WHEN IS AN APPOINTMENT AN APPOINTMENT?

Have you ever made an appointment to get your hair cut? Gone to the barber shop (or hairdresser if you are a “girly man”) and had to wait while the barber finished cutting the guys hair who just got in the chair?

Ever gone to the Doctor for an appointment and then been seen an hour later?

Ever gone to the Auto dealership for a service appointment for an oil change and had to wait an hour before they took your car in?

WELL, I HAVE DONE ALL OF THESE AND I WILL BE YOU HAVE TOO!

Kind of makes you mad when this happens. Why did you make an appointment anyway? You wanted to get in and out and rather than wait, you called them and set up a time, probably days or weeks away from now, so that you could get your business taken care of in a timely manner.

I have to tell you that I have “fired” my barber when this happened twice in a row. I also ask the front desk at the doctor’s office if I have to wait longer than 20 or 30 minutes: “is doctor so and so running late today or did you forget about me”. If he isn’t running late, I usually get called in 5 or 10 minutes. Sometimes, the docs really do run late but shouldn’t they tell you about it. I have had one doctor office that actually did that.

I will only go to an auto service department that has given me good service. I fired the last one that kept me waiting too long and then tried to sell me services that they had already done several months ago!

You have to speak up and look out for your self when this happens. That is the only way things can get better. Be sure and let the vendor know that you are dissatisfied. The customer and/or patient do have rights i.e. a “customer or patient bill of rights”!

Let me know how you have addressed these issues.