Customer-facing jobs require both patience and boundaries.

The following story involves an employee working at the service desk.

A frantic customer came in and asked to use a phone. There isn’t a public phone, and she really didn’t want to let the customer use her personal phone.

Keep reading to see how the story plays out.

It’s not my job to let you use my personal phone.

I was working the customer service desk.

Our store does not have public phones for people to use. We just don’t.

I get that accidents happen, but it’s also not my job to allow customers to use my personal phone.

This employee once lent her phone to an older woman.

I think I’ve let one customer use my phone before, and that’s with me holding the phone for them. That way, it doesn’t lock, and they don’t run off with it.

It was an older woman, so I didn’t really have to worry about her running off with it.

I’m still not the biggest fan of letting people use my phone, even with me holding it.

Now, another woman came up to her and asked for a phone she could use.

This woman comes up to the service desk asking if we have a phone she can use.

I automatically say, “Sorry, we don’t have a public phone.”

It comes out before I see that she looks kind of frantic. Even then, that doesn’t make me trust her enough to let her use mine.

She felt bad for the woman’s situation.

She gets an attitude with me, pops her head at me, and says:

“I just locked my keys and everything in my car, so do any of you have a phone I can use?”

I feel kind of bad for her.

I know I’d be screwed if that happened to me, so I pull my phone out of my pocket.

One of her colleagues lent their phone to the woman.

The other associate that’s with me pulls hers out.

She hands the customer her phone, and she calls her husband.

After she leaves, she goes to talk to the manager.

I can hear her talking crap about me not letting her use my phone. Then, she goes on about the associate that did let her use her phone.

She thinks it’s not necessary to badmouth her to their manager.

By all means, compliment the associate that trusts you enough to use her phone. I have no issue with that.

But to talk bad about me right in front of me for not doing something I’m not obligated to do? Even when I was about to do it anyways?

The hell did she think I was pulling my phone out for after she said all that crap?

Let’s check out the comments of other people on Reddit to this story.

Short and simple.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

The audacity, says this person.

Here’s a similar personal experience.

Finally, this person has a strict rule.

Sometimes, being polite still means you end up as the villain.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.