and over? By the different fonts used, it looks like the whole thing is cut and pasted), and unprofessional. She texted and called me 7 times within 30 minutes during an anniversary dinner (mine!) in a panic, and said she needed a last minute therapist to be on stand by for some performer (who is rather famous) for the next evening. And then she vents in my ear about how high maintenance this performer is (pot.kettle.black) and dictates things to say to him on her behalf...such as, "Remind him that I gave him a massage back in 1987...tell him I said he'd better not forget me..." on and on. So the next day I text famous guy's handler (per her requirements) and never hear back. I email Dr. Dot and she gives me famous guy's phone #. I call and leave a message, wait 10 hours and finally hear back from his handler 30 minutes before I'm supposed to be there, and he says, "We're good. Thanks anyway." This was the 3rd gig that canceled at the 11th hour and I blocked out my entire day for these gigs...all for nothing. I immediately "resigned", canceled my separate email account set up just for her, and gave me Dr. Dot t shirt to Goodwill. She is in serious need of professional help and needs to put down the meds.
I have worked for Dr. Dot for 7 years and she is fantastic. All of the other 650 therapists on our team are fine with how it works. Clearly you folks who complain just can not follow instructions. i have massaged lady gaga, sting and stevie wonder working for Dot. Stop whining will ya?
Donna
pffft. FAKE.
I worked for Dr. Dot for almost 5 years. Not once did she ever speak in a polite manor to me. She had me answering all of her phone calls for $25 per week and expected me to never have my own clients so that I would miss her phone calls. I can't live off of $100 per month. I followed her directions very carefully, but she will instruct you to do something and yell at you for doing it 10 minutes later. She is extremely delusional and needs medical help. She constantly accuses people of things they didn't do, makes up stories in her head and blames people for them, and she loses celebrity clients left and right because of her horrible attitude! I seriously think I am suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from her constant verbal abuse and harassing phone calls. If you work for Dr. Dot, beware of who she sends you out to massage- some of her "private" clients expect more than a massage because she advertises herself looking like a [censored]. She will destroy your life, stay away from Dr. Dot!
And her BITING technique for massage? The most disgusting thing I have ever heard of! Good way to get Hepatitis! If she had ever gone to a real massage therapy school, she would know that this is against the Code of Ethics and unsanitary in every manor. ICK!
Alot of the time it isnt dot replying to your emails. Several people manage her emails. I agree with the attitude but sometimes Im not even sure its her. And even if it isvher she clearly has massive trust issues
I'll let the emails speak for themselves. read from the bottom up.
-------------------
Dr. Dot drdot@drdot.com via srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com
Feb 5
to me
Blah blah blah. We'd never hire you.
Sent via BlackBerry
WWW.DRDOT.COM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ME LMT
Date: Sun, 5 Feb
To:
Subject: Re: No show- applicant in Ohio.
Clearly THE TESTER did not send the email that I sent her after my scheduled appointment. I got into a car accident, and my phone was unusable, which was why I was unable to contact Donna or arrive to my appointment on time. I really don't appreciate being blacklisted when I gave a clear explaination as to what happened.
As for me being unreliable on Friday, I had been given an incorrect schedule by my superior, and gave notice to my situation as soon as I personally knew. If that is being considered unreliable, then I do apologize.
The fact that THE TESTER is so upset because she cancelled a client to see me is NOT my fault. I did not choose to reschedule her client for her, and she should have said she was unavailable.
I really was looking forward to working with you Dr. Dot, but the reaction I received via these emails is ridiculous. If anyone is being rude, it is not I.
Life happens, and if that's rude and inexcusable for being as professional as I could be with the situations at hand, then so be it.
On Sun, Feb 5 Dr. Dot wrote:
How RUDE of you! Never contact us again!
Dr. Dot
Sent via BlackBerry
WWW.DRDOT.COM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: THE TESTER ***"
Date: Sun, 5 Feb
To:
Subject: Re: Demo Massage
Good morning Dot. I am here at the office to meet with ME LMT and she did not show up nor call. I also cancelled an appointment with one of my clients Friday in order to meet with ME LMT this past Friday and she texted me at the last minute to say she had to stay late at work. She is showing that she is not reliable.
On Jan 31, 2012 4:04 PM, "Dr. Dot" wrote:
If (the tester )doesn't get back to you, let us know please.
www.drdot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ME LMT
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012
To:
This industry is very VERY cut throat. If you had cancelled a gig at last minute like that dot would be blacklisted with that client. its that cut throat. I think if this happened with any other interview situation in any other industry, you wouldn't have been given a 3rd chance either. And if your email was worded in a more professional and polite manner, dot would have seen reason. I have had personal issues come up and she has understand. She is curt because thats the industry your getting into unfortunately. Imagine if you did that to a superstar celeb. They have alsorts of demands and DO's and DON'Ts. I should know I have been massaging backstage for 18months now and worked with high profile stars. What you have experienced is nothing compared to what you would get from tour managers and production staff. So you probably need to think twice whether you actually want to get into the industry or not
FAKE. LMAO
Dr, Dot is horrible, mean ugly, i was first to get a job by e-mail notice, and was on my way to the job and she canceled me and sent someone else because she said i cant read or spell. I'm causing her trouble she can't trust me because i cant read and spell. I said i was first and that is not fair what does it matter if i cant spell. She said she doesn't roll like that and cant trust me and I'm wasting her time. I looking into suing the Dr dot someone should stop her.
99 % of these comments are purely fictional, written by ex-Dr. Dot employee Darcy Lynch, just to slander her. Very pathetic.
FAKE.
Dorothy, you [censored], You are so obvious. Anyone who has ever had an email experience with you knows that you are a hot mess and a total [censored]. Aging groupie, no license, nasty biting people with your dirty hair dragging along their backs. It's so sad and infuriating that you put yourself in the league of actual therapists.
Dr. Dot is the most unreliable massage service I have ever seen. Made two confirmed appointments > no show twice!
How the heck do they stay in business. PLEASE AVOID!
The woman behind Dr. Dot, an international massage enterprise, is a brilliant marketing mind and an equally inept people-person. She saves the charm for her celebrity clientele and is meanwhile an abusive cyber-screamer to the minions who do her hard labor. You as the "independent contractor" are the invisible hands that perform the massage and therefore inflate her "massage therapist to the stars" rep and build her business. Just check out her site:
A member of her "team" is known as a "Dot Bot". The password to her Dr Dot employee site is "BEHAVE". The entire Dr. Dot environment is made to make her workers feel like non-entities who need to tow the line before you can access her spectacular stable of celebrity clientele. A massage therapist looking to make some extra money and meet some big name musicians and artists is dazzled by the initial premise of Dr. Dot's beckoning business.
If you choose to work for her, here's some anatomy you need to have: A) Thick skin B) A backbone, and self-respect.
She will take every opportunity to berate you for not following her confusing instructions, or reading and knowing her muddled code of conduct. Or replying unnecessarily to her texts. Or not replying unnecessarily to her texts. If you attach the wrong photo to your gig contact e-mails. Or asking stupid questions. Or asking ANY questions. Or if you don't send her percentage of the massage gig fee in the time frame SHE wants it (forget that you have three days in which to do it).
If you have booked and completed a gig and have gotten good feedback, you have started to prove yourself valuable. That is where the backbone comes in. You need to call her out. Communicate that you don't respond well to cyber screaming and give you a break. You're doing your best. You'll be surprised. She doesn't have too many people that stand up to her and call her out. The more her IC's do that, the more likely something will shift. Because right now the people that work for her endure her negative, toxic environment and don't speak out about being talked out of money they were promised at the beginning of a gig; or gigs that they were once booked for being yanked out from under them.
Until then, it's seems like it's only a matter of time before an angry mob of ex-Dot Bots reports Dr. Dot's illegal, unlicensed use of the Red Cross cross on her brochures, t-shirts and website to the Red Cross, which fully prosecutes illegal use of its logo. Also, reporting to any Office of Finance in any city where Dot books massage therapists and earns a percentage of those gigs, the fact that she pays NO TAX ON ANY of those massage/chiropractic gigs.
I am currently trying to get a job working for dr.bot. I look up reviews and am very skeptical but I will judge for myself. I have been emailing hey for a couple of weeks now. I sent her a copy of my resume, to which she responds that i must copy and paste it. No problem, I did it. She then sends me a huge long email with separate sections for what i must do now and what happens if I'm hired, and a long contact mainly saying that i can in no way shape or form contact any of her clients unless it has to do with the massage they booked through her. I kinda get that. While emailing the person that i am supposed to set up my practical with, it accidentally got sent to her and not simply copied to her. She send me back two curt emails telling me to follow directions and"just as i thought, i am not your tester, josh is, read the email ". I thought that a little rude but went ahead and emailed the tester. Three emails to the tester and four days later, she tells me that the tester is too busy and for me to try "dr.han", whos email names them as a "han solo" which i find pretty odd. We set up a demo massage for today, and I asked if there is anything I need to bring. Still have no reply from them, so hopefully i bring everything i need myself. I'm going in with the benefit of the doubt, but very cautious...lets see how they measure up to all these complaints.
I have to agree, I have never been talked to like she talks to her dotbots, she gets her rocks off by belittling others, and making others feel stupid. Follow her directions? Ok which one's because every other sentence is different, take your pick doesn't matter you'll be wrong. I went on one gig for her and received 12 yes 12 degrading, discriminating text and then one last text that said call me now, I was already done with the job and paid, it was nearly 11:30 my time, honestly I didn't care if I ever talked to her again in my life. after the things she said to me I didn't want to stoop to her level of negativity, I honestly think she might need to rethink the way she talks and acts towards her so called dotbots, before she is sued, or turned in for tax evasion ... I am not sure the way she treats her so called contracted MT's falls under contracted, we are basically very mistreated employees
99 % of these comments are purely fictional, written by ex-Dr. Dot employee Darcy Lynch, just to slander her. Very pathetic.
then perhaps you have been dealing with her alter ego alias, because I find them all VERY TRUE!
a few things LMT should know:
Massage and Bodywork Magazine for the Visually Impaired
Back to Massage and Bodywork Issue List
July/August 2012 Issue
Back to July/August 2012 Article List
Employee or Independent Contractor?
By Laura Allen
[Business Side]
Whether you’re an old hand or fresh out of school and looking for your first job, you may be wondering whether you’re better off working as an employee or an independent contractor. Or, you may already be working and wondering if you’re being misclassified as one or the other.
It’s a hot topic, not only for the worker, but for the employer as well. It’s such an issue that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) actually has a form (Form SS-8, Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding) to help those who may need assistance in deciding.
According to the IRS, there are three characteristics that determine the classification of a worker:
• Behavioral Control concerns whether the business has a right to direct or control how the worker’s job is done through instructions, training, or other means.
• Financial Control covers whether the business has a right to direct or control the financial and business aspects of the worker’s job.
• Type of Relationship relates to how the workers and the business owner perceive their relationship.1
If the employer controls not only what is to be done, but also how it is to be done, then the worker is most likely an employee. If the employer is only vested in the end result, and not directing how that is accomplished, the worker is most likely an independent contractor. If that distinction doesn’t help, the IRS will be glad to make that determination for people who fill out and submit Form SS-8.
What’s the Difference?
Working as an employee is a relatively cut-and-dried situation: you work the hours you’re scheduled, do as you’re told, and receive a paycheck. The primary difference in the paycheck of an employee and the paycheck of an independent contractor is that taxes have been withheld from an employee’s paycheck. In the work environment, the employer usually provides everything you need, from the massage table to the linens to the massage creams and spa products you’re expected to use.
An employer is paying you for your time, which means you may be required to do something other than massage during your shift, whether that’s helping with the laundry, covering the front desk, or cleaning during down time between your massage appointments.
Where’s the Beef?
An independent contractor is a self-employed person who does what she does either in her space or someone else’s. The beef, according to many of the contractors I hear from, is that independent contractors are often treated as if they are employees. Some are expected to hang around the office all day for no compensation, even when they have no appointments, in the event someone walks in and wants a massage. Others are required to do desk duty, laundry, cleaning, and other jobs that are of benefit to the employer for no pay. Benefit is also a key word in the status determination process. An independent contractor is not entitled to receive any employee benefits such as insurance, sick days, vacation time, and so forth.
Independent contractors are responsible for paying their own taxes. That is probably the biggest reason small businesses prefer to utilize contract labor—to avoid the paperwork and the responsibilities of bookkeeping and filing. When you consider that employees pay federal tax, state tax, and sometimes local tax out of their paychecks, plus social security, workers’ compensation (required of employers who employ a threshold number of people), and unemployment insurance (which independent contractors don’t get to avail themselves of), there’s a lot involved. Independent contractors are obligated to file quarterly estimated taxes, and should keep careful accounting of their business-related expenses in order to offset their tax obligations as much as possible.
Independent contractors may be required to provide all their own equipment and supplies, although that isn’t always the case; some employers may provide the massage table and other accoutrements of the job. Here’s the rub: an independent contractor shouldn’t be required to be on the job with no pay, whether that’s sitting and waiting for an appointment to walk in the door, or doing desk duty and other chores. That is a blatant violation of the contractual relationship. Unfortunately, that doesn’t deter many employers from requiring these tasks, and many contractors go along with it because they think any job is better than no job.
In addition to the IRS, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has advice governing worker status.2 According to the SBA, an employee is given training for the work to be done, works for only one employer (although that particular part isn’t necessarily true), and performs duties that are controlled by others. An independent contractor, on the other hand, maintains a separate checking account for her business, has a business name, provides her own tools, sets her own hours, has more than one client, and keeps her own business records. While not every contractor may follow all of these rules, adherence to the majority should be the case. Independent contractors may also have other contractors working for them. One example would be an independent contractor who performs corporate chair massage and contracts with other therapists to handle some accounts during busy times.
Documentation
If you’re the employer, the burden is on you to provide proof of the circumstances under which you are employing people. Employers should bear in mind that if they are found to be incorrectly classifying workers, the employer, not the worker, is the one who is going to be liable for the back taxes and any penalties incurred as a result of the misclassification, intentional or not. It’s very important not to misuse your independent contractors by treating them as employees.
If you’re the worker, documentation is just as important for you. As an independent contractor—a self-employed person—you’re entitled to a lot of tax deductions, the same as any other business owner. Save the receipts for all your business-related expenses. You may use a financial software program or financial journal, but documentation is always the key in proving your deductions are legitimate, should you ever be audited. It’s a fact that small business owners are audited more frequently than major corporations, particularly in businesses where people traditionally receive a lot of their money as cash payments and are perhaps receiving gratuities as well.
It’s illegal to fail to report gratuities as income, and not only that, it’s plain unwise. If you’re injured in an accident resulting from the fault or negligence of another party, and have to be involved in a personal-injury lawsuit, the court would use your annual income to help determine the compensation you are entitled to. If you have received an average of $5, 000 a year in gratuities but haven’t reported that, you can’t expect to receive it as compensation in a settlement.
Noncompete Agreements
Noncompete agreements are one of the most frequently discussed, and complained about, topics on my social networks. They are illegal altogether in some states, and some states narrowly restrict the circumstances to which they may be applied. The attitude of employers who require noncompete agreements is that they have paid for advertising, trained employees, and provided employees with clients, and therefore don’t want their staff members to go elsewhere and take clients with them. A noncompete agreement usually states that, should you leave an employer, you will not perform massage within a certain number of miles of the current business for a certain period of time after your termination from the current business, and that you will not contact clients of the current business. They are often required of employees and independent contractors alike.
According to Dale Atkinson, general counsel to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, as well as executive director and general counsel to the Federation of Associations of Regulatory Boards, noncompete agreements must be carefully drafted, and take into consideration the time period and scope of limiting one’s ability to pursue their chosen profession. “While courts are reluctant to enforce such limitations of employment, noncompete agreements of certain corporate-level executive positions may be justified based on access to proprietary information. Massage therapists should be wary of employers seeking signed noncompete agreements as a condition of employment, as the ultimate determination of who provides services lies with the consumer, ” Atkinson says.
Now there’s the key phrase: “The ultimate determination of who provides service lies with the consumer.” For the past decade, I’ve personally utilized, on average, a dozen independent contractors in my clinic at any given time. I’ve never asked for a noncompete agreement, and I never will. I am aware that if a therapist leaves to take another job or go out on his own, a certain number of clients will go with him. People get attached to their massage therapists. My own philosophy is that a client who prefers to stay with a therapist is not going to be happy with me as a business owner for trying to keep him away from that therapist. On the few occasions that therapists have left me to start their own businesses, I have willingly given their contact information to former clients who want to follow them. It hasn’t hurt my business. There are enough aching bodies and stressed-out people to go around, and again, I don’t own the client. People have the right to choose who they’d like to receive services from, no matter how much money you may have spent advertising to get them in your door.
As a worker, if you have left an employment situation to go elsewhere or start your own business, it’s unethical to steal client files and contact information from your employer—whether there was a noncompete agreement or not. However, it is not unethical—or illegal—to advertise your new circumstances. You can get the word out with some ads (and don’t overlook the opportunity for a free press release) that state, “Susan Smith, formerly of The Spa on Main Street, is now in private practice at Green Acres Massage Therapy.” That’s the best way to handle it.
Notes
1. Internal Revenue Service, “Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee, ” accessed June 2012, www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0, , id=99921, 00.html.
2. Small Business Administration, “Independent Contractors vs. Employees, ” accessed June 2012, www.sba.gov/content/independent-contractors-vs-employees.
Laura Allen is the author of A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Business (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011), Plain & Simple Guide to Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Examinations (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009), and One Year to a Successful Massage Therapy Practice (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008). Allen is the owner of THERA-SSAGE, a continuing education facility and alternative wellness clinic with more than a dozen practitioners. Contact her at therassage@bellsouth.net.
Haha! These comments are hilarious, because they describe exactly how this operates. She is nasty, delusional, and unrealistic. Never waste your time working for her or her "team". I did for a couple months, and I think I worked two times. She expected me to drop everything, as in, my full-time job, to service clients that needed massages. Every time she called, I either just got done with a shift at work, or it was like 8pm at night. NO THANK YOU.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Someone needs to call the IRS and let her know what kinds of taxes she ISN'T paying to the government.
AGREE ! all the way...something needs to be done...
I don't know if I agree that's she has a brilliant business mind at all. The business concept is amazing but Dot herself seems pretty inept. One time, she didn't know that it was me who was working a gig and then she blamed ME for HER not knowing. If she had a great (or even mediocre) business mind, she would keep track of who's doing what gig and when. It's really not that hard in this computer age to keep track of these things. She'll email directions for a gig and say "email me one day before show to remind me you're going" and then one paragraph down it will say "as always, email manager one or two days before gig to see if they want hotel massages." Two different sets of directions and no matter which you choose, she will at you and try to make you feel foolish. These things happen all the time! She's emailed me that she expects me to always answer my phone when she calls. For the one or two times a year she might call me, I shouldn't do anything else but wait around for her calls? As if I don't have clients of my own to see, money to make, etc.? If you have questions for her she tries to make you feel like an idiot for asking. She will actually tell you that you're wasting her time. She tries to make it out as if she's so busy all the time but check out her twitter page. She's obviously spending hours scouring the computer for stupid pictures so that she can tweet them while at the same time at her therapists for wasting her time. Oh, speaking of twitter, one time I happened to look at her page and she had completely denigrated one of her therapists who she apparently fired. She put this woman's picture up whereupon all of her twitter friends criticized this woman's appearance. I only hoped this woman never came across this. Dot may have had valid reasons for firing her but putting her up in a public forum to be made fun of is as far from professional as I can think of. When someone called her out on it (one of her reasonable "friends, " most of them were nasty), Dot justified it by saying that she didn't give out this woman's name. She obviously never gave a thought as to whether any of her therapists would see this and how it would affect team morale. Typical! So, Beware!
This Salik person who claims that all of these posts are ex-employee Darcy's is no doubt Dot or someone close to her (Salik is her husband's last name). This just goes to show that she is incapable of sitting back and reflecting upon her own behavior. Instead, she chooses to blame others, all the time, for everything she perceives to be an infraction against her. She has classic narcissistic/borderline personality disorder. Look these things up. She fits them to a tee. The problem with these disorders is that they're virtually impossible to cure and almost impossible for others to deal with. These are the people with whom you constantly have to walk on eggshells around. They make everything about them and blame others for every problem they have. They are incapable of looking at themselves clearly and honestly.
For the poster who says that all the other 650 dotbots are happy with how things are, I'd like to ask a question. Do you know all the other 650 dotbots personally? I'm a "dotbot" (yes, a pretty demeaning term) and you don't know me. It's been my experience that if there are several people within an organization who are unhappy and all have similar complaints it means there are many, many others within the organization who are unhappy as well. They just aren't speaking out about it for whatever reason (maybe they don't know these forums exist).
To the poster who used to answer her phones I think I know who you are. I spoke with you on the phone a number of times and you were nothing but polite. I'm sorry you had to go through this. Twenty five dollars a week? That's just sick. It doesn't surprise me that as you said, she loses celebrity clients because of her bad attitude. I had a band manager tell me that he wished she'd give up her control freak ###.
I'm also concerned about the negative reviews from clients. Yes, she treats her therapists like crap but I would have thought she'd at least keep her mental illness hidden from potential clients. To treat a client as lesser because she's not a celebrity is appalling. Because of Dot's attitude and behavior she makes clients question the ability of her therapists which affects all of us since we're associated with her. Also, her constant dishing of gossip about celebrities is against the confidential ethics of this profession as does her making herself out to be a sex symbol.
If you're thinking of working for her, here are my thoughts. The only reason why I continue working for her is that I've loved the jobs I've gotten through her. I have access to clients I would never have otherwise. I've met people with whom it's been an honor to meet. For the most part, everybody I've come into contact with-from the artists to the management has been really great. They love the service and are very appreciative. I've never had anyone not treat me professionally and with respect. If you work in spas or medical offices, etc. this is a great way to occasionally be in a fun and creative environment. I also think that Dot is pretty generous. You take 80% plus tips. For those of us who work in spas and hotels, this is pretty good. Granted, we can't control how many people will get massages and it doesn't always end up being a good payday, but that's pretty much how it is in this industry anyway.
Do not work for her if you are thin-skinned and take things personally. You will be miserable. This forum has been great in helping me realize that others feel the way I do. She has incredibly pathological control issues and really goes out of her way to be mean and nasty. It may be to your benefit to call her on her bad behavior or it may be best to let it roll off your shoulders, placate her and get through the jobs. It probably will depend on your personality. This woman has very serious mental disease and it will most likely never change. I feel sorry for her husband and children.
I agree with you, I worked with her long enough to do one job... and was fired because I wore a religious symbol necklace... she is a quack job for sure... just to let everyone know, clients will hire in your area without her so called "high profile name" you can get jobs directly without her torturous attitude! just let your local venues know you are able to be on call for major shows coming through, most of the artists will go through someone local and avoid her as well. she doesn't allow fellow dotbots to talk to one another for a reason, they all hate her, and her mental illness ! I also feel sorry for her children. not so much her husband as he has the right to leave and save his children. I would like all those stars out there to know she shares private information about you to her dotbots, she will say degrading things about you, and use you as a stepping stone to convince her dotbot how " good " she is, the truth is NO ONE needs her, to do what she does... just get your name out there on your own... you are so much better off without being associated with her in anyway..
Darcy was NEVER an employee of Dr Dot. Dr Dot found her online and saw she ran a similar organization. She asked her to work a few shows because she was short handed and asked her to wear her shirt. Ever since that time Dr Dot has stalked her, posted defamatory content about her on the web, etc. Darcy's companies Stage Hands Massage and her non profit the Hands That Rock...continue to thrive, and have been featured in Billboard Magazine and have received national sponsorship to support special events and festivals. The proof is in the pudding.
A few summer concert seasons ago I responded to one of her ads.
I'm a veteran skin surfer and thought this would be a great gig for me. I received an email from her stating that I should hear from someone for an audition, and if I did not hear back I should contact her...I did not hear back, so being a diligent human being, I followed up with an email. My mistake, she responded by verbally attacking me, insisting she never said I should contact her (um I have your email here babe), basically telling me I was an unprofessional idiot who had no place on the planet, how dare me. This did not sit well with me...guessing she's a high stress drama queen, who is a nightmare to work with...watching her on video her massage looks erratic and disjointed...guess it's who you know?
I do feel better though, her nasty treatment of me rattled my cage a bit, so it's nice to get validation that I'm not the lone verbally abused MT.
That said I did end up doing some backstage massage with a company called Stagehands, very professional, no one bites your head off if you ask a question...but again these are high maintenance folks you are working with, you may wait around for hours and work on no one, or be asked to wait for hours, etc...feeding egos and hero worship are not my thing, so I have declined further gigs...I'd rather work on regular folks who show up on time and pay isn't that different.
Stagehands massage therapy is great. She is very professional and cares about her clients...always always accommodates the clients. If u can't find her online...email me at electras36d40@gmail.com
I currently work for her. Every single email I have ever received from her is abrupt and rude. I atleast know how to work her so that I get to do good gigs...but secretly I'm flipping the bird at the computer every time I respond to her. She is a narcissistic, nasty and my guess, ex-coke head groupie who is on a total power trip. I never take what she says personally because I know that her 'group' emails that are sent to all the other dot bots are aimed at people in general...and are just as unprofessional and rude as the ones that she sends me. I googled complaints because I was interested to see what came up...here you go! This is crayy :) dont take what she says to you personally because she is horrible to people in general.
I worked a show in LA a few years ago (just following up from above) and you should have heard the things she had to say about the artist. I won't mention who it was or what she said but no boss should ever speak that trash about their clients. She is crazy.
There is no end to the depths she will sink to. Now she's resorted to writing bogus, egregious reviews on my Yelp business page even resorting to accusations that I solicit hand jobs! This puts me and my staff in danger ! It's bad enough being a massage therapist in an area where escorts and happy ending artists hide under e "Massage Therapist " title, now she wants to suggest men can come in and ask us for "extras". Dot lacks any integrity whatsoever. She is a malicious, pathological liar and a fundamental bad person.
DO NOT use DR DOT. She is abusive. SHE yells at her workers and expects to work for nothing. GOOD LUCK getting paid. She paid me for a client and later sent me a paypal saying I never did the session. She has a REALLY BAD REPUTATION> I have all emails corresponding with her. VERY Sick woman.
Dr Dot wants you to buy all this gear. She hoped me from the outside...I am not on her roster. She paid me for met usual fee and then asked paypal to refund her after I did two sessions on a client of hers. SHE IS A VERY SICK DARK WOMAN. I warn all to stay away from her. I have been told she yells and demeans, even though she has been nice to be. I also don't take any bad behavior. She is not worth getting in business with. She is a very dark woman.