Cost of waiting for the cable guy: $38 billion
Fifty-eight per cent of Americans reported waiting for a home delivery or service call in the past year, with an average wait of more than four hours. That wasted time translated into a yearly loss of $250 per person, or a nationwide impact of $37.7 billion.
The third annual Cost of Waiting Survey, by polling firm Zogby International, canvassed Americans, Britons, Brazilians and Germans about the infuriating delays they faced. The economic impact was measured using the value respondents placed on an hour of their time (Americans valued it more highly than others).
Respondents said they waited far longer than expected — an extra two and a half hours, in the case of Americans — for someone to show up. Many reported lost wages, or said they used sick days and vacation time to accommodate service calls.
The cost to companies that left customers fuming was dramatic, too. American companies sacrificed $330 a year for every customer lost because of a frustratingly long wait.
