Everyone that has scheduled an appointment with any type of service technician or delivery person knows the routine: "NAME" Will arrive between 08am and XXpm or 12pm and XXpm. They almost ALWAYS arrive at the latest time indicated.

Back in April we contracted with a Pest Control company for quarterly bug spraying (trying to keep wife happy).

Last week (Thursday April 17) I get a text message that we are due for our quarterly application and "XXXXX" will arrive on 7/24/2025 at 8:52AM. my first thought was NO WAY, who provides that specific time?.

This morning at 8:51 I get a reminder text that "XXXXX" will arrive by 8:52.

AT 8:52 "XXXXX" pulled in the driveway in the company truck. NO FREAKING WAY DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!

My pest guy (to keep me happy) is very punctual! Always within five minutes of his texted arrival time. And he always comes within a couple of days if I ask for an additional visit...included in the cost of their service.

Other venders...yeah, four hour window.

quote:

Back in April we contracted with a Pest Control company for quarterly bug spraying (trying to keep wife happy).

That's kind of hard on the wife, isn't it?

Our last purchase was a freezer from Lowes. I got scheduled times a day later, updates the day of and a phone call from the driver with spot on times. I couldn't believe it

I get it. Especially if you have other plans. We’ve had the same exterminator for 30 years. He shows up quarterly on the 3rd Monday of the month at 9:45. We get a phone call a couple days before. But, he knows how long it takes for each home or business, and that very seldom varies.

I don’t like the 4 hour window crap either, but I have to have some sympathy for the tech. He has no way of knowing if that 20 minute job, he has planned, might end up taking 2 hours.

Mine usually goes like this:

"XXXX will arrive between 9:00 am and 10 am."

"XXXX is running late. XXXX will arrive between 12 pm and 1 pm."

"XXXX is running late. XXXX will arrive between 1 pm and 2 pm."

...actually shows up a 4:43 pm. Doesn't have the correct part and has to reschedule.

Comcast usually goes like this:

If it's 7/24/2025:

"Technician I.M Layte will arrive between 10 am today and 9 pm on 7/24/2027"

Recently had Safelite replace my windshield after I took a rock to it on a recent road trip.

Was able to schedule a next day appt, “between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm”

Tech called me at noon to advise he was working on the one before me and should be at my place by 2. Called me again at 1 to advise he was finishing up and should be at my place at 1:30. Arrived at 1:20

No complaints.

I've got one better.

Comcast technician will arrive between 0800-1200. Cool. Plan my day around that. Don't leave the house. They never show up.

Since they never showed up, system automatically scheduled technician for the next day 0800-1200. Cool. I guess they got busy. I'll stick around and wait for him and ignore my errands for the 2nd day in a row I had to run. Never shows up again.

Call and after 45 minutes get to speak to an actual person. Says no technicians were ever scheduled to my house. Thanks.

Cox Cable Company in the Florida Panhandle.

"A technician will arrive between 8:00 AM and November..."

(Yes, it was a few years back.)

I usually just go get comfy on “The Throne”.
Then the doorbell rings. Works every time.

I really love it when they lie and try to tell you that "no one was home" when they arrived.

Um...I took off work to wait for your ass to show up and you never did. Don't lie to me, asshole

I have an order from Home Depot this Saturday arriving between 6AM and 8PM according to the email I received. They give themselves a generous window.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:

quote:

Back in April we contracted with a Pest Control company for quarterly bug spraying (trying to keep wife happy).

That's kind of hard on the wife, isn't it?

I seen what ya did here...

Most of our vendors around here now use either real time tracking where you get texts updating you on time, or the tech calls when they leave a job and tell you where you are on the list, and when they plan to arrive.

When they finish the job just before us, they will call, and tell us when their GPS says they will arrive.

Pretty good, really.

Spectrum cable goes out, call, "we are not showing to have an outage in your area". YES You Do, you just don't know it yet.

Got on Chat with tech support, helped me get back on line, (I rebooted the modem/router but didn't unplug the coax and rub on it...ridiculous).

When it came back on line I told the guy but he informed me he was seeing issues with the quality of the signal coming into my home and was going to schedule a tech for Monday btwn 11am and noon. OK, so we sit around all morning waiting, 11:03 I get a text that my appointment has been cancelled. WTF!

Then a voicemail comes in saying they have fixed several issues affecting my service and have cancelled my appointment, reschedule as needed. Mother Fuckers.

Working thus far.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
My pest guy (to keep me happy) is very punctual! Always within five minutes of his texted arrival time. And he always comes within a couple of days if I ask for an additional visit...included in the cost of their service.

Other venders...yeah, four hour window.

Same. My pest control dude is independent. He owns his own company and shows up when he says. The old company I used to use was mom and pop too, and Scotts or someone bought them out and it turned into the typical window etc bullshit so I fired their asses. I’ve done the quarterlies since I bought my home 19 years ago. He treats the outside perimeter and the foundation and it stops all. If a bug makes it in the house, it’s 1, and it’s within days of my next scheduled appointment.

I do most things here myself but this is one I happily farm out. If I do the quarterly service, like you mentioned, and something comes up between, he comes out for free. I had these killer Cicada wasps creep in one year and took over my entire backyard. Big fuckers. He used one kind of this foam stuff and it worked for 24 hours. They all came back. I called and he said he ordered the real hardcore shit. He came back out a day later with this blue/purple foam shit and hosed the whole area down. All them fuckers were as dead as a door nail and it was $0 cost.

With my Spectrum service calls I get a time frame and when the technician clears the call he is on in order to move to mine, I get a text with the ability to actually track him as he drives to me.
This is amazing to me!

When I was working and doing in home sales calls we gave them a two hour window.

I would put the address in my navigation system and then call the customer and tell them that I was heading there way and my GPS says X time.

I always called and tried to move the time up if I was ahead of schedule.

Most folks liked to move it up and then go on with their day…

I've never had a technician not show up on the appointment day, but I did have a weird one where the tech didn't show up until 9pm. I didn't need to be anywhere the next day so I didn't really mind the late arrival and was actually appreciative that he made the effort to show up rather than ditch out.

I had an appointment from Comcast with a 4-hour window, 8-noon. I went outside to throw away some garbage before 8 and the guy was parked at the curb. That one surprised me.