Is Latness Acceptable? Professional Courtesy !

[fifs2]

Firstly Ryan, I empathise at people who rob you of your precious time but ask only that you judge the character of the person by the nature of their response to such lateness (begging apologies or indifference) and if they are repeat offenders. I am a stickler for time but in the last 15 days have arrived 3 times late to pick up my son from school due to nightmare street cuts .. I was mortified calling the school, arranging alternative friends etc and sent chocolates to compensate..it was like I hit a late arrival volcano since Im generally a very punctual person ...its important to recognise the nature of the person as well as the constant surprise value of this crazy city. It is interesting to note that cine, concert, school or lawyers meetings etc all begin on time here so it seems there are disciplines in some areas but not others.
I love the concept of cultural time norms re business and pleasure. I also once organised a house party in Ireland..in Dublin being 20-30 mins late for a business meeting is accepted since the traffic is hell (worse than Ba)..for a party arriving 1 hour after invite time is the norm. I was in the shower when my 1st German guest arrived and drying my hair with the Norwegian couple. The Italians, Spanish, Hungarians and Brazilians also arrived within the hour norm as did most of the Dubliners but the Irish country couple arrived after all the food was eaten and hard liquor was left..they stayed to polish the lot off but helped to clean up. Time is a flexible concept best enjoyed in personal circumstances but I fully understand Ryans frustrations. It is probably the wealth (dare I say) excess of hairdressing salons that causes it to be treated with little regard for time..little do they know how hard it is to find true professionals.

 

[cbphoto]

After at least 10 years in cultures where punctuality does not seem to be the norm... I got tired of getting angry (out of principle I was and have always been punctual)..and found for once the cell phone/text messaging can solve the issue. People love to use texting now a days as a tool to lie, get out of a meeting/work etc... I found a solution to those that don't even call/text when they will be late...or when they are late...and then text..saying they are running late.
You text them 1/2 hour before you are supposed to meet them:
"Should I be on time?"
9 times out of 10...I get a message back that they are running late...or give me a new time..or cancel all together.
Better than waiting around...and no one shows up.. or calling them again and again...with no answer

 

[RyanHairStylist]

As being in business here. Some times. I run late. Clients add services, have different hair then they tell you. Or lie about previous color treatments and you spend an extra hour lifting store bought color that goes orange out of the hair before it goes blonde.

Here is why.
I try an accommodate clients before that were late.
Also I am always telling clients to please call and confirm a time as I'm not hooked up on a Blackberry, and so between emails; Where clients some how take a week or so to respond. And I say can you please call me to confirm the appointment and they take that as confirmed and show up.
ANd they ask me to call them to book a time.
I will never call a client to ask if they need their hair done. Or like it when clients Say I don't have credit can you call me. If you can't afford credit for your phone how can you afford to get your hair cut?.....

When someone who had the courtesy to phone and book a time. Shows up at the right time. And then the client who never confirmed the time shows up.
Yes your going to wait.
And if they don't like It I know as a professional people have many options here.

As we have many fantastic Ex-Pat Stylists here now; in fact we have Terri, Nina, Tequan, and a few others now who can accommodate people as well..
So people have choices. And should exercise that right.
I can guarantee with the others stylist if you show up that late. They probably would tell you the same.
So What can I do as a business man .
I try my best to make everyone happy.

But that is not always possible.

So I guess no matter what. Some times being late happens.
But don't be rude about it.
One of my greatest friends told me If you work at 10 am and you show up at 10 am on the dot, your all ready 15 min late......

 

[marksoc]

But there are negative aspects to punctuality. I was in Laos taking the two-day boat in the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. The boat was full past it capacity, and I did get out with some ten people to require from the organizers to send an additional boat. If the boat sinks, we would die, and if not we would be deaf because we had space to stand only near the motor. Then a German guy comes out of the boat and says: "You are making everybody wait. WE ARE GOING TO GET LATE!!" Thing is, we were going to stop for sleep in a village in the middle of the Mekong trip, literally the middle of nowhere, thus his screams were pointless and an example of why some European societies are in trouble. In my country people get late to a meeting, but you will not have a guy dying in his car in his office´s parking lot and being discovered only 3 or 4 days later (because we have families and friends that care about us regardless of their self-interest). I like punctuality, but I don´t like robots, we are people.

 

[John.St]

... in Dublin being 20-30 mins late for a business meeting is accepted since the traffic is hell (worse than Ba)..for a party arriving 1 hour after invite time is the norm.

- and people learn that (traffic in Dyflin is hell) for the first time, when they are always late?

 

[John.St]

Out here in Mendoza a minority (say 1/3) are always on time or - on the few occasions they aren't - call and apologize for being late.

As for the rest, they are always almost exactly one hour and fifteen minutes late. When I invite them for e.g. 21:00, I always add "(19:45 tiempo mendocino – siempre una hora y quince minutos de retraso)" - and it oftens helps.

 

[Zissou]

Life happens.

Fundamental Attribution Error: We view the shortcomings in the behaviour of others as results of their personality. We view our own as situational.

EG: Other people are late bc they don't value my time and are rude. WHEN I am late, it is because of traffic, transport problems, etc.

I can appreciate the frustration but wouldn't it save your own sanity to give yourself a buffer with clients who have been known to be late, and allow everyone about 15 mins more than you need? Retail stores factor in loss via theft, broken items, etc - perhaps you could try this simply to give yourself a buffer so it's not all on the other clients to make up for delays.

Lateness used to bother me a lot more. Now, I just accept it (within reason) because it happens to everyone and it's not worth the mental anguish.