For those who don't know, I'm a cable technician. There is one thing that bugs the crap out of me and it's when people schedule appointments and then aren't home, but act like they are. When they are called, they play games and act like they're home, but they're not, they're trying to stall you so they can rush home from wherever they are.
When no one answeres the door, we have a procedure that requires the tech to call the dispatch department, who then has to call the customer. If no contact is made, then they place the job in the reschedule pool. Sometimes however, we still get people who think they can get us to hang out and wait by lying.
If you aren't there, but you're 5 minutes away, just say so, we usually will wait, but if you lie and act like someone is there but not, then you are wasting people's time and do not be surprised if they are not there.
Then there are the folks who forgot they scheduled something, but that's another rant entirely. 
I would say "I'll be home between 8 and noon, or noon and 5"
In reply to DrBoost:Yes, so true, how can these companies expect you to have a 5 hour window but then they only turn up when it suits them.
Sorry SBF but your co workers caused that issue by not keeping their end of that deal.
In reply to aussiesmg:
Well that's why my company went down to two hour time windows opposed to the 4 hour we used to have. It's better than used to be, not perfect, but better.
I had a longer response typed, but it went away.
I make home visits as part of my job with homecare. I've tried two approaches. The first is scheduling post-discharge appointments at the bedside. This can be difficult if you are unsure when the patient is going home. The last 2 I tried this way were a bust. One re-admitted during that 24 hour window and the second moved out of state. I also have tried scheduling via phone post-discharge. Usually the patient declines and we discuss the issues via phone.
I normally give a (half) hour or so window and show about 10 minutes outside of that window. For instance, "I have an appointment proceeding yours, and should be there between 12:30 and 1:00. If it's any later, I will phone you first." I will show up at about 1:10 or so to ensure that they're home.
It isn't completely inaccurate, I didn't elaborate fully.
For example, If you are my first appointment of the day, obviously I wouldn't do such a thing. In fact, there normally will not be much of a time window at all. I allow patients to set the times they are available and fit it into my schedule. Normally by using "early/late morning" and "early/late afternoon."
Let's say appointment 1 is set for "noon". I will tell person 1 I will be there "right around 12." Unless something really idiotic happens, there should be no reason as to why I cannot make the first appointment +/- 5 minutes.
Appointment 2 is set for "3:00" and is 50 miles away from Appointment 1. I will explain to the patient that I have an appointment proceeding theirs across town, and will be there between 2:30-3:00. Sometimes, appointment 1 is quick and I will contact appointment 2 to see if they are available earlier. Sometimes, due to weather/roads/traffic I am running extremely late and will give a heads-up phone call.
However, I don't keep people waiting and kill time purposefully. A lot of times, people are not ready at the time we agree upon. The extra few minutes I am "late" gives them time to have their paperwork, etc. ready. It really takes a lot of pressure off of those who scramble to get things together at the last minute.
It also reduces the time I am waiting, which holds up subsequent appointments that day. I've had more people who have delayed appointments due to errands, not being able to find paperwork, etc. (a few per month) than I have those who were upset that I showed up at 3:10 as opposed to 3:00 (zero).
I'm sorry if you feel that trying to stack appointments that way is rude, but I'm only one man. If you have better suggestions, I'm truly all ears (I know this might come off dickish, but I'm being genuine here). Scheduling is probably the most difficult part of my job.
I thought this would be about the cool and weird stuff you see when you go into these houses - pot plants & giant bongs, naked chicks walking around, stacks of guns, crazy food being cooked, sex equipment, awesome stereo equipment.........yeah, I'm not adding any pictures for you guys.
Datsun310Guy wrote:
I thought this would be about the cool and weird stuff you see when you go into these houses - pot plants & giant bongs, naked chicks walking around, stacks of guns, crazy food being cooked, sex equipment, awesome stereo equipment.........yeah, I'm not adding any pictures for you guys.
Exactly what I was hoping for. lol
Hey I can't say it hasn't happened.
I'm pretty sure we've already discussed how I do essentially what you do, but for satellite tv.
In reply to aussiesmg:
I don't show up when it suits me. I show up as soon as possible. My scheduling work out to where I don't see any appointments but the one I'm currently assigned. I'm allotted so many minutes of time based on an ideal. Sometimes it takes me less time sometimes more. I get that it sucks to wait for 4 hours to have someone show up either right at the end of the time frame or after, but to say that someone is basically berkeleying with you about showing up whenever they feel like it makes you seem like an shiny happy person to me.
my pet peeve is people who don't bother to clean the house, at least in the area i'm going to be working in. pet hair all over the kitchen when i'm going to be laying under the sink, fresh animal piss on carpet we're taking up, generally not being clean people, etc... one house was a couple 20 something roommate females. biggest pigs everywhere. went to do a bathroom floor and there were black pubes everywhere. i got so pissed off i didn't even take the toilet up to do the floor, nor did i clean it up. i stuck the stuff right down, cut it around the toilet, and left.
when we bought our house i wired all the cable stuff ready to just plop their box on the outside and hook up my new lines. the tech's head exploded because i have all the tools and used the correct connectors, had everything in wall jacks ready to go.
crazy stuff?
i've seen weed out on the dresser, more guns than i care to remember, one lady showered with her door open, cougars walking around half dressed, been fed awesome ethnic food and some not so awesome that i had to force down to not offend the customers.
sex toys everywhere. people don't think about that stuff when you need into their closet to get bathtub plumbing access through the panel they didn't know what was there.
i found an old school educational book for pubescent teen girls. only found the pages about masturbation, that had drawings with 70's bush, they were in a little hiding spot near a bathtub we took out. another house had some early 80's penthouse mags in a cubby hole with an empty booze bottle and some old smokes.
In reply to patgizz:
I enjoy when people decide to clean as soon as I walk in the door, then claim the house is usually clean.
In reply to moparman76_69:
I pretty much am in the same situation. If there is any complaint, it's how many jobs my company tries to cram into that two hour time frame.
I ran a RTO store for a while and we gave a 2 hour window...never had much of a problem.
I have nothing that interesting, just mostly depressing stories of old and disabled people who have nobody to care for them. Nothing outside of hoarding, general messes, family drama, etc.
Bed Bugs are unfortunately common. Some places I go into and I just want to burn my clothes afterward.
In my experience as a mobile auto glass technician, nothing annoys me more than this. We give our customers a 2 hour window when we call them at 8 am the day of their appt. Sometimes these people are far too important for that large of a time frame and act all indignant when we show up and ask why no one is answering the door.
If someone admits to not being home I always add 20 minutes to how far away they are. I will not wait more than 15 minutes for them. After 10 years of doing this I have yet to be disproven with this formula.
When the cable guy showed up at my place, he seemed both relived and disappointed that the house was completely empty and 100% free of funkiness. Easy job, but no cool stuff to see or stories to tell.
how is it that there are still houses that aren't wired for cable tv any more?
Now that I deal mostly with low income, high risk losers it's pretty common that people stick it to me on scheduling. The easiest solution I've found is to schedule appointments early in the morning, as most of the habitually unemployed are not early risers, so their car is in the driveway. 
However, I had some guy with a name I couldn't pronounce make a 10am appointment recently. Got there, car was there, banged on his door with no response. Shrugged, went out, found his car unlocked, so wrote his estimate (needed a front bumper; super simple), left the copy in his car, and left. Several hours later he calls, wondering when I'm going to be there. Told him I already was, did the job, his estimate is in his car. He proceeds to tear me a new one because I didn't "call" him. Whatever...half the time these people aren't even there; I consider it Super Bonus Time when I even have a car to write up. He goes on for awhile, tries to tell me I missed a dent in his door (I didn't; obviously old damage and not related) and then hangs up on me. Somehow, I manage to go on with my day and not have this bother me. 
Younger people are the worst; they have no regard for anyone else's time but their own. Old folks generally are great, though as much as I like hearing good stories sometimes they will keep you way too long. Always there, always polite and you'll never leave thirsty.
ddavidv wrote:
Younger people are the worst; they have no regard for anyone else's time but their own.
This times eleventy billion. Happens in my line of work all the time.
novaderrik wrote:
how is it that there are still houses that aren't wired for cable tv any more?
I ask myself that everyday.
Dealing with Sears, I paid extra to get it nailed to within 2 hours in the morning. Bastards showed up at 3:00 pm and didn't fix the problem.
We stopped trying to schedule appointments. It was impossible to do. Fortunately we don't usually have to go in the house so I now have a contract that my customers sign that gives me the right to enter the back yard at any time.
Our cable company and also hydro have the same procedure. They call it an all day appointment. They honestly will not give you a time at all, just a day. If you miss them because you had to run and pick your kids up from school you phone back and they give you another day. Note that THEY give YOU the day. The joys of a monopoly. If a trade can give me an appointment time and stick to within even half an hour he has my business.
