Why don't they call back?
Have you ever called a professional to get a bid on a job? They are usually out of the office because they are, after all, professionals and very busy. So you leave you name and number with a brief message on the answering machine, or with a secretary, and wait. And wait. And wait.
My husband and I are thinking of moving. In fact, we have found a house we both really like. But, it has issues. So, to get a better idea of how much these issues are going to cost, we called professionals. In fact, we called four to set up appointments to deal with just one of those issues. One was in Brainerd, one in Staples and two in Little Falls (we live inbetween the three towns.) Two of the four actually called back, set up appointments, met us at the house and gave us bids. The other two, in spite of my explaining exactly what I want (the cost will exceed $10,000) never had a person return my calls to make an appointment. I talked to the owners of the other two businesses, who assured me their employees, experts on what I needed, would call back. I never heard from either one. And of course, the owner never followed up on my call.
I have a friend in the Twin Cities who has a theory. He thinks that small business owners know exactly how much they need to make each month to pay employees, pay the bills and take home enough money to take care of any personal expenses. When that dollar amount is reached, they quit working for the month.
That must have been what happened.
For those of us with needs of our own, it is frustrating. When someone is coming to my home to do work on say, Monday, I have learned to ask which Monday? Will it be this month? I also have learned ask if it will be in the morning or the afternoon, for inevitability I will sit home all day waiting.
I don’t do that any more. If I am told someone will be at my home Monday morning, I will be gone by noon if they have not shown up by then. They will be arriving to an empty house. And I won’t call them to return.
Has this ever happened to you? What have you done? Tell me your story. If I get enough, maybe I will forward them to those businesses who don’t seem to want the work.
