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#91
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
Banty wrote:
In article , toypup says... [snip] Right. But my problem has been with the school office and teachers (and one friend who is one of those hooked-up folks with the cell on her beltloop..). They call my *cell*. Getting my message box, they leave a message, and think they're done. I'm sitting at work, I'm sitting right next to my landline at home; no call. [snip] I'd leave a message with the teacher that you don't turn your cell phone on, especially on the emergency calling card (where I wouldn't even bother to list my cell phone). Then they shouldn't complain. If they do, just remind them you don't turn it on and don't let it bother you. They should get it eventually. If not, it's their problem, not yours. [snip] But life comes at ya fast (like the ad). Things have changed! Now Mommy presumably has her cell attched to her Mommy-jean gathered waistline while she hauls little bro and little sis around all tarnation dontcha know. And the emergency card numbers get programmed into some database, which loses my big red bold arrows, and the new default is - the cell! Argggh. It *is* my problem if I want to be contacted by the school regarding my son. And I do, no? [snip] Well, I want a message left on my home phone, but also for them to ring my mobile. Basically, all our phones seem to go to answer phone mode if you don't answer them within a few rings. So I might be rushing to the phone when it kicks into answer mode, or I might be in the garden and not hear it, or I might have gone to the corner shop. I'll see the message light next time I pass, and get the message. I probably won't even have my mobile on, and if I do, I won't check it (because I'm at home). However, sometimes I'm not home, and I'll have my mobile with me and on. I've been in that situation a couple of times where the school really does need to contact me, and I'm not at home. For instance earlier this year, I spent a lot of time visiting someone in hospital over 60 miles from home. I had time to drive to the hospital, have a reasonable visit, and get home about the same time as the kids got out of school. There were two occasions where the school had to be in touch with me before I got back. Once was to say the after-school club had been cancelled, so i had to make an alternative arrangement, and once because the child had had an accident (not serious, but I needed to know). Yes, in both cases the school would probably have managed, but I did need to know. -- Penny Gaines UK mum to three |
#92
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
"Banty" wrote in message ... Right. But my problem has been with the school office and teachers (and one friend who is one of those hooked-up folks with the cell on her beltloop..). They call my *cell*. Getting my message box, they leave a message, and think they're done. I'm sitting at work, I'm sitting right next to my landline at home; no call. Then they complain that 'they couldnt' raise me by phone', assuming that, since I didnt' answer my cell, and dontcha know *everyone* has their cell with them all the time, they weren't going to try my landlines either. Maybe they'd all like a new poster? You know the one. It says something to the effect of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Get the one with a pic of a cell phone and paste in your face by the phone. I know. Sarcasm off. I just couldn't resist it. I'm with you on this one. If there's a problem they should call *all* your numbers. If there isn't they should leave you voice mail at home. You'll be home eventually. This issue is similar to the one i have about people failing to follow instructions when I call a business/doc and leave a please call me at work between 9 and 5 message and, they invariably leave me v/m at home. Um, they are closed when I'm home and they don't follow instructions well, and, I can't get a live person on the phone when I call them. Sigh. Maybe its just that there is so much to process people put as much as they can to auto-default mode and don't think before acting? So, what happens when you put an outgoing message on your v/m telling people you don't respond to messages left on your cell phone? Have you tried that? It *might* work, although I've noticed an amazing number of folks who fail to listen to outgoing voice messages on all manner of phones. You have my condolences, but know you are not alone in your frustrations. God forbid they should ever be attempting to reach you in a true emergency. Aula |
#93
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
"toypup" wrote in message .. . On 12 Sep 2007 13:24:31 -0700, Banty wrote: It *is* my problem if I want to be contacted by the school regarding my son. And I do, no? Sure, but they can leave messages like everyone else. For emergencies, can you just have them take your cell phone number out of the school's database? Then, they'd have no choice but to call a land line. I just don't fill in the blanks on forms that request email addy's or cell phone numbers. Then they don't have the info and can't [mis] use it. You are a bit beyond that stage with the schools, but perhaps a letter to the attendance officer and/or school guidance folks might have an impact. Either that or a letter to the editor of the yellowest local news paper you can find. [ok, back to the evil grin dept., sorry] -Aula Aula |
#94
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
"toypup" wrote in message news On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:08:34 -0400, Aula wrote: This just underscores your later point [snipped below] that many just don't seem to be able to wait a little while to contact someone. No. It just reinforces the fact that people like me don't like talking to machines. So, what do people who refuse to leave voice messages do in order to get a return call in this day and age of do more with less often translating to no live people who have time to take written messages and walk them around large buildings to find someone? -Aula, wondering |
#95
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Cell phone for a second grader
"toypup" wrote in message ... Miss Manners says we don't have to talk to machines. I wonder if she says that about private lines only or includes business lines as well. Those who refuse to leave v/m for our staff, who do not answer their phones when they are with a client, on another line, in the bathroom, or out sick, receive services at a much slower speed because the business must then be conducted either face to face or via snail mail. That is not uncommon in the business world. Even a message simply requesting a return call to so and so at xyz number works. Details on the message are often not required, although in our office we do request that a case number also be left so that we can pull the file before returning the call. Aula |
#96
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
When dh had a heart attack in the Bahamas, he was airlifted to Miami.
We had made an appointment for 3 weeks after he got out of the hospital with the doctor that did his procedure. The doctor subsequently decided not to work on that day. So what did his office do??? They called our MARYLAND landline number and left a message. Even though they had a local contact number (dd#2 where we were staying). How stupid is that? As a result we showed up for his appointment to find no doctor there, and the office in complete chaos because the office manager had gone to a branch office and wanted some records that it turned out (after they turned the office upside down looking for them) that she had taken with her. The office was too busy to train the new office girl at her first day at work. Eventually I started helping them out by answering phones and filing records. (It's not rocket science) Because I was nice to them, the defacto head office person let us see the senior member of the practice which was a much better deal for dh than if he'd seen the original doctor. "Aula" wrote: "Banty" wrote in message ... Nan - by "ignore" do you mean screening calls, and not necessarily picking up for you? Because I know some folks just hate getting that answering machine, even if people do pick up. There are a *lot* of people out there who just don't seem to want to leave voice mail, even for people at work, which simply astounds me. I cannot begin to tell you about the times when i cover our front desk and transfer a call to someone's phone, only to have it go to v/m because they are on a line or with a client, and the person immediately phones back and wants to talk to someone right away because they didn't get their worker. I ask if they've left their worker a message [remember, I'm the supervisor they think they are going to talk to after bypassing their worker] and they tell me they did not. I explain to them that their worker will return their call, usually within the day, but they cannot do that unless they leave a message and *then* ask if they are going to be available by phone later. It is rare that they are both in a crisis of some sort and cannot wait for a return call or have no way for someone to call them back later. They always agree, at that point, to go back to the worker's line [and not always to v/m if by then the worker ended their other call]. This just underscores your later point [snipped below] that many just don't seem to be able to wait a little while to contact someone. The crisis is a reason to phone 911 or find someone to let them know there is a life or death issue. It is not a crisis that you cannot immediately tell someone that pink nail polish is on sale. I think it all started with instant mashed potatoes. ;-) Patience has taken a real nose dive in first world cultures, or at least in the US. And, being personally consistent, I do not give out my cell phone number to anyone. My boss, husband, son and parents have it. That's it. I think I've received five incoming calls [other than misdials] in the three years I've had it. I plan to keep it for my use in an emergency [picture sliding off the road in a snow storm] or the occassional call to let family know I'm running late coming home from somewhere. That's it. It is for my convenience and I refuse to play attendance on it. -Aula I've finally gotten my older two dds to call my landline first and it helps that we've had that number since 1973 when the oldest was in 7th grade. DD#3 is more likely to communicate by email. |
#97
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
"Rosalie B." wrote in message ... When dh had a heart attack in the Bahamas, he was airlifted to Miami. We had made an appointment for 3 weeks after he got out of the hospital with the doctor that did his procedure. The doctor subsequently decided not to work on that day. So what did his office do??? They called our MARYLAND landline number and left a message. Even though they had a local contact number (dd#2 where we were staying). How stupid is that? As a result we showed up for his appointment to find no doctor there, and the office in complete chaos because the office manager had gone to a branch office and wanted some records that it turned out (after they turned the office upside down looking for them) that she had taken with her. The office was too busy to train the new office girl at her first day at work. Eventually I started helping them out by answering phones and filing records. (It's not rocket science) Because I was nice to them, the defacto head office person let us see the senior member of the practice which was a much better deal for dh than if he'd seen the original doctor. It sounds like that worked out for you, but I do hope that the office staff learned the lesson that day. You would think that working people would be the first ones to check to see if you listed a number other than home as the primary *day time* number! -Aula |
#98
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
In article , toypup says...
On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:08:34 -0400, Aula wrote: This just underscores your later point [snipped below] that many just don't seem to be able to wait a little while to contact someone. No. It just reinforces the fact that people like me don't like talking to machines. Actually, in that case, it's more of a fear of one's call going into a black hole of day after next callbacks and "telephone tag". Or that 4:30 callback hour that seems to hold true a lot of times. Every professional seems to have that 4 to 5 o'clock message-answering habit. Which means, if I call two medical offices, I'll be on the phone to one, when the other call comes in. Although I have no problem at all talking to an answering machine, when it comes to leaving messages with realtors, doctor's office, and the like, I really resist it. It's not the machines; it's the hassles with the callback. It's not even that I think I deserve to talk to them *right then*. If I *knew* that I'd get a call within a certain time (yes, I know - that call taker ALLLWAYYYS says the call will be returned - yeah, does it??) then I'd be happy with it. If I knew when to stand by, I'd be happy with it. But it's telephone tag. Frankly, if it's something like calling a set of companies to, for example, get estimates for work, a situation like that will put me off. Not the 'talking to machine' factor; for me it's the callback factor. Banty |
#99
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Cell phone for a second grader (and FAO Nan)
In article , Aula says...
"Banty" wrote in message ... Nan - by "ignore" do you mean screening calls, and not necessarily picking up for you? Because I know some folks just hate getting that answering machine, even if people do pick up. There are a *lot* of people out there who just don't seem to want to leave voice mail, even for people at work, which simply astounds me. I cannot begin to tell you about the times when i cover our front desk and transfer a call to someone's phone, only to have it go to v/m because they are on a line or with a client, and the person immediately phones back and wants to talk to someone right away because they didn't get their worker. I ask if they've left their worker a message [remember, I'm the supervisor they think they are going to talk to after bypassing their worker] and they tell me they did not. I explain to them that their worker will return their call, usually within the day, but they cannot do that unless they leave a message and *then* ask if they are going to be available by phone later. It is rare that they are both in a crisis of some sort and cannot wait for a return call or have no way for someone to call them back later. They always agree, at that point, to go back to the worker's line [and not always to v/m if by then the worker ended their other call]. But I hate that too. Too much experience with playing telephone tag. This just underscores your later point [snipped below] that many just don't seem to be able to wait a little while to contact someone. The crisis is a reason to phone 911 or find someone to let them know there is a life or death issue. It is not a crisis that you cannot immediately tell someone that pink nail polish is on sale. I think it all started with instant mashed potatoes. ;-) Patience has taken a real nose dive in first world cultures, or at least in the US. It's not the wait; it's the uncertainity. Banty And, being personally consistent, I do not give out my cell phone number to anyone. My boss, husband, son and parents have it. That's it. I think I've received five incoming calls [other than misdials] in the three years I've had it. I plan to keep it for my use in an emergency [picture sliding off the road in a snow storm] or the occassional call to let family know I'm running late coming home from somewhere. That's it. It is for my convenience and I refuse to play attendance on it. -Aula |
#100
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Cell phone for a second grader
In article , toypup says...
On 12 Sep 2007 13:36:41 -0700, Banty wrote: In article , toypup says... On 12 Sep 2007 05:01:29 -0700, Banty wrote: But that's what this thing called an "answering machine" is for. I'll pick up if the caller identifies himself and his purpose, or at least by the end of his message we understand what's going on. Banty I would not leave a message unless I have to, so some friends wonder why I haven't called. I have. I just don't leave messsages because I don't like talking to machines. Now, they consider it rude, but Miss Manners is on my side. She is?? Now, you're not *required* to leave a message (just like they're not required to answer), so if they're telling you you're rude because you choose not to leave a message per se, you're correct - they're wrong. Yes, they complain about rude people hanging up on machines. Well, they're wrong. You're not required to talk to a machine. But then you don't get to complain about not getting with them ;-) But if you're complaining to them that they're hard to get a hold of because they don't pick up when you call, and they have an answering machine, that's a different story. I have never complained to them about that. I leave messages if I really need to talk to them and that's the only way of leaving my message. That makes sense. But I *have* had people say "aren't you ever home???" Well, if it's *important* they would have left a message. Sometimes it seems everyone wants to be on everyone else's A-list I'll-pick-up-for-you-like-you're-my-long-lost-best-friend list... :-/ If thats what you're saying, show me where Miss Manners says people have to answer their phone each time, or that answering machines are bad. Miss Manners says we don't have to talk to machines. OK, that one I agree. Banty |
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