Is anyone else fed up of things always running late?

[Youwantlove40]

We're always expected to be bang on time, yet over the last few months I've had the opposite.
Hairdressers, dentists, training at work and so on, I understand things happen and previous appointments run over, but I'm sick of being told to arrive for a certain time only to be left waiting 20-25 minutes if not more, sometimes without even an apology or acknowledgement.

Yet if I were 25 minutes late to the dentist appointment more than once I'd be blacklisted.

Currently waiting for work training. Supposed to start at 3 and been waiting in reception, another trainee has just walked in 20 minutes late, so now I know why we've been waiting.
It infuriates me. Unless there's some extreme traffic accident or emergency, there's no need. Start without them and their problem if they miss it.

They think we haven't got other stuff to do and can just sit around for however long it takes.

Yes that's my bugbear too. In your case they have inconvenienced you and have rewarded the latecomer by waiting for him/her.

Unfair IMO. Happens a lot with courses etc. If someone misses the first bit, tough, don't recap, let them deal with it.

Dentists are different I think but they should still apologise and normally do IME.

yep, it can be a mix at times

Yeah, I've had it loads in training courses (care homes)
We'll be given an allocated time slot for lunch e.g. 30 minutes. Every time, someone will take the piss and come back after 40 minutes.
The trainer will always say 'oh We'll just give it 5 or 10 minutes till everyone's back'
No! Start on time, otherwise what's the point of the rest of us coming back on time?

'She'll be with you in 2 minutes'- i was told now 9 minutes ago.

Yet if I were frequently late for my shift I'd no doubt be receiving disciplinary procedures.

I stopped using a very good optician, because he never kept to time. Quite often he would rearrange appointments for a different day. The last straw was when he changed an appointment day, then rang to ask me to go 30 minutes earlier, then kept me waiting for 45 minutes after that. To add insult to injury, the woman who had the appointment after me gave me filthy looks when I emerged into the shop.

Now nearly 15 minutes after this '2 minutes' , still no sign of the trainer. We're told 'oh she's just got to do something'- this something isn't life threatening, I've worked in care homes before and the thing they've told me she is doing can absolutely wait.

Now 35 minutes, very tempted to tell them to shove it but I need the money. I suppose we're only 'lowly care assistants', if this were senior management I doubt it'd have happened.

Nope

Totally agree with you OP.
I also think it ‘rewards’ the persistent latecomers.
Most of the time there are zero consequences for their lateness.
I once logged onto a day of safeguarding training (couple of minutes early). Some of the trainers were late there was a lot of lighthearted’banter’ about people making cups of tea, going to the loo, putting washing out etc. Well yes, those of us on time also presumedly went to the loo etc but on our own time!
In contrast I did some other training and it was crystal clear that anyone more than x minutes late would have to rebook. 1 minute after the deadline a very important doctor arrived at the door. I know he was important as he informed the trainer very loudly of this fact. Trainer turned him away, yes he knew who he was but the rule was consistently applied.

I'm an absolute last-minute person. If it starts at 9am then I'll be rushing in at 9am. So frustrating when the trainer then says "We'll just late for the late arrivers"

Not noticed this no. My routine mammogram was bang on time yesterday. Buses run very regularly where I live.

It infuriates me. I’m a member of a theatre club. We regularly take trips to London to see shows. Almost every time we set off at least 30 minutes late because someone (usually the same woman) is running late. We are always told the bus won’t wait for latecomers. Yet it always does.

Also I work in a school. Children being collected late is a daily issue. Sometimes children are collected up to an hour late. No apology from the parents. I can’t close the school office until all children are offsite and the parents don’t care that I am inconvenienced.

I stopped going to a hairdresser because at my last appointment I was still waiting 45 minutes after my appointment time, with the occasional "so sorry, won't be long, mad busy today" blah blah -

I was very proud of myself that I stood and said "I no longer have the time to attend this appointment - I have to be back by 6pm, I'm leaving"

Never been back since.

Yes, I totally agree.

It seems to be a a bit of a British culture thing - no-one expects things to happen on time, few complain and so it just continues.

It drives me bonkers! I've dumped lots of hairdressers/eyebrow waxers etc because they routinely kept me waiting, sometimes for about 45 mins. There was just no sense of briskness, or any expectation that the appointment should start on time. I don't mind 5 mins or even 10 if someone explains what the problem is, but it was a case of 'never apologise, never explain'.

I think I'd better stop there. I'll just aggravate my blood pressure. But I've always worked in highly time-sensitive jobs and scheduled things with great care and consideration and finding that no-one else seems to give a damn really annoys me.

One more moan, and it's about the NHS which I hate to complain about because, on the whole, I've had good experiences, but..

It was a very hot day a couple of years ago when the advice was 'Don't travel unless absolutely necessary. We were scheduled to attend an appointment where my husband was to receive news of a cancer test.

We set off for the hospital feeling very apprehensive about the extreme heat. Got to the correct waiting area and were kept for over an hour beyond the appointment time - and then another couple arrived. They were taken in straight away, although they admitted they had missed their appointment time through lateness.

So after a total wait of 1 hour 20 mins, we finally got shown in only for the consultant to tell us that my husband's results weren't actually in yet and he was sorry we'd had a wasted journey.

No explanation for the lateness - no other people waiting. And surely the couple who arrived late and admitted it should have had to wait for us?

Absolutley bonkers....

I always say that. Phrased as "can we start now, as respect for those of us who bothered to be on time". Can't recall it not working but that's private sector.

Probably going to get flamed for this but I’m a GP and by the end of my morning I am pretty much always running 30 mins late. There is too much work to keep to time. I do apologise and genuinely mean it. I don’t like the pressure of keeping patients waiting either.

But, I do allow multiple ‘issues’ per appointment, see a lot of people with mental health problems or complicated issues that take more than 10 minutes to unpick, and would always examine people on the same day (some colleagues for example would make a woman come back for a gynae exam as there is no way to do that in 10 minutes alongside everything else.)

On top of that we have a lot of urgent tasks / phone calls I might have to take in between patients or other issues to sort. Eg the nurse may want me to check an ECG or talk to a paramedic on the phone. These are variable each day so it’s difficult to plan for them.

I’m not a partner so I don’t have a huge amount of control over my appointment times. I can’t really spread my morning clinic out any longer as I have to finish in time for meetings / home visits etc.

Honestly I think people are slightly self centred in that they are more than happy to take as long as they need themselves, but reluctant to wait for others. 10 minutes really isn’t long enough to deal with anything other than simple issues.

Yes,I get utterly pissed off with this too. Apart from a doctor's appointment last week (this particular doctor ALWAYS runs on time) I don't think I've been to a hospital or dentist appointment,or a musical event in the last couple of decades that has actually run on time. But you can guarantee that if YOU dared to be late,not only would they miraculously be running on time,but you'd also get told off. I remember a few years ago I had an appointment for an ultrasound scan at the hospital,and we had trouble finding a disabled parking bay in the hospital car park. I arrived literally 3 minutes past my appointment time and promptly got told I'd missed my appointment! From experience,I had never ever known this radiology department to run on time so I was rather incredulous. Nevertheless,I was made to wait 45 minutes so they could 'fit me in'.

Trains - every bloody time I use them but so glad I’m not reliant on them anymore for work. Due to a shortage of drivers the train was 40 minutes late the other day - how do they get away with it!

I had a GP appointment at 8.30 at 8.42 she strolled in with a take away coffee, then
it was another short while for her to take off her coat and log in before I was called through. If I had dared to walk in 12 minutes late they’d have cancelled the appointment!

Our school books kids who are collected late into after school club, plus a “late booking fee” of £10.
If collection is late from after school club, its “after hours care” for £10 every 10 minutes

Unfortunately we don’t have an after school club any more, so we don’t have that option.

Exercise classes at my local David Lloyd frequently start late, and it's usually the same instructors. They waltz in with 5 mins to go, have a chat to a few of their friends, spend an age setting up their equipment then ask 'anyone have any injuries?' when we're already late starting. And then the class often finishes early!

Yes, this is very annoying.

Have/had - she moved countries - a friend who we would make appointments for a coffee meet-up. I'd be 10 minutes early, she would swan in 10 minutes late. By which time I'd been there 20 minutes, had a coffee already, annoyed and basically ready to move on to get on with my own stuff.

Some people just can't be on time. Funny they can be on time for work...

(I get it when there's a hold-up in traffic or whatever). Luckily now we have mobiles to say "I'm running late, bus stuck in traffic" or whatever. It's common courtesy.

Your time is not more precious than mine.

I do have fabulous friends who are not as organised as me - solo working mum - and I do love their idiosyncrasy - we just have a good laugh about it. I have my own faults too of course.

It's what makes the world go round.

Exercise classes at my local David Lloyd frequently start late, and it's usually the same instructors. They waltz in with 5 mins to go, have a chat to a few of their friends, spend an age setting up their equipment then ask 'anyone have any injuries?' when we're already late starting. And then the class often finishes early!

This is not on coming from a professional. He sounds like a dick. Bet a lot of others are annoyed too. Can you raise it in a subtle way at reception? Or is it a general "way of life" there? I'd be well pissed off spending hard-earned money for such a slacker.