If I said I was going to call you after five because I was in meetings until five

[Dollysleftnip]

Would you be sat waiting by your phone at 5 o’clock for my call?
I’m trying to decide who’s being unreasonable, but I’m not prepared to run the Gaunlet of Am I being unreasonable?

This is a Brit in America
99.9% of my American clients are American and a lot more chilled

I think I probably wouldn't have thought about it until 5 when I would have suddenly realised we didn't agree an exact time and then I'd be marginally annoyed as I usually don't carry my phone around or even have it on loud and I'd then be on alert/feeling like I couldn't really do anything else as I was expecting a call. I'd tell myself in future to make sure I agree an exact time, but wouldn't actually do it in the moment and so the cycle would continue 🤣

I had a client in Sydney who regularly called me at 2:30am because she kept forgetting about the time difference 😂 I didn't mind, though I did always tell her I was in bed! The one time I minded, she insisted she needed the work by close of business - 5:30am my time! I said no to that.

I do think that wording makes you sound like you will ring pretty soon after 5pm.

It sounds like they were giving you their availability and asking you to narrow down when would suit you.

Time zone differences not withstanding, it makes no sense to have a conversation that goes
Them: I can take a call after 12
You: I'm in meetings until 12

... and for it not to mean "soon after 12". The only purpose in your message is for you to say "I'm finishing my meetings at 12". Why otherwise are you telling them you are not free at a time they don't want you to ring?

I think this one’s just swinging his dick around little does he know, he’s a very small fish in a big pond

In a work context I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume you meant your last call ended at 5 and you’d call straight after that. I’d usually be more specific with clients / colleagues and give them an actual time tbh.

This was not a lie for death scenario

Excellent eggcorn.

It wasn’t a call. It was a meeting.

That was made very clear

You said in your OP it was a call. If it was a meeting I would have expected it to be properly scheduled.

Not on the dot, but certainly within a few minutes.

i assumed this was a friend, to which my answer would have been ideally at some point point in the evening.

in a work context I’d have expected you to have called by 5:15

No, I said I was calling him after my meetings.

Is that though? Because you presume you’d be finishing work around 515 to 530?
Where was this person would literally only be about to begin their day

After 5 means literally that but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. I’d say within the hour of 5pm is acceptable

That’s the misunderstanding then. I think lots of us thought it was an online meeting. I would have said specifically “I’m out of the office at meetings that don’t finish till 5” as these days we often forget to allow travel time as so many meetings are online.

I’d literally made it within the hour by the skin of my teeth 558 😂

I would expect a call by 5.30

So an assumption on his part 😬

I might not even call the same day. After 5pm could be any time, any day. You need to be more specific. If my day ended at 5pm the call would be the following day. If it was family or friend anytime before 9pm

If you said that you would call me after five because you were in meetings before that, then I would be expecting a call between around 5 and 5.15. I would find a whole hour later a bit disrespectful if I'm honest, but I wouldn't be making a big deal about it.

It really depends on the context of the call but I'd expect probably about 5.15 would be reasonable. Definitely between 5 and 6 though. The longer it takes, the less important it would feel like it is to you though, again, depending on context.

For a client I’d be more specific. I’d not say I’d call after five if I meant I was going to go home after 5, make a cup of tea and phone at 6 and had no intention of calling close to 5. At that point I’d simply say I will call about 6ish. Or I’d text if it was a change of plan and say will need to call about 6.

for a friend or family I’d extend the same courtesy if I could, but less important. But yes for a client I’d be more specific.

I think it depends on the exact wording you used.
‘Ill call you some time after my meeting finishes at 5.00pm’ is different from ‘ill call you as soon as my meeting finishes at 5.00pm’ iyswim

For a work call/meeting, I tend to be as precise as possible to avoid any misunderstanding. I’ve learnt to be VERY clear when it’s over text and repeat myself re time and date.
It saves time on both sides too. No one waits or gets irritated

Which isn’t surprising if he expects communication with you to be online…

By 6pm I’d have long given up on you calling