You know the saying, "The customer is always right?" Well, not always apparently. In fact, sometimes the customer doesn't *want* to be right.

Saturday, Ben and I were tooling around West Palm Beach running a few errands. We were both hungry but didn't want to stop at a restaurant and sit down to eat. We came upon a Chipotle Mexican "Restaurant" (it's fast food basically but a little more upscale than Taco Bell). Pretty much, it's like a Mexican Subway--- you choose either a burrito, taco or a cruncy tortilla bowl and tell them what you want in it and what sauces you want.

I ordered the veggie burrito. It was HUGE so we opted to share it. I got the guacamole on the side as well as 2 different kinds of salsas. I paid for the meal and walked away from the counter. Ben and I opted to sit outside because it was such a beautiful day. It was just towards hot but not really.

Almost to the end of my burrito as I was dipping into the guacamole with my plastic knife and slathering it onto the tortilla, I noticed a black spec almost at the bottom of the small, plastic container. I thought to myself, "Is that ground pepper??" Then I thought, "Nooooo... traditionally pepper doesn't go into guacamole." So, I opted to slide the spec up the side of the container (I'm sure you know where this is heading) and voila! there was a bug with wings sitting in the guac. I was immediately grossed out.

I walked back up to the register and waited patiently for the girl to finish the current transaction. She, of course, had a look on her face as though she could care less that she was even there (and an attitude to match). I very politely began to explain about the bug in the guac. She said, "Where?" I pointed directly to the bug in the container. Then she interupted me and stated that that's what happens when you sit outside.

She said that to me as though I was going to ask for a free meal. I interjected, "No. This bug is at the BOTTOM of my container. It was already in there. I just thought you should know so perhaps you can remove the container from your serving area so that no other patrons have the same experience."

While I was explaining this, another employee came over. She very kindly and with a concerned tone in her voice asked me what was the issue that I was having. Again, I repeated the fact that I found a bug at the bottom of the container, showed it to her and that I simply wanted to warn them that they might want to replace THEIR container that the use to serve other customers so no one else has the same issue. She immediately asked me if I'd like to give her my phone number and she'd have the manager call me. I said sure.

(She definitely handled the situation properly.)

A little while later while we were browsing BestBuy, I got a phone call. It was the manager of Chipotle Grill. I began to explain the situation and IMMEDIATELY he rudely cut me off and interjected that the bug in the guac occurred because I was sitting outside.

I tried to explain to him the same thing that I had told the cashier (the one who could care less about anyTHING or anyONE). In the middle of my explanation that I was trying to suggest for them to change out the large container where THEY serve the guacamole to customers, he again interrupted me and told me, "That's because you sat outside." I had to talk over him because he wouldn't politely listen to my entire story before responding. I was angry by now. I interjected, "I ate a six dollar meal for crissakes, I'm not looking for a free meal!" I was trying to not only tell him about my experience but by the time I had left the restaurant originally, my anger had turned to the fact that the cashier had handled the situation completely inappropriately whereas the other employee on the serving line did exactly what she should have done to handled the issue correctly.

However, he wouldn't let me finish. He talked over me again and demeaningly said to me, "I don't know where YOU'RE from, but in Florida...." I cut him off by hanging up the phone. I had had enough! I was completely insulted. He ASSUMED that because my phone number was not a West Palm Beach or Ft. Lauderdale exchange, that I was not from Florida. I've lived in Florida for the last 3 years and lived in other locations in Florida since 1998!

I was so angry at how he treated me! He was so determined that my purpose was to get a free meal that he didn't even listen to me at all. On top of it, he was very RUDE and DEMEANING to me. All I was trying to accomplish in the first place was to save them from having another patron end up with another bug in THEIR guacamole.

The worst part?? I was bothered and upset by this for several hours afterwards and it almost completely ruined my afternoon with Ben!!!

Not everyone in this life is trying to scam something for nothing!!!

Until next time...peace, love & HEALTH!!!