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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think public transport isn't the place for long personal phone conversations (sort of lighthearted)

32 replies

lastqueenofscotland · 22/12/2015 11:21

On a train where an older woman is going over (in great detail, and to several different people over the phone) her (I presume adult) daughters current illness (including dihorrea and vomiting) and what she'll need to be doing over Xmas to help them out. Almost in a weird stealth boast way.

Add to that the volume she's "talking" (I'd say shouting) down the phone.

I don't mind people on the phone on transport in general, but Aibu to not want to know, for the 6th time and counting about her daughter shitting her innards out at great volume
Before anyone says their isn't a quiet carriage on this service.

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 22/12/2015 11:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wasonthelist · 22/12/2015 11:26

I agree - over the years I have heard -

A woman giving enough details for me to have raided her bank account
A bloke discussing the merits or various applicants for a job he was recruiting for
A woman discussing various sexual goings-on at work in a very graphic (and often sweary) way.

I wished at the time that all of them would fuck off to the far side of fuck and give us all some peace. It's hard to tune out of stuff like that at time.

Side issue - why do so many people speak so fucking loudly on the phone? Why? Why?

Ohbehave1 · 22/12/2015 11:26

Is there not a more child friendly service earlier in the evening ?

SilentlyScreamingAgain · 22/12/2015 11:28

It's the best part of public transport.

Ohbehave1 · 22/12/2015 11:29

Oops. Wrong thread.

wasonthelist · 22/12/2015 11:34

BTW I do enjoy the "hello? Hello? Hello?" merchants on the train who seem unaware of the effect of tunnels.

Egosumquisum · 22/12/2015 11:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
lastqueenofscotland · 22/12/2015 11:37

Wasonthelist we had a few of them too. We got to 9 times before she stopped ringing people/ran out of phone charge... I suspect the latter

OP posts:
scribblegirl · 22/12/2015 11:38

I was on a train about a year ago and a guy was on the phone to his insurance provider re: his recent car crash. He gave away his full name, address, phone number, date of birth, workplace, driving license number, number plate and make of car. Which was bad enough but he then gave all the same information out of the driver of the other car!

He then hung up and spoke to the woman (wife?) next to him about how he was going to milk the insurance claim for all it was worth and get them to fix a whole other load of stuff with the car Hmm

I was so close to emailing his boss (whose details I found on my iphone within seconds of hearing all the above!) to tell him that he might want to have a word with him about data privacy and - y'know - not going on about committing fraud whilst a train full of people could listen in.

Actually wish I had now I think about it again Blush

Original poster
lastqueenofscotland · 22/12/2015 11:46

Oh she's off again.

I do now know her daughters address and her and her daughters numbers. Why do people think this appropriate stuff to share with the whole train??

OP posts:
wasonthelist · 22/12/2015 11:50

OP They are part of a significant minority of people who don't give any thought to anyone else at all ever. I could make a cheap political shot at this point - but I will resist.

wasonthelist · 22/12/2015 11:52

Thinking about this - it extends beyond phones. I got seated in the middle of a gang of civil servants discussing housing policy (involving inter alia focus groups) I kept looking for the cameras filming an episode of The Thick Of It.

heavenlypink · 22/12/2015 11:59

I heard a woman begging her boyfriend/girlfriend not to break up with her ..... I wanted to go over and say "I'm sure they're not worth it"

southwest1 · 22/12/2015 11:59

Yesterday on the bus there was a man having a very heated discussion via FaceTime with what I presume was his ex. He was pushing a double buggy and had another child with him, who was maybe around 10. She also joined in the FaceTime discussion, which seemed to be around him wanting to take them for dinner, the ex having possibly rung the police, the daughter wanting to live in London, and then her hanging up as the mum had 'started again'. I guess the mother knew she was on full volume to the whole bus, no idea why she didn't hang up and wait until they'd got off.

angelos02 · 22/12/2015 11:59

YANBU. I hate people being so loud in their conversations that those around them can hear...whether they are on their phone or talking to the person next to them. Have some consideration and keep your voice down. I often think people want others to hear them. 99% of the time the conversation is dull as fuck, one-sided and you can sense one of the people just wants the other to shut up.

99percentchocolate · 22/12/2015 12:02

Yanbu but I mostly find them amusing now. Although I did once overhear a conversation a girl of about 19 had on the bus where she was telling her friend about how her cancer treatment was going. She went into detail about how the Dr had done a smear despite her being too young. I was only 18 at the time and found it utterly terrifying - have never missed a smear test since first being invited. I do often think about her and hope she is well now.

Jesabel · 22/12/2015 12:24

I over heard a conversation on the bus yesterday about the disappointing results of her baby's DNA test ("Well it isn't Gary after all!") and how expensive it was, and how she can't spend £££s on testing everyone, can she?

eurochick · 22/12/2015 13:27

A lot of people who have immigrated to the UK from the Subcontinent use my train line. In the morning loads of them use the journey to phone home. The rest of the carriage is totally silent 99%of the time. I get that it probably works because of the time difference but I am sitting there trying to read (unsuccessfully) inwardly chanting shutthefuckupshutthefuckupshutthefuckup. Last week one woman came and sat next to me mid call. I was surrounded by work docs and the carriage was quite empty. Argh.

knobblyknee · 22/12/2015 13:38

YANBU. Say something. I would, I'm a mouthy cow in that type of situation.

MinesaBottle · 22/12/2015 13:43

I once heard a man arranging to pick up his daughter from school - I and everyone else learned her name, school, teacher's name, mum's name and where she'd be. Shock

TequilaSetAWatchman · 22/12/2015 14:07

I get the trains everyday for work and it doesn't happen often but when it does I've had:

  • A woman call a series of friends to discuss a mutual friend who had two sisters with cancer and a husband who had just been told he was going to be made redundant. She gave loads of identifying details about the husband's place of work and his role. She sounded genuinely upset for her friend but my god I hope none of my friends were gobbing off about me on a rush hour train when I got made redundant.
  • A young woman call her boyfriend to have a go at him - it was hard to tell based on one side of the conversation but it sounded like she was really pissed off at him for getting annoyed at her when she got blind drunk and did something bad ("I can't believe you embarrassed me like that! You know what I'm like when I get drunk!"). The conversation went on for about an hour and she was so loud I couldn't not listen.
carabos · 22/12/2015 14:17

Train journey of more than two hours, the middle-aged guy across the aisle spent the entire journey on the phone to what was clearly a younger woman trying to browbeat her into dumping her boyfriend. It seemed that the boyfriend was a neighbour, and the older man got on a graphically detailed rant about how this neighbour/ boyfriend was just using the girl for sex and couldn't be trusted.

This might have been ok, except it was perfectly obvious that he was bad-mouthing the boyfriend because he was interested in the girl himself. It took all my powers of self-control not to give him a piece of my mind about the massive head-fuck he was dumping on the poor lass .

Another time, same long journey, a woman who appeared to have many many children spoke to each of them individually about their day and hers and what was planned for the evening. Each conversation was made in a separate call, and she ended each one with "love you", "no, love you more, tell name name and name I love them" "bye, hang up now and get name to ring me" "no you put the phone down first" and repeat about five times. I was almost demented by the time she finished, having said to the last one that she was about to get off and would see them in half an hour. Angry

notquitehuman · 22/12/2015 14:38

I've had the same heavenlypink! I was stuck on a bus in traffic for 45 mins across the row from a 19/20 year old girl. She was sobbing and wailing at her partner not to break up with her. All the usual "I can change! We are soooo good together" while all the commuters pretended to ignore her. Seeing that her face was streaked in tears and snot I discreetly asked if she'd like a tissue. She growled at me to "fuck off", then went back to the phone conversation. Err alright then, I might just see your ex's point!

heavenlypink · 22/12/2015 15:22

notquitehuman that's the reaction that stopped me talking to her!

ThroughThinkandThing · 22/12/2015 16:48

Overheard in London - the details of her and assorted partners STD checks, and whether she should tell X, Y and Z about the positives among the negatives...