Monday, July 24, 2017

Don't Call Me, I'll Call You

Am I the only one who finds the practice of doctor’s, dentist’s, and veterinarian’s offices calling incessantly to remind clients of their upcoming appointments annoying? And now other businesses are apparently following suit. I miss the old days when, if you had appointment, you were expected to show up. No one had to call and jog your memory.

And of course, they always call in the morning hours, usually at eight o’clock or so. That might be fine for some folks but for a guy who gets home and makes it to bed around six, these phone calls are more than annoying. I don’t need to be awakened just so they can tell me I’m going to need to get up early for my appointment.

Every time I get one of these calls, I feel like saying, “Yes, I know I have an appointment—I made it, remember?” But, contrary to popular opinion, I’m a nice guy and I haven’t done that—yet.

This may seem rather petty to some folks, and maybe some like getting these calls. If you’re prone to forgetting your appointments, I can see how you might appreciate a friendly reminder. Although, I may get old and forgetful someday, so far, I do not have that problem. Barring some unforeseen event, if I have an appointment, I’ll be there. And, in the event of some unforeseen event, the phone call reminder won’t make a difference. So, as you may have gathered, for me the annoyance is not a petty thing. And now they’ve begun texting as well. And expecting me to respond. When I do not, they keep sending more texts.

I’ve tried asking them not to call (or text), explaining that I am usually sleeping when they phone but it didn’t work. Then, instead of asking, I just said, Do Not Call. That didn’t work either because apparently, these days, the customer doesn’t get to determine what they would prefer.

So, I’ve come up with a new plan. A couple of days before my appointment, I’ll do the calling—just to confirm they have me scheduled and to remind them I’ll be in at my appointed time, you know, just in case they might have forgotten.

I’m sure my call will be met with something along the lines of a slightly confused “Uh, yeah, we have you down” as they wonder why on earth I’m calling. (The same way I felt when they first started calling me). I’m thinking it won’t take too many of these calls before they decide to honor my request to not call me. But, as I often am in these matters, I could be wrong. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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