RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISCRIMINATE
I turned up at Oakland rentals Saturday morning to rent a 14' A-frame ladder I needed to complete a job. Just as I was about to pay for it, the outside attendant I'd informed prior about needing the ladder came in and relayed to the man behind the counter that the 14' ladder was too long to transport on top of my car. The man behind the counter was just saying the law states that transported items on a vehicle can't extend more than two feet past the length of the vehicle in any direction, so it was put to me to rent a 12-foot ladder instead. I did so, even though I had my doubts it would be sufficiently tall. But I had to be on the job site soon, so I capitulated and agreed to the 12-footer. While the transaction was being processed the man behind the counter expressed doubts about me being able to properly secure the 12'ladder on top of my car. I found this presumption to be mildly irritating - he hadn't seen my car so why was he saying this?. Nevertheless, I assured him I knew what I was doing, finished paying, then went outside to meet the attendant, who then helped me raise the 12' ladder onto the top of my car. After tying it up, I visually examined the ladder and calculated that I actually did have enough play-room for the 14' ladder. But time was ticking and the bill had been paid, so I crossed my fingers and left for the job. When I arrived at the job site in El Sobrante, it became clear that the 12' ladder wasn't tall enough after all (as I'd suspected). I then had to reschedule this brand new client for the next day and returned the 12' ladder little more than an hour after renting it.
On the drive back from El Sobrante I had time to reflect on the events that morning and it occured to me that had I been male and showed up to rent a 14' ladder (all other things being equal), there would have been no issue - no belittling discussion about whether I was sure about what I needed or knew what I was doing. How do I know this? Let's just say a woman knows when she's being stereotyped after 47 years of dealing with this type of behavior from un-woke men practically on the daily. Of course, upon returning the ladder I reasonable expressed my frustration with the situation -that I felt the event reflected poorly on me with a new client. But before I could even finish talking, the man behind the counter who'd given me push-back earlier cut me off mid-sentence, saying "Alright, alright I don't want to hear it, ok okay, I'll refund your money". I was taken aback - not just by the interruption, but by his choice of words and his condescending tone, and I expressed as much. I didn't want my money back - I just wanted to rent the 14' ladder for the next day, but I couldn't get a word in edgewise. So rather than argue, I just let him process the refund and decided I'd avoid this location altogether from now on, and simply go next day to their sister Berkeley location.
The next morning (Sunday) I called Berkeley Rentals and learned they are in fact closed on Sundays. So due to budget constraints, I had no choice but to return to Oakland Rentals for the 14' ladder. On the way over I consoled myself that maybe the guy I'd dealt with yesterday was just having a bad morning... and hey, "everyone deserves a second chance" - I mean really, how bad could it be? Well, when I arrived I was greeted by the same man behind the counter with "So you came back, hey?" Ignoring his smirk I said "Yes, I'll take that 14' ladder today, please". Then he says to me with that same condescending tone "You know, I don't know if I want to rent to you today after what you accused me of yesterday - you really ticked me off". I was shocked. I hadn't accused him of anything at all. Seems he was conflating patiently made observations with accusation? Then he points to a sign over his shoulder that reads "WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON" and said, "I'm not going to rent to you". It crystallized for me in that moment that his attitude toward me was irrational and untenable, so I turned around and left.
THE TAKEAWAY: It's likely that if you are a female unaccompanied by a man and you try to do business with this guy, you can, at best, expect to be patronized, and at worst, be discriminated against if you dare to challenge his ego by being CWF (Competent While Female). And dare I suggest also that my race the and/or androgynous choice of dress might have factored into his behavior toward me? One never knows the prejudices held by strangers. Bottom line, this guy's an asshole and won't be getting any more of my money... and doesn't deserve yours if you like to support local businesses who know how to treat people with dignity and respect. read more