How long after deadline do you wait for the stragglers to arrive??

[SewSew]

I guess this is a good time to add my two cents.LOL

I have hosted a few swaps, round robins and one to one swaps, I like to keep the number of participants down because it is easier to keep track of things and easier to sort. I have had a few problems along the way, round robins that were never returned, swaps that had to wait for stragglers and one to one swaps that I ended up having to find subs for.

I always wait and check up on who is posting on the discussion and who is not. If I see that someone has not posted I try to check in with them to see what is up. If they do not respond I assume that they are not participating, especially if I see them posting on other discussions.

A week before mail in date I send out a pm to anyone that is MIA and remind them that the mail date is coming up. If they say they will be late I check with all participants to see if this is okay with them and let them know what is happening. I continue to check in with this person weekly to make sure that everything is still as planned.

When someone says "I mailed them to you" I wait three days and then start questioning when it was mailed, to what address and how it was sent (priority, first class, etc.). Regardless of how it was mailed I think that after 10 business days there is a problem somewhere.

As far as including participants from out of the country, I have had no problem getting their stuff on time. I must commend Denise (Douce Fleur) she is always the first one to turn in her blocks, so if anyone has to wait it is for the straglers in the U.S., not her.

I feel that it is very inconsiderate to keep a hostess or the participants waiting without any idea how long the delay is going to be. We all have waited on others but I agree the delays are getting ridiculous especially when there is no communication as to what is happening. As a participant, we all have personal issue that come up but when I find myself in that situation I would rather bow out than keep people waiting, and I have done so on more than one occassion. As a hostess, it is our responsibility to keep everyone informed as to what is going on or have someone else take over or keep in touch for us.

Personally I think 2 weeks is a resonable amount of time to wait on anyone without hurting any feelings and I will include this in my postings from now on. I think that if the person that is late really wants to participate they could arrange to do a one to one swap with the others if they can not meet the deadlines. I also feel that all one to one exchanges should be done by pm and not on the disucssion sites.

It is up to each individual to take responsiblity for what they sign up for whether a participant or a hostess. I know that I can not host more than one swap at a time so from now on, if you see me as a hostess you can be sure that your swap has my undivided attention.

Beth, I think if you state a time frame for stragglers from the start then there is less of a chance for hard feelings later on. I wish you the best of luck on your first swap.

Ann

[sewcarolyn]

Amie....you are a good noodle swapper......'cause you like to keep those noodles boiling

[bethstreet]

Thank you thank you for your honesty in voicing your concerns and opinions about this sensitive topic... I for one am going to give a two week grace period after the due date... if they should arrive after that then the package will be sent unopened back to the sender who then can make individual one on one arrangements with the rest of the people on the list... this would be especially good to do if you have blocks that you have made for everyone.
My really good friend has a saying on her wall that reads.
"your failure to plan does not for me an emergency make!!" Lets do a better job at planning and then we can have more successful swaps.
thanks Beth

[IowaGal]

The biggest problem I see is that a new hostess has no idea who might be a problem or who has been a problem in the past. If I had hosted a swap and had trouble with someone, and then saw her name on another swap, I certainly would PM the hostess and at least give her a heads up that this person was a problem, so the hostess can deal with that as she sees fit.

[Leetec]

I've been off line for a few days because of a power outage and it saddens me to come back to things being a bit unsettled. I do agree with what is being said here and think we do need to rein things in a bit. I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to put a hold on new swaps for a little while, maybe just a month or so, to give people a chance to catch up with what they're doing and take a breath. Then when everyone is caught up, we can start some new ones.

[live2quilttwo]

Beth,
I have PM'd you all my info. I hope this swaps goes off without a hitch for you.

I think a 2 week grace period is plenty of time and agree, if you keep giving more time, some will never get them to you.

Ruth

[cindyg]

I guarantee that I will not cause any hostesses and participants any grief. I joined the first autograph swap here. I realized while doing those blocks that I really didn't have the time to devote to swaps because I still work, sing in the church choir, camp and fish with DH, blah blah blah blah blah. I busted my buns making those autograph blocks so that I would not be late and I wasn't, thank goodness. I would dearly LOVE to do swaps and round robins but I realize that I just do not have the time to do them if I want to have the time to make the quilts that I want to make for my family and my own house. BTW - that first autograph quilt - the blocks are sitting in the envelope waiting for me to make them into a quilt whenever that will be. I guess my point is that we all need to consider the amount of time we have to devote to these swaps, round robins, or being hostess and not over-commit. And if you commit to one be considerate to your hostess and other participants and vice-versa. Treat others as you want to be treated.

Boy, I sure butted my nose in, didn't I??? LOL

[Joannequilts]

Leetec I've been "in the dark" myself! Alot still are...

I have been a memeber for 4 months now and I've been "watching" the swaps and to tell the truth, I've not wanted to join them...I noticed that DJ had a zillion swaps going at once and had big reservations about getting involved in what looked like a big mess..
I did join Sarah's Mystery and it was great fun! Mysteries are fun to me because I can work at my own pace and there aren't the pressures!

But I believe, just from observing, that you're right Leetec, maybe everyone should just stop any new swaps for a few months and get caught up, relax and enjoy it all! Mysteries are great fun, though and no pressure! You can start and stop whenever you want and everyone (except me...I have no digital camera LOL) shares pictures of what they have done..

Just my own opinion!
Everyone just hang on and everything will work itself out!
:0)
Joanne

[teacupdelights]

btt

[DouceFleur1]

Ann, thank you for your kind words for me, being an "international swapper".

I want to tell everyone that when I join a swap, I'm always taking 4 things in considerations.

1st: the date the swap is posted and 2nd: the due date. Since I'm in Canada, the mail to U.S.A. can takes sometimes over 2 weeks to reach its destination (and vice-versa). So I substract at least 3 weeks from the due date. So for me the time to work on the blocks is shorter. 3rd, I then look at the skill level of the pattern and 4th if I'll have plainty of time to do it (considering the new due date I've put for myself).

So as soon as I join a swap, I start to work on my blocks. When I've finished, I mail them right away to the hostess, eventhough I'm one month or more prior to the due date posted by the hostess. In that way, nobody has to wait for me.

LOVE & HUGS

Denise