Educating Managers

[Clyde Hollinger]

Ron,

The way I see it, it wouldn't have hurt anything to let the guy know up front
that you would be charging for wait time.  "Yes, sir, I can wait, but you
scheduled me for this particular time, and here I am, so you should know in
advance that my clock just started, and you will be charged for waiting time."
Or something.  Just a gentlemanly gesture, and you, dear Ron, are a gentleman.
:-)

Regards,
Clyde

Ron Nossaman wrote:

> This sort of thing comes up fairly regularly, and someone always presents
> it as an opportunity to rise above the challenge. I don't get it. It's
> probably a character deficiency on my part, but I see that as a willing
> victim's attitude. I much prefer challenges I set for myself, unrealistic
> though they may seem, to attempting to be cheerful about unnecessary
> arbitrary, random, and too often mindless roadblocks to what should be a
> routine task. If I attempt something in the shop that "can't", or "mustn't"
> be done, it's my decision and I have some idea what it can cost me when I
> make the decision. I don't make tuning appointments with the understanding
> that I have given permission for them to do anything they please to me as
> part of the deal. If anywhere near the energy spent in counterproductive
> thrashing was directed toward making it happen as seamlessly as possible,
> this wouldn't come up nearly that often.
>
> I showed up for a concert tuning one day, on time, and checked in with the
> stage manager. He hemmed and hawed around for a good five minutes, and
> finally asked if I would mind waiting for them to do the sound check before
> I did the tuning. I told him I made allowances for that sort of thing, and
> he led me to a relatively quiet place to wait. I got out my book
> (experience), and spent the next hour and a half reading. After finally
> getting to the piano, and tuning it as the fork lift was bringing in the
> folding chairs which a dozen people were setting up with great clatter, I
> presented the bill to the manager. He was outraged that I had billed him my
> hourly labor rate for 1.5 hours of reading. "I thought you said you made
> allowances for these scheduling delays", he foamed. "I do", I said, "That's
> it on the bill". I explained that if he had asked me straight out if he
> could waste my time for free, I would told him no. As it was, he got as
> clear an answer as the question he didn't ask. I asked him if he would
> expect to be able to waste a plumber's time without cost. I also pointed
> out that I had arrived at the appointed time, and that my charge was less
> for that 1.5 hours than it would have been for the entire stage crew to
> stand around for an hour while I did the tuning. The tuning price was as I
> had stated, and the delay charge was entirely his call. I met my
> contractual obligation, and anything outside of that, and imposed by his
> decision, was on him. Then I asked him if we could wrap this up before I
> had to prorate another half hour's worth of time to the bill. The facility
> management (visibly trying not to chuckle), backed me up. The guy paid me,
> and I left.
>
> The next time I tuned there, it was quite routine. I got to the piano
> within ten minutes of my arrival, the noise level was no more than
> necessary to the process, and we all got along just fine. Sometimes it's
> easy, sometimes hard, sometimes impossible, but I certainly don't consider
> the "challenge" to be a positive aspect of the venue.
>
> As I said, it's probably just a personal character deficiency.
> Ron N