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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To HATE the landline?!

57 replies

shutthefeckup · 30/05/2013 09:57

Seriously. I hate it. It's such an intrusion. You'll be in the middle of doing something, and off it goes.
It's always somebody selling windows or conducting research, but most of the time it's MIL.
Her record so far is 4 times in the space of half an hour. (Each time I've answered by the way, so not like she's ringing back as no-one's answered!)
The kids go to bed between 7 and 8. She KNOWS it's not a good time to ring, but without fail she'll ring at something like 7.45pm right in the middle of bathtime.
She knows she's not going to get an answer. So shouldn't really moan if no-one answers. Hmm
WIBU to turn the landline off every now and again when we want some peace? (We still have our mobiles turned on, we're not completely uncontactable!)

OP posts:
GetOrfMoiLand · 30/05/2013 09:59

God, I turned the ringer off on mine ages ago. I then unplugged it completely. Grin

I don't think I have had it ringing for years. People can call my mobile if they want to speak to me, frankly. I was sick of all the spam calls.

Sparklingbrook · 30/05/2013 09:59

Caller Display. It's great. Filters everyone out. Smile

CorrStagnitto · 30/05/2013 10:00

switch the ringer volume to low/off and get an answer machine and just let it go to voicemail everytime, if its important you can get back to them

no need to get all het up about these things Smile

TeeBee · 30/05/2013 10:00

Just pull it out f the wall. The phone s there for your convenience, not for anyone else's. I'm the same as you, nobody I want to talk to actually calls my landline - that's why I give them that number. Then I can ignore it.

BunnyLebowski · 30/05/2013 10:02

Thank god it's not just me!

My mother keeps sarcastically complaining about me never answering the phone.

Last time she did I told her that a phone call is an invitation to have a conversation, not a demand.

Might just get rid of it. She's so tight she point blank refuses to ring mobiles Grin

GetOrfMoiLand · 30/05/2013 10:04

Older people do feel obliged to answer a ringing phone. My MIL shouts at her phone when it rings and she is busy - I tell her to leave it and she looks aghast at me.

Original poster
shutthefeckup · 30/05/2013 10:05

We have actually started unplugging it occasionally when we really don't want it to ring. Then you'll get the "oh, was your phone was turned off AGAIN" and snarky comments.
Yes it was. If you didn't ring so fg much we wouldn't feel the need to! Nothing wrong with phoning, but multiple times every day is too much!
Gah this rant feels good, lol.

OP posts:
NoelHeadbands · 30/05/2013 10:05

I got rid of it a couple of years ago, it dawned in me that the only people that used it were pretty much people who I didn't want to speak to. Everyone else used our mobiles

specialsubject · 30/05/2013 10:06

so why is a landline an intrusion when a mobile is not? Where's the difference?

I think landlines are marvellous as you get inclusive calls for a lot less than mobiles cost, and you don't get the noise and cut outs of a mobile. I live in a mobile dead zone, and quite often the mobile cuts out before I get to answer it.

I don't ring mobiles unless I have to, and only do so because I now have an 8p a minute tariff. I certainly won't chat on one. I'm not 'tight', I'm just not stupid with money.

I give out the mobile number to all companies who don't really need to call me, then I just turn it off. Great.

put yourself on telephone preference, report all scam calls and just turn the landline phone off if you don't want to answer. And yes, it is never compulsory to answer any call.

Ragwort · 30/05/2013 10:06

Personally I hate people ringing on my mobile (unless emergency) - why do it, if I am out and about I do not want to be contacted, if I am at home then I prefer to use the landline - if its not convenient I just let it ring and then check who it is later. I think it is a huge imposition to only give a mobile number.

Original poster
shutthefeckup · 30/05/2013 10:07

put yourself on telephone preference

That'll get rid of the market research nuisance callers. Don't think MIL counts as a nuisance caller although she should be Grin

OP posts:
TheCatIsUpTheDuff · 30/05/2013 10:08

I love it. I find it much less intrusive than the mobile - if you can't get me at home it's because I'm out, and therefore busy. It's either somebody wanting the last owner of the house, so easily and quickly dispatched, or it's someone I'm really pleased to talk to, because only close friends and family have the number. I'd jump up and down on my mobile if I didn't need it for work.

Sparklingbrook · 30/05/2013 10:09

I have to say I use the landline for making important calls. I hate the time delay/everyone talking at once that I seem to get from mobile to mobile.

NoelHeadbands · 30/05/2013 10:11

I just turn my mobile on and off to suit. Plus I know that if someone is ringing my mobile its because they want to talk to me, not my husband/ children/ homeowner

Original poster
shutthefeckup · 30/05/2013 10:26

Glad it's not just me. Seriously, she's starting to do both of our heads in with the sheer VOLUME of calls. We obviously don't mind her calling, but four times in half an hour? Seriously, why?! I've just bloody spoken to you five minutes ago!
I will now feel justified in unplugging the blasted thing out of the wall socket more often in future. Grin

OP posts:
Elesbe · 30/05/2013 10:29

Sounds to me like she's lonely!

CloudsAndTrees · 30/05/2013 10:29

YANBU. I have caller display but I still have to go to the phone to see who it is. It is nearly always someone I don't want to speak to. People I do want to speak to phone the mobile.

Summerloading · 30/05/2013 10:31

YANBU Grin

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 30/05/2013 10:34

I love the landline, find people ringing my mobile intrusive. Mobile reception is patchy in my house too, can't rely on it.

CalamityJ · 30/05/2013 10:35

Sounds like my MIL. No one of any interest ever calls our landline. Maybe we should switch it off so I don't get annoyed by pam callers despite being on the TPS.

Original poster
shutthefeckup · 30/05/2013 10:35

Sounds to me like she's lonely!

I think so too. {sad] She flat out refuses to go out and do anything about it though. She won't visit anywhere or go anywhere if it's not with us. We go out a lot on day trips and stuff with her, and visit lots -but what about the days we are busy doing something ourselves? We can't be available every single day to go out and 'do' something.
I guess I just don't understand how someone perfectly fit and able won't do things by themselves every now and again.
By 'things' I mean even visit anywhere by herself every now and again on the times we can't.

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 30/05/2013 10:35

For about the last 10 years the only people I give the landline number to are people who I have no interest in talking to, sky, british gas etc. Everyone I want to speak to gets my mobile.

We can then rest assured that every time it rings, we've no interest in who it is, so don't have to answer it.

But, ever since my DD was 1 ish she has answered it. She loves it and we giggle away in a corner whilst she says stuff like "My grandma has red shoes" or "My best friend Rose has a sister" etc etc. She's too old and sensible now (4) so the honour has past to her little sister (2) to answer the phone.

somewheresomehow · 30/05/2013 10:37

unplug it then like we do. give anyone who may need to contact u urgently ur mobile, then if needed ring them back on the landline
simples

arethereanyleftatall · 30/05/2013 10:37

Oh YANBU at all

heronsfly · 30/05/2013 10:40

Ours is unplugged too, I got us all mobile contracts (capped) and saved a fortune on bt bills. If it wasn't needed for broadband i would get rid of it altogether.YADNBU