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phone etiquette
Aug. 10th, 2004 07:44 amWho is teaching people how to use the phone these days? Obviously no-one. Now, I hate the phone in general, and it usually shows. However, I generally follow a few simple rules, which were obviously completely lost on the chucklehead who just called me.
First, when calling someone who isn't a friend that you know has caller ID*, identify yourself. "Hi, my name is X" goes a long way. For god's sake, if you can't manage that, at least don't start off with "Who is this?" Because I'm not going to tell you who I am if your voice is completely unfamiliar to me.
Secondly, the above goes double if you don't know why you have the number you're calling. Seriously. If you have some number on a piece of paper, and you're making an experimental call, the person on the other end owes you nothing. And I won't help you, even if you sound helpless, if you've started off asking who I am right away, but don't have the courtesy to tell me who you are.
Thirdly, if you're making an experimental call to a number you have on a piece of paper, don't call at stupid times. At 7:45 in the morning, either people are sleeping in, or they're frantically trying to get ready for work. Neither type of person is going to be remotely happy to get a phone call from some yahoo who isn't really sure why he's calling.
Finally, don't end the whole thing with "oh.. well... ::list off number:: I don't know. Do you know ::insert name of X::?" At this point, even if she's my best friend, you've annoyed me enough that I'm not going to tell you. Besides, it kind of puts the lie to your little helpless "oh, I don't know, I just had this number".
For the record, the conversation went like this:
Me: Hello?
Him: Who is this?
Me: Well, you called me.
Him: Oh. ::weak laugh:: Well, I just have this number and I was calling to find out why. Umm....
Me: So you don't know who you're trying to call?
Him: No, not really.
Me: I really can't help you then.
Him: oh.. well... ::list off number:: I don't know. Do you know ::insert name of X::?
Me: Not in the slightest.
Him: Oh, ok. Sorry
-----
* Which is to say, if the person is a friend but doesn't have caller id, it's kindest to identify yourself. If you know the person has caller id, but isn't a friend, identify yourself.
First, when calling someone who isn't a friend that you know has caller ID*, identify yourself. "Hi, my name is X" goes a long way. For god's sake, if you can't manage that, at least don't start off with "Who is this?" Because I'm not going to tell you who I am if your voice is completely unfamiliar to me.
Secondly, the above goes double if you don't know why you have the number you're calling. Seriously. If you have some number on a piece of paper, and you're making an experimental call, the person on the other end owes you nothing. And I won't help you, even if you sound helpless, if you've started off asking who I am right away, but don't have the courtesy to tell me who you are.
Thirdly, if you're making an experimental call to a number you have on a piece of paper, don't call at stupid times. At 7:45 in the morning, either people are sleeping in, or they're frantically trying to get ready for work. Neither type of person is going to be remotely happy to get a phone call from some yahoo who isn't really sure why he's calling.
Finally, don't end the whole thing with "oh.. well... ::list off number:: I don't know. Do you know ::insert name of X::?" At this point, even if she's my best friend, you've annoyed me enough that I'm not going to tell you. Besides, it kind of puts the lie to your little helpless "oh, I don't know, I just had this number".
For the record, the conversation went like this:
Me: Hello?
Him: Who is this?
Me: Well, you called me.
Him: Oh. ::weak laugh:: Well, I just have this number and I was calling to find out why. Umm....
Me: So you don't know who you're trying to call?
Him: No, not really.
Me: I really can't help you then.
Him: oh.. well... ::list off number:: I don't know. Do you know ::insert name of X::?
Me: Not in the slightest.
Him: Oh, ok. Sorry
-----
* Which is to say, if the person is a friend but doesn't have caller id, it's kindest to identify yourself. If you know the person has caller id, but isn't a friend, identify yourself.
