Originally Posted by Pickles
Of course that didn't stop some idiot colleagues of mine from doing so, even after I sent them an e-mail with the above note, in big font, bolded, and with three exclamation points just like above.
What I found very interesting is that my perception of their competence and professionalism was diminished noticeably by this one incident. It is amazing how little it takes to look like a fool in the business world.
Back in the 1980s when there was no NEX train, I was spending the summer in Tokyo, and an academic colleague asked if we could meet when he came to the city for a convention.
I told him that I would meet him at Keisei-Ueno if he took the Skyliner, and I gave him exact directions for doing so, including where the Keisei counter was located in relation to the exit from customs, how much the ticket cost, and where to board the train.
So on the appointed day, I went to Keisei-Ueno at an appropriate time and STOOD there for 3 hours, meeting everyincoming train, before giving up. I assumed that he had missed his plane or decided not to come for some reason.
My colleague finally phoned me that evening at my apartment hotel. It turned out that instead of following my instructions, he simply asked a random Japanese passerby how to get to "Tokyo Station." The Japanese passerby then gave him directions for taking the slow train to Tokyo Station via Chiba.
That incident soured already cool relations between us.