Can't hear the phone ringing

[Foyled]

I keep getting complaints at work that I am not answering the phone. The thing is I think that I do! I can only conclude that I don't notice it because I get so engrossed in what I am doing. Is there something wrong with me?

Have you checked the phone is working properly?

Yes it is, well if it isn't it has a very strange intermittent fault! I did have a hearing problem at one point but have had ears syringed and I thought I was doing well, then another complaint today.

Something similar happened to me. People would say they'd been ringing and that there had been no answer. I realised that my phone had been set up to allow a second caller to ring while you were already on the phone to the first caller. In this scenario, you were meant to answer the phone to the second caller and then put them on hold while the conversation with the first caller was finished. In my case, the phone didn't make a noise when a second caller rang; a tiny LED light flashed instead, which initially I hadn't noticed (too engrossed in the current phone conversation).

Could that be what's happening? I'd say it's worth getting somebody to have a look into it for you.

Well it doesn't do that, but I am now beginning to wonder if I am getting the blame when there is some other explanation. I wish I could prove my case.

I totally zone out when I'm concentrating and sometimes miss the phone. Do you have voicemail or a group pick up as well?

It initially rings on three phones, mine and two others. I am supposed to pick it up if they don't answer it, then after five rings it goes through to every body else. I've had complaints that I haven't been answering it, that it is going through to the other number and then today it rang so long that the caller hung up and had to ring back.

Did occur to me later, they may have called a wrong number!

It is a bit tricky to not just answer the phone when it rings but to answer it if it isn't answered.

I've never been criticised before for this, but never had to answer phones apart from on a kneejerk basis!

Well unless the person is lying, I was definitely in the office, they were on another call and the phone rang and I didn't answer...