I Am Tech-nically Able To Own You

I own a local electronic repair business: cell phones, iPads, etc. Once I showed up at an office to do a phone repair, and had the client paged to come meet me.

I was wearing a uniform with my company’s name on it and carrying a large tool kit. The customer walked right past me to the person standing behind me, who was wearing a suit and carrying a manila envelope.

Guess my gender. Yep, I’m a woman. Guess the gender of the person behind me. Yep, a man.

It could not possibly have been more obvious which one of us was a technician there to do a repair, and yet…

Manila Envelope Guy: “I’m sorry, but if you want someone to help with your phone, maybe you should ask the lady wearing the [Company Name] uniform behind you.”

Client: “Oh, I talked to a guy on the phone to make the appointment. Do you even know how to fix phones?”

Me: “Sir, I’m carrying a toolbox and wearing the uniform. Why would I show up if I didn’t know how to do my job?”

The client waved his hand dismissively at me.

Client: “I’m sorry, but I need to have a real expert come fix my phones.”

Me: “…Very well. I will close the ticket and mark it as you have refused services from a woman. This will put you on our blacklist.”

Client: “You’re just a tech, so you don’t have that power. You just do what you’re told. I’ll explain things to your Manager.”

Yes, he emphasized the ‘man’ part of manager. Sigh. I can’t make this stuff up.

I walked out, closed the ticket, and filled out the notes part, using my work phone.

Getting back to my building, I walked in to see my [Male] receptionist avidly waiting for my arrival, looking like he was going to bust a seam if he didn’t laugh to relieve the pressure.

Me: “Let it out [Receptionist’s Name], then you can tell me how it went.”

Receptionist: *After laughing his a** off.* “Okay, so I got a call from [Client]. He complained that the ‘little girl’ we sent him was rude, unprofessional, and had no idea what she was doing. I pulled up our app and read your notes out loud to him.”

Me: *Smirking.* “I’m sure he didn’t like that, one bit. Let me guess, he claimed I was lying.”

Receptionist: “Badda bingo. I also told him that his account was marked as blacklisted due to his sexism. He demanded that I remove the blacklisting, as ‘a lowly tech doesn’t get to make those decisions.'”

I knew what was coming and shared grins with him.

Receptionist: “Oh yes, I did indeed tell him, ‘Sir, that was the company OWNER you just disrespected. Since there’s nothing else that can be done for you, I’m ending the call here.’ Then I hung up on him, sputtering.”

Me: “Thanks, [Receptionist]. That’s the second-best comeback to ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s.’ ”

Receptionist: “What happens if you actually tell them that you’re not a tech, but the owner?”

Me: “Best case, they laugh, then look embarrassed when they realize I’m not joking. Worst case, they tell me to go home, make my man a sandwich, and stop taking jobs from qualified men.”

Receptionist: “Yeouch. I’ve got to admit, I was surprised by his attitude. Did I pop into a way-back machine to the 1970s?”

Me: “Sadly, no, This kind of thing has happened multiple times to me over the years, all of which have happened between 2014 and now.”

By the look on [Receptionist’s] face, I feel like I might have destroyed his soul a little bit. For me, it is, sadly, business as usual.