Entitled Guest Berates Innocent Lifeguard For Failing To Retrieve Bracelet From Pool, Despite Being Warned Against Swimming With Jewelry

“She started ranting at me about how lazy ‘this generation’ is and demanded to speak to my manager.”

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• March 6, 2024

In the heart of sunny Florida was a pool so grand it boasted an artificial waterfall where guests could frolic and cool off. They had but one rule: don’t swim with any jewelry except well-secured piercings.

But did the guests listen? Well, your guess was as good as mine. 

Our narrator (Original Poster) was going about their lifeguard duties when a distraught lady approached them with a classic tale—she’d lost her bracelet under the waterfall and was now pleading with them to help retrieve it. 

OP’s first instinct was to roll their eyes - after all, the rules concerning bling were clear. But being the epitome of customer service, they accepted the challenge.

Now, swimming under a high-pressure waterfall was no walk in the water park—you couldn’t even come up for air without being waterboarded.

Yet, the brave and bold OP still took on this daunting task. Spoiler alert: it didn't end well. After plunging eight feet deep for the second time and imploring every ounce of lung power to push through, OP decided to call it a day.

But here's where it got interesting. Our damsel in distress decided to go into full Karen mode; she rewarded OP for their efforts by calling them ‘lazy’ and demanding to speak to the manager—the joys of customer service.

The manager assured her they’d retrieve it during the daily pool drain, but she remained unimpressed. She left angrily without even leaving her number behind, and guess what? The bracelet was found during the drain, as they explained.

So, should OP have donned a snorkel and gone full Michael Phelps instead? The verdict awaits below.

The story in detail

A bit of background

OP tried but couldn’t find the bracelet, only to get slammed by the woman for being lazy

Despite attempts to pacify her, the woman left rudely without dropping her contact details. Unfortunately for her, OP found the bracelet later that night, but there was no way to reach the woman

Important edit

Second edit

We gathered some reactions from the Reddit community.

“NTA, I'd even conjecture your boss / management might prefer you NOT undertake activities such as this because it distracts you from your actual job.”

“NTA - she wore jewelry that she wasn't supposed to in the pool. You made multiple attempts to find the bracelet and could not find it.”

“The fault is solely with the customer. Did the lady even attempt to retrieve it herself?”

“NTA. You are employed as a lifeguard, not a bracelet guard.”

“She's TA for wearing jewelry that she isn't ok with losing in a pool.”

Redditors agreed OP wasn’t to blame. The laws of poolside etiquette are crystal clear - no jewelry in the water! 

OP went above and beyond to find the bracelet, and the least the guest could do was show some gratitude.

If only she’d heeded their advice, she would have been reunited with her beloved bracelet by now. It was a unanimous NTA from the online jury.

Jesse