Do you check texts? (SMS)

[DoYouCheckTexts]

Who is in the right here?

Person A: a professional service provider, texts (SMS rather than WhatsApp) their client at 8am on the day of the appt advising the slot (which was for 6pm) is no longer available and asking them to come at 8pm that day or rearrange to a different day.

Person B: the client, has notifications turned off for SMSs on their phone as they get annoyed with getting lots of SMSs about parcel deliveries and from scammers. They don't see the message and turn up at the appointment at the original time to find noone there.

This was only the 2nd appt and Person A has previously communicated only by EMAIL.

VOTE:
YABU = Person A is correct. Person B should check SMSs, especially if they have an appointment.
YANBU = Person B is correct. Person A should have PHONED Person B to ensure they got the message, especially when they didn't respond to the text.

I agree she should have followed up the message with a call when she didn't get a response, but I'm a millennial too and I don't know anyone who turns their txt notification off, that's really odd to me. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to expect someone to see a txt message in 10 hours.

I think txt/sms or phone calls are more immediate and more official seeming than WhatsApp. Not everyone has WhatsApp and given its more 'social' status its notifications are more likely to be the ones turned off or not checked during the working day. Is it free to message on WhatsApp? It's certainly free to call.

If I'd been wanting to cancel something in a hurry I would have sms, phonecall, email in that order.

Shit. Clearly not… I know what I’m doing for the rest of the evening 🥲

Yep. I work in a very busy job. I keep my phone on for genuine emergencies for my kids at school. But I’d prefer all non emergency contact is in text, WhatsApp or email. I check these often but I only would choose a phone call if it’s prearranged or an emergency thing. I never just call people except immediate family. To me it’s a bit like turning up at someone’s house.

I fully acknowledge that other people feel very differently though - hence the “they can’t win” comment.

Wow, never thought that someone would turn off SMS. Emails, WhatsApp, yes, but not SMS. Very random and not for the professional to guess. Annoying, but I've never heard of anyone turning off SMS. You should definitely alert people to that. Most NHS appointments/messages are communicated that way.

Yes, this. WhatsApp is a very social app, certainly not the professional communication method.

I'm in the range, and I rarely answer a phone call. My voicemail message says, "please text me." I also have all my notifications silent; it's not that hard to check every couple hours.

The text is fine and way more appropriate and professional than WhatsApp.

I have all of my notifications turned off apart from SMS texts - as these are the important ones.

But her cancelling on the day is very unprofessional!!

I would have texted and asked if it was ok.
If I didn’t get a reply I would have phoned.

58. Text or WhatsApp preferred.

Phone calls too intrusive and not convenient.

Mid 50s and prefer a call. Texting is a pain in the arse.

The nhs send text reminders for appointments

I'm in my 30s and I've never heard of anyone ignoring/not even checking their texts?! Everyone I know around the same age is much more likely to ignore a phone call or email.

That said, canceling at such short notice without good reason is rude regardless of how she did it.

People shouldn’t rely on messaging for time critical information. That should always be confirmed as received and understood. The most efficient way of doing that is by an actual phone call.

WTF some people are so prissy about talking on the phone, especially for work, baffles me. Solely messaging is not the new way of doing things, it is regressing to how we communicated in the centuries before the phone was invented

Well no, the issue for me is that I can’t answer my personal phone while at work. I’d far rather have an SMS that I can read in 10 seconds than have to wait for a break to phone someone back.

I have my phone on silent so don’t hear it pinging but checking periodically and would definitely see a message sent at 8am before 6pm.

You sound annoying with not checking texts/having your notifications turned off. I don’t use Whatsapp for my business because I find it unreliable, I don’t always have data signal, and it often doesn’t tell me if I have a new message. I do use texts first as I like to have written confirmation of everything.

However, I would have followed up with a call if no response.

But if you have a mobile it is reasonable for people to assume you use text, one of its most basic functions.

I agree with a pp that while I don’t personally use texts much or at all, my dentist, pharmacist, window cleaner, bin collection service, hairdresser etc all communicate via SMS. As do both the therapists I’ve seen over the past five years, one of whom is in her 30s, one in her 40s.

I would expect a phone call and if I couldn’t answer, a follow up email. I agree that I wouldn’t expect texts but equally I don’t think it’s great to turn notifications off for those, you may miss a fair amount of important information.

I'm in your target range and definitely would not expect a phone call.

I do have WhatsApp, personal and business which I detest with a passion as I find it extremely unreliable and the fact it's owned by Meta/Facebook, just makes it another good reason to avoid it at all costs.
Some of my clients use it but not many, by far and away sms text is the most common way of communicating as it's reliable and used by the vast majority of people.

My preferred method is probably Signal and quite a few of my clients have moved over to it too.

Ultimately it's your own fault if you haven't checked your messages. I'm sure whoever it is that's got up your nose has had a narrow escape, you sound very unpleasant.

I think YABU and SMS text is normal/expected from Businesses (none I use communicate by WhatsApp, apart from my dog walker).

Although they could have followed it up with a phone call.

Fortunately, my GP has an actual telephone so whenever they've needed to contact me they've called me. I get emails and phone calls from my private service, and anything NHS is in the app.

When I had a cancer scare I received a phone call. I'd have been quite upset to have received a text with an oncology appointment without any conversation around it.

To me, a text is appropriate for confirming something you already know.

YABU. Loads of organisations and businesses use SMS to communicate with their customers - my energy company, larcel companies, phone provider, Credit card provider, dentist, GP, hairdresser, plumber and physio all do this. One of the reason is you can buy fairly cheap and easy to use bulk SMS communication services for businesses.

It is also a easy and instant way to contact most customers - evertone has SMS on their phone, even dumb phones have SMS facilties, you don't need to have enabled data to get the messages.

One thing I would say, if the message is about changing or cancelling an appointment it is good pracrice to ask the recepient to reply YES to indicate they have received and read the message.

Yes, a reminder of something you have already been informed of. A text is fine for that. It isn't fine to communicate an important and urgent change.

Why not? Most people are more likely to see a text message more quickly than and email or phone call. As others have noted many people will not be able to answer the phone during the working day but could check a message alert.

Turning off alerts for a very commonly used messaging service and then moaning you did not get messages is mad behaviour. If alerts annoy you it is possible to mute alert tones and just uss the vibrate function or even nothing at all and reply on seeing the visial alert (which is what I do).

I can’t imagine not getting notifications for texts, they needn’t be intrusive, turn off sounds and vibrations and block any you don’t want to receive.