Usage of out of office automatic reply?

[Martinus]

For those of you who deal directly with clients (and receive e-mails from them), what's your etiquette when setting up an out of office automatic reply?

I know people who do it only when going on extended breaks (holidays, sabbaticals, business trips), people who use it whenever they are away from their desks (e.g. going to meetings, even lasting for a couple of hours), and even people who never use it and try to respond to their clients while on holidays etc.

Do you have different rules for times when you are incommunicando and times when you are still, technically, able to check your Blackberry/iphone.

[Valmy]

I only use it during vacations.  I expect people to assume I am only actually at my desk from 8-5 M-F.

[Caliga]

I've got one set for this week because I'm offsite in training.  Usually I'll only use it for vacations or when travelling for work.

[Ed Anger]

I let people know that I am OOC. If they can't accept that, fuck 'em.

[Grey Fox]

Out of Crutches?

[DGuller]

I generally don't use it.  If I take a long vacation, I make sure to check the work e-mail regularly after I come back.

[Ed Anger]

Out of Crutches?

Out
Of
Communication

[Warspite]

I use it when I am unwilling or unable to reply to e-mails promptly for a working day or more.

[CountDeMoney]

I use it if I'm gone for more than a day.

[MadImmortalMan]

Never.

[garbon]

Depends. Typically only when on long vacation but have been known to use during business hours if I'm going to be away from the net for an extended period of time (~2 hours or so).  If I had a blackberry, I'd guess I'd almost never use but thankfully, I do not.

[The Larch]

Unless people need to get answers from you ASAP using it for less than being a few days away strikes me as overkill.

[garbon]

Unless people need to get answers from you ASAP using it for less than being a few days away strikes me as overkill.

Well we don't all live in Spain. Many of my clients would be upset if they had to wait several days for me to respond to them.

[The Larch]

Unless people need to get answers from you ASAP using it for less than being a few days away strikes me as overkill.

Well we don't all live in Spain. Many of my clients would be upset if they had to wait several days for me to respond to them.

That's why I said that it'd depend on people needing answers from you ASAP or not. :p

[merithyn]

I have 24 hours to respond to an email, by policy. If I'm going to be away longer than that, I use my out-of-office reply. Otherwise, I do not.