That is kind of strange that she can be THAT late and not seem to have a problem with it ... does she have some sort of job where she has to get there on time or else suffer consequences? Being direct with her is really the best way, but I know how awkward that can be. The next time, give her fifteen minutes, then call and let her know that your dinner reservations, etc. can only be held for a certain amount of time and if she doesn't arrive, you'll have to cancel. Perhaps she it wasn't clear to her that she needed to meet you at 6, but STILL, if you had said "around 6," that CLEARLY did NOT mean 7:30 or later! One of the other things you can do is give her a taste of her own medicine, which sometimes works ... even if it isn't in your nature, show up really late without calling, etc. and when she asks, just casually say you couldn't decide what to wear hehe But honestly, sometimes people don't understand how inconsiderate their actions are until it is reflected back upon them.

I think clear communication is the best way to handle it. My in-laws are always always really late and I really hate it, too. They are consistent, though, in that they are always about 30 minutes late. What I do now is tell them be here at 5:30 when I really want them here at 6:00. It's still rude of them, but it may be the only option.

Talk to your friend, calmly, probably not right after she's really late to something, and let her know how it bothers you.

I agree with rubialala, if you are dealing with someone who is chronically late, ask them to arrive early. I do this with my sister, who I have asked repeatedly to show up on time, but some people . . . you have to trick.

i'm a bit of a late person but jeez, not to that extent (that's more my sister!). it's more a cultural thing with me...you're never supposed to arrive to a party until at least 15-30 min after it started.

however, your friend just sounds really bad. i know that with certain friends, i can get away with being a few minutes late but with others, i HAVE to be there on time or else they get mad at me. i know because they've directly told me it upsets them so i have to respect that.

if she's really your friend, then you guys should be open enough to have that conversation. so next time you two have dinner plans, tell her that you made reservations for X time but you have to be there on time or else they can't hold them. also, give her an extra half hour...like someone said, sometimes you just have to trick people and make some of your own adjustments!

This would drive me nuts. You need to talk to her about this. Explain that when you say 7:30 you mean you need to be there by 7:20 so you can walk out the door by 7:30. She must think everything is casual and there is no need to rush.

If she still late after you have had the talk and she isn't there by the time you want to leave, then leave yourself. Tell her you will meet her there. Eventually she will start to notice she is missing out on a big part of the evening and will try to be more on time.

I honestly would stop inviting that person out places. I mean, 1.5 hours late is insane. That's pretty self-absorbed of her to not think of what everyone else is doing WAITING for her.

But some people are just like that, oblivious to everyone else. They can be good friends in other ways, just not reliable.

I probably would have canceled on her after she was that late- said I had to be somewhere at 8, which was why we were meeting at 6, so since its so late its not going to work out. If you dont say anything she is going to think this behavior is ok- and im sorry stopping for a coffee doesnt take an hour and a half and if she was going to be more then 5 minutes late (since you were going to dinner) she should have called you to let you know.

You need to talk to her and let her know that her chronic lateness is rude and a disrespect of your time. One of my friends is like this even when telling her an earlier time. When she called to say she stopped to get coffee and was on the way you should have told her right then that you had missed your dinner reservation so to nevermind; most restuarants now-a-days especially the newer and trendier places rarely hold your table. Parties are a different story unless it is a dinner party you should always be on time.

The only thing I can think of as to why she thinks this isn't that bad is cultural. Is she from a different country? Many South American cultures, and otheres, have a different concept of time than Americans do. But, if she's an native, the she's just a rude biotch! I wouldn't put up with that crap. You can back off your relsationship with her without losing your other friends, just do it subtley a don't talk a bunch of smack on her.

definitely talk to hear about it. it doesn't seem like she knows that it's so irritating to you. maybe if she knew, she'd make more of an effort.

15-20 minutes late is one thing....1.5 hours is a whole other story! How rude and disrespectful she is of your time! She has to know this is not acceptable. She seems like a total flake, and I personally want friends that are flake-free and respect me.

I would just turn up late for her - wait until she phones and then casually say you're on your way.

I had someone turn up 2 hours late once and he didn't even bother to apologise! Why do some people think that their time is more important than yours?! So selfish and rude.

One of my really close friends is like that, too. It drives me nuts. Unfortunately, I don't think she's ever going to change. I just try to be patient with her, but on occasions when it's REALLY important she be on time, I try to really emphasize that to her. It doesn't always help but it's the best I can do.

At a certain point, you've got to just tell her you're not waiting for her. Tell her where and when but don't let her hold up your evening.

As a friend, I believe you should be completely honest about her tardiness. True friends tell each other the truth, so you owe it to yourself, to her and to you friendship to let her know how you feel. Besides, calling an hour and a half AFTER you're already late is very disrespectful. She needs to know!