Bill would make businesses pay if they keep you waiting

Posted by Admin January 31, 2023 Bussiness

If your doctor or repair person cancels your appointment on short notice, should they have to pay you for your time? Some state lawmakers say yes!

Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Dare) has filled a bill, the Service Customer Equal Value Time Act, which would require just that. Should the bill become law, any service provider who charges customers if they cancel an appointment or are late would have to pay customers back if services are canceled or late.

Rep. Ben Moss (R-Richmond) is one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “To me it just made sense, just plain common sense.”

Moss understands that people often have to rearrange their day or even take time off work for service appointments.

“It may be an inconvenience to you, but you meet or you’re there in place, and they don’t show up. So if you get penalized, that should be a two-way street,” he said. “It should be the same way for whoever’s trying to provide the service.”

Moss expects resistance to the idea from the business community and likely from other affected groups as well, like the medical and dental professions. He says they’ll probably push for changes to the bill in committee.

“But I think if there’s some businesses out there that are confident in their services that they will see this as a – as not a challenge, but something that needs to happen to make sure we have a two-way street,” Moss said.

“No one’s time’s worth more than anybody else’s. We all have obligations and things that we need to do.”

The bill has been referred to three different committees in the House, and then it would have to pass the Senate, so it has a long, long way to go before it could become law.