Author Topic: Death of telephone manners  (Read 6027 times)

Sergeant Bob

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #25 on: October 23, 2005, 11:13:25 AM »
Quote
i think u all r ovreacting 2 modrn culture 2day. whenever i talk 2 my mom im all like, frickin mom pick me up some goddamn cheetos, and shes like, ok darling! she knows it me, y dont u know ur clients. U shud kno that I am not sefl centred cuz one time i was like, mom get me ice cream now!!!!!!! and she was like no and i was like, u bitch! but hey i didnt end up getting the ice cream so y wud u call us kids self centerd???
Can you tell me how to get Vernor's off an LCD monitor? ROFL!
Personally, I do not understand how a bunch of people demanding a bigger govt can call themselves anarchist.
I meet lots of folks like this, claim to be anarchist but really they're just liberals with pierced genitals. - gunsmith

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jefnvk

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #26 on: October 23, 2005, 02:10:23 PM »
Simple solution?

Don't have an answering machine.

My roommate has an answering machine.  I have no idea how to use it.  Family and friends get mad, they call and leave a message and I don't return it, because I have told them many times that I don't use it.
I still say 'Give Detroit to Canada'

Justin

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #27 on: October 23, 2005, 02:31:26 PM »
"The telephone is an infernal device whereby any damned fool with a nickel can ruin your whole day."

-Mark Twain
Your secretary is not a graphic designer, and Microsoft Word is not adequate for print design.

Strings

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #28 on: October 23, 2005, 07:07:30 PM »
My favorite's are the messages that go like this: "Hi, Hunter. This is Joe Blow, give me a call at 555-123-4567. It's really important I speak to you"...

 Sorry Joe: if it was THAT important that you speak to me, you would've mentioned what the call was concerning (which is what my voicemail message ASKS you to do)...

El Tejon

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #29 on: October 24, 2005, 03:22:15 AM »
Hunter, oh, that is aggravating!

"It's very important!"  No, it's not, if it was important you would have left me your phone number and told me what you are calling about.

Of course, I receive phone calls from people who call me every five minutes to ask me questions that they already know the answer to but just want to hear my voice and then ask me if I saw the Colts or Pacers game.  *sigh* No one told me about hand holding in law school.
I do not smoke pot, wear Wookie suits, live in my mom's basement, collect unemployment checks or eat Cheetoes, therefore I am not a Ron Paul voter.

BrokenPaw

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #30 on: October 24, 2005, 05:06:00 AM »
I have a former co-worker who hated voicemail so much that he took a sharpie and blacked out the little light on his desk phone, so that he wouldn't have to see it blinking, telling him that he had messages waiting.

Which was fine, since it was easier to walk down the hall and thump him directly.  But I do sort of feel bad for the new guy that has that phone...

Now.  Getting out my cane to wave it and gritch about kidsh theshe daysh:

When my daughter's friends call, frequently I'll answer, and they'll say:

"Hi."

That's it.  Nothing at all to identify themselves, nothing.  Usually the gods of Caller ID have granted me insight into who they are, and I've gotten to recognize the worst offenders, so I've gotten preemptive.  When I recognize their numbers, I'll answer with, "Prince William County Sheriff's Department, this is Deputy Ackerman speaking."

Usually they hang up, so it serves my purpose adequately.

-BP
Seek out wisdom in books, rare manuscripts, and cryptic poems if you will, but seek it also in simple stones and fragile herbs and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the song of the wind and the roar of water if you would discover magic, for it is here that the old secrets are still preserved.

Sindawe

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #31 on: October 24, 2005, 05:20:05 AM »
Yes, I've experienced such as well, for more than 10 years in fact.  Example:  Back in '94, my family in Florida was going through another "High Meladrama" involving my younger sister.  My mother called me on the phone one day, and the first words out of her mouth were "Sin, I need more money." No "Hello, how are you?" no "Sin, I have a problem".  She (and now my sister and HER kids) are continuing the practice.  Annoying as all get out.

Cold calls to my workplace are just as bad.  We have a menu system that will eventually route callers to our support number (I work in IT).  5-6 times a week I have to deal with fools wanting to speak with the Owner or the person in charge of HR or some such nonsense.  Our policy is to take a name and number to pass on to the person in question, but 75% of those callers don't want to do that, they want to be transfered, right away.  I've had a few get nasty when I've refused to do so (my boss signs my paychecks, they don't, so HE gets to make the rules) and it can be diffucult to be politic with the fools.  Those that call my home with no phone manners, well, they get to listen to the air horn.
I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.

Silver Bullet

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #32 on: October 24, 2005, 06:58:10 AM »
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"It's very important!"  No, it's not, if it was important you would have left me your phone number and told me what you are calling about.
Might there be some limitations on that ?  I could imagine that I might feel uncomfortable leaving information about a serious legal situation on an answering machine (or even voice mail), not knowing for sure who was going to come along and play it.

jefnvk

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #33 on: October 24, 2005, 07:15:17 AM »
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Might there be some limitations on that ?  I could imagine that I might feel uncomfortable leaving information about a serious legal situation on an answering machine (or even voice mail), not knowing for sure who was going to come along and play it.
The answer for that?

Hi, this is JefNvk.  Something has come up that I need to speak with you about in person, I'd prefer to not leave details on your machine.  If you could call me back at your earliest convenience at 123-4567, it would really be appreciated.  Thank you very much, and have a nice day.

Or, as I would do it:
BEEP, click
BEEP, click
BEEP, click
BEEP, click
BEEP, click
'Hello?' 'Where the hell have you been?'
I still say 'Give Detroit to Canada'

Guest

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Death of telephone manners
« Reply #34 on: October 24, 2005, 08:30:01 AM »
When I used to be concerned with Alarms and such, I used Call Waiting. Call Forwarding,  I also had the SBC answering machine deal and caller ID.  I was not on the phone much, and this before Computers and Internet.

Never failed though, go take out the trash and the Alarm Company would call. Be at someone's house and the Alarm would go off and the call forwarded. Ususally about the time I was about to dig into a steak or something.

We won't get into staying overnight and when the Alarm company would call...

I no longer have to deal with Alarms like that anyway.

Still when I did, I used etiquette and folks knew that I needed to forward calls and were understanding. Back then I could not associate , travel with  "like" others, Security meant we had to always be separate.

I got mom the Caller ID and a digital answering machine. She also has a cell, in the event she is out and needs something. At home she is slow to get the phone. We won't mention she won't put the phone next to her power-lift chair, where she sleeps to blaring tv preachers and by the time she figures out 'that noise' is a phone ringing, she misses the call. Too many times I have driven over to find out the reason her phone busy - off the hook. [sheesh]
She can at least get the message, and read whom called and the return number.

I did work in the main OR of a hospital.  I do not own a cell and refused to have a pager.  So I got to use the hosptial cell phone. Nodbody had the number except for those in OR whom needed to contact me for on- call.

Once inside, again I refused a pager. I made it clear kinda stupid to page me for a patient dying, when in the same time to just call me on the cell phone and run to the OR suite.  Made sense to me. Policy changed to my way of thinking. I mean if you need me or something, I can run and talk at the same time. Beats trying to find a phone and wasting time calling you when a pt is dying.

OR phone etiquette - differs.  Most times we are very polite and talk as normal folks do. There are times, when you answer and " STAT, OR 19, bring and hang up.  We didnt' get our shorts wadded up about being rude, the cussing or nothing. Time was critical, we did what we did. Business.

Smartest thing I ever did was go to Sage telecom ( no SBC telemarketing) , then I got mom to switch, less monies for more service. Then I got really smart. My phone is not under my name ( nor is much else).

Word is - the guy that sired me tried to call me. When he couldn't he went to where I "had lived". I'd been gone 11 months.

Ahh...silence is golden, anonymity is more golden.