27. Judgment Day
I was a partner in a business but wasn’t involved in the day-to-day management or anything much any longer. I needed to sign some paperwork, and it had to happen within the hour, so I left the gym and drove straight to the office. I was showered and clean but in casual clothing— jeans and a T-shirt. When I arrived, the receptionist said very loudly, “Can I help YOU”?
There was already something off with her tone, but I didn’t really care. I simply said, “Yes, I’d like to see Mr. Hampton, he’s expecting me”. I should have said my name, which she maybe would have recognized, but I don’t know why I didn’t, and she didn’t ask. She didn’t pull up a schedule, ask on the intercom, call his line or anything.
She then laughed and said, “Mr. Hampton doesn’t take walk-ins, Sir”. This alone wouldn’t be a big deal, even though I thought her laugh was rude. But then she made it so much worse. She then turned her chair away from me with her back facing me. I said, “Excuse me”, and she put headphones in. There was one other guy waiting to see our office manager for a job as a courier, and he was kind of snickering and amused.
It was embarrassing and unacceptable. I then raised my voice and said, “I need to see Mr. Hampton and am going ahead. As I said, he’s expecting me”. She just laughed but wouldn’t buzz me in. I don’t know if she saw me through the glass, but the office manager ran up and buzzed me in, and greeted me by name. The receptionist went white as a sheet.
I could tell she was freaking out. I signed the papers and let my partner know what had happened. He walked out with me and told her to pack her bags, and fired her on the spot. There’s no reason to treat anyone that way. A client could have turned up underdressed as well. It was absolute madness.