I hate waiting..................

Anonymous-0 · Feb 22, 2011

I insist on solid appointments with folks instead of "this afternoon" or "between 3 and 5". A few minutes +/- for traffic is one thing but folks usually show up at the end of the range (unless you leave the house)....
Only one I tolerate it from is the farrier and will accept an hour span.
Still IRKS the he!! out of me and I'm 15 minutes past the end of the hour. If I don't wait, it'll take another 6 weeks to get him here.......
He lives 3 miles from us too but is in hi demand. Travels up to 200 miles away for a couple big customers. There are a few others in the area, but he's real good, cheap (reasonable) and the only one I can get along with :roll:

done venting now..........

Dave

Bob · Feb 22, 2011

As a repair guy that TRIES to keep appointments as well as possible all I can say is WOW, dude, you're wound up pretty tight!

Have you ever though of it from the other guy's point of view as to how HARD it is to keep on schedule not knowing what problems may arise at earlier jobs/meetings/etc.???

Unless you intend to pay the guy you are waiting for a whole day's wages you are sharing him with everyone else who is sharing that burden.

That's the way it is, simple as that!

rrlund · Feb 22, 2011

That's one of the many reasons I won't do ANY business with Sears anymore. They don't have local service people,they have to come from 50 miles away and give that vague appointment. The absolute last time was when we needed the dryer fixed. It was in the heart of spring field work anyway and they said they'd be here between 1 and 3PM. I was right across the road when he came driving in at 11AM. He ran up to the door and in about 10 seconds sprinted back to the truck. I figured he'd be back when the appointment was for and sat there waiting til 4 o'clock. I called them and they said he'd already been there and I wasn't home. I told them what happened and that it would be a cold day in a hot place before I'd pay for that service call and that they'd dam well better get him back out there and he'd better be there when he said he would. Long haired magot did show up when he said he would the next time,but let's just say I wasn't real nice to the guy.

JDseller · Feb 22, 2011

If you don"t like waiting then schedule your service calls fist thing in the morning. Make yours be the first. Then the service man is not held up by longer repair times.

I have been a service manager at several implement dealers over the years. Scheduling service calls is the hardest thing to do. The man from Sears More than likely had a few call that morning that went faster than they where scheduled.

How do you account for the call where they tell you the fan belt need replaced and you get there and find out that the hydraulic pump drive had come a part taking the belt with it??? Fan belt is a hour job. Fixing the pump drive is a three hour one. So how would you like the repair man to work his hour at your place and then leave just to keep his schedule? You would be hopping mad and bad talk the man to no end.

This scheduling issue is one reason why I don"t work on anything away from my shop anymore. Plus it is harder to do a good job without all of the things you might need.Also many of the tractors I work on need a good washing before you can even see what is wrong. I am not going to repair a hydraulic problem on a tractor covered in mud and then have a piece of dirt make me pay for the after repair. I asked the guys to have their equipment reasonably clean. If it is not, then they are pay shop labor rate for me to wash it off.

LJS30 · Feb 22, 2011

I know what you mean man. Recently I had what I thought was a gas leak in my old stove. So I called the gas company and they gave me a window from 10am to 4pm that they would show up. Come on, how in heck are you supposed to wait for service during that amount of time when one, you have a gas leak, and two you have work to do?

Detmurds · Feb 22, 2011

I agree with Dave2 fully. If a business provides a service and they expect and/or want to make a customer to wait in a window of 3-4 hours, they should stay within their expectation, and promises or look at what THEY are doing wrong if they can't meet their commitments.

730d se · Feb 22, 2011

If you owned the repair business, would want to have your guys running all over town, or have them try to "connect the dots" as they work through calls?

Ron in NS · Feb 22, 2011

A farrier still can't forecast the whims of the customers, the moods of the horses he shoes, or the conditions of the feet he trims. Those things all add up.
I'd give farriers the benefit of the doubt always, because I've seen how hard a job that can be at times. My back aches just thinking about it.
If he says betwen 3 and 5, and he's still late, just think about how hard his day may have been, the feet being pulled out from betwen his legs, or the kicks he may have got, and that's not including the horses he had to deal with.....

wilamayb · Feb 22, 2011

"Control freak" I think would be appropriate here.

No one is really in control. There are simply those who have the false feeling that they are. They just make life miserable for themselves and everyone else around them. They cant stay married, they have strained relationships with their parents and children, but yet it's always someone else who is being stupid.

Just food for thought... When you think you are in control just remember that you cant make your heart beat even one more time.

Sid · Feb 22, 2011

Dave's got a valid point guys. Too many "service" companies over book, and shuffle appointments to take care of the "bigger" customer.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 22, 2011

(quoted from post at 09:16:00 02/22/11) A farrier still can't forecast the whims of the customers, the moods of the horses he shoes, or the conditions of the feet he trims. Those things all add up.
I'd give farriers the benefit of the doubt always, because I've seen how hard a job that can be at times. My back aches just thinking about it.
If he says betwen 3 and 5, and he's still late, just think about how hard his day may have been, the feet being pulled out from betwen his legs, or the kicks he may have got, and that's not including the horses he had to deal with.....

He got here 30 minutes late. Kind of a record for him :roll:

I expect it, just don't like it. He's a real sensious guy at least he is when he shows up at stalls with several horses.. Sense you was here, can you do a couple more???????????

I slipped a couple in on him also. 8 horses for less than a hundred bucks, I can deal with waiting on him.

Dave

Mike (WA) · Feb 22, 2011

The solution to the farrier problem is obvious- get a different farrier! If keeping a schedule is the most important part of the job, then get some troll who has no clientele, and he'll be on time.

Our farrier just does it by himself- wifey tells him who to shoe and who to trim, and we know he has been there because the bill is stuck in the door. Unless we're the last stop of the day, then he hangs around and we feed him dinner.

Life is too short to get so worked up. I work in town, about 5 miles from home- everybody has cell phones these days, so I tell them to have the repair guy call my office when he's 15 minutes out, and I'll meet him at home. Works great.

Sid · Feb 22, 2011

Just what does expecting people to keep their word have to do with being "control freak"? A lot of excuses have been given here for not following through as promised.

rrlund · Feb 22, 2011

The vet calls those "while you're here Doc" days.

KIP in MX · Feb 22, 2011

You complain about a two hour span and being a bit late?

Here, if you have an appointment for say 8am, you will be lucky if they show up the same day. Plumbers, a/c guys, telephone co, it doesn't matter. You get mad and call someone else and it's the same story. Everyone just tells you what you want to hear, but never intend on doing it. A culture of lying to each other that is the norm. "I'll be there at 9am tomorrow morning" actually means " I'll be there in a couple of days, maybe..."

wilamayb · Feb 22, 2011

I guess I dont figure most folks are at home drinking beer when they are supposed to meet you. Most are either finishing up the last job, keeping the wife happy, changing a flat tire, boosting off a dead battery, helping a little old lady across the street, etc, etc.

I know there are exceptions to the rule. Some folks are just lazy and dont care but I find that is not normally the case.

Traditional Farmer · Feb 22, 2011

He's proably hoping you'll get mad and call someone else next time.

IOWA NORTHEAST · Feb 22, 2011

I run a small construction outfit, and will coment this way. Do you want to pay me to wait in between jobs to keep a appointment? A crew must keep busy to pay the bills.

How long will it take you to plow my field? It is kinda big, it is kinda muddy, it is kinda a odd shaped field. How much will you charge me? It can be done next week any day except Tuesday morning, and Wed. mid day, and maybe Thursday and Friday if it rains. If I don't get time to get the corn picked, you will have to wait till I do.

This is how we are supposed to run our schedules, and not a single person understands till they run a business for themselves.

Now days there is little excuse not to call and let the next person know of what is going down. But so we all get on the same page, when I'm trying to catch you at your phone, (several times) I'm not getting anything else done either....so I will be a little later.

There are often so many things that enter the picture, and everyone is great in my comunity trying to work with me, as they know I'm not sitting around. EXCEPT..the whole winter this year.

Cockshutt Mike · Feb 22, 2011

I agree with Ron as for a farrier and some other businesses. When they set a time they are going on customer information, then they get to customer and suprise, so I'm forgiving to things that can't be helped. Now as for the places that try to set a time somewhere between say 8 and 5 like gas company, phone company etc and someone has to sit around all day till they show up, that is just wrong.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 22, 2011

patience ... my son ...

Heavyduty1 · Feb 22, 2011

I give the service writeup people my cell# and tell the service person to call when they are 1 hour from my house. I tell them if he/she shows up without calling he/she may have to wait on me to get there.

I too have waited for hours in the past and this works out well for me. 8)

TGIN · Feb 22, 2011

So you added a couple more making him later for his next appointment but the next guy will most likly enjoy the wait !!

JBMac · Feb 22, 2011

Do they have Xanax in Germany? Might help with your people skills and quality of life in general!

Detmurds · Feb 22, 2011

The greatest question is, "how bad does one want another one's money?" I understand that many intangibles, and circumstances are there, but way too many in the services industry just suck.

Ever go to a barber shop and all the barbers are busy and that one "open" barber is willing to cut your hair? You tell him, "no, I will wait for the next open barber"? ...thats just how it is because he/she just sucks!

I show up on time to earn my money so I don't have to earn the privilege to spend it! For me, time is money. Waste my time, ....no money for one who does so unless it is explained that a longer wait may be needed prior to the agreed transaction.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2011

(quoted from post at 11:02:56 02/22/11) He's proably hoping you'll get mad and call someone else next time.

Naaaaaaaa, I order a lot of his tools and work clothes for him. Yesterday was just bad timing....... Most of the places he goes don't own the horses so he has to have the owners there who also show up late. And it was cold and windy with my jobs being outside instead of a big barn like he's used to. Understanding and liking it are two different things. On the bright side, I had time to post my little vent and bombarded with well wishes and encouraging support from the loving members of this site..Win win huh????

I hate waiting..................

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