Walk in customer vs Customer with an appointment

KinderScout2019

Dear fellow MSE members,
Hope you are doing well and healthy in Covid climate.
I recently has an awful experience with a shop, I was furious because they didn't respect people time. I didn't want to reveal the name because I have no plan to any business with them any further. I just hope to get your opinion to understand which is the right way of doing business.
This is a shop that provides alternate medical treatment, which normally serves customer by walk in basis. But after the first treatment, they always ask the customer to book an appointment for the follow up treatment. I had have a treatment with them and went back today for a follow up treatment. I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm (So that I can drop by during my lunch and go back to work by 1pm). I arrived slightly earlier 12:10pm but there was a customer waiting there, he was a walk in customer. By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 35min (from my arrival) for my appointment. I was unhappy because I need to rush back to my office to continue working by 1:00pm. The shop explained they have to serve that customer first because he was there before me. If this is the case, the appointment is useless but merely a way to make the customer to make commitment to come back again.
Am I dramatic to be furious? Or, is it reasonable to expect the shop to serve me before the other walk in customer who has no appointment?
Thanks.

My point is less relevant to the time I waited, but they decided to serve the walk in customer first. To me, the appointment system is totally useless this way. Imagine if there were 3 walk in customers waiting upon my arrival, I would have to wait until they finished all 3 customers before they serve me? Then their appointment system is practically non existence, but I was just another walk in customer who came in 1210pm.
And if I didn't attend to the appointment, they probably want to charge me for "no-show" for my appointment

To be clear, when I arrive, they were serving a customer (customer A), and another walking in customer (customer B ) was waiting there.
I am perfectly ok to wait until they finish serving the customer A, because I understand the treatment can take longer than expected sometime. But I am disappointed that they didn't serve me next but served customer B. Their argument was customer B came before me and it would be quick. But I ended up waiting 40min (from my arrival) for my appointment.

theonlywayisup

KinderScout2019 said:

I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm ........By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 40min for my appointment. 

Your appointment was at 1215 or you booked it at 1215?  There is a difference but I suspect you meant your appointment was 1215.

If you waited until 1245, that does sound a tad long but it is 30 minutes, not 40.  

Without knowing the company and how flexible their appointment systems are, it is hard to work out what happened. 

Are you dramatic to be furious.  Yes is the simple answer.

I don't do polls.

user1977

I don't do polls either, and this doesn't seem to be a consumer rights issue.

KinderScout2019

Serve me (customer with an appointment) before the walk in customer who has no appointment

theonlywayisup said:

KinderScout2019 said:

I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm ........By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 40min for my appointment. 

Your appointment was at 1215 or you booked it at 1215?  There is a difference but I suspect you meant your appointment was 1215.

If you waited until 1245, that does sound a tad long but it is 30 minutes, not 40.  

Without knowing the company and how flexible their appointment systems are, it is hard to work out what happened. 

Are you dramatic to be furious.  Yes is the simple answer.

I don't do polls.

I booked it at 12:15pm because the shop is about 10min from my office, and I indeed arrive 12:10pm for the appointment.

KinderScout2019

Serve me (customer with an appointment) before the walk in customer who has no appointment

theonlywayisup said:

KinderScout2019 said:

I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm ........By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 40min for my appointment. 

Your appointment was at 1215 or you booked it at 1215?  There is a difference but I suspect you meant your appointment was 1215.

If you waited until 1245, that does sound a tad long but it is 30 minutes, not 40.  

Without knowing the company and how flexible their appointment systems are, it is hard to work out what happened. 

Are you dramatic to be furious.  Yes is the simple answer.

I don't do polls.

sorry, should be 35min (from the time I arrive, 12:10pm)

theonlywayisup

KinderScout2019 said:

theonlywayisup said:

KinderScout2019 said:

I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm ........By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 40min for my appointment. 

Your appointment was at 1215 or you booked it at 1215?  There is a difference but I suspect you meant your appointment was 1215.

If you waited until 1245, that does sound a tad long but it is 30 minutes, not 40.  

Without knowing the company and how flexible their appointment systems are, it is hard to work out what happened. 

Are you dramatic to be furious.  Yes is the simple answer.

I don't do polls.

sorry, should be 35min (from the time I arrive, 12:10pm)

If your appointment is 1215 and you get seen at 1245 then it is 30 mins.  What time you arrive is not relevant.  What if you arrived at 1240 or 1025?

I have read your other posts.  I'm out.  Good luck 

KinderScout2019

Serve me (customer with an appointment) before the walk in customer who has no appointment

theonlywayisup said:

KinderScout2019 said:

theonlywayisup said:

KinderScout2019 said:

I booked the follow up treatment at 12:15pm ........By 12:15pm, the shop asked me to wait and served that customer first. By the time they finished with him, it was already about 12:45pm which I waited nearly 40min for my appointment. 

Your appointment was at 1215 or you booked it at 1215?  There is a difference but I suspect you meant your appointment was 1215.

If you waited until 1245, that does sound a tad long but it is 30 minutes, not 40.  

Without knowing the company and how flexible their appointment systems are, it is hard to work out what happened. 

Are you dramatic to be furious.  Yes is the simple answer.

I don't do polls.

sorry, should be 35min (from the time I arrive, 12:10pm)

If your appointment is 1215 and you get seen at 1245 then it is 30 mins.  What time you arrive is not relevant.  What if you arrived at 1240 or 1025?

My point is less relevant to the time I waited, but they decided to serve the walk in customer first. To me, the appointment system is totally useless this way. Imagine if there were 3 walk in customers waiting upon my arrival, I would have to wait until they finished all 3 customers before they serve me? Then their appointment system is practically non existence, but I was just another walk in customer who came in 1210pm.
And if I didn't attend to the appointment, they probably want to charge me for "no-show" for my appointment

unholyangel

There's no law saying who they need to serve first/in which order. They're free to manage (or mismanage as the case may be) their business as they see fit.

That said, I do think they were wrong to prioritise a walk in, over a booking.
If you had turned up at 1245, what would the shops attitude have been then? 

Tbh I would've left, I wouldn't have waited till 12:45. I can understand running a few minutes over but taking a walk in which pushed me back 30 mins would send a very clear message as to the value they attached to my custom. I don't need the red carpet treatment, just mutual courtesy/respect. 

pinkshoes

First come first serve (both walk in and appointment customers)

New customer equals new money so from a business sense they should probably serve the walk in new customer first.

At 12.20pm you should have used your assertive skills, reminded them of your appointment and asked to either rebook or whether you had to wait any longer.

MattMattMattUK

KinderScout2019 said:

Am I dramatic to be furious? 

Yes, fury is an unreasonable reaction. 

Pollycat

user1977 said:

I don't do polls either, and this doesn't seem to be a consumer rights issue.

More appropriate to Praise, Vent & Warnings board.