Though it’s 2022, there are still people who do not respect other people’s boundaries and far too many people who are willing to defend those negative behaviors.
It’s especially troubling when a person intrudes on a person’s boundaries in their own home, pointed out the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
Upon discovering that their wife had been made to feel unsafe in her own home while a repairman was present, Redditor fenderscore used the opportunity to give the man a negative review for his behavior.
But when the company asked them to focus on the service and not the unsafe situation, the Original Poster (OP) was appalled.
They asked the sub:
“AITA for leaving a repairman a bad review for flirting with my wife?”
The OP’s wife recently made a service request for the air conditioning unit.
“The air conditioner broke last week while I was out of town and my wife had to call an emergency technician in the middle of the night.”
“A company we’d used before without issues sent a guy over. He fixed the air conditioner with no problem.”
But the service did not go according to plan.
“But once he’d left, I woke up to a million missed texts and calls from my wife, who was hysterical.”
“Apparently, within minutes of showing up, he made comments about her body and other suggestive statements.”
“She made it clear she wasn’t interested without being outright rude because she didn’t want him to get mad and leave without fixing the air conditioner.”
“The tech kept trying to put moves on her, and then after he’d fixed the A/C, he didn’t leave right away, trying to feed her some lines about how she seemed to be home alone and he could ‘spend the night to make sure she was safe.'”
“Eventually, he realized he was driving down a dead end and left, but the whole thing just really freaked her out, having some guy in the house who didn’t leave when asked and everything.”
The OP and the company manager had a discussion about the incident.
“I was p**sed to hear about all this, and she was shaken up by the incident, so we left a review on their Google and Yelp pages, saying what had happened.”
“The company is pretty small, so the owner called me to apologize a couple of days later and said the tech had had a few drinks that night, not expecting to be called out to an emergency job.”
“He said that ‘his sense of humor had clearly been misinterpreted’ by my wife.”
“He asked me to take my review down because it called the tech out by his first name, and apparently, a review saying he was coming onto a female customer could cause some personal problems for the guy.”
“The owner also reasoned that the business was an air conditioner repair business, not a bedside manner business, and that they did fix the air conditioner, so they deserved a higher rating.”
The OP was infuriated by the manager’s priorities.
“I told them our review stands, and they basically said we were a**holes for threatening the reputation of their business and the personal reputation of the tech over a single misunderstanding.”
“On the one hand, they did fix the air conditioner, and that’s what we called them to do.”
“On the other hand, I feel like this is relevant information for people considering hiring them, even if it was a one-time thing.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some were grateful the OP and their wife had posted the existing review.
“NTA, and don’t you dare take that review down. I’m sure a lot of women would prefer to have that information before letting them into their house. As a woman myself, I know I would.”
“And trust me, your review isn’t hurting the business, keeping that guy on the payroll is. Drinking and inappropriately flirting with clients on the job? Not a good work ethic.” – Cyclonic2500
“NTA, and this is terrifying. You should do more than leave a Yelp review; if you’re in the US, this is a Better Business Bureau type of issue.”
“I would be getting my guns if this happened to me. No exaggeration. A man comes into my home late at night, flirts with me, and refuses to leave when asked? That’s a terrifying situation for a woman to be in, especially with no one to call for help.”
“The fact that the owner supports this behavior and is more worried about the reputation of his worker than the fact that he made a woman intensely uncomfortable (and probably also terrified) means that this could happen again to someone else.” – IAmAllOfTheSith
“NTA. People have a right to be warned about crap like this. All you did was share your experience.”
“If the guy overly aggressively coming onto your wife causes him personal problems, that’s on him. He should have thought of that first. Sexual harassment is not funny.” – WifeofBath1984
“He suggested that he ‘stay the night’ and made a point of mentioning to her that she appeared to be alone. There was no misunderstanding. There was no ‘joke’. He harassed your wife, and his boss is trying to cover for him instead of holding him accountable for his actions.”
“When I was 19 and living alone, this kind of tech was my absolute nightmare. Good on you for standing up for your wife.”
“I doubt he was drunk, but if he was and he was fucking with the electrics in your house, does that somehow make this better?!”
“NTA.” – scarletteapot
“‘Apparently a review saying he was coming onto a female customer could cause some personal problems for the guy.’ Yes, and it should, because that’s exactly what happened. And that’s exactly what reviews are for.”
“A drunk repair guy harassing a client is not a personal issue that should be hidden, it’s a totally unprofessional move, and either the boss should do something about it, or the potential clients should know what to expect from them!”
“NTA!” – aka-ryuu
“Absolutely not! Leave that review up! Women everywhere need to know that company allowed an intoxicated employee to go to work, sexually harass a customer, and then wanted to sweep it under the rug.”
“That review empowers your neighbors to protect themselves.”
“H**l, I’d update it to say the employee was drunk and the company thinks harassment is a ‘misinterpretation of humor.'”
“NTA!” – charlottedhouse
Others agreed and recommended adding details to the review about that phone call.
“NTA, edit the review to add the additional information that the company tried to blow off how gross their tech behaved towards a customer and had been drinking before coming to work.”
“Good on you for backing your wife up. I’ve had exes tell me I was overreacting to creepy men and I imagine it was really comforting for her to have you validate her fears. Don’t back down.” – crabbyashley
“Wowee, NTA.”
“The man drove to you under the influence, was intoxicated on the job, and sexually harassed your wife in her own home. And now the owner is defending his employee and excusing his behavior?”
“You should add the owner’s response to your review, honestly. Potential customers have the right to know that, if they are sexually harassed by employees, there will be no recourse from management.” – pickle_back_betty
“NTA and I would honestly add what the owner said to the review you made because that’s creepy that he started victim-blaming your wife.” – SparklySophiaLou
“NTA. Update it to include the drinking on a job and the owner’s reaction. You are helping people and holding them accountable for what sounds like a horrifying situation for wifey.”
“All my love to her. This stuff is not easy. But you did the right thing.” – HoldMeCloserTinyRaptr
“NTA.”
“Honestly, I’d update the review to reflect the conversation you had with the owner.”
“The guy was drinking and driving? Then working on your AC system while also drunk? They can’t even back peddle and say he was only slightly buzzed because they are blaming him for offering to spend the night with your wife on his drinking earlier in the day!”
“So either he was drunk driving and working, or he knowingly made inappropriate sexual advances on your wife in her own home.”
“The company has no legs to stand on here.”
“As a single home-owning female, this p**ses me off!” – __Gettin_Schwifty__
“NTA. That was not ‘flirting’ but actually harassment. Do NOT remove your review of the company. Add to it and note that not only are the servicemen working for the company rude and inappropriate but that the owner is condoning their behavior.”
“Next, find their Facebook page (because in this day and age almost every business has one) and leave your updated review there. Next, go to your town’s Facebook page (there’s always one ‘I was born here’ a**hole that has one) and leave your updated review there as well.”
“Let the citizens roast the company and the workers. I’m almost positive this isn’t a first-time occurrence and the repercussions they may face? Frankly, they deserve it.” – vita_phobe
The subReddit was grateful the OP had written the review and included the technician’s unsafe behavior, even if it wasn’t a part of the air conditioning unit service. The fact that the OP’s wife was made to feel unsafe in her own home while a service was being provided would be more than enough reason to include that in the initial review.
But the subReddit didn’t see a reason to stop there. Many felt the exchange with the manager should be included in an updated review, as well, and more people should be informed of the review.
The whole purpose of reviews is to help other customers make better-informed decisions before making a purchase, and unfortunately, this experience would have to be something for potential future customers to consider when buying.