Americans last year wasted more than 2.75 billion hours waiting for some type of in-home service or appointment — a utility hookup, for example, or the delivery of furniture — the equivalent of 1.3 million people out of work for a year, according to a new survey of consumer attitudes.
For one of the most hated activities — waiting for someone to come by the house — the people surveyed spent an average of five hours waiting for an appointment to arrive. That’s because generally service appointments have a three-hour window (9 a.m. to noon, for example) and consumers waited two hours beyond that, according to the TOA Technologies survey of 1,009 Americans who waited for a service call.
And the amount of money lost for waiting around easily tallies into the billions of dollars in the form of missed work, blown vacation and misused sick time, the survey found.
“It’s a tough problem to solve, yet it’s so easy since it’s all about time and respecting it,” said Yuval Brisker, chief executive of TOA in Cleveland, a firm that helps companies improve their workforce efficiency.
“The actual problem is that people don’t want to give up their valuable life time waiting for the cable guy, the furniture delivery or the utility guy,” Brisker said.
Paying customers back
Some businesses are stepping up by offering to pay for a customer’s wasted time whenever they miss a scheduled appointment. Governments are even including consumer rebates as penalties for missed appointments in contracts that involve customer service.
The survey, done in mid-August, focuses on “waiting without knowing,” designed to shed light on the economic impact of waiting for in-home appointments.
The most waited-for service: cable and satellite television, followed by Internet providers, and appliance and computer repairmen.
Most of those surveyed — 62 percent — said they believe they’re left to wait because companies don’t care about their time. Nearly as many said it’s because companies “know people will wait” — and take advantage of that.
Frank Billingsley of Arvada was one of the people who said he recently waited . . . and waited . . . and waited — an entire day — for a heating repairman who never showed up.
“It really ticked me off, promising to do something and not only standing me up, but not calling,” Billingsley said, noting he had canceled personal plans throughout the day as the hours ticked by. “It just didn’t matter after a while, even if he had called. I was hot.”
More than 36 million Americans lost wages simply for waiting on an appointment — about $752 annually — and about half of those who stuck around the house said they had to cancel or reschedule personal plans because the appointment was late, the survey found.
Another third said they were forced to take a sick day or vacation day to accommodate a service call or delivery in the past year.
Those who lost the most in wages were people whose income is below $25,000 a year. That’s because those with higher incomes are more likely to use paid time off to accommodate the appointment, the survey found.
In the end, consumers said they either fumed and walked away or simply refused to use the company again.
Businesses often overlook the financial impact of being late, and consumers say punctuality is a critical factor in recommending a business to friends.
“Companies that ignore the reality of consumers’ time lost and the frustration that comes with waiting do so at their own risk,” Brisker said. “There’s been a long-standing business assumption that customer service improvements are a non-value expense, but the truth is actually the opposite.”
Punctual businesses will get the nod for additional work, three quarters of those surveyed said. But if they’re late by just 15 minutes, fewer than 10 percent of consumers would make the recommendation.
One national business, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, prides itself for being on time — so much so that it will pay customers $5 for every minute they’re late. And clients can choose the appointment timeframe they’d like — one, three or four hours — and pay commensurately.
“You’ll pay once in a while, but that’s a good thing, and word gets around that you really mean it,” said Stephen Jusseaume, 59, owner of the Denver franchise just named best Benjamin Franklin in the country.
Accountability a plus
How often is his business late? Fewer than five times a month, he said.
Despite the sluggish economy, Jusseaume’s sales grew by more than 20 percent, in part because of the franchise’s accountability.
“The best thing we do is walk up to the customer, shake their hand, admit we’re late and tell them we owe them money,” said Jusseaume, who opened the business in 2004. “They really like that we’re not trying to get away with something.”
Even government is paying closer attention to the importance of consumers’ time.
In New York, Time Warner’s lock on one of the nation’s most lucrative cable-franchise deals was given a new look recently when a renewal contract required the company to credit customers whenever they’re late.
In Denver, Comcast has come up with its own customer guarantee — a more stringent self-imposed deal than what the city required of its renewal — and credits consumers $20 if they’re late.
“It’s our promise to be accountable for providing a consistently positive experience during every step in the relationships with our customers,” Comcast spokeswoman Cindy Parsons said.
Comcast won’t say how often it has applied the credit, but Denver officials who monitor the franchise agreement said they’ve received just 10 complaints since October 2009 that Comcast either missed their appointment — resulting in the $20 credit — or didn’t call to reschedule, a $5 credit.
“The city wants to make sure its constituents are getting the service they pay for and, if they feel they aren’t, that city staff can get involved to resolve the issue,” said Darryn Zuehlke, director of Denver’s office of telecommunications.
Not included in the survey, though equally exasperating, are health care workers who keep patients waiting.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
