I’m a gay male who doesn’t have the manliest of voices. I’ve been mistaken for a female over the phone and at McDonald’s drive thrus for years. It’s an obvious mistake and hasn’t caused me any anger until the other day.
I called my bank to talk about my account and after verifying my personal information I was ready to discuss my reason for calling. The customer service representative on other end of the phone, instead of doing her duty and helping the customer, proceeded to tell me that she could not discuss the account with me because she was talking to a female.
I was shocked at her tone and stated that yes, she was talking to the correct person. I had verified all my personal info after all. She once again told me that I was female and that she couldn’t help me. After three more phone calls, it took three times as long to take care of my original issue I had called about. This was the first time I have felt discriminated against for not sounding masculine enough. I have the name of the rep and her boss.
Should I pursue this and complain or should I let it go and chalk it up to ignorance? In one way, I feel I have an obligation to say something to prevent this person from treating someone else this way. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Vexed vocalizer
Dear Vexed vocalizer,
First off, I am sorry that happened. I don’t think anyone should be treated that way or discriminated against. I think that is a huge problem our society deals with everyday. It seems like we’ve been dealing with equality issues and judgmental problems for so many decades. I hope that we start to see a change within our environment soon.
If I was in your position, I would definitely make my point clear that I was offended. I don’t think it’s fair for you to walk away from the situation. I think if I were you I would go directly to her boss and explain your issue. I think it’s also an opportunity to be proactive—by doing this, the rep will hopefully learn to improve her customer service. I think it’s important for people to be aware of their actions and for companies to hear feedback from their clients.
If you are still questioning what to do, weigh your pros and cons. I think if you walk away, the rep will be likely to do it again to another customer. If you let the bank know it will give them an opportunity to train their customer service reps to ensure a better experience with them. I hope you’ll be able to get it resolved. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Gabby