Loud business calls in cafes...

[Tangledteatowel]

I'm currently sitting in a cafe where quite a few people work – I am also trying to work. There is one woman who is having endless very loud business calls that are clearly disturbing everyone else... I have no issue with the occasional phone call but this has been going on for over an hour and is just her very loudly presenting to someone. I have noise cancelling headphones on and can still hear her clearly to the point where it's impossible for me to do any work. Is this the new norm??

YABU = it's fine to have very loud Teams calls in a cafe

YANBU = no, this is really rude and inconsiderate

DH and I were at the poolside in Spain a few months ago and there was an-obviously-very-important man making and receiving endless business calls. He would pace up and down the edge of the pool letting everyone know just how busy he was .
There was a silent ripple of applause when a young lad bombed into the water and drenched him ( and phone).

If you have a great friend who doesn't mind taking your calls at any time, ring them up and have a VERY FRANK sex talk while pacing RIGHT BEHIND the caller's chair.
I mostly opt for the first, but once, when someone sat right next to me and took a zoom call ON SPEAKER, I employed the last option, and it wound up being quite satisfying.

You've got to tell us more now, @Scattery ! What did the zoomer do?

I encountered one of these the other year. He was relatively young but clearly wanted everyone to know he was an Important Business Man. Lots of loud phone calls by the pool and in the hotel bar in the evening, mainly with him giving orders or ranting at people about not having done something. He was also chatting to a couple of young women that he obviously rather fancied. One of them happened to mention that she was studying but hoping to go in to a particular professional career so he told her he was in fact qualified in that profession and had loads of 'very big' contacts. He (very loudly) gave her advice on entry requirements, training, when and where to apply etc and offered to 'put in a good word'. The next day he assured her that his mate at a particular company was looking out for her application and implied she was basically a show in. By coincidence, the person I was travelling with had just qualified in that profession and told me that everything he said was totally incorrect. Plus the company he claimed his mate worked for was bought out by another years ago and ceased to exist. We quietly told the young women but we did wonder whether he was just a big liar and just talking to his own voicemail all along!

100pc this or report her to the data protection officer !

They quite valiantly tried to plough on with the call!

At first, they raised their voice and canted their body away from me. After a few minutes, I said something along the lines of how a certain position ought to have been impossible and did it leave her sore 😁. Right about then, the caller conceded defeat and moved tables across the room. Upon which I thanked my (very amused) friend and hung up.

I'm usually very conflict averse!! But the caller chose the seat right next to me and I just wasn't going to have it that day.

Excellent work!

I wish I had the confidence to pull off the frank sex talk like @Scattery!

I ended up just leaving... (with a dirty look on the way out..) She was speaking Italian so I don't know which company / any confidential information – it was just very, very loud!

For PPs concerned about impact of working in cafes – this is a cafe that is quiet on weekdays (there are always free tables and I know they don't mind people working there as I chat to the owners often when I go in!) and busy on weekends. I always make sure to buy several drinks and something to eat. I wouldn't work from a cafe that was busy during a weekday and trying to turn tables or had people waiting for tables, and completely understand why some cafes have a no laptop policy! It was just a shame today as everyone was working away nicely until this woman started taking her very loud VERY IMPORTANT calls. It's the first time I've seen her there, hopefully she's not there again!

😆

OP YANBU
I am old, in my working days we had no mobiles (well, Yuppie types did, but they were oversized and overly expensive). Train carriages, thinking back, were relatively quiet on the commute and certainly no loud business calls/. Ditto Cafes.
I feel for you all now, you seem forever on call even outside (I presume) your working hours. Then there are show offs like the one you had to endure.

I know someone who sells Arbonne and sets up shop in a very nice hotel bar for the morning to hold meetings and make calls. Makes me laugh she’s kidding herself that she’s living her best life whilst probably just buying one coffee then leeching off the hotel instead of renting a workspace.

Ugh, you should be in Edinburgh right now lots of very loud speakerphone conversations in cafes and on bus & tram to make sure everyone knows they are IN A SHOW.
Oh do be quiet...