Waiting for a visit from a cable TV service person or other at-home
appointment cost American workers nearly $38 billion in lost wages during
the last year, a new IBOPE Zogby poll reveals.
The survey of more than 1,000 adults found that 58 percent of Americans
waited for a delivery man or technician to pay a visit, with an average
total waiting time of four and half hours on three separate occasions.
Half of those polled said they used a sick day or vacation time to wait for
the visit, and the average customer lost $250, according to the poll
conducted on behalf of TOA Technologies, a software firm that has partnered
with cable companies to provide alerts to consumers waiting for a visit.
The chief culprit was the cable guy, the survey disclosed. And Americans
voted Comcast Corp. the worse company in the nation last year, AOL's Daily
Finance website reported. Comcast has vowed to reduce its repair and
installation windows from four hours to two hours or less by 2012.
The number one reason Americans believe companies don't show up punctually
is that they "don't care about my time," according to the Zogby poll.
The survey also found that 70 percent of respondents would recommend a
company simply for showing up on time.
