# On Hold Music **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 23, 2006, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870 "2006-08-23T10:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/21 "2006-08-25T13:12:12Z")
> [@](#): > > _Ohhhhhhh If ah could flah, I’d lift you UP, Ahhd take you into thuh night, and show you LOVE, like you’ve neeeeeever seen, neeeeeever seeeeeeen!_ Try listening to that just once. At any volume. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/22 "2006-08-25T14:05:32Z")
I cannot hear “Stepping Out” without thinking “NEXTEL.” I’ve had to listen to them play it so much over and over and over and over while on hold it’s like Pavlov’s dog. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/23 "2006-08-25T18:01:42Z")
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison] Oh, you had me with the first line. [/QUOTE] She had me with “I have to call”; God, I hate using the phone. > [@Dead Badger](#): > > I achieved a personal goal the other day, whereby I sang hold music to a telemarketer (whose office had a system which rings you up, starts off with an automated message and then - yes - puts you on hold). I got right through the first bit of Clair de Lune, complete with interruptions of, “your call is important to us. You are \ in the queue,” before he hung up. That’s beautiful. Better yet play an instrument over the phone and they won’t be sure WTF is going on. ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/24 "2006-08-26T12:33:37Z")
Sorry, I have to say it. The only thing worse than hold-music is NO hold-music. A few years ago, a meteor-strike or sunspot or something took out the satellite that broadcast the hold-music at my company, and for several days we had none. At least with music on you know you haven’t been disconnected (our company didn’t have the “your call is important to us” message, or at least no more often than once every 60 seconds)! ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/25 "2006-08-26T12:43:01Z")
It’s even more annoying when you are paying for the call. The favourite trick of several companies in the UK, is to provide a free (0800) number for the order line, but a 0845 (10p a minute) or even a 0870 number (up to 60p a minute) for their so-called “customer service” lines. These are are the ones you have to phone to complain about their crappy service or product. The companies get a cut of this fee, so it’s not in their interest to answer the phone too quickly with all that extra income being generated. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870/26 "2006-08-26T16:00:14Z")
I work for a doctor practice, so I’m on hold A LOT with insurance companies. Very rarely do I come on one with _decent_ hold music. Most of them are as bad as previously described. However, I give points to one company. When you finally reach the appropriate “provider services” queue, there is a male voice which says, “Thank you. Your call is very important to us. Please listen to our _lovely_ hold music, and someone will be with you shortly.” The first time I heard it, I laughed so hard I damn near fell out of my chair. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-hold-music/369870.md?page=1)