phone calls in neighbours gardens

I was so happy when our neighbour retired because he made booming Teams calls from his house close to his bifold doors which were wide open. My other neighbour makes calls from the back bedroom with the windows open. It’s not the same as having in person conversations as people always raise their voices.

Its yet another consequence of the wfh revolution- good in some ways but negative for neighbours in others.

Worst of all though was the next but one neighbour who had super- loud phone calls about his mental health and we heard everything the doctor was saying in return - it was a very lengthy call.

Luckily, it’s a lot better this year 😁

I do that occasionally as it’s the chance to enjoy a bit of sun I’m otherwise too busy to sit in- and it takes the edge off the duty call I’m making!

But that’s maybe once a week and DM does all the talking so it’s not particularly intrusive 🤣

If they are not using headphones/holding phone to ear then that's really inconsiderate. The sound of a laptop speaker is way worse than an actual person.

The council would get involved about noise at the level of a telephone call, during the day?

The mumsnet rights trumping nonsense doesn't come into it people are allowed to do whatever they want ( as long as it's not illegal in their own garden ) even if it annoys you.

im afraid people like this don’t care and are t reasonable they have not modified any behaviour and I do t want to disturb our other neighbours

Why does their right to make noise trump our right to quiet enjoy
ent of our garden? Why is noise made in the house monitored by the council but not in the garden

People don’t know how sound carries.
Do your own thing and make your own noise in your garden, have the radio as you would like it, not being childishly vengeful but if they can hear you they will realise that you can hear them.

Do you put your calls on loudspeaker 5 days per week? All day? Then yes it is really annoying. Are your neighbours kids in the paddling pool all day every week ?

Wow, I had no idea it was so inconsoderare to sit at my lap top and take a few calls in my own garden.

Next door yelling at his dog is disruptive too, as is children playing in the paddling pool and neighbours having a bbq, but we all live in close confines and having a bit of outdoor space to use when the weather is good is what gardens are for.

Overhearing a one-sided phone conversation is more tiring/annoying than hearing a normal conversation because your brain tries to fill in the gaps. (Research has been done into it.)

But it's their garden and they have every right to have an annoying conversation in it.

N of course not, but for some reason our neighbours already loud voice is even louder on calls and the speaker in the phone is put on loud so the whole thing g is extra intrusive. I think people lose perspective on how loud calls are.

This is about being sensitive to others though isn’t it. If you have a house and an home office why would you choose to disturb others enjoyment of their gardens 5 days per week when you have alternatives? What if we all undertook our work outside imagine the constant noise. We don’t because we recognise how disruptive this is.

I'd assume they happen to be in the garden so that's where they make/take the call rather than that they're avoiding people in the house. Is it any differently to having any other conversation.

In the warm weather I've been working in rhe garden. Sorry.

Because its their garden and they can do what they want in it
Got yo love mumsnet i wear I think posters want people to sit perfectly still in their garden and not utter a single sound .

Yes, I hate it too.

Noise carries in open spaces, so it would be considerate to keep one's voice down so that everyone can enjoy peacefully.

If there is no signal, why aren't they out there in winter?!

Would you have an issue if your neighbour spoke to another person face-to-face in their garden?

we have a neighbour who makes calls on loudspeaker in the garden all week. Why should my peace and quiet be disturbed by something that the majority of people undertake indoors? I think this shows a total disregard for other people and a real me me me attitude

I am with you @riversflows We have a neighbour who does work calls in the back garden ... They sit at the bloody patio table and chairs (on the laptop,) and talk to clients! When I hear them jibber jabbering away, I feel a bit awkward about making any kind of noise or sound. In my own garden. I have the radio on, and have it VERY quiet.

I was chucking something in the wheelie bin the other week, and it made a lot of clanking, and it went in the bin awkwardly and I had to re-adjust it, and it made some screeching and crunching sounds. I heard them say 'oh for goodness sake, sorry, I have to go in the house, as there's too much noise out here!' I thought 'fucking hell, if you're WORKING, just fucking go in the house. Don't try and make people feel like shit for making normal day to day sounds in their own bloody garden!'

ALSO, a woman over the road - whenever she is on a phone call - always has to be on the driveway, and she is SO LOUD, so everyone can hear her conversations. IDGAF about your private life luv. Tone it down. Having no signal is a lame excuse! I manage to not broadcast all of MY phone calls to everyone in the village! Get in the fucking house!

You can tell who the attention-seeking 'listen to ME, talking about my fascinating life to all my FRIENDS' people are on this thread. 😆

My neighbours do this - lengthy FaceTime conversations sat on the patio, arguments with family, details of medical procedures etc. No effort to lower the volume. I know all their business 😂

Kind of annoying. But why not put some music on. Would highlight to your neighbour that you are out there, and would mask the sound of their call.
Or listen to an audiobook through headphones. If this is the worst thing about your neighbour then you are doing pretty well.

And me!

I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be sitting on my patio with my ears peeled 😂

Talking in your own garden is not anti social. I go in my garden when I'm on the phone otherwise the kids still want my attention and I can't concentrate on who I'm talking to