[N/A] Annoying Phone etiquette [N/A]

Which phone "habit" bugs you the most?

  • Don't phone me if you haven't texted first

    Votes: 9 25.7%
  • Calling back everyone you've had a missed call from when they don't leave voicemail

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • Answering the phone and immediately asking "Can I call you back?"

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • If it's an emergency, call twice within 5 minutes and I'll answer

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • When the caller does get you on the phone, "Why didn't you answer my call?"

    Votes: 8 22.9%
  • When you've left a message, they call back without listening to the message

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • Calling and leaving messages at every one of my "known" numbers

    Votes: 13 37.1%

  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
My current annoyance is juggling between three different phone numbers while I’m teleworking. My office phone isn’t able to forward so I currently have a voicemail listing my Google Voice number. This forwards to my cell phone which either shows up as my Google Voice or someone calling me direct. Checking voicemails is fun as I have to dial my work number and hope the ancient system accepts the external bypass key.

I can’t not wait until my work iPhone comes in the mail here soon. Everything will be back to ONE number and I can stop this Google Voice madness.
 
Calling from a number obviously not in my contacts list and asking for me by name before identifying yourself.
 
I text a lot of my pilot friends then they call call back if needed. It’s just easier since they’re usually in the air.
 
None of the above. I hate (and that is too gentle a word) robocalls. I pick up the phone and if (and that's a big IF) "they" answer before I hang up it typically is a recorded voice. No live person to chew on. Sometimes I even push "1" for more information, hoping beyond hope that it will result in a live person to chew on. Often it is another recorded message. I hang up. I guess they got tired of people handing the phone to a 5 year old, telling him that it's Santa.

That's if I bother to answer at all. Typically caller ID tells me that it's someone to ignore. I really hate the "legitimate" boiler rooms that spoof the caller ID number. A pox on all of them.
 
At first, I didn’t understand this thread at all. It seemed like the OP was strangely short and focused on something that was missing.

Then I realized that the problem was that I was reading the thread using Tapatalk. Apparently Tapatalk doesn’t show a poll, so if the OP doesn’t happen to mention the poll in the text of the post, it requires that the reader be smarter than me, to figure out what’s going on.
 
At first, I didn’t understand this thread at all. It seemed like the OP was strangely short and focused on something that was missing.

I'm not strangely short, I'm 6'0" <- that's a joke.

Appreciate the tip. In the future I will include something referring to the poll for Tapalkers
 
Some people just don't understand which technology to use, and when. I believe that this is why we have so many issues with texting and driving.

Text Message = Please respond when you have time
Phone Call = I need to talk to you right now

When I hear my phone go "tweedley-deep" when I'm driving, it's easy. It was a text. They're not in a hurry; it can wait until I get where I'm going. If my phone rings, it is more likely urgent. I'll answer it on speaker if able.
 
BEEP: "Hi, you have reached the voicemail of Sacramento Arrow. Please leave your name and telephone number and I'll get back to you."

Dave: "Hey Sac, I haven't been able to get you on the phone for a week, and you aren't responding to emails so here is the information that you requested; PN142534, fitting AN630-4, you'll need three of the new style 12 side nuts, torque values p 43 of the manual, call me if you have need for any further information I'd be glad to help"

rrriiing "Dave, it's Sac - I see you called me, whassup"
Dave: "HOLD ON while I DIG your FILE out AGAIN"

Dave <fume>
 
In my 20's my phone answering machine (remember those) said, "This is Rob. Please leave a message and I'll call you back. Maybe"

Drove my Father bat **** crazy!
 
I was one of those guys who's answering machine outgoing message went like this:

Hello? Who? What??? Speak up! I cannot hear you! Who? No... They are not here. In fact nobody is here. You have been talking to a machine... *BEEP*

Yah, I hate talking on the phone.

:mad3:
 
Dave: "Hey Sac, I haven't been able to get you on the phone for a week, and you aren't responding to emails so here is the information that you requested; PN142534, fitting AN630-4, you'll need three of the new style 12 side nuts, torque values p 43 of the manual, call me if you have need for any further information I'd be glad to help"

rrriiing "Dave, it's Sac - I see you called me, whassup"
Dave: "HOLD ON while I DIG your FILE out AGAIN"

Dave <fume>

"Oh hi Dave, uh, about that part, I sold that lawn tractor two months ago. So anyway, yeah. Thanks anyway though."
 
My answering machine outgoing message for a while, years ago, until my wife got real mad at me for it, was...


"Hello?"
 
Not exactly etiquette, but I worked in the call center during college (I know. I was desperate...), and I heard a lot of interesting answering machines messages. The worst was someone whose answering machine message was a recording of a domestic in progress - fighting, complete with calls for help and fist sounds, furniture crashing - the whole deal. Scared me to death. I called the number twice, thinking I was going to have to call the police or something (calling a landline, and we had the number's address), and the same exact thing played each time, in the same sequence. I finally decided it wasn't real, and was in decidedly bad taste.

But yeah. I had a record in the front of my calling folder for a while counting the times I'd been had by answering machines with messages almost identical to the "Hello? Can't hear you..." ones.

And to keep it on topic, I dislike it when someone asks you for some info electronically and then never confirms receipt of said info, whether it's by text or email or answering machine message. I guess I just don't trust it ever went through or made it to the destination!
 
And to keep it on topic, I dislike it when someone asks you for some info electronically and then never confirms receipt of said info, whether it's by text or email or answering machine message. I guess I just don't trust it ever went through or made it to the destination!
This. I also find snail mail unreliable. I particularly question when someone doesn't cash or deposit a check for a long time.
 
"Corporate accounts payable Nina speaking. Just a moment"
 
I particularly question when someone doesn't cash or deposit a check for a long time

Drives my eldest brother and his wife crazy when I don't cash their checks.

"Did you get it?" - Yes
"Have you deposited it?" - No, it's in my desk.
"Can you deposit it today?" - No, I'm in [fill in the blank place]

We're talking like $50 -$100 for group purchased gifts for the parents. No biggie, right?

At Thanksgiving I told him I'd buy the wood to restock the cabin. When I saw him I have him a check for the amount. I said, "you actually gonna cash that?" and he said, "oh yeah, USAA is the only app on my phone." It was deposited as soon we got back into internet zone. hahahaha.
 
My answering machine outgoing message for a while, years ago, until my wife got real mad at me for it, was...


"Hello?"

On my "landline" (MagicJack) phone, which is the only number 99 percent of people have for me, my answering machine message is a SIT tone followed by the old-school pay phone message that the call requires a coin deposit. Not surprisingly, the last caller who didn't take the hint and who left a message anyway was my congressman.

My cell phone message is "I'm not here. Leave a message."

As for text messages, I consider them an annoyance and have the default notification sound set to "none." I've had cell phones since the late 1990's and have yet to receive an important text message other the occasional 2FA texts. So when I'm expecting one, I watch for it. The rest of the senders eventually figure out that I'm never going to answer them, and they stop texting me.

Rich
 
Like the IRS? I sent them a check in March that they still haven't cashed.
Ha! It's been a long time since I sent them a physical check, since I pay electronically, but I don't ever remember that happening.
 
1. Calling me and not leaving me a message. That's what the machine is for. Leave a message, or you won't hear from me.
2. Calling me, and leaving this message: "I have a question for you." then hang up with out asking the question. You just went to the bottom of the queue.
3. Calling me and immediately launch into a a tsunami of words as soon as I say "Hello". "Click".
4. Calling me and saying "Is this a bad time?" then talking anyway. "Click".
5. My sister-in-law. "Click".
 
Since we're all working from home and there's less ability to walk to a coworkers office or cube or whatever, what's been bugging you about all telephonic interaction.

These all bother me. I'm sure I'm missing some.

PM me if you'd like to add response choices.

One that bothers me is when calling and a no answer goes to voicemail. Then the recipient decides to pick up the phone in the midst of my spiel.

But then I'm no fan of voicemail in general. I shut it off when possible. My current cell phone account doesn't offer that option - but now has speech to text. That I appreciate because I can quickly scan to see
if there is anything important or of interest. It usually works pretty well - but does make rather funny errors occasionally. I almost never actually listen to a voicemail anymore.

Dave
 
One that bothers me is when calling and a no answer goes to voicemail. Then the recipient decides to pick up the phone in the midst of my spiel.

But then I'm no fan of voicemail in general. I shut it off when possible. My current cell phone account doesn't offer that option - but now has speech to text. That I appreciate because I can quickly scan to see
if there is anything important or of interest. It usually works pretty well - but does make rather funny errors occasionally. I almost never actually listen to a voicemail anymore.

Dave

That was SOP back when we still had a landline. It was the most effective way to screen out telemarketers, which accounted for 90% of the calls. But yeah, voice to text on cell phone voice mail is great. I might even read the gist before clicking on the number linked at the end to dial it.
 
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