Ok, appointment windows. For those of you who have never had the priveledge of having an appliance break or cable go out, here is what you are missing. They are called appointment windows. Basically, the company gives you an allotted time during the day, usually 3-4 hours, they want you sit around, do absolutely nothing, be tied to the phone in case they call, schedule no other activities, meals, or bathroom breaks, and wait for them to show up whenever they want to. Instead of the normal, rational, common sense, less frustrating alternative called an appointment time, they give an appointment "window". And I'm sorry, whoever come up with the idea that a "window" would be between 3-4 hours long. I think window, I think 1 hour.
So here is the story. Our dishwasher broke 2 weeks ago. We call the Home Protection Company who suggests the dishwasher repair company, who then calls me to set up an appointment...for the next week! I know I am not talking about our heater in the coldest part of winter but when you are used to throwing dishes in the dishwasher after every meal and your 2 oldest kids use 15 sippy cups each a day, plus 4-6 baby bottles, plus 3 sets of dishes 3x/day, plus utensils, plus cooking pots/pans, the fact that you are now going to have to hand wash all those dishes everyday becomes worse that losing your heater in the dead of winter. Oh convenience, you spoil me so! Anyway, they give us an "appointment window" of 4 hours 8am -noon. Well my gracious wife stays home with 3 overactive boys all morning, in the house, by the phone, no going outside. (I think I noticed nail marks by the doors where either they or her tried to claw their way out at one point.) So 12:00 comes and goes. No repair man. I get a call at 12:30 from the company, "Hey, our guy is running behind. He says he can be there at 2:00." Lets do the math, they missed their window cause it shut at noon or their window wasnt wide enough! I called Linds and she said it was fine. So he comes at 2:00, 2 hours after his window and they need to order a new part, of course. But when will it arrive...next week! So, another week of hand washing cups that have been used for 1 sip of water.
Well today is the day for the fix we've been waiting 2 weeks for. Last week, they give Linds the "appointment window" of 1-5 pm. So at 5:30 I get the text they havent come yet. I mean seriuosly? No call, no show. I called the home protection company (cause i dont have the dishwasher repair company's number. Of course not, why would I? that would make sense), who put me on hold for 15 min and never answered. So here I sit with a pile of dishes that had an appointment window of 5-8pm tonight to be in the dishwasher and me with my appointment window of not doing the dishes by hand from 5pm till 'it breaks again'.
Why cant I use appointment windows in my daily life. "I will be into work today between the hours of 7-noon today." "I want my reservation at this restaurant to be from 6pm-10pm. Please have a table ready for me between those hours." "I will be home to take over with our kids between 6-midnight. Please have them in bed and sleeping if I show toward the end of my 'window'".
What if other people ran on appointment windows. "Hello 911 what is your emergency? Oh, you have been stabbed? Well the paramedics will be out to your house between the hours of 8-12." "You're house is on fire, expect the fire dept sometime after 6 till 10 this evening."
You know who might as well give us appointment windows instead of appointments...Doctor's offices. If they said you will be seen between 10-12 today, at least I wouldnt be mad when I in the office, dressed in a paper napkin held together by a charm bracelet, for my 9:00 appointment at 10:35. I would know what to expect. Oh I had a window, they werent late, I just didnt have anything better to do.
So please if you give out appointment windows, stay in your window. They are bad enough as they are and worse if you miss them. No better yet...shame on you for being lazy and not just scheduling "appointments." Get a day planner and a watch and save the world a headache. Well, I'm off to do the dishes....with a headache. Thanks appointment window.
With Palmolive soft hands,
The Joyful and Tired Dad
Shortly after Bekah was born and we were living in a town house, our internet and broadband phone went out, but not our cable. So I spent an hour on hold with the cable company on my cell phone to get an 8-5 appointment window. They said they would call 15 minutes before they showed up. I explained that I worked 45 minutes away from home and could they give me any more notice? Of course not. So I took a day off work, no show, no call. I called back (on my cell) and waited 45 minutes to get another 8 hour appointment for the next day. So I worked from my friend's house the next day, no show, no call. Finally, on day three, they gave us a 4 hour appointment window and actually showed up in the last hour of it. Then the repair man had the nerve to ask me if I had tried resetting the router. After he tried resetting the router a couple times, he went outside and realized that when our neighbor's had moved out, they had turned off our internet instead of theirs. 3 days of waiting for them to come flip a switch!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain!