I just told a grown man to get headphones

[Globules]

Hotel breakfast. Small room.

A man was on a video call to what sounded like his wife.

He then calls his girlfriend.

All audible to me and the rest of the small breakfast room.

I left quicker than I was going to as his voice was dominating the room. As I left I said

Honestly, please get some headphones. It's much more polite than everyone having to listen to your conversation.

He gawped at me. As in, how dare I. I walked off, as I didn't want an argument, I just wanted him to shut up.

I'm chuffed I said something rather than did the British thing of glaring. So I needed to tell someone 😁

Good for you. Few people seem to do this and they put up with unacceptable behaviour. Regardless of who the phone calls were with, it should not have been at the expense of other people's enjoyment of a peaceful breakfast!

I personally would have first alerted the staff and asked them to deal with it. It's a hotel issue about expectations of guests being respectful to eachother.

I also have found it's good to nip it in the bud - as soon as someone starts (on train etc or loudly talking in a restaurant) I go straight over with a big smile and say "excuse me, could you I ask you to use handset/lower your voice/etc please? Thanks so much for doing that!". And then go back to seat.

If that doesnt actually get the desired effect at least I know I've tried and it feels a whole lot better than sitting there for ages fuming!!

Good for you! 👏

Google is listening...

This popped up on my feed today 🤣

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/27/noise-pollution-use-headphones

Well you're still going to hear his half of the conversation, which is also louder to you, so I don't see how headphones eliminate the problem.

When people say that to me on the train, I tell them to go and sit in the quiet carriage. That's what it's there for. If other people are loud (especially children, since no one ever tells them to shut up and they are much more screechy and what they're talking about isn't important), I put earphones in. Extremely useful for situations where toddlers are "singing" the same 3 lines of a nursery rhyme non-stop for 2 hours straight.

Why they bother using water torture and weapons when they could just deploy toddlers to situations I have no idea.

Before mobile phones, people managed to have their conversations on landlines at home or at work. Life was so much more peaceful.

reminds me, I’m going down to London in October and I am going to buy headphones/earplugs to drown out anyone doing this, we’ve booked the quiet carriage with the kids - older so no noise. But best be prepared as I couldn’t handle that for 5 hours then 9 hour flight.

I also have found it's good to nip it in the bud - as soon as someone starts (on train etc or loudly talking in a restaurant) I go straight over with a big smile and say "excuse me, could you I ask you to use handset/lower your voice/etc please? Thanks so much for doing that!". And then go back to seat

@ladydeedy I think that's a good approach. Polite and friendly

I'm currently considering whether the lady I saw asking someone on the tube IS the author of this piece! She looks about the same age. Definitely spooky if so!

I accidentally asked a grown man to lift his feet while walking recently.
I hate dragging feet, we were on gravel and I thought it was my oldest child behind me.
So I loudly informed him it was an extremely irritating habit and could he please sort it out.
Then I turned around and realised it was not my child at all. Poor man was speechless. But he did stop 😉.

Headphones are fine for listening but if he was having a conversation you would still be able to hear him? I told a guy at the gym to shut up the other day as I was sick of hearing his conversation. He had headphones in but I could still hear him & it was really annoying! He apologised....then carried on speaking

This sort of behaviour is becoming more common in Germany where I live. Direct confrontation asking them to put headphones on doesn't always work, but blasting some obnoxious music out of my own phone has had a good success rate.

Weirdly I find it less irritating just hearing a one way conversation,it's when people face time each other at top volume and you have to listen to both people which drives me bonkers.

On holiday recently I was taken aback by how many people seemed to think it was fine to FaceTime family whilst sitting round the pool. Loud conversations that went on for half an hour . Apart from anything else, why would anyone want everyone round the pool to know their private business? It’s so inconsiderate.

Been in hospital recently,it's awful?! Day or night people are face timing at full volume.