How long do...

[Ron K]

you sit in driveway waiting for the customer. My customer was pissed at me today for being on time, again. She was so used to people being rude and being late. We waited 10 minutes then left she saw our van on the road stopped her car and got out and waved us down.

 

[Luis Gomez]

For the last 20 yrs I have waited 15 minutes only, than I leave a missed you note.
Luis

 

[Hoody]

First a few phone calls to try and talk with them. Then after that same as Luis, 15 minutes, and a sorry we missed you note.

 

[SamIam]

It all depends on how tired and what kind of job it is!

 

[A-Team]

For bigger jobs eg: carpet & upholstery I will wait up to 30 minutes because what else are you going to do when the rest of your day is so tightly scheduled. Whilst I am waiting, I try to call them! Failing that I'll drop some cards into the surrounding letter boxes and then make some phone calls or emails. In my experience it's very rare for jobs not to turn up at all. If it's a small job with a pressing schedule 15 minutes.

 

[Clean Response]

15 minutes for me. If it is bigger I would wait longer. The older I get the less I am willing to wait. If it was not for cell phone games I would not be able to wait that long.

 

[Desk Jockey]

15-minutes and then call the next job and move on. If they call us back we can send the crew back if they can't make it we will send another crew out to catch it.

 

[hogjowl]

I never time myself. I just sit there until I get too pissed to sit there any longer and I leave.

Why do you people try to make everything complicated?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Whuut are you pissed at? You get a break from working, you should be thankful.

 

[Hoody]

Cuts into his nap time.

 

[Desk Jockey]

He needs one, he's sooo grumpy.

 

[RugWorx]

My techs will wait 15 to 20 minutes. During that time we will try and call twice and if no response we leave. We will leve a message letting them know to call the office and reschedule. We do charge a $25 cancelation fee if they no call/no show.

 

[Connor]

Always call them, everybody has a cell phone. Tell them if no contact, then no service. Every time I've heard the majic words "Oh, I'll be there, just come" there would not be anybody home. If they insist, I tell them to call me when they get home and THEN I'll put them into the queue, maybe they can have immediate service, maybe somebody else will be in that appointment time.


Some people think that an 11-12 appointment window is a suggestion for when THEY should show up.


This time of the year is the worst because people are out Christmas shopping and they think that they can just blame traffic on their tardiness and we are supposed to understand.

I've had a few liars who have said they were home, but weren't.

On the southside of town, there are some people who will call, make an appointment, then when you call to tell them you're on the way, they'll answer the phone and just hang up on you.

 

[Hoody]

Calling in the morning to confirm the appointment for that day, and if you get a voicemail/answering machine, leaving a message to please contact you/office, and give them an appropriate(up to you) time to call back letting them know you're confirming for the day, and if you don't hear from them you'll have to move your schedule around, or reschedule. In the morning a lot of parents are getting kiddos ready for school, and or taking them to school and can't get to the phone at say 8:15-8:45. I always ask for a number they can be reached if they're coming on a lunch break/while running errands. Also at time of scheduling let them know to expect the phone call, a lot of people are understanding that you'll do it so that your day can run smooth, and that it doesn't end up making you late for others as you've committed to an arrival with them as well. Even more so a lot of people love the call because they have other things going on in their lives and you're not top priority on things to remember, especially if they scheduled it a week or two out.

Before even going to the house(appointments that aren't first arrival) give them a 20-30 minute courtesy call that you're on your way. Its a good time to remind/ask them if they've removed breakables and or small things so that you can get right to work after the walk through.

Even with those things in place, I remember a no call/show before, and the address we ended up at was a condemned house on a bad side of town. I was thinking someone had a really sick sense of humor.

 

[floorguy]

Ha I had to wait for her to comeback yesterday....

Told her I would be around 1.5-2 hr...Ok i am going to run some errands...cool

Get done right about 1:45...wind it up, wait about 5 (puts it at just over 2)

Call her.....ohhh sorry lost track of time, I am heading out now (was shopping....i knew it was going to take about 20 to get back)

She called....hitting every red light...lol

It was a laid back day...super nice lady with a 16 mth old....their 1st home purchase after 5 yrs....they were excited...

Made some other phone calls for work later that week...

oh....


AND SHE GAVE ME MY 1ST YELP REVIEW!!!!

 

[Ron Werner]

30min max, after 15 it depends on the job, client and situation.

 

[Charlie Lyman]

I wait 10 minutes and then call. If no answer I leave. It seems like the ones that I forget to get a number for are the ones that aren't home.

 

[trojancarpetcare]

New clients about 15 min old customer about a half hour also depends on how big the job is.