NFR Rant: people suck at talking on the phone

Non-fishing related
Evan B

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
I've been noticing this becoming more and more of a thing as time goes on. Bugs me to no end. But it's now far more the norm than not.

Why is it, that no matter when, where, or how personal a call it is, the default now is either speaker phone or facetime? I see more people holding the receiver out in front of their face like it's a slice of pizza than up on the cheek where it belongs.

Not only is it irritating for anyone around the person doing it to have to listen to the tinny, "nails on a chalkboard" sound of a speakerphone from a few feet away, it's also harder to hear for both people involved in the conversation. Speakerphone picks up so much ambient noise and isn't nearly as direct in getting sound into your ear.

Any time I end up on the phone with anyone who isn't familiar with my idiosyncrasies, one of the first things out of my mouth is almost always "can you please take me off speaker phone?" I definitely get push back.

I know this puts me into "old man yells at cloud" status, but it's just getting so much worse and is an even bigger pet peeve of mine than my grammar sensitivities.

*posted from my Android phone while eating lunch at the farmers market
 
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New emoji reactions 👍👍

Phone rant 👍👎

I thought it was going to be about people don’t like to talk on the phone at all and prefer to text. I get annoyed when it takes 6 or 10 texts or emails to make a decision on something that would’ve been a 2 minute call.
 
Matt B said:
New emoji reactions 👍👍

Phone rant 👍👎

I thought it was going to be about people don’t like to talk on the phone at all and prefer to text. I get annoyed when it takes 6 or 10 texts or emails to make a decision on something that would’ve been a 2 minute call.
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I was wondering if when he said he was doing it at lunch, he was using voice recognition to type the words into the post
 
Fourbtgait said:
I was wondering if when he said he was doing it at lunch, he was using voice recognition to type the words into the post
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Never will I ever.

And 9 times out of 10, I prefer texts to phone calls. I am a lot better at collecting my thoughts and remembering what I need to say with texting. I'm not at all a good vocal communicator.
 
Evan B said:
I've been noticing this becoming more and more of a thing as time goes on. Bugs me to no end. But it's now far more the norm than not.

Why is it, that no matter when, where, or how personal a call it is, the default now is either speaker phone or facetime? I see more people holding the receiver out in front of their face like it's a slice of pizza than up on the cheek where it belongs.

Not only is it irritating for anyone around the person doing it to have to listen to the tinny, "nails on a chalkboard" sound of a speakerphone from a few feet away, it's also harder to hear for both people involved in the conversation. Speakerphone picks up so much ambient noise and isn't nearly as direct in getting sound into your ear.

Any time I end up on the phone with anyone who isn't familiar with my idiosyncrasies, one of the first things out of my mouth is almost always "can you please take me off speaker phone?" I definitely get push back.

I know this puts me into "old man yells at cloud" status, but it's just getting so much worse and is an even bigger pet peeve of mine than my grammar sensitivities.

*posted from my Android phone while eating lunch at the farmers market
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What did you have for lunch at the Farmers Market?
 
troutstalker said:
What did you have for lunch at the Farmers Market?
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A hilariously overpriced and small hot turkey basil sandwich. It was OK. Not $15 OK though. It was like $6 OK.

Rant inspired because literally every person I saw at the Farmers market who was having a phone conversation was on speakerphone or FaceTime. I had people on either side of me at the picnic area on FaceTime. It finally broke me.
 
Evan B said:
A hilariously overpriced and small hot turkey basil sandwich. It was OK. Not $15 OK though. It was like $6 OK.
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I enjoy going to my local farmers market and getting food but find the prices are usually higher. It’s annoying having to listen to others phone conversations.
 
Post made from Chat GPT and voice transcription, with phone out in front of me like a slice of pizza ( no pineapple) while on speakerphone driving under the speed limit in the left lane and having a road soda and a bong hit.

Covered it all...
:)
 
I agree with @Matt B about it taking 10 texts to accomplish what a phone call could accomplish in a minute or two. A pet peeve of mine.

Unless otherwise communicated, phone calls are private conversations. When on a speaker phone, privacy can be lost. Others can hear your conversation, maybe even ones you do not want to hear what you have to say. One does not know who else is on the other end ---> unless announced.

I too am dismayed how many people walk around in public places talking on a speaker phone. I do not want to know about their personal business at all. It is noisy enough in the public arena already. No need to add to it.

With all that being said, I use the speaker phone a lot at home. When hearing capabilities are not as great as they were when I was younger, I find using a speaker phone helps. I do tell the caller on the other end what I am doing and why. I also make sure no one is with in 'earshot'.

Many people use earbuds for music. I appreciate that a lot! Why not use those same earbuds with a mic?
 
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Brute said:
I’ve yet to use the FaceTime feature on my phone…and prefer texts to phone conversations as well…I like a written record of what was said…

Always hate it when an attorney refuses to answer email or text…only wants a “phone call’…
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I completely agree with you. Written text is golden. I just do emails rather than texts whenever I can.

BTW, what is FaceTime?

Side note:

In Washington, all parties have to agree to a phone call to be recorded.

In Oregon, only one party has to agree to recording.
 
RCF said:
I agree with @Matt B about it taking 10 texts to accomplish what a phone call could accomplish in a minute or two. A pet peeve of mine.

Unless otherwise communicated, phone calls are private conversations. When on a speaker phone, privacy can be lost. Others can hear your conversation, maybe even ones you do not want to hear what you have to say. One does not know who else is on the other end ---> unless announced.

I too am dismayed how many people walk around in public places talking on a speaker phone. I do not want to know about their personal business at all. It is noisy enough in the public arena already. No need to add to it.

With all that being said, I use the speaker phone a lot at home. When hearing capabilities are not as great as they were when I was younger, I find using a speaker phone helps. I do tell the caller on the other end what I am doing and why. I also make sure no one is with in 'earshot'.

Many people use earbuds for music. I appreciate that a lot! Why not use those same earbuds with a mic?
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Most earbuds do have mic capabilities. Mine do. I don't think most people know they can work both ways.
 
RCF said:
I completely agree with you. Written text is golden. I just do emails rather than texts whenever I can.

BTW, what is FaceTime?

Side note:

In Washington, all parties have to agree to a phone call to be recorded.

In Oregon, only one party has to agree to recording.
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So what if I call someone in Washington and record it?
 
Evan B said:
So what if I call someone in Washington and record it?
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All parties must agree...

"In Washington State, recording a phone call or private conversation generally requires the consent of all parties involved, as it's a "two-party consent" state. This is outlined in RCW 9.73.030. Therefore, you cannot secretly record a phone call or conversation without the knowledge and consent of everyone participating. "
 
Evan B said:
I've been noticing this becoming more and more of a thing as time goes on. Bugs me to no end. But it's now far more the norm than not.

Why is it, that no matter when, where, or how personal a call it is, the default now is either speaker phone or facetime? I see more people holding the receiver out in front of their face like it's a slice of pizza than up on the cheek where it belongs.

Not only is it irritating for anyone around the person doing it to have to listen to the tinny, "nails on a chalkboard" sound of a speakerphone from a few feet away, it's also harder to hear for both people involved in the conversation. Speakerphone picks up so much ambient noise and isn't nearly as direct in getting sound into your ear.

Any time I end up on the phone with anyone who isn't familiar with my idiosyncrasies, one of the first things out of my mouth is almost always "can you please take me off speaker phone?" I definitely get push back.

I know this puts me into "old man yells at cloud" status, but it's just getting so much worse and is an even bigger pet peeve of mine than my grammar sensitivities.

*posted from my Android phone while eating lunch at the farmers market
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Evan -
You have to have a few more grey hairs before you can truly be an "old man (who) yells at cloud" (I qualify). I too prefer not to hear other peoples two way phone calls but I do use my speaker phone when I'm at home talking to: the insurance companies, health professionals or a business type call where I need to write things down.

I will NOT answer a FaceTime call unless it is from my daughter and her kids.

I find it interesting that you and many others prefer text messaging rather than a good old fashioned phone conversation. I like to hear my friends voices.....

iPad Duqlique
 
Buzzy said:
Evan -
You have to have a few more grey hairs before you can truly be an "old man (who) yells at cloud" (I qualify). I too prefer not to hear other peoples two way phone calls but I do use my speaker phone when I'm at home talking to: the insurance companies, health professionals or a business type call where I need to write things down.

I will NOT answer a FaceTime call unless it is from my daughter and her kids.

I find it interesting that you and many others prefer text messaging rather than a good old fashioned phone conversation. I like to hear my friends voices.....

iPad Duqlique
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I don't HATE phone conversations, they're just not my preference for effective communication. Despite what it may seem on here, my verbal communication skills are far inferior to my writing/typing communication skills. My brain is just wired better for it.

I rarely if ever talk just to talk (classic introvert trait). If I'm trying to communicate something important or make a plan, I choose the method I know I'll be most effective.

For gray hairs: my beard gas plenty. I'm sure my head does, too, but I have a more polished bald look vs sporting hairs of any color.
 
www.thebeaverton.com

Local woman waiting to return her missed calls until she's on crowded bus

OTTAWA – Local woman Marlene Kovach has decided to wait to return all her calls until she can do so in the middle of a bus full of other people. “Sure I could call my mom when I get home,” said Kovach. “But it’s way more time efficient to do it in a place where […]
www.thebeaverton.com www.thebeaverton.com

My work calls are almost always on speaker phone, because I need to type while I am talking. But I use a high quality desktop IP speaker phone for work calls.
 
Even when I'm home by myself, I use my earbuds to do my hands-free talking. Far better audio quality.
 
Phone calls are best at communicating emotions. I believe emails are better at communicating emotions than texts but not as good as voice calls.
 
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