A young mum was left feeling ‘humiliated and upset’ after she discovered car wash staff had shared lewd messages about her in a WhatsApp chat.
Emily George from Truro in Cornwall, was horrified at the workers’ ‘disgusting behaviour’ after she payed a visit to Truro City Car Wash just three weeks after it had opened.
The 24-year-old discovered a photo of herself had been posted in the workers’ group chat, along with a host of sexual innuendos and crude comments such as: ‘If I was single I’d be smashing it here’.
Emily was made aware of the disrespectful messages after someone sent her screenshots from the conversation between the male car wash staff.
One member of staff joked they would be making sure they were in for a lunchtime appointment, when Emily was due to be bringing her car.
When the mum complained to bosses at the business, via Facebook, she was told:
I completely understand how disrespectful the behaviour is although, to be honest, the comments were flattering if unprofessional.
The business went on to apologise to Emily, and asked to her come down so they could say sorry face to face. However, Emily understandably said she would have felt ‘uncomfortable’ attending.
She said:
I had messaged them about a valet on my car for yesterday at 1pm, then around 12pm I got a message from someone who happened to be on the WhatsApp group chat with those men, recognised me and thought it was out of order.
I didn’t want to go anymore because I was humiliated and upset and so I told them how it was disgusting behaviour as they are meant to be professional.
Instead they are going around saving women’s photos who are going and making rude sexual comments. They tried to offer me a free valet when I said I would be reporting it.
The 24-year-old continued:
I’m just a normal woman – as a client I didn’t ask for any of it.
This is borderline harassment. They think it’s flattering so it’s okay, but it’s not acceptable.
Speaking to Cornwall Live, Daniel Morris, co-owner of Truro City Car Wash, emphasised how keen he was to apologise to Emily.
He said:
The motor trade is a male-dominated area and can be sexist, which I’m doing all I can to shut down in my business.
The guys thought they were commenting in a closed, safe group, not that that’s excusing their behaviour.
The business owner went on to say he held a meeting with his staff and explained that those involved in the messages have been ‘rapped over the knuckles’.
‘I wanted to have a sit-down meeting with the lady in question so I can apologise in person as I’m very sorry for what happened, but she has refused that,’ he said. ‘I’ve reached out to the young lady and have told her I’m happy to meet somewhere where she’d be happy, like a branch of Costa.’
Daniel added: ‘The guys – many of them have difficult backgrounds – aren’t used to the corporate world. I hate to use the word banter. It was really stupid.’
Daniel explained the matter is now in the hands of solicitors, after staff received messages from people calling them ‘pigs’ and ‘scumbags’.
‘Change is in the air and men need to stop this kind of behaviour,’ he said.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.