Job interviewer ghosted me and then had one of his employes tell me to “go home”, so I did

Have you ever gone out of your way for an opportunity, only to get treated like an afterthought? Most people would walk away annoyed, maybe vent to friends, and move on. But sometimes the disrespect hits so hard that it pushes someone to leave a mark – literally.

A job seeker drove 35 minutes after a long shift for an interview that never happened. The owner bailed, sent a teen employee to dismiss them rudely, and the whole thing ended with a petty act of revenge on the front lawn. Was it justified, or did they take it too far?

‘Job interviewer ghosted me and then had one of his employes tell me to “go home”, so I did’

The story starts with high hopes for a promising job opportunity.

Things quickly turned frustrating once the job seeker arrived.

The aftermath brought one last bizarre twist from the owner.

The central issue is blatant disrespect during a job interview process. The candidate invested time, effort, and a long drive after work, only to be dismissed rudely through an employee. The owner’s decision to leave early without warning, then send a message to “go home” via a teen worker, shows poor communication and zero accountability. The candidate’s reaction – doing donuts on the lawn – escalated things into minor property damage.

The job seeker probably felt humiliated and powerless in the moment. Power imbalances in hiring already create stress; add a long commute, a blown-off appointment, and public dismissal, and frustration boils over. The owner, on the other hand, might have panicked or changed his mind but chose the coward’s way out instead of direct communication. That avoidance turned a simple no into a humiliating experience.

Career coach and workplace expert Alison Green has written that “ghosting candidates is one of the most common complaints in job searches, and it erodes trust in the entire hiring process.” When the disrespect becomes personal and public, people sometimes respond with symbolic acts of pushback to reclaim dignity.

A smarter move would have been to document the incident, leave a factual negative review on Google/Indeed, and walk away. For the future, candidates can set firmer boundaries early (like confirming exact times in writing) and treat red flags as deal-breakers. The owner could have owned the mistake with an apology instead of a private-number call. Both sides learned the hard way that respect saves everyone headaches.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

The online crowd split between cheering the petty revenge, sharing similar horror stories, and warning about potential legal trouble.

Most readers celebrated the move as sweet justice and a dodged bullet. They loved the pettiness and saw it as harmless payback.

Others shared their own tales of bad interviews while staying supportive overall.

A smaller group called out the risks, focusing on property damage and possible consequences.

This experience highlights how poorly handled rejections can turn small frustrations into big reactions. Ghosting and rude dismissals during hiring show a lack of basic professionalism, and they stick with people longer than any interview ever could. The donut marks were a flash of anger that felt good in the moment, but they also carried real risk.

Respect costs nothing, yet it prevents most drama. Would you have kept your cool and just driven away, or does a stunt like donuts feel like fair payback when someone wastes your time? Have you ever gotten petty revenge after a bad interview – and did it feel worth it?