To think "who the fuck do you think you are?"

[CrotchBurn]

Okay I need to rant its friday and I have done 3 x 10 hour days back to back, I need wine and to release my anger

FYI this isnt for when its friends or family.

It's about people calling you: banks, clients or colleagues, insurance wanting to check something, whatever.

Its 2020. I'm sorry if you dont like it, but when you call me, you are intruding. We have WhatsApp, we have email. I get instant notifications on my phone. When you call me, you drag me out of whatever I'm doing (working usually) to demand my attention.

If it's about my bank account then guess what? Use your fucking fancy messaging system on the platform I'm assuming that's what it's there for and that way you will have a record.

If it's about work, guess what? I'm fucking working right now. On something that doesnt have to do with you. So send me an email and wait your turn. It's not all about you. And again: I would prefer to have what you say in writing.

Ooh and by the way you know voice messages? Yeah I dont listen to those. So you chat away but just FYI I listen to my voice messages except I dont, I just dial in and then hit 3 or whatever it is repeatedly until they are all deleted.

So dont waste my fucking time and stop jostling into my personal space. Seeing the missed call icon on my phone puts me on edge. If you are bored during lock down and need a human voice then I suggest you call a relative or friend. I AM BUSY. Oh and also: please dont email saying "would it be possible to arrange a call to discuss?". It wouldnt actually, see above.

Am I abnormal to hate this this much??

If it's a number I don't know, I don't answer. If it's important they'll leave a voicemail. Never had junk calls leave a voicemail!

Phones are for phone-calls.

On the plus side, if you ignore your clients' calls and voice mails, you soon won't have work calls to deal with.

God, I hope I never have to call you, customer from hell.
Here’s an idea, don’t feckin answer.

I have to call customers who have sent an application form, I work for an official body. Our number is withheld because that’s the way the bloody phone system works. I can’t affect it.

I get so many rude people who can’t be bothered to take ten seconds to listen to who I am and that they’ve actually requested the call. The same ones who normally have the cheek to complain a few weeks later we “‘never contacted them.”

If it turns out to be a sales call, just hang up! Block the number, it’s very satisfying.

Eek start listening to your voicemail at least or one day you’ll get in a whole heap of trouble

I hate phone calls too, but a very high powered friend of mine swears by them. She's always nagging me to phone people instead of email them. Why? Like you I assume they have something more pressing to do right now than talk to me and if they want to talk, it's polite to email first and set up a Zoom meeting.

@thepeopleversuswork
You've hit the nail on the head.

I think what I struggle with is understanding the WHY of it and how that relates to time. I work in an industry that is very tight deadline oriented. So I just dont understand why you wouldnt send what would literally be a two line email, rather than force me to engage in a 15 minute conversation that involves you repeating the same thing, with different turns of phrase. I'm actually very good at what I do for people sniffing at me - I just find it stressful when people eat into my time for reasons that only they know. That's not because I think I'm special. It's because I have limited amounts of time available to me in a working day.

I just listened to the first voice mail on my list which was from my bank saying she had seen I have requested my other bank transfer my savings over to them and wondering if we could talk. NO!!!!! I dont want to have a conversation about why I am changing banks!!!!! Your fees are too high, YOU are too unavailable and you have also sold me shit loads of products I dont need (that's on me for accepting, I get that), and now I am LEAVING YOU. Please do not try and call me!

Still, seems like a quarter of people agree with me. I guess for the time being I need to change my mindset towards phone calls somehow or else this will keep stressing me out. Maybe it's a generational thing too

Equally, what the police or hospital have to call you in an emergency because a loved one had been in an accident? They’re not going to mess about texting you or emailing.

Have you had your dinner yet? Could you be hangry?

And if you spoke to me in the same tone/manner you’ve written this....I’d think ‘who the fuck do you think YOU are?’

I think you ring 2195 on an iPhone

@TheDoctorDances

I have to call customers who have sent an application form, I work for an official body. Our number is withheld because that’s the way the bloody phone system works. I can’t affect it.

I get so many rude people who can’t be bothered to take ten seconds to listen to who I am and that they’ve actually requested the call. The same ones who normally have the cheek to complain a few weeks later we “‘never contacted them.”

If it turns out to be a sales call, just hang up! Block the number, it’s very satisfying.

100 agree. We have thousands of customer WHO SIGNED UP for us to provide a service. They ignore emails and never answer the phone. When they do, they are as rude as fuck.....errrrrr you contacted us!!!!

I hate posts that address 'rants' to imaginary others. I always feel they're thwarted creatives auditioning for writing a Guardian family column. So for that alone, YABU.

I don't see how it's more intrusive than any other method of contacting you. If you're working, or otherwise don't wish to be available at particular times, you can put the phone on Do Not Disturb, or even use the old-fashioned method of taking a landline phone off the hook, or switching off a mobile. Just because you get instant notifications that you've been phoned (could you get rid of these?), doesn't mean that you have to respond instantly.

And not everyone has constant access to the internet; and some have bad WiFi connections which can make internet connection a nightmare. Some people still prefer the phone to the internet.

I do have a particular dislike of being called by telemarketers, but I don't mind other calls.

I know what you mean. I am thinking of imposing a charge, for example:

"Hello, is that Mrs Ketchup?"

Me: "Yes, it is."

Caller: "I've got some exciting news about changes to our financial products that I want to share with you".

Me: "Ok, I need to first make you aware of my fees and charges and make sure you are happy to proceed on that basis"

Caller: "Huh? I thought I could just waste 15 mins of your time on something you're not interests in for free?"

Me: "Nope, that's not how it works anymore. Oh, and please update my contact preferences so that I don't receive any more calls"

For a cold call, can you not just say:

‘That’s not something I’m considering at the moment, but I’ll keep it in mind, Thanks for your call.’ and shut down any further questions?

Sometimes I say I’ll get back to them, then don’t

10 hour days? So like 8-6 or 9-7? That’s really not that bad.

I can understand your frustration at cold calls, I hate them and think they are rude.

But you don’t want people from work calling you? You don’t listen to voicemails?? Sometimes it may be something urgent, or more urgent than what you’re currently working on. Even if it’s not urgent, it’s part of your job to prioritise, to take a note and then get to it later.

Some things are much more easily explained or discussed by phone than in writing, it’s 10 times quicker to talk than to write and you can ask questions as you go along.

Do you have a particular problem with keeping your focus? Why is it such a massive deal to you to be interrupted and then go back to what you are doing?

On behalf of my husband, who is trying to work from home, I get it.

He has about 3 different agencies all after him. He's a freelancer, he doesn't "work for" these people, he is doing a piece of work for them, always meets deadlines but they expect instant answers - someone this morning Skyped him (not previously arranged) - when he didn't answer that because he was busy with something else they then rang his mobile.

I hear him muttering "How do you expect me to get this work done for you when you keep ringing me up and asking stupid questions every five minutes...."

I have offered to be his PA but apparently "No, that won't work as you'll tell everyone to Fuck Off and I'll lose jobs".

I think he should take me up on the offer.

I hate any and all phone calls, my phone ringing makes me jittery for about an hour, but if the bank wants to check if someone is fraudulently using my account, then I'd rather they tried to get hold of me asap than wait until I check a message in their app.

Yes you are right x1000000000. I just bloody resent people even saying I 'must' have a mobile phone. Leave me the fuck alone.

You need to manage your time better....

Its amazing that everybody is convinced of the evils of social media but not of this bloody machine you need to be tied to all day everyday because you're liable to have somebody call the police about you being missing if you dont touch it for a few days.

@TheCrowsHaveEyes
Oh you're so acerbic and edgy! I guess we all have our ways of letting off steam so I'm glad I could help

If your username is anything to go by, maybe you need to get that sorted.
Then you might chill the fuck out a bit.