A Mumbai woman has called out Urban Company over "inhumane" treatment of its service professionals following a troubling home spa experience. The popular home services platform has since responded to the concerns, thanking the customer for her "compassion."
Anjali Kelkar, a frequent customer of Urban Company, shared a detailed account on LinkedIn of her recent interaction with a spa professional who arrived late and visibly distressed. While praising past services, she questioned the platform's treatment of its workers.
"Great customer experience cannot come at the cost of the service provider's wellbeing," she wrote in her post.
Ms Kelkar had booked a 7:30 pm home spa session through Urban Company - the only available slot that day - after a tiring week. At around 7:15 pm, the service provider, Nisa (name changed), called to inform her she would be 15-20 minutes late as she had just wrapped up a previous appointment and "hadn't eaten all day due to back-to-back bookings."
Despite being anxious about her own schedule, Ms Kelkar agreed.
"She finally arrived around 8:17 pm, visibly distressed, tears in her eyes," Ms Kelkar wrote. "I gave her water and a snack, and she calmed down."
It was then that Ms Nisa opened up about the challenges she and other Urban Company professionals routinely face.
According to Ms Kelkar's post, service providers are not allowed to decline appointments, even if they are unwell or exhausted. Cancelling three appointments, Ms Kelkar said, could result in the provider's profile being temporarily suspended, affecting their income.
The post further said that despite traffic-heavy cities like Mumbai, delays in reaching appointments damage their customer ratings. There are also no mandatory time buffers between appointments, even though massage work is physically draining, the post read.
The masseuses carry heavy equipment like massage tables on their own. Ms Nisa, Ms Kelkar revealed, had recently been diagnosed with a hernia due to this continuous strain.
"Despite her exhaustion, Nisa insisted on completing the session - and she did so with excellence,"Ms Kelkar said. "But the experience left me with a heavy heart."
Ms Kelkar questioned whether it was sustainable or ethical for platforms to operate under such rigid conditions. She urged Urban Company to re-evaluate its support systems and policies, especially those affecting worker well-being.
"Isn't it inhumane to design a performance system that sets professionals up to fail? Shouldn't they have the right to decline a job when there's a valid reason? Shouldn't time buffers between appointments be mandatory in metro cities with heavy traffic? Shouldn't we, as customers, be more mindful - and shouldn't platforms be more humane?" she asked.
"You're only as good as your team," she wrote. "Let's remember: Your team is your biggest asset. Take care of them."
Following the viral post, Urban Company issued an official response acknowledging the concerns.
"We're deeply moved by your experience with Nisa... Stories like these remind us of the incredible resilience of our service partners - and the responsibility we carry as a platform to support them," they said.
The company added that it is working to improve systems related to bookings, schedules, and partner well-being, but admitted that Ms Kelkar's experience spoke of the areas that still need attention.
