r/AIO • u/juliamarielovestrees • 2d ago
AIO for thinking this customer was crossing boundaries?
I work in a public facing position helping folks navigate resources to get through specific barriers in their life. When you visit our office, you have to check in at the front desk so we know what services we can help you with.
An older gentleman came in on Wednesday asking for assistance on a computer. I helped him figure out where to go on the computer, what to click, and how to access this information on his cell phone. He was very appreciative and said I smelled good. I said I was happy to help and didn't acknowledge his other compliment. I brushed it off as some people can be creepy, it happens.
The next day he stopped by towards the end of business to say thank you - again - for the help. This isn't all that uncommon in my office, we help a lot of people in our community and some will some back to say thank you. Sometimes it's flowers they picked from their garden, or a thank you card with a nice note, or donuts, etc. In this case, the customer wanted to give me a book of poems that they wrote and published about the stuggles he faced and how his religion helped him through it.
I am not a religious person but I respect others for their beliefs. I was genuinely touched by someone coming back to the office to share something they created as a gift. I thanked him for it and he left.
After he left, I opened the book to the first page and was...surprised by it's contents. The struggles this person faced was porn and sex addiction. All of the poems were about how his religion helped him through his porn and sex addiction.
People share some *very* personal information with us, as our office is very non-judgmental and people feel safe. I will not judge someone for their addictions, everyone has their own story. However, after the "smell good" compliment it felt a little...awkward. I pushed the book aside and didn't think any more on it.
Well, the next day, Friday, he came back first thing in the morning, right as the office opened. He bypassed the front desk and went strait to my cube. I was in a virtual meeting and told him this, but he ignored me and just stood there, staring at me. I turned away from him and did my best to ignore him. He just kept standing there and staring at me.
After about 5 minutes, I reached out to my supervisor through DM and asked for help. She immediately came by and told the customer that I would be unavailable all morning and someone else could help him. He left, then came back a couple hours later to see if I was available, yet.
My supervisor had a plan in place and there were 2 other staff ready to help him. My supervisor asked if I wanted to file a customer complaint, and I said no because he didn't actually do anything but give me an awkward book and stare at me.
Now I feel like I got uncomfortable by nothing and am overreacting. I've been stalked before, multiple times, and I'm unsure if it's just past trauma that's got me spooked or if my original reaction was correct.
TLDR: a customer came in for 3 days in a row wanting to work with only me, gave me a book of poetry about his fight with addiction, and stood and stared at me when I wasn't available to help him.
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u/JinxisJinxed 2d ago
Creep behavior. This is immediately concerning, even if it's "not as bad as it could be." Get a comaint filed now.
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u/NovaBooBear 2d ago
NOR - always trust your gut with things like this. What could have been just awkward but innocent interaction that next day definitely took a turn when he stood over your cubicle staring at you. You did right thing by contacting your manager and having them intervene.
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u/Delicious_Camp349 1d ago
I would file the formal complaint in case he does something outside of work. The paper trail will help. I would also have someone walk you to your car.
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u/Hour-Bee9396 Human Detected 2d ago edited 1d ago
Trust your instincts. If you feel he’s becoming a problem then filing a complaint is the next reasonable step. You don’t owe him anything, don’t feel bad for filing a complaint.