Why are people so unreliable?...

[Chadford]

I'm very like Mrs C and will move heaven and earth to be punctual - always.
I've never really understood when others don't give you that same courtesy? It's not asking too much is it?

 

[BT Bob]

Oh Yes!!!!!

One of my pet hates! My partner only ever sees her brother & sister-in-law at Christmas. They have no kids or other family so for the past 5-6 years they've come to my house for Christmas dinner - along with the rest of our combined families. They're NEVER on time, nor do they apologise.

Cooking a Christmas dinner for 10 people takes some effort, and I like doing it, but I just think it's plain rude not to have the decency to show up on time - they live about an hour's drive away but, let's be honest, the road's are hardly likely to be busy on Christmas day!

I've got to the stage where we tell them 2.00 & I aim for 3.00 - they just about made it last year.

Deep-breath, Robert. And........... relax!!!

 

[liamt]

my mum is always late and it annoyed me when i was young so i am rarely late anywhere myself.

i just tell people who are always late they need to be there 30-60 mins earlier.

 

[Vitalija]

Oh Yes!!!!!

One of my pet hates! My partner only ever sees her brother & sister-in-law at Christmas. They have no kids or other family so for the past 5-6 years they've come to my house for Christmas dinner - along with the rest of our combined families. They're NEVER on time, nor do they apologise.

Cooking a Christmas dinner for 10 people takes some effort, and I like doing it, but I just think it's plain rude not to have the decency to show up on time - they live about an hour's drive away but, let's be honest, the road's are hardly likely to be busy on Christmas day!

I've got to the stage where we tell them 2.00 & I aim for 3.00 - they just about made it last year.

Deep-breath, Robert. And........... relax!!!

This is one of my pet hates as well. Especially if i'm cooking, I find it not only rude but pig ignorant. Personally i'd tell them 2.00 this Christmas and bloody well serve it at 2.00. They know the time it's served so presumably they will understand why their dinner is stone cold.

 

[probedb]

It's even more irritating when the unreliable person knows they're unreliable and moans about themselves but never actually does anything about it.

 

[FZR400RRSP]

If people are consistently late, it shows they simply don't give a toss about you or what you've invited them to.
That's the way I look at it, and it's why we don't invite our sis-in-law to anything at our house any more.

 

[liamt]

If people are consistently late, it shows they simply don't give a toss about you or what you've invited them to.
That's the way I look at it, and it's why we don't invite our sis-in-law to anything at our house any more.

my mum tries and she definitely does care but i dont think she is good at time keeping and spend so much time flapping over everything.

It's even more irritating when the unreliable person knows they're unreliable and moans about themselves but never actually does anything about it.

my mum always blames my dad even though he has been sat in his chair for 30 mins waiting for her

 

[Wahreo]

I'm only ever early for everything.

The dither brains that are always late have something wrong with their brain. There is no excuse for it and it winds me up no end.

 

[Cyland101]

Pet hate too. I would rather be very early than arrive late. In the days before mobile phones were available, and we used to arrange to meet folk somewhere before pushing off, I would wait for a max 15mins, if they still had not arrived I would bugger. Sod them. People soon learnt to arrive on time, or in fact they would say they would not meet me... suited me either way!

 

[davidegee]

I had a boss / company owner who thrived on being late. I think it was his way of demonstrating that he was more important than anyone else. He lived a mile from the office yet would often be hours late for pre-arranged meetings or come into the office at 17:20 and call a meeting, knowing full well that everyone had been there all day and were planning on leaving at 17:30.

He refused to use the word 'late', insisting he was 'behind' instead

I was saddened to hear the business is now struggling...

 

[kav]

If people are consistently late, it shows they simply don't give a toss about you or what you've invited them to.

Although probably not true, it's without a doubt the impression that gets conveyed. I think it's extremely disrespectful and while I don't mind too much if someone shows up and seems genuinely embarrassed and apologetic at having been late, the latecomers who really wind me up are those who stroll in utterly carefree with absolutely no idea how ignorant and disrespectful they are being.

 

[blue max]

What I hate is people building time into a schedule for people coming late.

So, a school trip is arranged and the coach is ready to go at the appointed time and they still wait for another fifteen minutes for stragglers.

So the mugs who turn up on time have to sit and wait.

It is the same people who are always late though, so I guess if this strategy works a few times, they get comfortable with it.

 

[Egg White]

yes, I hate that too....and my manager is often on tel conferences - but is always late for every single one of them...!!

lake of respect imo...same when you lend an item to someone and you seldom get it back, or if you do is damaged etc...

 

[imightbewrong]

I've put this one up before - it drives me mad. Especially big generic meetings where people wait until there is their own definition of a 'critical mass' before they go - i.e. they are happy to miss a meeting with 5/10/15 people, but higher than that they think they should go. The net result is that for the first ten minutes you have people drifting into the room - each time displacing the person at the door, who goes around, then *they* stand at the door, assuming they will be last.

 

[pragmatic]

I'm late for pretty much everything, I think I have a built in 'do everything at the last minute' and as a consequence somehow find myself not leaving the house until I should be there. I usually send a text saying I'm gonna be late.

Exceptions are interviews or other formal events, I think it might be the rush/stress of fighting against the time otherwise (number of flights and trains I've just caught is unreal).

 

[bluedroog]

I actually got to the point where I had an equation to work out how long a particular friend would be. It was (eta X 2) + 30 minutes. Amazingly accurate.

 

[Saldawop]

Very rarely am I late. 9 times out of 10 I will be where I need to be well before time ie 30 min early, if not more.

 

[blue max]

I actually got to the point where I had an equation to work out how long a particular friend would be. It was (eta X 2) + 30 minutes. Amazingly accurate.

Sounds like you are roasting a chicken

 

[imightbewrong]

I actually got to the point where I had an equation to work out how long a particular friend would be. It was (eta X 2) + 30 minutes. Amazingly accurate.

Then you got the right formula for each friend, and told them all a different time to arrive for your 2PM event such that they all actually arrived at the right time?

 

[djdhrubs]

A lot of people use the excuse of having young kids for being very late. I don't yet have kids, so no idea how valid this excuse is! But I do see it all the time, as we often have big do's at our house.

Just had one yesterday in fact, with 50-60 people arriving for lunch. Took a lot of organisation and planning to get everyone fed quickly!

 

[Jules]

Time keeping is a big one, as is making plans to do something full stop. Some poeple just 'forget about it' and make other plans without telling you.

If you arrange to do something, you do it and do it on time or you make your apologies in advance.
I have little tolerance for people who think other peoples lives are less significant than their own.

Being 'dependable' is a very attractive quality, but sadly those who conistently demonstrate it are in a small minority.

I like to consider myself as very dependable but rarely deal with other people who are consistently so. In many ways I've come to expect disappointment, particularly with females. Sorry, in my experience its true that women 'do what they want'. Not all women of course, but Ive found it to be mostly true.

 

[davidegee]

A lot of people use the excuse of having young kids for being very late.

As a recent new dad, young kids are a great excuse for being late or for not doing stuff that you don't really fancy.

It does take considerably longer for us to get organised than it did when there were just the two of us though.

 

[FZR400RRSP]

As a recent new dad, young kids are a great excuse for being late or for not doing stuff that you don't really fancy.

It does take considerably longer for us to get organised than it did when there were just the two of us though.

I agree kids take more organisation, alhough not a great deal (bag ready with everything you need).
And I agree kids are a great way of getting out of something (can't get a babysitter).
They're also a great way of leaving something early (sorry, bedtime)
But I don't agree they are an excuse for being late.

 

[BName]

People who say they will phone back but never do really **** me off.

 

[sniffer66]

A lot of people use the excuse of having young kids for being very late. I don't yet have kids, so no idea how valid this excuse is! But I do see it all the time, as we often have big do's at our house.

Just had one yesterday in fact, with 50-60 people arriving for lunch. Took a lot of organisation and planning to get everyone fed quickly!

I've had young kids for years. if you know it takes them longer to get ready then start getting ready earlier. Its not rocket science and really pisses me off. Its just rude to the people who bothered to run around and make sure they were there on time.