People Who Don't Answer Their Phones

[Shadow]

I hate the phone.

I flat out refuse to answer it. When I'm alone, I'll let the answering machine pick it up. If it's a friend, family member or someone I want to talk with, then I'll pick it up. Otherwise, I just let them leave a message.

When the wife is home, I let her answer it when it rings, but she knows to not tell people that I am immediately available, because it's usually some telemarketer.

I've never believed that just because the phone is ringing, I have to answer it.

[AndyC]

When the wife is home, I let her answer it when it rings, but she knows to not tell people that I am immediately available, because it's usually some telemarketer.

I prefer to let my wife get the phone, only because it's for her more often than it's for me anyway. If I know she can't reach a phone in three rings, I'll grab it. As for telemarketers, anybody who asks for one of us without first identifying themselves gets asked what the call is about. If they don't give an immediate and satisfactory answer, we hang up.

[Mr. DS]

The machine answers the phone in our house.

[Susan]

i didn't think anyone used phones anymore. I thought everyone was texting

[CheezeFlixz]

i didn't think anyone used phones anymore. I thought everyone was texting

I HATE texting! My sister and her daughter text me all the time and I never reply, then they'll call and ask why I didn't reply to their text and I say "Because it's a phone, call me."

[RCMerchant]

i didn't think anyone used phones anymore. I thought everyone was texting

I HATE texting! My sister and her daughter text me all the time and I never reply, then they'll call and ask why I didn't reply to their text and I say "Because it's a phone, call me."

I hate cell phones. Actually...I hate phones! People act like the world will end without cell phones,computers,and so forth! The world has been going round sicnce dinosauers! Geronimo didn't have a cell phone or a beeper! Neither did your grandfather,father or YOU...depending on how old you are! Did Jesus have E! Channel spreading his word? Am I starting to babble like a manatic? (yes...I meant to type manatic....I'm gonna TM that word!)

[BeyondTheGrave]

Not a big fan of the phone. I always pick up my cell which only a few people call me anyway but my house phone, wouldn't have one if I didn't need it for DSL and my mom and grandfather do need it.

Texting is ok if you want to send a quick message but actually making a whole convesation out of it? I will never understand.

[Allhallowsday]

I hate cell phones. Actually...I hate phones! People act like the world will end without cell phones,computers,and so forth! The world has been going round sicnce dinosauers! Geronimo didn't have a cell phone or a beeper! Neither did your grandfather,father or YOU...depending on how old you are! Did Jesus have E! Channel spreading his word? Am I starting to babble like a manatic? (yes...I meant to type manatic....I'm gonna TM that word!)

Yes!  Your postings are getting more insane.     Thanks for the good larf. 

I've got two particular friends who never answer their phones.  They haven't for years.  They're not busy.  Yes, they do have jobs, but I know their hours and when they're home, they sit around in front of the TV.  It usually takes me going over to their house to contact them.  When I ask them why they don't answer their phone, they say, "I was busy."  I come back with, "I left you a message.  Were you too busy to take a minute to call me back?"  Then they give me the lame excuse that they didn't check their voice mail.  I've even asked their wife/girlfriend about it, assuming that maybe my friend doesn't like me much anymore and if I did something wrong.  And they tell me that my friend doesn't answer their phone for anyone.

 

I don't care how busy a person is or how introverted and society-shy they might be.  People who never answer their phone or bother to return calls are rude and lazy.Their behavior is beyond selfish.

"Beyond selfish...?"  Really?? I'm a dead duck. 

They sure as hell will use their phone to make calls when they need to.
Maybe it's a power trip kinda thing.  Maybe when their phone rings, they look at the caller I.D., see that it's me and think, "Haha!  I don't have to answer you.  I have the power!  Haha!"

Insecure, maybe just a bit?  Reminds me of Susan's thread: Get over it! 

What makes a person not want to pick up when a friend calls?
I can understand if they're having a bad day.  But when they've been doing it for years, it's a problem.
Whenever my phone rings, I always pick it up.  The only time I don't is if I don't recognize the number.
Blatantly ignoring my friends by never answering my phone is unthinkable to me.
I'm about ready to issue an ultimatum to these two guys and tell them that if they continue to do it, they can forget about having me as a friend.

LOL  Oh my goodness, you're giving me that material to work with?   

How about you?
Got any friends who are notorious for never answering their phones?

I hate talking on the phone.  My old employer offered to pay for a cell phone, but I refused, I won't carry one of the things and don't want my calls following me around.  I do see the value of a cell phone for security purposes, but I don't want one. 
Are you sure your "friends" just don't want to talk to you? 

[trekgeezer]

We also have the on screen caller ID, a great invention. Now I don't have to get out of my chair to know whether or not to answer the call.  I use the same system at work and home if I don't know the number and they don't leave voice mail I ain't picking it up.

[Wag]

I was that friend that didn't answer - I always saw phones as an invasion of my privacy. Why should someone on the phone get priority over the people I am with in person or whatever I am doing, just because of the intrusion of an annoying ringtone? (In that respect, I prefer texting as it is at the recipient's pace and time scale, although I attribute a decline in literacy standards to text language).

Thankfully most of my friends now know that I do not answer my phone (although they are lucky it I have it charged or turned on as it is never a priority for me) so rarely ring me. They text and email instead so if they do phone me, I know it is for something important.

[AnubisVonMojo]

I don't answer my phone because the only people who call me are bill collectors, telemarketers, and robo-calls from my local congressman. If someone calls with a number I don't recognize and they don't leave a message, then obviously they don't care enough to talk to me and as such I do not pick up the phone.

[RCMerchant]

What I really hate is when telemarketers or bill collecters call me and say..."All are operators are busy. Please hold."
THEY call ME at MY home and put me on HOLD!?!?! Do they really expect me to sit thier and HOLD when they called ME?!?!?! HA!!!

[AndyC]

I once got a call from the campaign of some local candidate running for MP or MPP. Can't remember which. Anyway, this campaign volunteer asks me who I'm voting for. I tell him it's none of his business, but if he really must know, I was voting for his guy. But being as his campaign is the only one currently abusing my telephone number, I'm seriously reconsidering. He got flustered and started to make the usual excuses, and I hung up.

What I really hate is the marketers who won't take no for an answer. Politely decline their offer and they just keep pushing. Finally, I just have to tell them to f**k off and slam the phone down. You can just imagine this being the basis for some horror story about how rude people are to telemarketers.

I've only once felt sorry for a telemarketer. Somebody called for a donation to a charity I would gladly support. I told him this, but explained that I would not support telemarketing. His feeling was that since it was for charity, it wasn't telemarketing. I respectfully disagreed and told him good day.

Funny, I don't mind so much if somebody comes canvassing door to door, either for an election or a charity. I guess it's because it's usually a local person and they're taking the time to speak face-to-face. The exceptions to that are, of course, Jehovah's Witnesses and official-looking guys trying to get a look at my gas bill. They get the door slammed in their faces.

[Jack]

"Please stay on the line to receive an important message!"  Egads.
 
Then there's some damned machine calling me up.  I get up, not the easiest thing to do when the cat is sleeping on the footrest of the recliner, put the TV on mute (that's okay, they were just about to give the DNA results for the half chimpanzee / half human thing that I've been watching for the last 50 minutes), start for the phone, almost there...it quits ringing.    Marvelous.  I'm sure their computerized telemarketing system probably increases their profits a couple of percent, and all they have to do is call millions and millions of people and hang up on them just before they answer.

[akiratubo]

The one I hate is when I miss a call  by scant seconds, dial the person back, and they've TURNED OFF THEIR CELL PHONE.     What the hell is that?  You can ring me up but you can't be bothered to keep your phone on in case I want to call back and find out what the hell you wanted?  If that's the case, at least leave me a freaking message!