Would you call a land line at 9.30pm?

[Tinkerbec]

Someone has just called my home for my mother who is out. Waking up my dd.

I think it is way too late. I know its a Saturday but really!AIBU?

I find land lines intrusive at the best of times.
Grrrr! Not happy.

[manicinsomniac]

I'm rural with no mobile signal and don't have a landline - but I have Wi-Fi calling and mainly use wattsap and Facebook anyway so I don't miss it. However, most people I know have a landline even if it's rarely used.

Weirdly the people I would call the latest are my 90 year old grandparents. They never go to bed before 11. But I wouldn't call my mum at 9.30. 10 is the cut off for my sister because she gets up at 6 during the week and wouldn't be in at weekends.

I wouldn't call anyone else at any time without prior arrangement. That's entirely my issue but I'm terrified of calling at inconvenient time and either being told so (makes me panicky and tearful) or not being told (and obsessing all night that they were irritated but polite!). I know that's extrem though and would be happy to be phoned up any time before midnight myself.

[Lizzie48]

We have a landline. Most people I know have a landline, so no, Italian not 'twee' or astonishing. I think calling a landline after 9:30pm is too late, unless you're calling someone back who called not long before.

What does annoy me is a call before 8am on a weekend; my MIL has been guilty of this!

The issue is, that it makes me think something bad must have happened.

[MrsFezziwig]

I’m confused. Do you not need a landline for normal broadband? In which case why are there so many people without one?

[Etymology23]

You have to have the line but most of friends don't own the phone part to plug into it! Hence no landline. Or they have virgin internet which doesn't require a landline.

I regularly don't get home til 7:30 so my calling window would be extraordinarily limited if no calls were allowed after 8.

The business people complaining about people calling - I would 100% assume that if someone self employed didn't want to answer the phone in the evening they would just set it straight to voicemail, and expect them to call me back at a time convenient to them.

I also think it's acceptable to text at any time of day...

[KnittingPearl]

I wouldn't call anyone after 9pm, unless I'm calling my mother, in which case I know 10 o'clock would be fine. The landline is downstairs, so if she has gone to bed (uncharacteristicly early) she wouldn't hear it ring and so wouldn't be disturbed by it.

[SilverySurfer]

Weird but not surprised since it goes with the other crazy stuff on here like not opening your front door if someone rings the bell.

[CCMcGarry]

Maybe a tad late but possibly border line if it was important if not then ring in the morning.

Do landlines not come with a divert to voice male if not wouldn't this be a good idea that can be programmed in... ?

[bananafish81]

I don't call anyone out of the blue on their landline or mobile - would always pre arrange a time / check someone was free to chat before I called. Calling someone assumes they should stop whatever they're doing to talk to you - seems very presumptuous. If someone calls me unexpectedly I immediately worry about what's wrong - as it's likely to be an emergency!

[crunchymint]

How do you pre arrange a time to call?

[pringlecat]

I can't remember the last time I called a landline for an individual.

I would text anytime, because I expect everyone within my circle of contacts to have figured out "do not disturb", or at the very least, to not be woken up by a beeping noise. I probably wouldn't call after 8pm without texting first, to make sure it was convenient.

8pm is early, but I know a lot of people who do random shifts, so that's my cut off for actual ringing anything. But it would always be a mobile number.

[crunchymint]

The people I call are the type of people who switch off mobile phones when they are not using them.

[Janetjanetjanet]

It's far too late IMHO.

[BulletFox]

My cut off time is 9.45pm.

I really miss an old friend who was a non sleeper as well as we had an arrangement that if either of us couldn't sleep we could text each other to check if the other was awake, then phone.

Unfortunately she was terrible at paying her phone bill so that ended when her line went dead, still worry about her

[bananafish81]

How do you pre arrange a time to call?

Er, you check when is good for a catch up?

When WhatsApping a friend or family member, if one of you wants to have a voice chat, you ask when's a good time to call?

[crunchymint]

Yes I see. I call some elderly relatives most on the landline who do not have a mobile phone and will never have heard of whatsapp. But I am mid 50s so maybe know more people who do not or rarely use mobile phones. My parents turn theirs on about once a day to see if they have any messages, then turn it back off.

[Witchend]

I would say 10pm is cut off, unless you know that person goes to bed early/has an early morning. Judging by calls we get in too, other people think the same way.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

You have to have the line but most of friends don't own the phone part to plug into it! Hence no landline. Or they have virgin internet which doesn't require a landline

I have a landline for broadband but the phone itself is rarely used.

How does Virgin internet work? Presumably you have to have some sort of entertainment package? I don't have any cable, Sky or Netflix tv and have no interest in getting them but would Virgin internet even if it came with a tv package I don't want be cheaper than having a telephone line?

Oh and I don't think 9.30 is late.

[bananafish81]

How does Virgin internet work? Presumably you have to have some sort of entertainment package? I don't have any cable, Sky or Netflix tv and have no interest in getting them but would Virgin internet even if it came with a tv package I don't want be cheaper than having a telephone line?


It's fibre - super fast broadband. Regular broadband is over the copper wire used for phone lines. Virgin broadband is on their own fibre networks and doesn't need to touch copper lines. So you don't need a phone line

You don't have to have a TV package -we don't

It's more expensive than a phone line with regular broadband but that's because you're paying for a super fast broadband connection!

If you're not intended in streaming like Netflix or Amazon prime or now TV or heavy duty online gaming then you're unlikely to want or need fibre if you're happy with your standard coppers broadband

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Thanks Bananafish

[notangelinajolie]

What! 9.30 is late? I'd be fine if someone rang me at that time. I probably wouldn't ring someone after 11.

[Moanaohnana]

10pm is my cutoff for calling people.

I also think the earliest should be 8am on a weekday and 9am on the weekend by the way (been called at 6am before 'oh I thought you'd be up' whilst my heart rate goes through the roof cos I wondered who died!)

[ChristmasAddict]

We don't have a landline but I would not be amused by a call after 8pm. I am someone who needs at least 8 hours sleep and have an early waking toddler so by 8 I am winding down and am going to sleep by 9.

[bastardkitty]

I never call landlines. But 9.30 isn't too late.

[Splinterz]

I actually don’t think that I know anyone under 70 with a landline.

Thick question - how do you get your broadband ?

[Debby08]

Unless it's an emergency or very important then I'd say a land line call isn't necessary.