I got stuck in a broken lift today. Has anyone else been stuck in a lift?

[Redheadedstepchild]

I'm alright, obviously, I'm here now but here's what happened:

I live in a block of flats which has three storeys and an underground garage space. My flat is on the second floor. I got in and pressed zero. Ground floor.

The lift went down really quickly, then came back up again a bit and the doors wouldn't open although the digital display was showing level 1 but like this <1> Or could have been like this >1<

Which I took to mean stuck but mainly at level 1. Or in between floors.

Then it just stayed there.

I pressed a few more buttons in panic then it went very quickly again into the basement garage with a bit of a bump and eventually the doors opened and I managed to find the stairs up to the ground floor in the dark (I don't know the layout of the garage or where the light switches are because I don't have a car.)

I don't know whether my button pressing had anything to do with it hurtling into the basement or not.

What happened?

This doesn't sound too bad now I've written it down but I think that it's one of those experiences that seems to last a lot longer than it actually does.

That lift really did go down fast though.

I've phoned and left messages with the lift company and the copropriété.

I feel a bit wobbly. Still, I'm sure some of you will have survived worse.

That’s my worst nightmare. Not the lift part(Well that too) but being trapped in an enclosed space(or any space) with some guy with an acoustic guitar.

I got stuck in an office lift many years ago for nearly four hours.

I’d arranged to meet a colleague in the lobby for lunch, and when I didn’t appear, she just assumed a crisis had come up and I was busy handling it.

in fact, I was stuck in one of four lifts. Mine was travelling up and down the eight floor building without topping at all.

I kept pressing the alarm button and presumed someone was sorting things out.
But the dozy security guard either hadn’t noticed or the alarm was faulty.
This was in the days before the ubiquitous mobile phone!

After a while, I realised nothing was being done so I started trying to shout each time the lift was at any of the floor levels.

I was on my own, had not had lunch and had nothing to read!

Meanwhile, my colleagues had even started checking the local sandwich bars and calling the local hospital in case I’d had an accident. They’d thought at first I’d gone to a meeting which I’d forgotten to put in my diary, but after the second hour they realised something was amiss.

I was very relieved when at long last, the lift stopped and the doors were opened, to reveal a sea of faces presumably wondering if was ok and still upright 😃

Ironically, the emergency phones had been removed from the lifts the previous week after being deemed unnecessary. Later that week, I was invited to see the CEO and tell him about my experience. He promised the phones would be going back in pdq!

Yes,got stuck in a lift between floors of a new city centre multi-purpose building.
I’m very claustrophobic anyway, but DH was on crutches and we had been for a special occasion meal on one of the floors where there was a specific lift for that restaurant.
Post on the way out, lift broke, building manager didn’t have the override key, fire brigade didn’t have the full details of the lift (?) and we were stuck for nearly 3hrs.
Worst experience ever, after finally being rescued by some lovely fire brigade chaps to be told the danger was that the electrical system should have had a manual over-ride and for some reason it hadn’t been wired that way!
Even more so wary of lifts ever since.

Got stuck in a lift on my way into work in my office building.

I had come in early so I could leave early. My manager at the time presumed I would stay until normal home time, as technically I didn’t start work until an hour later, due to being stuck in said lift 🙃

I'm reading this thread for the adrenaline buzz, as I'm SO claustrophobic! If I got stuck in a lift, the scale of panic attack that I had would be something I fear I'd never recover from.

Yes, maybe 15 years ago. Went in at 38, and it froze instead of moving. I pressed the ground floor button over and over and dropped suddenly. Stopped hard on about floor 20. I had to climb out as it was not fully on that level. Nobody believed me but it happened 😢

If that was on a TV show everyone would be rolling their eyes and saying how ridiculously far-fetched the plotline was! Crazy it happened to you for real!

Me too. I hate how even when they’re working there’s a little pause before the doors open. Always makes me worried.

I did once at work.
No one noticed me waving through the little window or attempted to use the lift, I had my phone in my pocket so I called my office and they had to get it moving again.

Once a good few years ago. It was in the nurses block, luckily someone else had just got in so I wasn’t on my own. I remember how pitch black it was, definitely couldn’t see my hand in front of my face! It had a phone in it (long before mobiles) and each floor had a three number code so we randomly dialled three numbers, a few times (as we couldn’t see it), until someone answered.

It didn’t take them too long to get us out, it was something to do with the power if I remember correctly.

I got stuck with my 12 year old cousin when I was 6. We'd gone to visit and aunt in the next door block if flats. She lived on the 4th floor but the lift halted and went up and stopped just above the 12th floor. Took ages to get out. Well it felt like it. Never went in a lift for years and walked up the 12 floors to my grandma's in the other block if flats for years

Yes, about a year ago, with 9 other people. We were in there for about 40 minutes. I was working so I had to stay calm and polite, but they were a great bunch - we ended up singing Happy Birthday to one of them! I did start to run out of lift jokes tho.....
It was a bit hot, so we were glad to get out - manager was able to get the doors open, but I was impressed that the lift company did arrive not long after.
Rather not do it again tho!

Never happened in real life, but I regularly have dreams about being in a dodgy lift - the doors don't open, or it keeps going past the floor I pressed the button for or keeps going up and down out of control. Does anyone else have these kinds of dreams? I'd love to know what they mean!

I used to live in a council owned tower block so have been stuck in a lift loads of times. Very uneventful if a bit boring, as it can sometimes take a while to get you out. I’ve also been stuck in a lift at work. Just ring the alarm next time rather than pressing random buttons. 😂 These days there’s usually someone who will speak to you. Either way someone will come and get you out. There’s no need to panic.

The one in Bath train station is notorious for complaining if there's more than a 4 stone person with a tiny handbag in it. Was only ten minutes though.