So yesterday I saw Sarahbelle's weekend ad, saying available from 10-1 thru the weekend at a discounted rate off her usual. I had seen her a couple of years ago, so decided to make a return visit. I emailed her with screening info and got a quick reply saying she could see me today at 2:30. The later time was just workable, as I had to be in a surrounding town by early evening. I emailed later in the evening yesterday with my phone number and asked how to get directions for the next day. She replied just before 11:00 pm with her address and phone number, told me to call when I got close and she would walk me in. No mention of phone issues at that point.
Got cleaned up and ready today, checked email about 45 minutes before scheduled time, to get address for GPS. Took off ready for fun. Got to her place, drove by and scoped it. A guy was getting stuff out of a car out front. It's mixed residential/commercial, one side apparently is a security camera business (!) and the other evidently is rigged as her studio. I turned at the corner about half a block away and called her at 2:25 pm. She answered and said, "Oh, did you not get my email?" I had looked at email 45 minutes before that and seen nothing, so I replied, "no..."
She said she had lost her phone the night before, had some things going on, would have to reschedule. Offered to see me after 4:00 if I could wait around... but I had to be down the road later. On the way to my later business, I went by my house and checked email. Sure enough, she had sent one at about 2:00 pm, 30 minutes before the appt. Well come on, in a metro area, guys are in transit about an hour ahead, much less 30 minutes.
And then it hit me: wait a tic, she emailed me about 2, but answered her phone at 2:25 when I called... why not just have called me? It would have saved me the better part of my drive and serious frustration. Or since she had a scheduled appointment, she could have delayed her "other stuff" for an hour; hobbyist time is valuable too. Can't recommend the TCB on this one...