What A Diabeetus, Part 13
I wear my insulin pump on the back of my arm. A customer comes up behind me, grabs my arm with one hand, and tries to pull the pump off with the other.
Me: “Excuse you. Do not touch me.”
Customer: “Is that a nicotine patch?”
Me: “No.”
Customer: “What is it?”
Me: “None of your business.”
Customer: “Excuse me? Get your manager.”
Me: “Sure.” *Into my headset* “Manager to clearance aisle to speak with a customer.”
Manager: “Why?”
Me: “He tried to take the device off my arm, I told him not to touch me and wouldn’t tell him what it was, and now he wants to talk to you.”
Manager: “Okay.”
Me: “He’ll be here soon.”
Customer: “You didn’t need to tell him all that!”
Me: “Was any of that a lie?”
Customer: “All I wanted to know was what it is!”
Me: “I would have told you if you had asked before you grabbed me and tried to take it off.”
Customer: “You’re just being a b****.”
Me: “Okay. You can talk to my manager when he gets here.”
I start to turn away but think better of it. As I turn back to the customer, he is reaching out again. He recoils.
Me: “Touch me again and I will drop you like a dead bug.”
Manager: “I can handle this, [My Name].”
Customer: “She threatened me! Did you hear her?”
Manager: “Yes, sir, I did hear my associate warn you not to touch her. And I saw the security video where you tried to remove the device from her arm without so much as greeting her, let alone asking to touch her.”
Customer: “You’re all full of s*** and shady a**holes!”
The man leaves. [Manager] gestures at my arm, and I turn so he can inspect it. We have known each other for years, even before we were coworkers, so he knows my medical history and we are comfortable talking about it.
Manager: “It looks good. Why didn’t you just tell him it was an insulin pump?”
Me: “I don’t owe strangers an explanation of my body. I’m tired of justifying how I look to people who have no impact or input.”
Manager: “Well… yes. But it would have been less stressful.”
Me: “And even less so if he had just asked first.”
Manager: *Sigh* “True. You are correct.”
[Customer] tried to go to corporate, claiming I had harassed him and taunted him with my “IV drug use”, but [Manager] had my back. He sent the CCTV and a written statement that I was under no obligation to explain my medical needs to anyone.
Related:
What A Diabeetus, Part 12
What A Diabeetus, Part 11
What A Diabeetus, Part 10
What A Diabeetus, Part 9
What A Diabeetus, Part 8
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
