The situation looks pretty clear to me, but of course I could be wrong. It seems that in the time it took you to get back to her, she had already booked an appointment. I personally do not hold "places" for people without an actual appointment unless it is for a long date. I know that this can be a pain in the butt for you guys, and I'm sorry for that, but it would be a poor business decision to hold places for people. In this case, it looks like she would have benefited from doing do, but we can never be sure.
Also, I may say that I am available all day, but all it takes is one five o'clock appointment to fill up my work schedule for that day. Perhaps this lady is the same way. Yes, business is always good, but why would a lady refrain from seeing a client she liked just for that reason? She wouldn't. There must be more to it.
Another possibility is that it
is you. Perhaps you have done something to annoy her, or perhaps she really would just rather see someone else. I have had requests for appointments from my favorite gentlemen when I was already booked with a "less favorite" gentlemen, and I kept the appointments I had booked I figure it's the ethical thing to do, but
boy was I tempted to cancel....
Miscommunications are pretty common, I think, as far as people getting back to other people. For example, I often cannot answer my phone, and it is probably inappropriate to return the call hours later. I am not near a computer all day long. A lot of things can happy, really. Sometimes I have received texts days after they were sent. It's not common, but it happens. Luckily, when my phone is going to be temperamental for a while, I can give my clients a heads-up.
At the risk of being attacked here, I do want to say that I wish people wouldn't put providers down for not being in constant contact with their clients. If only you knew how time-consuming it can be! I give priority to messages regarding potential appointments, for example, and people can get very upset with me and even angry when I don't respond to the personal ones right away. I think most of you understand this, though.
Also, it is not helpful to put down the way we run our businesses. I'm sorry if it seems that I am taking this too personally, but I've dealt with these kinds of complaints before. I am consistently getting business advice of all sorts from people, but there is always a good reason for the things I do and don't do. In the very beginning, I responded to every single message I received. I almost had to leave the business because of the stress that kind of time commitment caused.
Oh, and Flyboy, a couple days notice shouldn't be a problem! A lady might not be available if you ask, but I highly doubt that anyone would get annoyed by the request. It is not as though you texted someone and said, "Hey, sweetie, I'm five minutes from your place. Are you free?" My *ahem*
official opinion is that it probably isn't you. If it happens with a number of ladies, that's one thing, but it seems that it is just this one. I bet you'll have more luck if you try to find a new lady to spend some time with.