We were waiting around for nothing all day.
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
February 15, 2011 2:20pm CST
My husband said that our furnace would be cleaned today. I used to get it cleaned in June, but things change over the years and when you have $ and/or time. Anyway, last Firday, someone at the oil company told him today at 9AM they would be cleaning our furnace. He asked how much time might go by or they could be behind. She said the latest would be 10:30. Since he's unemployed, he wasn't concerned. I figured if I got work, great and if I didn't, oh well. 11 AM came and went. So I told him he'd better call. He figured that because it's soooo cold, that people whose furnaces quit have top priority. But 1PM came along and still no one. Then he said at 2PM, he would call if they hadn't come. At 2PM, they said they didn't have us scheduled for a cleaning. He was upset. They said they had someone sitting in the office waiting for work, so they would send him. At 3:05PM, the person arrived (we're 45 mins. away from them), so my husband showed him the slip. The cleaning/repair furnace man said he knew who it was by the numbers on the slip and she's always forgetting to put the appts. into the system.
Glad neither of us were working today. Have you ever had an appt. that someone forgot to put down? Last week I had a post card asking me to make an appt. for my eyedrs. I already had one. I wasn't going to call, but decided I'd better because my brother and sister-n-law had had problems. They had to cancel the regular appt. and wanted to make a new one. There was nothing on the card saying call to reschedule. So why send a card that doesn't communicate?
Anyway, this seems to be happening more and more. Since it's hard to get, have, or keep a job these days, don't you think people would do a better job? If I hadn't called to reschedule the eyedr. appt, I would have gone for nothing and they would have said it was canceled. Since it's over $10 in gas to get there and I might have missed at least 1/2 a day of work or something, I would have been angry.
What do you think? Has this been happening to you?
2 people like this
4 responses
@GardenGerty (169479)
• United States
15 Feb 11
The week before the Super Bowl my husband had a job interview. They told him they would call him the next day, seemed very positive about him. We waited all day and they did not call. Meanwhile, we wanted to make plans to visit my folks in another state and watch the Super Bowl. It would have involved staying overnight and coming home on Monday. This particular position, if/when he got it, would require two weeks of training on days. We went to see my Dad, and came home on Monday, still no messages or calls. He called them Tuesday, they had transfered someone within the company, she reminded him that that would mean another position might open up. No apologies for not calling, nothing. They were not going to do anything though until all the snow had melted.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Feb 11
I had one like that. Down to three people. I had been to 3 interviews for the same position. A friend of mine said the secretary had told her I was getting it because I could speak French and do American Sign Language plus I had worked with a variety of people. The interviewer said that the next day, they would call all three of us in the AM. At noon, still no call. So I called them, "Oh the anticipated position didn't go through Congress. So he's at the post office sending everyone rejection slips." That had flown someone up from Albany,NY for an anticipated position that hadn't even gone through Congress yet? Paid for his motel for 3 days? I filled out a 10 page Federal form and went to 3 interviews. And we wonder why our gov. costs us soooo much.
You would think if they tell you they'll call the next day, they would call. Otherwise, why say that?
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
17 Feb 11
That's too bad because product demonstration can be fun. As long as they don't set unreasonable goals, it's a job people can have for a long time, too.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169479)
• United States
17 Feb 11
He has another interview tomorrow and if he gets it it will be a discussion. I am happy to be at home, if I can just get going a little better with the online earnings.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
15 Feb 11
Oh, your husband is very patient, I don't think I would have been..After waiting for an hour, I would have called to find out what was going on..Though I don't have an outside job, I do walk my one neighbor's dog every day every two hours due to him being so old he can't hold it longer. Then today, I not only had that dog, but two other neighbor's dog as well. Plus I hate that I might get stuck in the middle of something and have to quit because the guy decides to finally show up..
I am glad you got it done though, it is dangerous to not clean your furnace every year, though I can understand the cost involved. I remember back when we were burning wood in the wood-burning stove, I refused to allow my husband start a fire in it in the fall unless it was cleaned out first.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
16 Feb 11
Yeah, that's true, if they were busy helping those without heat at all, I guess I would be a little understanding. But not if I found there was one employee not busy, I would have thrown a fit..But now your furnace is clean and you are safe, that is what counts, right?? :)
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
17 Feb 11
Very true. That this person gives people appointment information on a sticky note and never puts it into the computer on a continuing basis is a bit ridiculous.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Feb 11
On an 8 degree day, all the service men could have been out. Hearing that one was sitting with the secretary having coffee and that no one had put it on the schedule didn't go over well. He was patient when he figured someone might be in trouble, not afterward, trust me.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Feb 11
In my town, we're all 25 miles from the nearest city and 8 miles from a big grocery store. So up here, everything is usually a 50 mile round trip. If we want to grab something "quick" or do close banking, that was 16 round trip. Thank goodness a Credit Union opened up nearby. But we can only use it for savings. They send overdrafts to the District Attorney. We had our computer through the phone lines, but now we have it through cable. Much faster and now I can actually watch most videos. So distances to town,I can empathize. Luckily, our town has some fun activities that we can walk to during good weather. Take care.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
16 Feb 11
I hate it when stuff like that happens. I had a fit getting my pool installed a couple of years ago. The people that were contracted to do the job kept making appointments with me and then not showing up. They wouldn't even call and let us know. I finally got fed up and called the pool shop and the owner put the fire under them. If you pay for a service..they should at least be respectful enough to call.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
17 Feb 11
We have a rough time putting up with once, more than once would really get us upset. We weren't working that day anyway, so it wasn't a big deal, but if we were putting in a pool, that would mean we had lots of $ for it so we would both be working and at least one person would have to take time off each time. We would be really calling and giving the manager an earful if you know what I mean.
