When did we start not giving a hoot about other people's time and resources?
Heather Suttie
Purpose-driven PR expert with extensive experience: Storytelling | Video | Podcast production | Media training | Events
And why is it acceptable?
I saw a tweet recently where acclaimed restaurateur Mark Greenaway, chef and proprietor at the 3AA Rosette Restaurant Mark Greenaway in Edinburgh, was highlighting the fact and complaining ( justifiably ) about no-shows and the impact its had on his business.
In a Facebook post, he said " “The worst example I can give is last September: 22 customers in one night, who were all confirmed, to just not turn up or call to cancel. Now when you consider we are a small independent restaurant only seating 42, and on the weekend feed 70 customers maximum, this makes a huge difference to the business and is the difference between making money and losing money.”
And now Greenaway has introduced a deposit scheme after recording 450 cancellations or no-shows in just one month (!?). The restaurant will now take debit or credit card details for all bookings and will deduct no-shows ￡30 for lunch or ￡50 for dinner.
He's not the only one, The Wilderness restaurant in Birmingham is also charging customers a deposit scheme.
So what do you think?
Do you have a small business or are you freelance and have you been hit by no-shows and inadequate time to re-book your services to other potential clients? Are you considering making your time chargeable?
Sometimes cancelling is inevitable and at times unavoidable, sometimes it's laziness or can't be bothered turning up and fundamentally being unable to ( or bothered to ) comprehend how cancelling or not giving adequate advance notice affects other people and their diaries and the most priceless resource we all have - time, not to mention the bottom line.
I've had to move a few video shoots and meetings due to the recent inclement weather and we always do our best to accommodate all of our clients. I wouldn't dream of cancelling on them full stop ( unless absolutely necessary ), let alone not showing up or failing to give warning, so I wonder, using the restaurant as the example, how do we get to a point where people stick to an agreement without there being a financial leverage?
I believe that whether you're self-employed or work for a bigger enterprise, time is extremely valuable, we all have the same finite amount of it and if you can't make the test drive/hair appointment/new business meeting/interview/music lesson/ lunch, etc, etc do the decent thing - cancel as soon as possible, front it and let people know if you're going to be a no-show.
And in the words of Aretha Franklin...
Pipefitter at BAE Systems, Inc.
6 年definitely phone up and cancel that table lost is income lost too
DOP | Filmmaker | Photographer | Voiceover Artist
6 年I could not agree more. We would not dream of deliberately not turning up for NHS appointments. So why is it ok for us, or our clients, or suppliers to treat anyone else differently. Businesses are going to be hurt by such behaviour. As a freelance TV Lighting Cameraman and Director of Photography it happens to me and other crew working in UK broadcast TV, all the time. I have even been stood down several hours after a shift started, without getting paid, because the presenter had a car accident en route to the shoot. We were kept hanging around whilst the situation was assessed. Then we got a call to go home, about 11 am. 5 hours after I started loading my car. No pay because the production co refused to pay. They had saved money by not taking out production insurance, so we crew ended up bearing the cost. Thinking of the years of not paying premiums on production insurance means they could have just paid and still been in pocket. But no. We were stiffed. I have refused to work for this company ever since and they were my best client at that time. I was shooting commercials for them every week or two. But right is right and robbing crew is not right. No wonder the client drives an Aston Martin and his crew will never do so.
General Manager at The Abbey Mill Business Centre
6 年I totally agree however at Christmas a restaurant didn’t deduct the deposit from the bill. It was only when I was home that I realised, when I phoned the attitude of the manager left a lot to be desired. It is about respect and manners.
????Baller?? Man United centre of excellence Student 3 years. Brazilian ???? Soccer School Graduate. AD Alcorcon 23. Futsal & Bazooka Street Soccer Team. Dominanted Worldwide search for “Mini Messi” Ciarán
6 年Simply all down to lack of respect for people and their time.