Yes, this exactly. If I could just leave a message, it would be fine. But knowing that you’re going to answer the phone and say you can’t talk forces me to wait and try calling you back later.
I have call waiting, and only use it if it’s one of my kids. Otherwise I ignore it. I get one beep, and I know another call is coming in, I can look at the screen to see who it is and decide if I want to answer.
My voicemail is easy - I don’t understand how some of you don’t take advantage of it. If I have messages, the screen shows the little envelope and how many messages are waiting. It also says “Listen?” and I then press ‘Send’ and it accesses the mailbox. I enter my passcode, and it plays them. Easy as pie.
Just for what it’s worth, the phone I had until last spring had no call display and even the current one has no voice mail. I’m on the cheapest pay as you go plan.
I don’t answer the phone at work but I will any other time if I don’t know the number or if it’s family or the friend with serious health issues. That’s why I answer unknown numbers - it may be a hospital call. It just takes a second to say “call you back” and it prevents the person from re-calling to the annoying point. Between the friend’s issues and the family, which includes a baby grandson, I prefer not to simply turn the phone off. I do, however, put it on vibrate sometimes. On the other hand, I’m usually with people who can handle a brief interruption and sometimes do the same to me.
Ever since I found out that my Yahoo e-mail account will send text messages, I’ve taken to texting Airman if I need to get him a message that doesn’t require a direct call. I type in the message, hit “send” and he’ll know exactly what’s up without having to take a phone call or listen to a voice message.
I completely agree - yet it shocks me how just how many people can’t seem to wrap their tiny little minds around such an idea. If the phone rings and I either can’t or don’t want to answer it, then I won’t. I can’t think of anything that is so urgent it can’t wait a few minutes for me to check who it was and ring them back. Ditto on leaving the phone on at night - why? If someone calls me at 3am and wakes me up I am NOT going to want to speak to them, so why have it on at all?
Phone calls in meetings are excusable if someone is expecting a call they know they have to take, but you take it and leave the meeting. My phone has gone off in meetings a few times and it wouldn’t occur to me to do anything other than hit the ignore button.
Sometimes I’m in meetings that I can’t really leave for non-emergency calls…but I’m expecting a call from a Judge or another lawyer that I have to take, so I can’t turn the phone off. If I don’t answer, the phone will ring several times. If I just hangup without speaking, the non-emergency person may think we got disconnected, and call right back…thus “Hican’ttalknowbye” becomes a viable option.
I’ve never had a phone that doesn’t have a “silent” option- it’s on, but makes absolutely no noise.
Secondly, this is what voicemail is for. “Hi, this is Oakminster, I am probably in a meeting right now, so leave a message and if it is urgent, let me know. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!”
Then, check your voicemails every so often. Life is grand.
On that same subject what irks me is when someone answers and says, I can’t talk now I’ll call you right back…and they never call back. Or I get “I have to take this call, can I call you back” and again…no call back.
OMG - Maybe people just don’t want to talk to me! :eek:
Agreed. As long as they then put it on silent or switch it off, once is OK, they just forgot to turn it off, to just keep letting it ring is plain rude.
Voicemail ought to have a range of automated responses that you can choose to automatically respond with, which you can set before the situation, or just before voicemail picks up if you;re fast enough.
I do not have a mobile, so I don’t know if such a feature already exists.
My mobile rang in a meeting today - I took it out, pressed “ignore” and after it had stopped ringing put it on silent (as I should have done before the meeting started). No problems.
Mine has two optional voicemails you can set. One for if you just don’t answer (which can be the standard “I can’t come to the phone right now. . .”) and the other for if you push ignore (“I’m probably in a meeting right now blah blah”).
