| I once did an experiment: I tried to get an appointment at a local clinic. (Note: This anecdote was ~15 years ago. Things seem better now.) Having failed to get an appointment the normal way, because they didn't have any slots available, I decided to test a theory. I woke before 8pm and continuously dialled during the time slot from 8am-9am when it was, theoretically, possible to book an appointment. I'd wait for the busy tone, then immediately hang up and dial again. For an hour. I did not get past the busy tone for the first 2 weeks. After 9am I'd get through, and they told me there we no bookings available and I would need to call back the next day, and they recommended I call between 8am-9am... In the end I got an appointment but it took 2 weeks and literally hundreds of call attempts to get one. Apparently this was because the clinics keep statistics on how long people have to wait between making an appointment and attending. To keep this number down, they set a limit on how far an advance it's possible to book an appointment. Unfortunately, it had the side effect of preventing people from making appointments when all slots within the limit were filled. The _true_ waiting time was therefore grossly hidden from reported statistics. And for many, it was enough to make them give up trying to get an appointment at all, further distorting the reported figures. It took quite a long time before government, which had set the reporting requirements, learned how they were having the opposite of the intended effect. |