06-16-2006, 05:20 PM
Repairmen have days where, they say they'll be there between 8 and noon, and they show up at 8:30, and knock on the door and ring the bell, but nobody's there. They use a cell phone to call the customer -- no answer, so they leave a note. They go on a another call, come back at 10:15,the note's still on the door. Nobody comes to the door or answers the phone. They leave another note. Then at 11:45 their dispatcher calls, says the customer is irate, demands they get there now and fix the beast and be done by twelve. Customer says he was in the shower.
Doctors, too, have days when their schedule is busy on paper but half of the patients fail to show up. Or a patient calls in at 2:00, frantic and demanding to be seen right away, so you squeeze an appointment in at 4:00, and then at 4:30 she calls and says she's almost there, and then at 5:00 she calls again and says she'll be there in 15 minutes. At 5:30, she's still not there.
Doctors, too, have days when their schedule is busy on paper but half of the patients fail to show up. Or a patient calls in at 2:00, frantic and demanding to be seen right away, so you squeeze an appointment in at 4:00, and then at 4:30 she calls and says she's almost there, and then at 5:00 she calls again and says she'll be there in 15 minutes. At 5:30, she's still not there.