Telephone Etiquette - or, why are people so stupid?

[lemansnsx]

After years of making all sorts of efforts to keep my name and number out of all the various databases and reducing my telemarketing calls to ZERO I thought I would finally get to enjoy some peace and quiet at home. WRONG! Now it is friends and family who can't seem to observe any sense about the telephone!

This one is happening more and more: I'm on the home phone chatting away. The cellphone rings. I interrupt my landline call only to hear the caller on the cellphone saying "your home phone was busy". Gee, really? What, did you think it was only here for YOUR convenience instead of MINE?? If the home phone is busy did it occur to you that I might actually be using it and you just interrupted a conversation with someone obviously more intelligent than you?

Here's another one: We have a problem with a schoolmate who calls constantly in the evenings interrupting homework, dinner, etc. Said schoolmate has been asked repeatedly to limit the calls. No improvement. Add said schoolmate's home telephone to the block list. Schoolmate gets around that by using various cellphones. Tell parents of schoolmate about the problem and ask them nicely to intervene. They practically explode at the imposition of actually having the nerve to ask them to consider doing anything that could even remotely be construed as controlling their little spawn of satan.

Last one: Have software installed at home that politely informs callers that we are not accepting calls at this time and then disconnects them due to above schoolmate and calls during dinner and so on. Female relative who invariably calls just as we sit down to dinner hears message and repeatedly calls back, usually 3-4 times per minute hoping to get around the message. Hello? What part of "not accepting calls at this time" did you not understand? Blond relative, BTW.

That concludes my little telephone rant, we now resume our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[coolnsx]

lemansnsx, Pay on your way out and I'll see you next week, same time

 

[lemansnsx]

lemansnsx, Pay on your way out and I'll see you next week, same time

Man, you nailed it! That's exactly what I like about this place - the intelligent humor and the therapeutic nature of the place! Oh, yeah, and no 50 minute "hours".
Thanks, I needed that!

 

[satan_srv]

Unless you live alone, I don't see a problem with someone calling the land line finding it busy then calling the cell. Anybody could be using the phone. Everybody does that.

As for the schoolmate you have a stalker on your hands.

I only give my cell phone number to people I want to talk to.

 

[Sig]

There is a very easy solution my friend, turn off the ringers on your phones. That is what I had to resort to after going through similar efforts as yourself. Unfortunately, the onus will be on you and not the inconsiderate callers.

 

[MF-DIF]

I just click the phone on then click it off right away. After 2 quick hang ups like that they get the message. I only do this to people who I do not want to talk to so im not a complete ahole about it.

 

[jaytip nsx]

I just click the phone on then click it off right away. After 2 quick hang ups like that they get the message. I only do this to people who I do not want to talk to so im not a complete ahole about it.

but how do you know who is on the other end if you click straight off

 

[mikec]

I don't see the problem.. You don't have to answer the phone. Let the answering machine or voice mail do it.

 

[TucAZNSX]

but how do you know who is on the other end if you click straight off

I am going to guess caller id.

 

[W]

I hope you enjoyed the vent.

 

[jlindy]

Sorry, but this sounds a little silly to me. First of all, drop the friend. If they can't respect your wishes, then you shouldn't assosiate with them. Also, if an occasional ringing phone is so bothersome, then as others have said turn off the phone, ringer, or just don't answer it. What's hard about that? It seems the world just can get enough of your overwhelming charm and feels compelled to disturb you during the ever so important evening hours? What are you Justin Timberlake?

 

[MJK]

You guys are doing things the hard way!

Disconnect your home phone line and go completely to cell phones. Then, if you do not wish to be reached either set it on silent or just turn it off. Works for me!

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

Here's the solution:

Become the stalker! Keep calling your schoomate every few minutes, and ask "Can you hear me now". Keep calling your other friend at 3am, and ask "are you in?"

Pretty soon they'll stop calling you

 

[lemansnsx]

Here's the solution:

Become the stalker! Keep calling your schoomate every few minutes, and ask "Can you hear me now". Keep calling your other friend at 3am, and ask "are you in?"

Pretty soon they'll stop calling you

Silly rabbit! I was talking about one of my child's schoolmates. I thought that should have been clear from mentioning complaining to the little monster's parents but, my bad, not clear enough!

As for calls at 3:00am, don't you love it when someone calls at some ungodly hour and the first thing they say is "did I wake you?"

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

Silly rabbit! I was talking about one of my child's schoolmates. I thought that should have been clear from mentioning complaining to the little monster's parents but, my bad, not clear enough!

As for calls at 3:00am, don't you love it when someone calls at some ungodly hour and the first thing they say is "did I wake you?"

In that case why didn't you have your child keep calling your schoolmate? And when the parents call to complain, just explain what you've been going through, and ask them to rein in their kid...