How do you do it Hammer?

[byhammerandhand]

It will be a long time before I bend over backwards like this again.

I had a warranty job yesterday.   When I phoned for the appointment, he said he didn't get home until six pm.   I reluctantly agreed to this after being unable to talk him into something earlier.

So I get there and he's not there, but his wife (a teacher, who probably got home at 3:30) was there and let me in.  Got started and about 1/2 hour later, I can hear her talking on the phone to her hubby, who has not left work yet.

He gets home a bit later, I'm in the driveway taking in some tools and say hi, and he just looks at me.   I'm there another 45 minutes or so and he never says word one to me.

Pack up and get ready to leave, do I hear any hint of a, "Thank you for accommodating our schedule?"  Nope. <seething>

About 9:30, I  wrap up the day that started with my first job at 8 am.  I'm still trying to figure out why it was so important that he was there when I was.

[gene]

Hammer time:

I tend to think of "She has to live with that guy 24/7. You only had to put up with his existence for a few hours."

Control freak? He caught her/she caught him going at it with a student, mail man-woman, secretary? Someone died in their immediate family? He's pissed off at the furniture company and is taking a passive-aggressive attitude toward you?

I bet we all could come up with a lot of ideas on why he may have acted the way he did - most of them probably not appropriate for this forum.  ;D

Jim Rohm, a motivational speaker, would say, "Don't sign up for that class!" His point was don't waste any of your time trying to figure out why someone is like that. Move on and try not to let it bother you too much.

Many years ago I heard Les Brown say that he does not allow others' behaviors to dictate how he feels. I'm still working on this one.

gene

[sofadoc]

Great Hambino:

There's a certain aura of mystery surrounding the upholsterer/furniture repair guy.

Most people don't know what to expect. If you were to ask them to draw their mental image of the furniture man, you would probably get a pic of a rather beaten-down fellow, with shabby clothes, stubbly face, and several missing teeth.

His breath would smell of whiskey. And it's probably been a long time since he's truly known the touch of a woman. So he CERTAINLY can't be trusted alone with a sweet little school marm.

Me thinks you were a victim of stereotyping. ;)

[byhammerandhand]

Well, I'm hoping bad things only come in threes. 

#2 About 10:30 last night, I get a text from my 8:30 appointment that they won't be able to make it.   Too late to schedule anything else, but at least I'm not stranded for an hour 30 minutes away from home with nothing to do had it been a later appointment or make a trip there and find a note on the door or no answer.

#3 Then I get to my (now first) customer,  ring the door bell several times, wait for 4 minutes out in the cold.   Can see lights on, but no one visible. 
Call and it rolls to voicemail.   Wait my typical 15 minutes, ring the doorbell again, and pull out.   Fortunately, the next call is home and can see me earlier than I'd planned.   At 3pm she's yet to call.   I will tell her I just need to cut my losses on this one and she can look for someone else.

[byhammerandhand]

One of my sons-in-law is a psychiatrist.   I've asked him how to deal with "those customers."    His response was, "You are not going to change their behavior, you'll only frustrate yourself if you try."

There are times I just want to say, "Life must be hell for you, living in an imperfect world."

I have a call into a woman who has issues with six pieces just delivered, ranging from "lamp foggy."    I was in the warehouse the other day.   She rejected a dry bar by saying the yellow paint color on the front didn't match the yellow paint on the side.    Like the factory is going to stop mid-project, mask off one side and spray the front with a different paint formula!

Jim Rohm, a motivational speaker, would say, "Don't sign up for that class!" His point was don't waste any of your time trying to figure out why someone is like that. Move on and try not to let it bother you too much.

[sofadoc]

Then I get to my (now first) customer,  ring the door bell several times, wait for 4 minutes out in the cold.   Can see lights on, but no one visible. 
Call and it rolls to voicemail.   Wait my typical 15 minutes, ring the doorbell again, and pull out.   Fortunately, the next call is home and can see me earlier than I'd planned.   At 3pm she's yet to call.   I will tell her I just need to cut my losses on this one and she can look for someone else.

Back in the day, situations like this were more understandable. Sometimes people were unavoidably delayed. Or they were just inconsiderate, and blew us off.

But whatever the reason now, THEY HAVE A CELL PHONE!!! And there is no excuse for not calling, even if it's just to make up some lame lie.

I've posted recently how I have no patience for waiting in a Doctor's office to give an estimate, or pick up exam furniture to recover. If they don't have time to deal with me, they shouldn't tell me to "Drop by anytime".

I would go ballistic if I had to deal with cancellations on a routine basis.
Your job is safe, Hammer. You'll get no competition from me.

[byhammerandhand]

I've come to the conclusion that if they don't answer the door, don't answer the phone and haven't called me within 15 minutes over the appointed time, they've forgotten the appointment, not just running late.   

The other one I get is when I reach them, "Oh, I'm 5 (or 10, or 15) minutes away."    It's almost always 20 (or 25 or 30 minutes) before they arrive.  That really plays hell with the rest of the day's schedule.  The alternative is to leave and spend another hour some other time to do a round trip.

Usually, it's the people who are not paying for the service (being paid by retailer, delivery co., or protection plan payer) that are the worst offenders.  One of them used to have a policy that after the second no-show, the customer had to pay for the service.   Two no-shows in a row is a bummer, though.

But whatever the reason now, THEY HAVE A CELL PHONE!!! And there is no excuse for not calling, even if it's just to make up some lame lie.

[gene]

How many psychiatrists does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, but the light bulb must really, really want to change.

How many mice does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two, but it's really, really tight in there.

His breath would smell of whiskey.

My guess would be Scotch. Single malt, from the Highlands. Neat.

gene

[baileyuph]

People are in a hurry these days and it is harder to make contact.

So many of them won't pick up their finished jobs!  I get tired of walking around them.

Doyle