I have a special feature in my phone service to deal with those simultaneous calls, although I don’t have to pay for it. When a second caller telephones me the phone company sends them a special signal to tell the second caller I am busy.
When I get a call from a computer that asks me to hold, I put it on hold, and go on to other things. It talks to my hold circuit as long as it wants, and when they are done, they hang up. While it is talking to my hold circuit, it isn’t bothering you by ringing your phone. The fact that I can’t get another incoming call is just gravy.
This new technology is just great. I also learned just this moment, the Microsoft thinks “phone company” should be capitalized! I suppose it sort of amounts to a reference to deity if you are a severe technoweenie.
<P ALIGN=“CENTER”>Tris</P>
“Microsoft: Bringing you yesterday’s technology–tomorrow.” – traditional
I used to work, for eight years, as a security guard in a county school building in the LA area. I had a telephone extension at my desk, which would ring twice on an outside call coming in. A woman who had loaned me her car to use–it’s a long story–would sometimes call me within an hour or so before the end of my 4-to-midnight shift, because her home was halfway between the post and my home and she wanted me to pick up something, usually at a 7-11 or an all-night supermarket, on the way. One time she called–and often she runs off at the mouth–when my client supervisor’s secretary was at the desk. Fortunately this secretary, and the supervisor, had known me for years, or I could have lost my job for being on a long incoming call from someone other than my guard-company employer, the alarm company, or another supervisor. (And If I wanted to call home, I would use the pay phone nearby in the lobby.)
Well Cristi, I’m sure she was thinking she had to continue to do her job and answer another line - I’m sure that’s what all these people are doing. In most cases, when I call someone, I am returning their call, or asking for info about people they’re hiring, etc., and that IS their job. I still think it’s rude to make someone - anyone - wait while you deal with someone else (except in ShyGuyGirl’s case - don’t see a way outta that!) As I said, I need to be more sensitive to the fact that some of these people have been told by their supervisors that they HAVE to answer all calls. BTW, in the case where I was trying to set up a meeting with this woman, I did meet with her in her office. She was the only secretary there, and yes she answered the phone while I was there. There were also 3 men in their offices (she works for all of them). In that case, I say the men should have answered their own damn phones! They knew I was there and why, but she interrupted our meeting twice to answer their phones.
My methods of dealing with holding:
First, regarding calls that come in and ask you to "hold for a very important message:
Yep- I did. It was a bill collecter. Yuk!
I’m on a call (at work). Another call comes in. I don’t answer said call until I’m done with call #1. Sometimes it rolls back to the operator, who tells them I must be tied up and takes a message/sends them to voice mail. I realize that’s not always possible, but that’s how it works for me.
I refuse to have call waiting at home- I just don’t have urgent enough business to warrent interrupting a phone call to answer another.
When I’m put on hold, I give it about 3 minutes- maybe 5. Then I hang up. If it was a friend and it was call waiting, I just wait until they call me back. I’ve never been accused of being rude.
If it’s a business, I hang up and call right back and say I got disconnected. I do this as many times as needed so they stop putting me on eternal hold and put me through. Works like a charm!
Don’t get mad, work around it!
Oh, and on the topic of “hoverers” (which I hate) I usually say to the person I’m on the phone with “Can you please hold? I have someone who needs my help right away”. Then I look at the person and say “May I help you?”. They usually realize they were being rude and either quickly take care of business or say they’ll come back later.
Nothing wrong with telling it like it is- it usually saves you a lot of grief. (at least that’s how it’s worked for me)
Zette
PS- check out http://www.pagoo.com for info on a service that takes a message for you when you’re on the internet or on the phone. In other words, if someone calls and you’re on the phone (or on the internet) they get a message from you asking them to leave a message, just like an answering machine. Works great! suzette100@yahoo.com
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Zette - that’s a good idea. Actually, someone at work put me on hold once and after about 3 minutes I hung up. I wasn’t mad, but I would’ve been if I’d waited any longer. The person called me right back and apologized. But now I’m going to hang up, but wait for them to call me, and just say I thought we got disconnected. I hate call waiting too, but you can do the same with that! My girlfriend has call waiting - next time she makes me wait, I’m going to hang up, and when she calls me back, say I thought we were disconnected. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. It’s helped a lot, and made me realize I need to be more understanding too. I love the SDMB!
Two of my biggest pet peeves have to do with business calls. I hate to call a place of business and have the phone ring 10+ times before they answer. When I call my husband, I always count the number of rings it takes before his secretary (the laziest person on the face of the earth) answers the phone. My phone at work also counts the seconds that I’m on the phone so I always look to see how long a person puts me on hold. When I think I’ve been put on terminal hold, I hang up.
As far as call-waiting. I have it. I try not to put people on hold but I do admit to taking the long distance call even if I call someone else first.
Grace - did you complain to hubby? Or is he one of those managers who let’s his employees intimidate him? We have a lot of those - one clerk spends most of the day on personal calls and everyone knows it but her boss won’t deal with it. Tell hubby to get a private line with voicemail, so he can answer your calls himself, and you can leave a message if he’s not in his office.