When "8-9am" means 1:15pm
Nov. 13th, 2023 02:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerOn Friday I arranged for a contractor to come first thing this morning to repair a broken window.
"We can schedule you for Monday," they offered. "What time?"
"How about first thing in the morning, 8am?" I responded.
"Okay, we’ll be there between 8-9am," they confirmed.
So this morning I waited. And waited. I postponed a few things I wanted to do between 8 and about 9:30 because I expected they'd come knocking on my door any minute and interrupt me. And I waited some more.
Just before lunch I emailed the coordinator. "It’s almost noon and I’ve been waiting for contact for 4 hours. Let me know if the project has been rescheduled."
A crew leader phoned me a few minutes later. He apologized that "another job" had taken longer than they expected. What... did they have a 6am appointment on their calendars? I wondered. He promised me they’d be over in about an hour.
Sure enough, the crew arrived about 1:15. At least they had all the parts and equipment they needed. And the work didn't even take that long. They were done, start-to-finish, in 45 minutes. At least I assume they're done.... They left without telling me!
Sheesh. Of course this situation isn't unfamiliar. Everyone who's waited on a contractor or an installer knows that they often miss stated service times by 4 hours. My question is: Why is it still like this in 2023? Mobile phones have been standard business technology for over 20 years. Companies should be able to call to their customers when the schedule changes. People can't afford to wait all day wondering if or when workers will come. Life doesn't work like that anymore.
"We can schedule you for Monday," they offered. "What time?"
"How about first thing in the morning, 8am?" I responded.
"Okay, we’ll be there between 8-9am," they confirmed.
So this morning I waited. And waited. I postponed a few things I wanted to do between 8 and about 9:30 because I expected they'd come knocking on my door any minute and interrupt me. And I waited some more.
Just before lunch I emailed the coordinator. "It’s almost noon and I’ve been waiting for contact for 4 hours. Let me know if the project has been rescheduled."
A crew leader phoned me a few minutes later. He apologized that "another job" had taken longer than they expected. What... did they have a 6am appointment on their calendars? I wondered. He promised me they’d be over in about an hour.
Sure enough, the crew arrived about 1:15. At least they had all the parts and equipment they needed. And the work didn't even take that long. They were done, start-to-finish, in 45 minutes. At least I assume they're done.... They left without telling me!
Sheesh. Of course this situation isn't unfamiliar. Everyone who's waited on a contractor or an installer knows that they often miss stated service times by 4 hours. My question is: Why is it still like this in 2023? Mobile phones have been standard business technology for over 20 years. Companies should be able to call to their customers when the schedule changes. People can't afford to wait all day wondering if or when workers will come. Life doesn't work like that anymore.
