About "waiting in"?

I long ago gave up on Main Dealers after two returned my car to me in a dangerous condition and billed me for work they hadn't done.

For nearly 40 years now, when we have moved house, we have found a good local garage, occasionally we have had to try several to find the good one and then all our cars are seen by them. Everyone we have settled on has been/is friendly and reliable and can deal with any make of car and, since we like our cars well aged, like good wine, can often suggest repairs that are less costly or use recycled parts.

Just the thought of "waiting in" puts my blood pressure up, even if I have absolutely nothing else to do. It's a lot better since DH retired, as he doesn't seem to mind doing it and manages to fill his time with something useful instead of stamping up and down as I do. After years of trying to juggle the waiting in with childcare then work, I think I'm over-reacting! However, I sympathise with you Alea and YA definitely NBU and . Hope they came at 10...

It puts my blood pressure up too!
A few weeks ago we were expecting a delivery "between 8am and 6pm".
It was quite important, returning an expensive item to Amazon, so I said I would stay in with husband, who's almost always around but doesn't speak french.
The delivery man rang at 11.30 am asking for directions, we're out in the wilds, and I gave him them. But realised later I had said turn right somewhere instead of left Tried to ring back, mobile off.
He turned up an hour later TG, by which time I was a nervous wreck.

The lack of addresses in rural France is a delivery nightmare, isn't it Tricia? We are a "lieu-dit" and have the same address as all our neighbours and the post code is the same for a 10km radius of the local town. Fine for the postman who knows everyone. The Maire is meant to be giving every house a number, but two years later we still haven't got one. We waste hours waiting to give instructions by phone. I have started using a collection point 15km away, but it isn't open on Sunday or Monday.
Our local garage collects and delivers though.

I have the wonderful Ron, who will drive to mine leave his car and do MOT or whatever work mine needs at his workshop on a local farm he will then deliver mine back and collect his. He often doesn't charge me for small jobs. I've been using him for about 20 yrs. I'm upset that he is retiring.

Mamie - yes that's the main problem here, but some of the delivery companies have satnavs, and they turn up with no problems.

Waiting in is even worse when they don't turn up and don't let you know.

BT did this to me twice recently.
I phoned them, by mobile, after the non-appearances.The first time they said the visit was cancelled because the fault was now fixed (it wasn't) the second time they said shortage of engineers meant the visit had been rescheduled to Saturday (when I wouldn't be in).
Neither time had they contacted me about any of this.
A third attempt at a visit was scheduled for 1-6pm. Returning from town at 12 noon, I got a text saying the engineer was on the way, then another saying he had arrived at the property. I got home at 12.30 to find him waiting (luckily for everyone) and the fault was fixed within 15 minutes.