to feel a bit surprised and a little bit peeved that any business stay shut the entire weekend?

[Ormirian]

Removals company.

Finally emptied a load of packing cases and wanted to take them back on saturday. I rang to confirm it was OK and after a long time someone answered. 'We're closed today. The phone gets put through to our home number at weekends'.

Since she clearly didn't want to answer my query it begs the question as to why that happens But why would any business not open at all at the weekend?

Is that a bit odd? Not hugely annoying but slightly irritating and unusual?

what's the 'bible belt'?

YABU

We have called plumbers late in the couple of emergencies we've had. One bloke did have a go at us but we figured we were justified due to the water pouring into the flat below from the bath that he had just installed. He got very short shrift from me.

I would have thought that a plumber who didn't do after hours call outs was missing out on pretty good business.

Our office isn't officially manned at the weekend, but we work on site if it is scheduled.

Maybe if you had pre-arranged collection, they would have organised it. But you can't really expect people to be on standby all weekend, just incase you need them.

Anyone remember half day closing? Wednesday afternoons? It's only in recent years that this Serve Me 24/7 culture has come along.

Hecate, we still have half day closing here.

Rocket, that's an emergency though so a bit different from someone calling at 10pm to arrange some work that you would pre-plan.

A lot of removal companies will have a relatively small number of staff so would want them during busy times which in that business I would imagine would be week days.

Howannoying, my dh is also a plumber and yes we get the calls late evenings and Sundays for general, non urgent queries. He takes calls on Saturdays (except during the rugby!) but tries to avoid working w/ends except in emergencies. Some of the problem is the attitude from some people when they do call - they expect instant service and are grumpy when it doesn't come. Obviously emergencies are scary, but we had one call at 2am from someone an hour away who when my DH said he could be with them in just over an hour asked why it would take so long. He had to explain that he needed to get up, make sure he had what he needed for their problem and then drive for an hour to get there. He then complained at the call out charge - we were lost for words!

I work part time from home and have had a couple of calls on my home number from people who have got it off Directory Enquiries just for general stuff - nothing urgent. And they were surprised when I was a little short with them!

I think the problem is that so much stuff is available 24/7 we are all slightly taken aback when something is shut.

"I think the problem is that so much stuff is available 24/7 we are all slightly taken aback when something is shut."

yes. I guess that's it.

Although I still maintain that when so many people have to be at work all week it wouldn't do any harm to have the office open on saturdays so that customers(ie the ones who pay vast sums for a job of work) can speak to someone for advice and make arrangements without having to always do it in office hours.