Calling into a place close to closing time

[siamesecat2965]

I think it depends. I know if I’m calling say for help with my utility bill, phone or cable service, something that might take some time, I honestly don’t know what time they close.  I’ve always figured if they are closed, like many places, I will simply get a recorded message, stating the hours of operation, and plan to call back when they’re open. If someone answers, again, I have no way of knowing they’re closing in 2 minutes, or that particular person is supposed to be off in 2 minutes. A lot of places have CS 24/7, so its never really occurred to me I might be an SS by calling and then keeping someone on the phone past closing time. So no, I vote not rude. If someone answers, I’m just assuming they are still open, on the clock, and able to help me with whatever I need.

Now if I’m calling a smaller company, or store, that may have fixed hours, or a business when I know they are only there until x time, I generally will try not to call around the time I think they might be closing. If x store is open until 9, and I’m calling and know they might have to hunt down what I’m looking for, I won’t call at 8:58. I’ll try and call earlier, or the next day.

As for the retail comparisons, I work in retail, and I can't tell you how much I hate when someone meanders in 10-15 minutes before closing, KNOWING what time we close, yet still thinks its ok to take their sweet time trying clothes on. We can't do anything about it, as per corporate, we cannot tell them flat out we are closing and you need to finish up.  But in a call center or CS phone atmosphere, as I said, I'd be very surprised if most people calling in actually knew when they closed.

[Girly]

I also voted not rude.

Mostly for all the reasons above... but in addition to that, if I call with a problem, and someone picks up - great.

Sometimes my internet goes out, and I have to call the company. I call the number that is on my bill every month. I have no idea if I need to talk to Customer Service or Tech Support, or what hours they work - so I call in. If someone can't help me that night, they tell me to call in the morning after XXX time. Otherwise, I get someone that can help me, or a recording with what time to call.

[MissRose]

I do thank you for your replies so far.  I know not all places (especially retail, call centers, and restaurants) pay people to stay past, and we will get paid OT only if we exceed a certain time.

I know not to call places for things for billing/account changes (as tech support tends to be open all of the time or nearly 24x7 as example) or go to a store close to closing time.  I ensure that if it not an emergency issue, that I call or visit during the day as an example or during day with plenty of time as a cushion.  Yes, it can be rude to call a few minutes before closing time for non emergency issues in my eyes but the person calling has no idea perhaps you have an appointment or something important to get to right after work but you cannot tell them either 'sorry not helping you, call tomorrow as you are too late and you should have called sooner if you knew you had a question or issue that takes time to be fixed, etc'.

[Tea Drinker]

It's not rude, because I the customer don't control either the actual closing time, or when the call center says it's closing. If XYZ Corp has people on the phones until 8 but doesn't want calls after 7:45 so they can shut down by 8, they can and should announce that their tech support/phone ordering lines are open until 7:45. (And then hope for the best, because sooner or later someone will call at 7:30 with a problem that takes more than half an hour.)

If anything, it's rude and/or poor management for a company to tell people their shifts end at 8 when they will routinely be expected to take calls at 7:57. That should be "you are expected to answer the phones until 8, and most days will be done by 8:15."

[shhh its me]

So, going into a store 5 minutes before closing time is rude because it holds the staff who aren't paid overtime but calling is not rude because the staff is paid overtime?

The problem with that line of thought is that it assumes that people know how the staff is paid and whether or not they get overtime. Before eHell, I never imagined that retail workers didn't receive overtime or that the end of their shift coincided with closing, not closing plus enough time to finish up the day. There are hundreds of different business types and models that I have no idea how workers are compensated.

I don't think its rude to go to a store 5 minutes before close for a 4 minute transaction.   Another poster had a very good point very few places are open from 9-5 anymore anytime you call could be just before someones shift was suppose to end/their lunch was starting.

[cwm]

I don't think it's rude at all for a call center. Nor do I think it's terribly rude for a business. When I worked in fast food, we would constantly get people coming in two to five minutes before we closed for a burger and fries. They knew that they weren't going to be the freshest food in the world, but when our hours posted were until 9:00, we didn't close the doors to the lobby or the drive-thru until 9:00, we were serving food up until then. If they wanted to turn people away sooner, they would have changed their hours to reflect that.

Would it be rude to come in at 8:59 with a group of 30 people and demand service? Yes. That's extending the employees' working day past what they would deal with in the regular course of business. But for one person to call a call center shortly before it closed? Perfectly fine, no matter what her issue was. If it was an emergency, it needed to be taken care of immediately. If it wasn't, maybe she couldn't call back during the weekdays due to her personal schedule and this was the only time she could call. Maybe she had forgotten until that moment. Who are we to judge her based on when she calls in?

[Amara]

Well, I am in the minority because I voted that it is rude. Maybe that's a bit much, but I think all of us have worked in a customer service position at least once in our lives and have felt the sting of that dreaded last-minute customer either on the phone or in person. It stinks. And I believe that avoiding passing that behavior on to those currently in customer service is not just polite, it's considerate and kind--something missing all too much in today's world.

I make a point of never calling in or going in, excepting in an emergency or extremely urgent situation, in the last fifteen minutes. Let those who are working get out of there on time.

[gwennan]

It may be inconsiderate, but I vote not rude.  (But then my CS mantra is "Never attribute to malice what can be blamed on ignorance....")

[Hmmmmm]

I vote not rude.

If a company posts call hours till 5pm and they continue to take calls until 5pm, then the customer may call up till 5pm. If the company doesn't want their employees accepting new calls until 5pm, they have the option to switch the call line to the auto-attendent.

As a client, how do I know what your official work hours are?

Banks for years closed their teller lines and lobby hours at least an hour before the employees left for the day so that the tellers had plenty of time to tally up their cash drawers and close out. It would seem reasonable to me that call centers would build in the same type of leeway. If they want clients to be able to call in till 5pm, then I would expect that they would realize that a number of their staff would still be on calls after 5pm.

[Redneck Gravy]

I voted rude thinking if you call and ask them to WAIT FOR YOU - that's just rude IMO.  Unless you are working at a medical supply service (for example) or something similar, your business hours are what they are.

What could you need that couldn't possibly wait until the following day?  I keep books for about 10 clients at this point and I hear them getting calls all the time asking for them to stay open later because someone needs:

to look at some river rock for their flowerbeds (may or may not buy it if you wait though),
to get an estimate on a car repair (that is going to have to be diagnosed first),
needs an oil change now so they can leave early in the morning,
wait so they can "run in and make some copies" 

My husband wanted me to ask someone at a photo developing store to wait so he could pick up photographs one night, I said, no it can wait until morning.  People work hard all day they want to go home at closing time, you could have gone by there at lunch today or after work you just forgot and now you want to be treated special. 

You didn't specify calling to ask someone to stay late but still have a little courtesy when you know you are calling right at closing time. 
 

[SlitherHiss]

For phone support? Absolutely not rude. I worked closing (3:30-midnight) at a call center years ago, and although it was unfortunate when I got that 11:59pm call, my job was to be receiving calls up until midnight. Those callers weren't rude in the slightest for calling at any point during our posted hours. I wouldn't even call them inconsiderate.

[shhh its me]

I voted rude thinking if you call and ask them to WAIT FOR YOU - that's just rude IMO.  Unless you are working at a medical supply service (for example) or something similar, your business hours are what they are.

What could you need that couldn't possibly wait until the following day?  I keep books for about 10 clients at this point and I hear them getting calls all the time asking for them to stay open later because someone needs:

to look at some river rock for their flowerbeds (may or may not buy it if you wait though),
to get an estimate on a car repair (that is going to have to be diagnosed first),
needs an oil change now so they can leave early in the morning,
wait so they can "run in and make some copies" 

My husband wanted me to ask someone at a photo developing store to wait so he could pick up photographs one night, I said, no it can wait until morning.  People work hard all day they want to go home at closing time, you could have gone by there at lunch today or after work you just forgot and now you want to be treated special. 

You didn't specify calling to ask someone to stay late but still have a little courtesy when you know you are calling right at closing time.

Which is why I voted other. 

I don't think its rude to arrive at 4:40 at a place that offers 15  minute oil changes and closes at 5. I think arriving at 4:59 is though.  I do think its time business start saying "we check in the last car at 4:45. we're open for people to make appoints pick up their cars only till 5"

Restaurants always confused me with this if they are open till 10 does that mean you should be done eating and out the door at 10 or the last order has to be in at 10 ? 

[Redneck Gravy]

That's a dilemma I also share...about restaurants

A few weeks ago I called a local buffet pizza place, hours are 10 am to 10 pm, I wanted a carry out pizza, she said they stop taking call in orders at 8:30 because they start cleaning up the kitchen at 9:00 - this confused  and infuriated me. 

I called the manager the next day and was told yes the place closes at 10:00 (everybody out) the drive thru closes at 9:00 but she should have taken my order until 9:00.  Yes they do start cleanup at 9:00 when the buffet shuts down.  I guess I've never been there that late but apparently at 9:00 they stop preparing any more food for the buffet and start cleaning it up, which makes sense to me.  But why let people in after 9:00 if you are going to stop preparing more food.  He said that they let the after 9:00 arrivals know that what is on the buffet is what there is and they do not take special orders or prepare more after 9:00.  He said they make an announcment about 8:45 that the buffet is about to close, so I feel like they are doing the right thing.   I guess around here most people don't go out to eat after 9:00

Apparently, I'm not even out after 9  sigh     

[DavidH]

I'll vote it depends.  I don't think most people know the shift hours at a call center, so it's hard to say it's rude to call at the end of a shift.  Particularly for tech support, you call when the issue comes up.

On the other hand, when you know the business hours, it seems rude to call a minute before closing if you know you have a long issue to discuss.  For example, calling a minute before closing to ask when they open the next day is fine, but calling to discuss all potential options for catering is best done earlier in the day.

To me, it's the same as running into a store a minute before closing for one quick item, vs going in to spend an hour trying on clothes.

[MissRose]

Well, I am in the minority because I voted that it is rude. Maybe that's a bit much, but I think all of us have worked in a customer service position at least once in our lives and have felt the sting of that dreaded last-minute customer either on the phone or in person. It stinks. And I believe that avoiding passing that behavior on to those currently in customer service is not just polite, it's considerate and kind--something missing all too much in today's world.

I make a point of never calling in or going in, excepting in an emergency or extremely urgent situation, in the last fifteen minutes. Let those who are working get out of there on time.

Thank you Amara for your reply, I am glad you are considerate of fellow customer service workers no matter if you see them in person or work with them via phone.   I know to be nice to those in retail and service industries because I could easily be that person I am working with, and those people are appreciative of the fact I am polite to them back which makes the experience much better.