I have two girls, and they both have the same habit. About 30% of the time when they call me, I’ll pick up the phone and say “Hello” only to hear them carrying on a conversation with someone else. Sometimes I can wait 30 seconds before they even think to say “Dad?” into the phone. I know that when I call someone they have about four rings to pick it up before it goes to voicemail. I would think that they could wait a few seconds to see if I might answer.
Maybe they are too used to texting and don’t expect instant communication.
I should say that these are both perfectly normal kids - no ADD issues, good students, etc.
I sometimes find myself doing this if I’m calling people I know very well. Usually it’s a situation where a bunch of my friends are already hanging out and we’re calling someone else to see if they want to join us. If you’re trying to make a phone call while you’re with a bunch of people who are all chattering amongst themselves it’s easy to get distracted. In my experience girls do this more often than guys.
ETA: Yeah, I do think it’s rude in most situations. Usually I do it kinda deliberately to emphasize to the other person that we are having A LOT OF FUN and that they MUST JOIN US. Also, that I’m drunk.
My kids have never done this, but in all my 30 years of office work, I have had it happen at work many many times by someone calling us. Oh, I hate hate hate that! It’s rude AND blazingly unprofessional.
I give two hellos and then hang up. If the caller is too busy to respond to my hello, why did they call? Do this a few times and your callers will learn better manners.
Trust me, if it happened at home, with my kids, it would NEVER happen again. But at work, my tongue is firmly bitten or I would be afraid of what my employer would do. Burns me good, it does!
One hello here. Beyond that, I assume I’ve been called by an autodialer and I’m being connected to someone who has VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION JUST FOR me.
It’s a “her parents have not taught her proper phone etiquette” thing. And, as suggested, the most effective training technique is not to nag or whine or explain, but simply to hang up. And when she calls again and whines at you for hanging up on her, tell her you’re happy to talk to her now that it’s a convenient time for both of you.
I throw in the second hello just to be charitable. Sometimes there may be a technical issue that prevents the person from hearing the first one. Beyond that, though, I’m out.
Two “HELLOS?”, then a wait, if the party of the first part hasn’t responded appropriately within that timespan I hang up. Unless it sounds like they are being throttled, killed, or running. Then I wait for more information.
Why, yes, I do receive strange phone calls-why do you ask?
No kids, though I’ve had it happen a few times with customers back when I was working in call centres. Yes, I know being on hold is a pain in the ass, and yes, I know that you’ve got better things to do than sit quietly and wait to be connected through to the first available agent.
But when there are 100 more customers impatiently holding, most of whom will be ecstatic if they get a live answer, I’m not going to sit there and listen to you natter on to your friend instead of acknowledging that the bad hold music has been replaced by my caffeine-induced perky greeting. Ergo, after the company mandated three hellos in quick succession, I’ll rattle off the good ol’ “I’m sorry, we must have a bad connection. Please try calling us back. click” Most people learn their lesson pretty quick.
I have hung up on people who do this to me. I’ve been tempted to hang up on people who interrupt me (or themselves!) during a phone call to have conversations with their kids (“No, you can’t have a soda. Leave the cat alone! I’m on the phone, just wait a minute. What? No, Suzie can’t come over . . .”).
If you’re not ready to devote your full attention to the conversation, don’t call me. I’ve got shit to do.
Usually I do the two quick hellos. Most of the time it’s just an autodialer, and I hang up. Once in a while it’s a bad cell connection, and calling again does the trick.
On a related note, Miss Manners wrote something I’m still hoping to use some day. If I’d ever call someone and they’re eating, I can quote her and say: “Sorry, I’ll have to call you back. There seems to be a carrot on the line” .
How old are the kids involved? Mine do it less and less - it appears to be something that they were really unable to comprehend at six and now at eight and nine they are capable of developing proper phone manners. They still forget, its just that it made no sense to them at six that there was someone on the other end of the phone WAITING FOR THEM to say something. (boy and girl, btw).
My nine year old has figured out the hang on the phone with his friends while both of you are silent deal. Which we are busily putting a stop to. You do not hang on the phone, you use it to communicate, and then you hang up so someone else can use the phone.
I’ve got two friends who do this constantly, both well into their twenties. One’s a guy, one’s a girl. Occasionally they’ll say ‘Hello’ first then get distracted talking to someone who’s with them in person. I usually hang up after five seconds.
One or two hellos from me, depending on if the line sounds “live” or not – with autodialers, you can usually tell right away that no one is going to be there – and then a hangup. I 100% agree with the suggestion to hang up, and then if they call you back explain that you’re very busy and you don’t have time to sit and wait for them to decide they want to talk to you when THEY called YOU.
Likewise if a computer comes on and asks me to wait for a person. Nope, you want to talk to me, have a real live person available talk to me.
And numbers blocked from caller ID? Don’t even get answered. Let it go to voicemail. If it turns out to be someone I do want to talk to, I can call them back.
My husband does something almost as annoying – he’ll call me, and then the moment I answer he’ll say, “Let me call you right back.” Uh, why did you call me if you didn’t think you could talk to me then? Especially since I work at home and he has a masterful ability to interrupt at an inconvenient time. I generally answer the re-call with an exceedingly impatient, “Yes?” rather than “Hello,” just so he understands that it’s aggravating. Especially if he DOESN’T call me right back – sometimes it’s an hour or two later. I appreciate that he’s very busy at work, but dammit, my job demands my attention, too!
My SO will do this on his non-caller-ID-land-line-- he’ll say “hello” once and, if he doesn’t hear anything, he’ll slam down the phone faster than the sheriff could draw his pistol. His rationale is that he doesn’t want any sales or telemarketing calls and no immediate answer on the other end usually indicates one or the other.
I use a caller-ID cell phone so I give a little more buffer if it’s someone I know, b/c there can be technical glitches or if someone’s in a crowded place where it’s hard for them to tell I’ve picked up.