There are a lot of things to love about Switzerland, but the idea that the Swiss are genetically hardwired to be punctual and that everything happens with the utmost efficiency is a complete myth.

I've been left hanging so many times that I finally have to vent a little bit here;

I bought a clothes dryer on a Thursday before a holiday weekend, knowing that it wouldn't be delivered until the following week. 17 days later after I had asked for a dryer in my house or money back in my wallet, it finally showed up.

I ordered a car top luggage carrier when we leased my wife's car. They were supposed to call when it came in about a week later. A month later I called them and they were like "oh, what a coincidence that you called, it just got here today."

Over Christmas, a couple of our bags missed the connection in London and were coming in on the next flight later that afternoon, and were scheduled to be delivered later that evening. No show, and no call. During a couple of subsequent phone calls over the following days, I was told "Scheduled for later this evening, sometime before 2300" They didn't show up until 2 days later.

When I turned on the water to the outside spigots this spring, I discovered the solder joint on one was leaking. I emailed the Regge and they forwarded my claim to a plumber. A week later I followed up because still no contact from the plumber. The regge replied with his contact information and told me that I could contact him myself and they considered the matter closed. I left voice mails on both numbers supplied and still haven't even got the courtesy of a return call more than a week later.

We're moving, so I'm returning the piano we rented for my daughter last year. The piano movers were supposed to be here sometime between 1500 and 1700. Its now after 2030 and I'm still looking at a piano in the living room. No call, no email.

I know that it's the way they do things here, but would it kill service providers to pick up the phone and actually communicate a little, instead of acting like they are doing you a huge favor if they ever bother to show up?!##!!

Hey there,

Do you live in the Italian speaking region ?

Sounds like a lot of bad luck to me ... have you been carefully selecting the companies you hired ?

Tom

I live in Geneva. As far as selecting the companies, it was;

1. Globus/Fust
2. Emil Frey BMW
3. Swissport delivery guy
4. Plumber referred by Regge
5. Big piano rental company in Geneva

It's not like I'm complaining that I got crap service from a crap company. These are reputable, big companies.

Another example; When we moved over here, the huge international relo company that we were working with paid for 40 hours of 1 on 1 french tutoring. I fired the first guy after3 lessons. He was 15 minutes late for the first one, cancelled the second and was an hour late for the 3rd. He blamed it on the bus schedule.

Obviously not, as people here are always on time!

Tom

Are they ever, anywhere? Certainly not in the UK, or France, or Italy, or Spain...

I was expecting a delivery of our new sun umbrella this afternoon...at 11:30 this morning they were here and it was set up by noon

I have not had that problem here, yet. When companies have said they would be here between x and y, they were. Granted, at times the time given is longer than I would prefer, but still I haven't been stood up. Yet...

The guys from the building company who constructed my apartment (Priora AG) have on occasion not turned up at all and didn't even think to call to tell me. Despite me telling them I am paid by the hour and that I have to forgo pay when I have to wait around for them. After the third time I explained to them that any time I have to spend waiting without hearing from them would be billed; attendance and punctuality have improved.

I've gradually come to realise that the stereotype of the "punctual Swiss" is a myth, even if quite a few Swiss people believe it too.

Punctuality here is no better than anywhere else I've lived.

It's almost as disappointing as discovering that the streets weren't paved with chocolate (except in the Welschland - but I don't think that stuff actually is chocolate... ).

Never had the problem here.

I think I will never get used to delivery at 7 or so in the morning.

Surely that's the best - then you can get to work on time, or wahtever you've got planned for the day

NOOOOO..... that would mean getting out of bed before noon. Which I never do.

I used to take in deliveries for my upstairs neighbour (in the days when I lived in a flat in Carouge), big, heavy boxes containing their monthly wine club ration.
7.45 AM every 3rd of the month... poor postie got very used to my sleep-raddled phizog peering at him myopically as I signed his chit. Did the neighbours ever reward me with even a single bottle? Did they thump. Ruddy swiss/americans.

Back on topic; had three deliveries of stuff for me (ok, sons) so far this month, every single one of them delivered when they said it would be.

....the rest of the story.

The other thing that kills me is that there is absolutely no way you will ever get anyone to admit that they made a mistake.

My wife is fluent in french, while I'm the opposite of that. So after the no show the other night, I had her call them the next day.

Them:

"We said Wednesday, not Tuesday. We will be there between 1500-1700."

(wife calls me, we both know that they said Mardi, not mercredi, but whatever. I rearrange my whole day, again).

3:15, Wednesday afternoon, they call my mobile phone.

"This is Mr. XYZ, the piano movers are at your home, waiting for you and you are not there."

Me: I'm at my home, they are not here."

Him: "Are you sure?" (this part made me laugh afterward, evidently he either wanted to make sure that I knew what a truck looked like, or perhaps he wanted to verify if I was certain if I knew where I lived).

Me: "I'm looking at my driveway right now in. There's no truck in my driveway, because they are not at my house."

Him: "One moment please." (pause for a side conversation)

Him: "They will be there in five minutes."

Me: "Thanks" (wondering if this will be the time that I get a "sorry," or at least an "oops")

Him: "goodbye."



Once they got here, they were in and out in 10 minutes

You are at their mercy, aren't you? Sometimes I am afraid to do laundry or likewise for fear I will miss them while I'm in the basement...

Oh, absolutely! I am with you 100%

I ordered a camera online. Delivery date was 20 days later. I thought "okay, it is late, but doesnt matter." The same company that messed up my previous order (which I cancelled after 2 months of waiting), but I thought maybe it will be OK this time.

7 days after promised delivery date I contact them. Seriously unable to say "sorry, our mistake". The guy was trying to explain to me how the "system is showing that if I ordered now, I would get it only in 2 weeks, or whatever". There is simply no way I could convey the message to him that they have missed the deadline, without explanations, and "sorry, we will try to rectify it now" is the attitude they should have.

I fully agree and never schedule a delivery for a friday afternoon because most of the time they do not come.

blimey! tightwads!