Why do people think it's okay to call/text late?

[Wagtail]

I have a brother who was/is ALWAYS late to family gatherings. If a meal is planned at 6pm we would tell him it was at 5pm. Then he caught on and was late again. Finally we just accepted it.

<snert> I have a very good friend like that, she was always notoriously late. One time , I had invited her to be my guest at a military/naval Mess Dinner (a very black-tie affair). The invitation was 1830 for 1900 which means show up at 6:30PM (at the latest) for 'drinks' and Dinner at 7PM. She fussed and changed her dress twice whilst I'm standing around in my Mess Kit looking at my watch.

Short story is that we arrived at the Mess at 1905 and the lounge area was empty... dead silence. I said that everyone is in the dining room. We entered the closed door of the dining room with everyone staring at us (again, in dead silence), I seated my guest and then apologised to the Mess President, the Guest of Honour & everyone present for our tardiness saying it was all my fault and that I would pay any 'Mess Fine' leveed.

(The Mess Pres. knew I was doing the honourable thing and 'falling on my sword' on my guest's behalf and let the infraction go)

My friend was never late again for one of these functions... which is a good thing as she married a RAAF Officer and still regularly attends these functions.

 

[TheMan419]

Yes sadly common courtesy has gone by the way side. Thankfully there are tools available to protect ourselves from it.

People being late/not calling... ugh. Can't stand it. Drives me nuts. I am from the theory of if you are 5 min early you are on time. If you are on time you are late and if you are late you are fired.

In any event, my phone goes on silent at night while it charges. Those that need me have the land line and would call it. If that thing rings at 3 a.m. either someone is dead or in jail.

 

[newbury]

Some of you guys make some valid points, but if one thought this was a business phone, they wouldn't text. And assuming it would be a business cell....I still think it is inconsiderate to text a business phone well after hours.<snip>

I think it is perfectly ok to text a business phone unless the ad says "no text" or "no text between the hours of X and Y". Texting leaves a written record rather than "I thought you said".

On a side note, the guy text me today to get a price. He wouldn't give me an address after asking about 4 different times. Only the town it's near. After getting all the other info, acres, condition, etc.....I said it would be $250-300 ballpark, but I needed the address to view the satellite to confirm acreage....and my drive time before I could give a firm quote. (This was about the 4th time I asked for the address:mur

He replied.....my friend said he would do it for $200 but he's out of town for the next two weeks. Could you do it for $200?

At this point I'd congratulate him on having a great friend and ask if I could hire the friend as a sub-contractor.

On the one hand you're thick skinned, and a couple paragraphs later, you are upset.

Its not about putting blame on you. Its about getting you to use the tools available to you to lessen the likelihood of some doofus disturbing you when you don't want to be disturbed.

There's really not a bunch of crap you have to do to block them. For example, you can turn off notifications from anyone NOT in your contacts list when you set your phone to DO NOT DISTURB. Its one button you push when you go to bed, or at 9:00pm, or whenever you decide you don't want Craigs List calls.

And put in your ads the acceptable times to call and text, that you need a precise location to provide "guesstimates" and you won't do it for what a buddy will do it for.

I was in contact with someone local that was selling an antique car listed on Hemmings.

They e-mailed and said I should call them as they were available to meet at 9 AM Saturday and left their address and phone number.

I got in at 10:30 pm and decided to wait to 7am to call...

Called at 7 AM and said since they didn't hear from me yesterday they were showing to someone else at 9 and would let me know...

NOT calling at 10:30 pm cost me the car... the first person to see it bought it.

I was told I should have at least sent a text no matter how late... I don't text and cell coverage in spotty here at best...

Sometimes you can't win... although I need car number 51 like a hole in the head.

I've missed several CL killer deals because I tried to be polite. I usually email first (if they take emails). When I bought my $450 Stihl 088 w/ CSM it was late at night, I emailed, got an immediate response so I called.
I missed a 7x14 nice looking enclosed trailer for $2,300 because I didn't call at 4am.

And ultra- do you lie awake at night wondering "car 51 where are you?"

Yes sadly common courtesy has gone by the way side. Thankfully there are tools available to protect ourselves from it.

People being late/not calling... ugh. Can't stand it. Drives me nuts. I am from the theory of if you are 5 min early you are on time. If you are on time you are late and if you are late you are fired.
<snip>

I used to train Army people - rule for class was 15 minutes before class time be in your seat and ready, arriving on time meant you were late.

 

[Thall303]

Most of us are no longer in the Army!

 

[roadhunter]

If you don't want calls/texts at weird hours don't put your cell phone number on craigslist.

 

[zzvyb6]

I can't understand why the OP has a problem with late calls and texts. Texting (to me) is a way to leave a readable message and maybe a phone number so that I can return to the caller when I get the chance or the time. Its 'proof of service'. Who cares what time they call or message ? Its better than an answering machine with people drooling into their phone, mumbling in some dialect they stopped learning after the 3rd grade, or spoofing a number on your called-id.

I don't sleep with my phone, take it into the bathroom, have it sitting at the dinner table or at a restaurant. I'm not addicted to the paranoia about missing a call or text informing me about some absolutely ridiculous trivia. When I hear this going on in a checkout line in a store, I join in with equaly ridiculous blather until they stfu.

Sounds like you are addicted to your phone. Buy a fake one and carry it with you until you can get into rehab program. Maybe they can text you about an available spot at a reasonable hour. Be sure to take your phone with you.

 

[4570Man]

I don't usually arrive 15 minutes early. If you want me there 15 minutes earlier than move the time you said to be there.

 

[bigtiller]

I love text messages. I can answer them any time I please, unlike a phone call where I have to stop what I am doing to take a call.

 

[turnkey4099]

Well..... I'm retired and the only emergency call I might receive would be from my son. He can "catch" me by email because its a lot more reliable than my cell phone. Cell phone service out here is 1-2 bars at best.

My cell phone is off ALL the time except when I attempt to make a call. I try to remember to turn it on for five minuets or so every evening to see if anybody left a message worth replying to. I grew up during the era when cell phones weren't even a distant thought and I managed to survive just fine - thank you.

As has been stated - if its so dam important to contact me - contact the State Police, they can come out and advise.

Yep, that is my method. My phone is used only for emergencies and rarely gets used even for regular calls. People tied to their CP need to get a life.

 

[turnkey4099]

Oh, and I notice that the tone of the thread is kinda shifting the blame back on me. IE: not having a business #, not using my phone to its fullest potential, not having Google voice, etc etc. Kinda the same attitude this guy had last night.....when he text me at 11:59 and I was upset, and his "you could have waited til morning to reply" comment.

Well, that's fine. I'm thick skinned and can take the heat. I realize I am ranting on here, and as expected....there would be two different sides one could take.

And no doubt that setting up stuff on my phone, or having a business line would eliminate the once-in-a-blue-moon late night annoyances.

But since when did it become the acceptable norm to bother people at midnight? And then when they get upset....it's suddenly their fault because they didn't turn their phone off or change the settings to block late calls?

I just find it amazing how many people think that being this inconsiderate, is acceptable. And that I'm the one to blame because I have an ad to try to make a little money outside of my day-job to make a better life for my family, that I should either be willing to get calls 24/7, of set up a bunch of crap on my phone to block them. Would be a whole lot simple if people just had an ounce of courtesy.

No one, not any one of, us said anything at all about it be acceptable. We pointed out several ways to avoid "getting upset". You don't want to use any of hem? That's your choice.