Tales from the Front: Duped into Tainting the Garage Fridge

Wesley Goetz of Gloucester, Va.-based Haywood Floor Covering Inc. had an embarrassing incident on a job early in his career he’s never forgotten:

“When I first started in 1996, one of the fellows I was working with had a soda. I asked where he got it, and he told me it was from the fridge in the garage—the homeowner had said it was fine. I was so thirsty and glad! I opened the fridge and was looking, trying to decide which drink to get, when I looked up. The homeowner was looking at me with her jaw on the floor. The piece of $hit coworker lied to me! The next Monday the homeowner bought a brand new fridge. I guess I defiled the old one.”