When you are scheduling an appointment

[Carrie12345]

as a client/customer, how does that usually go down?
 

I’m an awkward person, so I always get tripped up.  As an example, I asked my real estate agent for an appointment to see a house. I know she has other appointments and has to work around the seller’s agent/homeowner’s appointments, so my expectation is to be told what’s available (once they figure that out.). Instead, I’m asked what my schedule is. The answer is typically that I’m almost completely flexible, but I’m still asked to give a specific date and at least a rough timeframe.  Which almost inevitably doesn’t work for the other parties. And then there’s continued back and forth that, to me, seems completely avoidable if someone would just tell me what IS available!!!

I find this happens with all sorts of appointments.  A few weeks ago, I even answered the question with my whole week’s schedule (which wasn’t lengthy; there’s a pandemic) and a receptionist sounded annoyed by my specificity. I’ve also answered a receptionist’s question with “any time next week” only to be told they’re scheduling 2 months out.

JUST TELL ME!!!
 

Surely I’m not the only one this happens to. Sometimes I think it is my doing, but how can that be if I’ve tried every which way and none of them works?

:::currently shifting my schedule to make an appointment set during a time I said *wasn’t good for me:::

[Ottakee]

I would ask them, "what days/times are available?"....then when they give you a few choices, answer back with the one that best fits your schedule.

[J-rap]

I often say things like "Afternoons after 2pm work best for me," or, "Anytime after 10am on Mondays and Wednesdays."  In your case, if you really are available at anytime, why don't you just say you'd like the first available slot?

[QueenCat]

That's pretty common in real estate.

[PeterPan]

I run into this a lot, because I'm constantly booking things for ds, sigh.

38 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’ve also answered a receptionist’s question with “any time next week” only to be told they’re scheduling 2 months out.

Well for appointments like that (hard to get practitioners) I've usually already asked how far out they're booking, which means they're asking *what day of the week* will work. Or a time like after 2pm any day or mornings are best.

I also think sometimes it's that they don't WANT to book super tight. I just booked an appointment like this for a specialized eval for ds. I asked how far out he was for appointments, and he said early or mid-March, I forget, and he asked what day would work for me. I said Tuesday, so he gave me a Tuesday. Now if I had said Friday, could I have had one the week before? I don't know. He gave me the first Tuesday he had. 

I think in cases like this the person is using the serendipity to create some flex and space in their schedules. They do intakes and write reports and have things come up suddenly, so they don't want to be jam packed and on the edge. Unless it's really emergent, they're not trying to give you the NEXT slot available, just A slot. Medical appointments do this too, where they are keeping certain types of slots open and squishing in others when the situation is more imperative. 

24 minutes ago, J-rap said:

why don't you just say you'd like the first available slot?

Yup, if it's that important, that's what I say. I'll actually say It's really important because xyz, you name your next slot and I'll be there. 

[Bootsie]

I find that annoying, also.  I have been asked to give some times that I am available, but then the person is so slow getting back to me that I have planned something else during one of those time slots by the time the person has gotten back to me.  I am not going to give someone a number of options and then keep my calendar clear until I hear back from them.

Another thing that annoys me is when making a doctor's appointment and I say when I can be there; they make the appointment and then say "plan on arriving 30 minutes early..."  if I just said I can be there 3:00 or later (because I have to pick a kid up from school), don't make my appointment for 3:00 and then tell me to be there at 2:30.  

[Amy in NH]

42 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

I find that annoying, also.  I have been asked to give some times that I am available, but then the person is so slow getting back to me that I have planned something else during one of those time slots by the time the person has gotten back to me.  I am not going to give someone a number of options and then keep my calendar clear until I hear back from them.

Another thing that annoys me is when making a doctor's appointment and I say when I can be there; they make the appointment and then say "plan on arriving 30 minutes early..."  if I just said I can be there 3:00 or later (because I have to pick a kid up from school), don't make my appointment for 3:00 and then tell me to be there at 2:30.  

Very annoying!  I got a phone call at the end of last week that dd was due for her annual physical - called back to schedule it, and they're 6 weeks out.  For the past 15 years they've scheduled only 1-2 weeks out, so I mention my surprise, and they offer me next Monday.  DD has a full schedule on Mondays, but I can just barely squeeze her into a 2pm appointment, so I take it.  I get a robo call 30 minutes later to confirm the appointment that I JUST made, and it's telling me to be there at least 15 minutes before the appointment time?!  When I can just barely get her there for the scheduled time? To sit in a waiting room during a pandemic?  I think not...

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, J-rap said:

I often say things like "Afternoons after 2pm work best for me," or, "Anytime after 10am on Mondays and Wednesdays."  In your case, if you really are available at anytime, why don't you just say you'd like the first available slot?

Maybe that should be my go-to. I guess I’m just used to listening to dh’s business-to-business calls. He throws out a couple of options, and the other person picks one. It looks perfectly logical and easy!

[sweet2ndchance]

16 minutes ago, Amy in NH said:

To sit in a waiting room during a pandemic?  I think not...

Just took ds to the doctor a couple of days ago. Our doctor's office still has us wait in the car and calls us when they are ready unless the nurse is standing there waiting ready to take us back right after check in. I thought that was still standard procedure everywhere since our area is pretty lax about pandemic things due to very low numbers locally compared to nationally. They don't even have chairs in what used to be the waiting area anymore so people aren't even tempted to sit down and wait in there I guess.

[PeterPan]

15 minutes ago, sweet2ndchance said:

Just took ds to the doctor a couple of days ago. Our doctor's office still has us wait in the car and calls us when they are ready unless the nurse is standing there waiting ready to take us back right after check in. I thought that was still standard procedure everywhere since our area is pretty lax about pandemic things due to very low numbers locally compared to nationally. They don't even have chairs in what used to be the waiting area anymore so people aren't even tempted to sit down and wait in there I guess.

Our dentist is still doing this and it looks idiotic. You can sit in bars beside total strangers unmasked for hours, but you can't sit alone in a room for 30 minutes waiting while you're kid's teeth are being cleaned. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Thankfully our numbers are going down, almost as if this virus has finally burnt itself out. With the vaccine coming on board, hopefully it will stay down. They're beginning to lift restrictions here. We need this junk over. It's screwing with people's brains and mental health and the excessive lockdowns (like my dad in assisted living) are hurting more people than the virus would at this point.

[sweet2ndchance]

7 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Our dentist is still doing this and it looks idiotic. You can sit in bars beside total strangers unmasked for hours, but you can't sit alone in a room for 30 minutes waiting while you're kid's teeth are being cleaned. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Thankfully our numbers are going down, almost as if this virus has finally burnt itself out. With the vaccine coming on board, hopefully it will stay down. They're beginning to lift restrictions here. We need this junk over. It's screwing with people's brains and mental health and the excessive lockdowns (like my dad in assisted living) are hurting more people than the virus would at this point.

Meh. I would rather wait in the car to be honest. I never liked waiting rooms even before the pandemic. Restaurants are still take out only here except for the little mom and pop cafes which never followed the guidelines to begin with. We don't have any bars so can't compare there lol. Wouldn't surprise me if our little area is just way behind the times as it were. They are with almost everything else lol.

[EKS]

I think they're looking for a statement like, "I need to avoid afternoons" or "weekends work best."  I suspect that most people have these sorts of restrictions so that for places with lots of appointment times available, going at it from that angle works best.  I notice that for places where there are very few appointments (the dermatologist, for example), they start by telling me the next available appointment.

[teachermom2834]

I always answer that with something like “well what are you looking at?” and that seems to prompt them to at least tell me what week or month they are trying to get me in and then I can work from there. Sometimes they ask me my schedule and then I respond and they come back with something like “we only do consults right after lunch” or “we are scheduling six months out” or something else weirdly specific that renders their initial question to me useless. I do hate the dance and I do put off making appointments longer than I should. Always wish I could schedule online and see my options.
 

 

[gardenmom5]

I have that too - I have to insist they tell me what's available first.  Dont' waste my time with the back and forth when we can cut out a lot of steps.

I'll give a time frame that works better - but if I need to go outside it, I will.

and for house showings - you can't sit around and wait!   Tell her when you're most desired time would be to let her know you're serious.  At least here, houses can sell very fast and he who snoozes looses.  A well priced house can have multiple offers the day it hits the MLS.

[Carrie12345]

9 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I have that too - I have to insist they tell me what's available first.  Dont' waste my time with the back and forth when we can cut out a lot of steps.

I'll give a time frame that works better - but if I need to go outside it, I will.

and for house showings - you can't sit around and wait!   Tell her when you're most desired time would be to let her know you're serious.  At least here, houses can sell very fast and he who snoozes looses.  A well priced house can have multiple offers the day it hits the MLS.

She’s been quick before, so that isn’t a huge issue. Last time was the next day and this time is tomorrow (I emailed last night.) We all know we’re all in a hurry, and I think that what made it even weirder in this particular example.

 

[PeterPan]

27 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

Always wish I could schedule online and see my options.

Agreed! And some of our places that had just gone to this had it all screwed up with COVID. Then they needed more space, etc. than what the system was set up for, so they had to go back to doing it by phone.

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, Carrie12345 said:

She’s been quick before, so that isn’t a huge issue. Last time was the next day and this time is tomorrow (I emailed last night.) We all know we’re all in a hurry, and I think that what made it even weirder in this particular example.

 

Then I would just tell her immediately, since she's just asking if there's anything in the way of you getting together at her first available.