Apparently there is something wrong with me!

[Furrydog7]

I hate the house phone with a passion. I much prefer texts and emails as i can answer when it is convenient for me. However my mum thinks that there is something wrong with me as i have the house phone unplugged a lot. She doesn't understand that i don't always want my time inturupted by people talking crap about what they have had for dinner etc and the only way to convey to certain members of my family that i cannot talk is to unplug the phone.

@StCharlotte

How would you have coped 40 years ago when there was no email or texting and you couldn't unplug your phone?

I think people are becoming so insular these days and I'm not sure It's healthy. I say that - it's only on MN as far as I can see. I don't know anyone IRL who thinks like this.

It is a generational thing . 40 years ago a land line was a good way of communicating with others but now there are so many other ways of communicating with others. If i was older maybe i would prefer the land line but personally i think that there far better ways of communicating.n

My mum especially was horrified when I said I was getting rid of the landline. I have an unlimited deal on my sim, so why would I need it? Now she is after getting the same deal and said that actually she prefers her mobile as she doesnt feel she has to answer that or reply to messages immediately but the landline she feels she must! I suspect that they will keep the LL "just in case" but turn the ringer off and just check messages.

She calls me on her mobile now, she can sit on the sofa and be comfy rather than in the office where the LL is on the sweaty bum chair!

Our dog chewed the house phone 10 yrs, we never replaced it haha

That makes no sense to me. Why are Whatsapp convos regarded as sensible important conversations but if that person spoke on the phone theyd suddenly start talking shit?

Well I hate making small talk on the phone. It's awkward. But I'm happy to chat shit on what'sapp.

Someone might say in a group chat 'anyone watched anything good they can recommend' I would say 'oh you should watch 'xyz' on Netflix. Just watched it and enjoyed it'

But I wouldn't dream of phoning someone up and saying 'have you watched anything good lately'

I am like you home phone unplugged only reason for a line is for broadband.

Whatsapp convos regarded as sensible important conversations

They aren't. That's the point.

I don’t know anyone over about 25 who only has a mobile phone

hello this is us. Dh and I are mid 40s, we don't have a phone plugged into the landline.

Our Dads are in their 70s, use a mobile phone to Whatsapp or zoom call us!

Long gone are the days when you would sit in a draughty hall attached to the wall before cordless phones. Dh's family even had a telephone table that had a comfy seat! Even had one of those fancy pop up telephone directory where you slid a marker to the letter of the alphabet and then it would open up at that page so you could dial a number, before speed dial, before push button phones. I don't miss that one bit.

Mine's been unplugged for years. I used to work a lot on phones so I hate them even more now.

Well, I'm now very proud of my 82 yr old Mum! She was cross when we got rid of our land line about a year ago. She calls me at the same time each Thursday night without fail. She does call at other times as well, but always on a Thursday, on matter what. She refused to call my mobile, so I taught her how to face time on her iPad, and now she facetimes me loads, including the Thursday night check-in! Clever mum!

I'm 59. No house phone here, only a mobile.

I should add that going from Sky Tv (ex insisted), Broadband and Landline to NowTV, no landline and sim only mobile, and broadband took me from paying £100 ish a month to less than £40 a month.

I miss nothing, but have saved LOADS!

Couldn’t agree with you more! We never answer ours. Mum knows to phone my mobile.

PPI callers killed house phone usage.

I havent had one for about 10 years now.

I cant see the point unless:

a) You’re always in

and

b) you dont have a mobile

I don’t know anyone over about 25 who only has a mobile phone

I’m in my forties and I don’t have a landline, haven’t for ages. I don’t know anyone other than parents who have one. None of my friends my age do. I don’t have a single landline number in my phone’s address book.

I'm 31 and have never had a house phone since I moved out of my parents at 18! So unnecessary these days.

I'm in my mid 60's - all my friends call on my mobile - or use WhatsApp. The only people who use the landline regularly are my 89yr old MIL and her partner. occasionally I get a call from another friend in her mid 80's, but she generally used facebook messenger .... OTOH my dc, in their 20's tend to use the housephone like a mob - assuming there are 'free' minutes when my package only has them at evenings and weekends. I have to keep pointing out that they should use their mobiles, not just the phone that is closest to them

I must admit that since lockdown started I'm sick of every man and his dog ringing me in the evenings! I have been stuck inside the house all day with my kids and just want to be left alone in the evening, not listening to friends and family drone about doing nothing.

I think the busier you are, the more you hate answering the phone. I particularly felt that way when the kids were tiny. Someone- always a family member - wanted to talk to me NOW and I couldn't as someone was always screaming.

Even now, I often find it rings when I've just got in or am about to go out the door. It's not just the landline. The mobile always goes when am I about to pay for something in a shop or am trying to juggle 2000 bags.

However, when lockdown first started, I began to see the appeal of chatting on the phone and people had time to talk for an hour and so it was nice - much more personal than texts or even House Party.

And it is hard for older people now. Lockdown has been very lonely for them. Set aside a time when you can talk and you'll enjoy it more and your mum will appreciate it

@Devlocopop

I don’t know anyone over about 25 who only has a mobile phone

hello this is us. Dh and I are mid 40s, we don't have a phone plugged into the landline.

Our Dads are in their 70s, use a mobile phone to Whatsapp or zoom call us!

Long gone are the days when you would sit in a draughty hall attached to the wall before cordless phones. Dh's family even had a telephone table that had a comfy seat! Even had one of those fancy pop up telephone directory where you slid a marker to the letter of the alphabet and then it would open up at that page so you could dial a number, before speed dial, before push button phones. I don't miss that one bit.

And me!!

We didnt have the telephone table (they were "common" according to my mother who had middle class pretensions) but we did have the pop up telephone number thing. We discovered that if you got just between 2 letters at the right point and then hit the button, it would have such force it would flip right over. Drove my mother fucking crazy :o

I am the proud owner of my Grandads War Phone. A bright red Bacolite dial phone. It still works and I have had to plug it in in the past when there was a power cut and the landline phone didnt work as it had no power!

NB. We call it the war phone as Churchill had a red phone on his desk, and Gma and Gpa had a red phone so....

@cecinestpasunepipe

I have a landline that came with my broadband package. Apart from my mother and cold calls, I use it to ring my mobile when I can't find it! I wish I could do the same with my car keys.

Oh yes the landline is so handy for when I miss place my mobile.

Landline or no landline, this comment stands out to me;

People are becoming so insular these days yes I agree with this. Particularly when a lot of people just do not want to speak over the phone at all. They will just text or email.

I suppose the modern phone call where you can actually connect and have a real life conversation would be Face time or Zoom. Those sort of connections or old fashioned phone calls have been a life line for many during lockdown.

There are hundreds of threads on here where posters ask What did my boyfriend/sister/friend mean by this message? And lots of unpicking of the possible tone or intent of the message ensues. Ringing them and having a conversation doesn't appear to be an option.

I've seen some women on here talk about their new man, they've been messaging for 2 months and have never met or spoken on the phone. I don't get that.

We too don’t have a house phone. Don’t know anyone who still does

We do! Two incoming domestic lines and another for business, peeps still don;t like calling a mobile number for a bizz, we also have a small PABX system and 4 extensions over the gaff and it all sounds very clear indeed mucho better than the mobile notworks round our way!

Totally agree. Been living in my house 8 years and never had a house phone here. My mobile is always on silent too, I only speak to a few people over the phone, if someone phones me unexpectedly, I let it ring off then see if they leave a voicemail, if not i'll text a bit later to see what's up

I cant see the point unless:

a) You’re always in

and

b) you dont have a mobile

Well if you have ordianry broadband then you do (unless with VM)have a landline phone thats what brings the BB in unless your fortunate enough to have the Fibre to Home service!..