It's Still a Man's World

My friend, Catherine McPeak, responded to my anger blog not realizing that her response was a blog in itself. She was frustrated and rightfully angry about how she was treated, or should I say mistreated, with a concern which really is indicative of a larger problem - how women are still treated differently than men. Here’s her blog:

There was a part missing from my bathroom fan. So, I called Lowe's to see if I could get another and told them I was willing to pay for it as the fan was over 5 years old, although it was still in the box.

I had all the requested info such as part number, model number and item number. I was put on hold for about 6 minutes. The woman I spoke with said they didn't have that particular part anymore. I asked if she could sell me something similar that would work. I was put on hold for another 6 minutes. The woman comes back on the line and says they don't have anything that would work, but she would send me over to the manufacturer and maybe they could help. I thanked her and was put on hold for another 6 minutes.

Finally, a nice gentleman answered and I explained my dilemma once again. He then put me on hold for about 6 minutes until he returned to tell me the same thing the woman from Lowe's told me. So, I'm getting frustrated by this time.

"Can I buy a part that would work with this model fan"? I ask him. I’m put back on hold and I don't even know for how long this time. But he comes back and says they don't have any part that would work with my fan. However, he would be happy to transfer me to someone that could help. “Hold please.” When the call went through, the same woman from Lowe's answered. I gave up and hung up!

The next day, my son called Lowe's and told them he was my contractor and gave the exact same speech I did the day before. The woman from Lowe's said, “Oh I can transfer you to the manufacturer if you’d like.” "Sure," my son, the fake contractor, replied and he got the same guy I spoke with the day before. Less than 15 minutes on the phone, the man told my son, "Sure, we can help you. Just send the name, address and email of your customer and she will hear from us in 5 to 10 business days. Sure enough, the part came in today on day 7 with NO CHARGE! WTH!!!

And people wonder why women still don't get equal pay for equal work. It made me think of the slogan on the old Virginia Slims commercial, “You've come a long way baby.” Apparently we have a bit longer to go.