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I'll gladly join this rant. One time my kids and I were at Disneyland, and we saw a family nearby when we were eating lunch. The dad was on his cell phone; the wife and kids looked less than thrilled. I wanted to march over there, grab the phone from his hand and toss in the nearest trash can! He couldn't take one DAY out of his busy life to spend it 100% in the here and now with his family?! That was just so pathetic.
I completely sympathize with any customer service rep who won't wait on someone who's on their cell. My attitude would be: "If you can't give me your undivided attention for the two minutes it will take me to help you, then why should I make you a priority?"
I hardly ever use my cell. Most of the time it sits in my purse waiting for some kind of an emergency. However, there have been rare occurrences when I have called home when I'm at the market to say something like, "They're out of Lay's chips. What else would you like?" Such a conversation lasts only two minutes, though.
I've heard people talking about their love lives and other private concerns. What is it about being on a cell phone that suddenly renders everyone else around you stone deaf?
LOL!!! I just hope none of ya'll are around when my hubby gets a call. Be it from a customer that their system is down and he has to trouble shoot and walk them thru the process or it is a dire emergency needing immediate attention. We don't deal in computers or any kind of technical support but what we do handle effects all of you and trust me, if the place you are at trying to get service/attention has a problem and they are needing someone ASAP to fix it for them you will be glad my husband has his phone on him. His also rings during the middle of the night only for emergencies. I'm not going to say what kind of business he is in as it would give it away in our area but we deal w/ communications, hospitals, large manufacturing plants, surgery centers, etc. We have been on vacation and he has gotten a call if no one back at home could handle it, those things happen and we know it. We realize that his business has afforded us the luxury of the vacation we are on. A few minutes for him to get a customer taken care of out of a week is not going to tear our family apart. He also has internet capabilities on his and email. With GPS on all of our other phones if something comes up and in our industry we are required by federal law under the Homeland Security laws to know where every single truck is at every minute. If something happens at the business during off hours (break in or such) he can look up the security cameras and see what is going on. Don't say anything about security alarms, we have those and are required but nowadays too many cities have made it a law w/ their police departments that they will not answer an alarm until it is verified by the business. Trust me, you would be VERY happy my husband has his cell phone if your life depended on it.
Before any of you go getting all upset and defensive, I do admit there are PLENTY of people out there that totally abuse them. There are people that should not be allowed to listen to the radio and drive at the same time let alone talk on a cell phone while driving. They have caused accidents but there are plenty of accidents that happen that were not caused by cell phone usage. I see more people distracted in their driving while eating, talking to fellow passangers, messing w/ the kids, applying makeup, shaving, etc.
Pretty soon in Texas we will be required to have handsfree on cellphones if they are being used while driving. I have one car w/ Bluetooth and one w/o it. My new phone is Bluetooth capable and very uncomfortable to hold but I was trying to find a phone w/ big enough buttons for me to see and use (that darn age thing). In my car that is Bluetooth I LOVE IT!!! But when I would be in my other car that is used more for business it was a pain. I HATED IT!!! So I broke down and bought one of those icky ear pieces. I don't like things on my ears or anything and the only time I use it at all is only when in the car. If I am not in the car, I don't use it. If I get a call when I'm in somewhere if it is not important I ask if I can call them back. Usually though most are just quick questions and then done with and I hang up. My mother on the other hand.................. urgh....... when she calls I may push the "busy" button or answer and act like I'm in some hurry or something. She will call over nothing. I don't really care what the person said to you or did at the store or wherever. Then the fact she talks loud to start with. I can literally hold the phone a foot away and hear everything crystal clear. So using that stupid earpiece w/ her on the phone..... NO!!!! I'd be deaf.
All in all, they do have their place and are needed............ in their place. So people.......... stop buying your kids all cellphones. Right now there is another thread about people ditching their landline and going only cellphones. No thanks. I do NOT want some people knowing my cell number, they can call the house and leave a message if I'm not there. So w/ more and more people going to strictly cellphones it is only going to get worse.
I'm glad none of you live near me...you'd go nuts!
LMAO!!! Realtors and cell phones, yep, that is enough to drive anyone nuts. Btw, my mom is a realtor. But then your a young single guy w/ a profession and a nice car............ your phone is probably worn out every two days.
LMAO!!! Realtors and cell phones, yep, that is enough to drive anyone nuts. Btw, my mom is a realtor. But then your a young single guy w/ a profession and a nice car............ your phone is probably worn out every two days.
Thanks for the compliment but I admit I'm addicted to my cell phone. I also have a Blackberry which doesn't leave my side either (probably worse, eh?). A couple of my friends had bet me that I couldn't go 1 day without using a cell phone...needless to say I lost that bet.
My phone goes off every 10-15 minutes (literally) and I always feel a need to get it. Even if I see the number and know it isn't urgent, I feel weird just letting it ring.
When I was with my family last year, we try to put our cell phones aside and just enjoy each others company. Well for me that's like asking to cut off your finger and set it aside. True story:
I was at church once with my parents and a few other relatives. We were sitting near to the front and guess what....yep my cell phone goes off. Now I usually put it on vibrate when I'm in a place like that (church, movie theater, resturant, etc) but this time I forgot. And to make matters worse my ringtone was quite...annoying to say the least. So here I am sitting in church, near to the front, and my cell phone is blaring a bunch of "colourful" words.
I was so embarrassed I was nearly running out. I got out and did what I do naturally...answered my phone. It was a friend calling to see what resturant I recommend him to try! Needless to say my dad gave me a good lecture when we got back (hey, 26 isn't too old to be taught a lesson).
I was just going to say people and cell phone's in church to much, you did make me laugh.
Also teenagers and young adults(like you) who use the cell phone at home and not the land line drives me nuts. I keep telling my son why are you calling so and so on your cell phone and our phone. We have a family plan and he uses well over 1/2 the minutes and we have 4 phones on the plan.
All the other things people have mentioned bug me to, took my son's friend to dinner with us and yup he answers the phone at the table he calls me Mom so next time I will tell him what I think.
people in cars should use hands free, you have to in the UK,yes it drives me mad when they don"t signal or almost hit me and make out its my fault! i say to them i'm not physic. Please when in a restaurant go outside or turn it off.
Yes i do have one .
heh
Cellphone abuse is probably my biggest pet peeve.
Nothing like being a slave to convenience--and enslaving everyone else with you.
Of course cells have their good points. It's just that when it comes to where and when they should be used, too many people lack courtesy and common sense.
I don't own one of those wretched things, though I probably should, living in this rural area with my husband now working 5 hours away.
Last night I was at a meeting at my son's high school, and every few minutes or so someone's phone would go off, we'd be treated to everything from snippets of Chamillionaire's Ridin' to overtures from Beethoven.
I was at a movie Sunday and the same thing happened. I and other people asked the guy to turn his phone off, which seemed to take like 5 minutes.
Yeah it is a part of life, but that does not mean I have to like it.
I really appreciate places of business which request that people turn those silly things off. Recycled, I am especially impressed with your forward-thinking company's policy.
Realistically everything has the potential for abuse. Please don't think that I don't have a cell phone because I do and on rare occasions I have even used it while driving to call a doctor's office and tell them I am running late. And I don't even have a problem at the grocery store if someone is standing in front of a shelf and calling home to see if something is needed. It's the just walking up and down the aisles blathering about nothing in particular that sets me off. I absolutely support the existance of cell phones and would not want to be without mine but no one needs to be available at every moment of every day. Part of the problem is that we are no longer able to wait for much of anything - we want it now, always.
Last year my (former) boss told me that he wanted me to be available to him by phone 24/7 and that included nights, weekends and vacations. I told him that I was not prepared to take calls if I was out with my husband/friends for the evening nor was I going to stay accessible while on vacation. If something came up he could leave a message and I would call him back when I was free. No, that was not good enough. (He had once called me from across the country to give him a phone number that he had in the blackberry in his hand.) At that point (and for other reasons) I told him that I was not prepared to commit any more of my personal time to the job and he should look for my replacement. He seemed stunned but I held my ground and left 6 weeks later for a much better job. I am also very selective about who I give my cell number to and I keep my phone turned off during the work day.
No offense to the poster with the ringing phone in church but I think it's just nuts to feel compelled to answer every time it rings. A ringing phone is an intrusion unless it is really an important call(er). It is sort of like getting a call from someone and then being put on hold while they take another call - yikes! We're just becoming a rude society in so many ways. Vent over...
Well, until society as a whole changes and stops expecting immediate answers and such it is only going to get worse. My mom, a realtor, turns her phone off when she gets to church (where she is EVERY Sunday morning and evening) and checks messages when she gets in the car. She has had MANY clients get mad because she was not available. I'd be willing to bet that the people that complain the most about cell phone abuse are most likely the very ones that get upset when they can not get ahold of someone RIGHT NOW. Even my husband turns his phone off when he pulls into church and his job can have serious emergencies. The message people get when they call after hours says "for an emergency, leave a message........". You would not believe the messages that are left. They are FAR from emergencies. Such is the society we live in. Everyone has to have it right now no matter what. So if you are complaining about cell phone abuse, you better not be the one that gets mad when you have to leave someone a message as you can not get ahold of them right then.
I love the new clip that starts playing just before the movies start now at AMC Theaters. It starts w/ a baby crying and it sounds real. Then a phone rings and the baby gets louder, then people start talking, etc. It is funny.
As for the sign outside of a business to turn phones off. I've had worse. We actually had a customer that brought in a very large dog of a breed that is not the most friendly. It was growling at an employee, the guy said he was hungry. My husband saw it and was just hoping the guy would hurry up and leave. Well when it started barking and getting mad he had enough. He went and told the guy to take the dog out and leave it out that dogs were not allowed inside the business. The moron had the nerve to say that he did not see a sign posted. GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!! So if we post all of these signs saying what is NOT allowed inside is anyone going to stop and read them all. Not a chance. Common sense should prevail in all circumstances.
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One time my kids and I were at Disneyland, and we saw a family nearby when we were eating lunch. The dad was on his cell phone; the wife and kids looked less than thrilled. I wanted to march over there, grab the phone from his hand and toss in the nearest trash can! He couldn't take one DAY out of his busy life to spend it 100% in the here and now with his family?! 
That was just so pathetic. 
