To find this so bloody annoying and wish those who do it would stand on a plug?

[Ohitsjustsoannoying]

It's sort of light hearted and yes it's not a huge problem but AIBU to find it so fucking irritating when you ask someone a simple question over email and they reply with "give me a call". No, just answer my question?!

There are a few people who do this at work and it infuriates me. 99% of the time the answer could have just been typed out in 5 seconds on an email in response to mine but no, I have to make time in between doing everything else to call them to go through the "hi how are you, how's the kids, are you busy" blah blah blah just to get a simple enough answer I could have had 20 minutes ago.

Why do people do this. JUST REPLY TO THE EMAIL.

The art of the quick phone call:

You: Hi, you asked me to call about X question.

Them: Hi, how are you? How was your weekend?

You: Fine thanks. { ignore about weekend. Repeat question as asked in email }

Them: Oh let me just find that email. {starts waffling about their weekend}

You: mm hmm. {interrupting} can you just tell me {repeats question}

Them: { forced to answer question}, {starts up more chit-chat}

You: Thanks so much, I must get on {hang up}

They will consider you to be rude and abrupt. You don't care because you consider them to be a time-waster with not enough work to do.

I can't process verbal instructions so a call would be useless for me.

The person I worked with who did this did it because it meant there was no written trail of his answer.

Meant when he made mistakes (which was often in his case) it was hard to prove that what you’d done was what he’d said

It's because they don't want it coming back to them OR they can't write well

Nothing worse than people who want to communicate in a way different to what I want. How dare they

Agree.

I speak quicker than I type so just call me.

If they are trying to cover their arse by not putting their reply in writing, you just immediately email back after the phone call:

"Thanks for our conversation just now. Just to clarify, may I confirm it was suggested/clarified/agreed/ that {summarise what they said}. Please let me know asap if I have misunderstood anything or missed anything important.
Thanks once again"

Note the use of passive voice in "it was suggested" instead of "you said" for more gentle or subtle approach.

I bet these people send voice notes instead of texts, too. And then get grumpy because you haven't replied, because you can quickly check a message during a meeting/in public but a voice note has to be left until a convenient moment.

I do this when emailing someone and I need to explain something and know it’ll end up being multiple emails so I’d rather a call. Then I can ensure the person understands and I have all the info I need - I have some colleague who drive me nuts replying to only half my questions.

Meh, if you want my knowledge you'll get it in the way I like to communicate and I find is the least effort at the time.

you can quickly check a message during a meeting/in public but a voice note has to be left until a convenient moment will languish unheard for weeks, perhaps producing a quick prickle of guilt or pang of resentful obligation each time its unfortunate recipient happens to see it there, until it's disappeared far enough up the chat that everyone forgets it ever happened

FTFY

I often ask to be given a call - not because I want to waste my time talking to someone, but sometimes because the question isn’t always black and white, and before I can give a sensible answer I need to know more, and to be honest, can’t be asked, to type out all the questions. So a quick call is more efficient.

This is so rude. It’s you asking the question. So yes, they gave you a reply and that was ‘let’s speak’.

Everyone is busy. You want an answer, you call.

Mostly, I agree with you.

Sometimes I do need to discuss someone’s question because it’s actually quite complex and there are variables.

But usually I’m on your side of the fence - having ask a very simple question that doesn’t have variables etc, and wanting a simple answer.

Its worse when people do it in social/ personal life though!

Oh god the voice note people are the worst.

I have told my exh I won’t listen to them.

As simple as this, as much as you hate to call them, who wants the answer you or them? If is you, I'm afraid that you have to give them a call.

Both are valid methods.

I find my self unable to care about your OP but +1 for stand on a plug.

Jeepers, just talk to people. A call is often quicker and friendlier- it doesn’t have to involve waffle.

Sometimes it needs to be a call because there are nuances that I don’t want put in writing. Sometimes it’s just quicker and it builds better relationships with colleagues.

Agree- very irritating! Also raises questions with me that the person involved doesn’t want a paper trail therefore means a call is necessary as well as a follow up email to confirm what they’ve told me!

Ime "give me a call" = "I don't want to put that in writing".

Agree it's so annoying to hear someone waffling on to the most simple question! Just answer the bloody email but also those 'friendly' types don't want a paper trail!

I work in the public sector.

More than happy to call internal colleagues.

Fucking hate when members of the public expect a call. A simp question results in 15-20 minutes of whinging, without me being able to get a word in.

Even worse - when the call centre leaves me some random person's name for a callback. They're not involved in the case. Just some random nosey parker who's called in asking for me. I have no idea who the fuck they are, and I'm supposed to call them back.

YANBU. Clearly if it's a simple question they could answer in the email. Even if it's actually a more complex question, they should as a minimum say something like "This is quite complicated, it might be quicker for us to sort it out on the phone - could you give me a call?"

However, I have to say it would have to be a very complicated issue to justify that. If I'm in that situation I would rather avoid a phone call for all the reasons you have given, OP and I'll probably still take the time to give a slightly more detailed answer by email. It's usually easy enough to say something like "If you mean X, the answer is .... However, if you mean Y, you need ti think about A, B and C".

Of course it may be that you want to deal with it by phone because you don't want to commit anything to writing. I think in that event it's probably up to the person responding to pick up the phone.

Can't say I have ever had this happen @Ohitsjustsoannoying sorry...

Sometimes it's just way easier to call for 2 mins. No need for a big conversation