To ask how late you would be before you let hosts know you were running late.

[drivingmisslazy]

Invited aunt round for dinner, she text me earlier and asked what time, I said 5, dinner 5.30. Its now almost 5.30 and have heard nothing and they not here.

I said to dh I would text if I am going to be more than 10/15 mins late, he said he would probably leave it a bit longer, just wondered what others would do.

Id text at 4.45 to say I wouldnt be there for five but would be there for 5.30.

I'd text if I knew I was running at all late just in case the other person was wanting me there on the dot. I'd rather be too polite than too rude iyswim.

I would text if I knew I was going to be late - if it was a ten minute drive and I hadn't set off at 4.50 for instance.
Lateness is just utterly rude.

Anything more than ten minutes, but I am rarely late to anything.

I'd text if I was 10 mins or more and say why and what time I expect to arrive.

Unless it's not safe to get in touch, I'd let you know if I was going to be more than fifteen minutes late. Only exception would be if I was driving on a motorway with no one else in the car. I don't have hands free, so have to pull up to use the phone.

I wpuld txt if I was going to be 10 mins or more late.

For a meal,15 minutes tops.
A party or drinks,half an hour.

If something really unforeseen came up I would text with ETA.

Don't wait around. Just sit down to eat and let them have whatever's left.

I would text if I was more than 10 minutes late, and I would do so around 15 minutes before I was due somewhere, if possible.

It's considered polite to be 15 minutes late for things at people's houses. So I'd text if I was going to be more than 20 minutes late. But if you're caught in traffic it's difficult to text.

I would text well before I was expected and keep them in the loop about what was going on.

I don't drive but sometimes am delayed when relying on public transport so I can text with an ETA.

How rude, especially when she checked!

I hate lateness! IME most people know they are going to be late well in advance of actually being late, but rarely think to tell the other person. As you are cooking this is particularly bad form. Although at this time of day she could well be stuck in traffic and so not able to let you know whilst driving.

I would text before the arrival time if I knew I was running late for a daytime meet up, something with kids especially as I get annoyed if I invite people over and have the timings set up for the DC and then I end up with hungry kids etc.

for an adults thing I would text before arrival time if I knew I was going to be more than the 15mins 'polite lateness' rule.

Round here if someone says a time but dinner is half an hour later than that time. Then it's taken you can arrive at any time between the two times. So she may not have texted you as she is going to arrive at 5.30

Depends on distance travelled but I'd be alerting to every traffic jam, road kill, and typhoon between here and John O'Groats

As soon as I knew I was going to be late, would then keep them updated.

I hate lateness. I know how long it'd normally take to get to a place so would know in advance of the agreed arrival time if I were going to be late.

Half an hour? But a bit late is better than being early, any day.

I'd text as soon as I knew I was running late, with an apology and an eta
Some people are just so rude though.

Very rude to be more than 15 mins late for a meal without letting the hostess know. However, she might have got confused and thought you meant to come 5-5.30. What time did she arrive?

5 for 5:30?

Then i'd send a sitrep no later than 5:20 if I thought I'd not be there by the later time mentioned. And the sooner the better, if a dinner might need to be put back.

I'd text if I was going to be more than ten mins late, and I'd do it as soon as I knew. So if something happened earlier in the day that meant I'd be delayed I'd tell you as soon as that happened. There's no such thing as too much notice!

In that situation I would probably text if I was going to be any later than 5:20 - by saying dinner at 5:30 they know that unless they're later than that dinner won't be spoiling.

Whether and when I let people know if I'm running late entirely depends on circumstances. If I was meeting someone outside a restaurant any more than 5 mins. If was popping round to a friend casually might be over half an hour

I'd have texted if it was going to be past about 5.20 - i.e. before I knew you had planned to serve the meal.

Did they turn up?