Mobile phones

So rude.

I remember seeing a play on TV when a man goes to rob a bank or post office. He has a gun (or something that looks like one) hidden in a paper bag, He points it at the assistaant (who is chatting on the phone) and tries to say something to get her attention. She snaps "Do you mind! Im on the phone". He is so disoriented that says sorry and leaves.

biglouis

The last uni I worked in a uni (early 2000s) mobile conversations were banned in the library. It was text only or airplane mode. Other students did not hesitate to enforce the rules. There were mobiles but few smartphones then. I wonder if the same library is so quiet now.

Its also a long time since I have used public transport (apart from taxis) but I have asked people to turn noise and music down in the past using my "teacher" voice. I have also not hesitated to discipline noisy children from running around the carriage on a long train journey.

Good one! My friend A who is very like you in her approach, went up to a teenage school girl on the bus who was taking up 2 seats with herself and bag, removed the bag, gently put it on the floor and sat down. She is in her 80s and the girl looked flabbergasted! She certainly wasn't going to argue.

petra

Some might have noticed ( on here) that I can sometimes 😂 be a tad sarcastic.
I would have been very tempted to say to her ^could you turn it up a bit luv, I missed that last bit^

That is brilliant!

I've been on a train and watched woman sitting opposite me phone her workplace and tell a convoluted story about why she was going to be late.
Delays, then no train service between this station to that one, with a bus put on instead.

All total lies, and she didn't bat an eyelid.

I have the feeling that people who hold loud conversations on mobiles think that they are impressing those around them.

It's difficult to explain - I'm not talking about individuals chatting away quietly in deep conversation, who look totally absorbed in the discussion, but those like AreWeThereYet described who insist that those around them are party to their dialogue.

Like the man on the train once explaining in great detail in a very loud voice the precise stops between Waterloo and Richmond-change-at-Clapham Junction, who had clearly undertaken this journey on a regular basis... "we're nearing the Junction now , do you think Richard is going to bring Bev with him this time, how is she after her trip to Portugal, the platform's crowded tonight on the down-line, what about Harry...". I realised that whoever he was talking to said very little - he or she was basically a prop for his performance. A performance which I felt was meant to impress us with the fact that he.had.a.very.busy.social.life. and knew lots of people, and that one of them needed a blow-by-blow account of his journey to wherever from wherever.

Lovemylife

I was at a talk recently where a member of the audience (70ish) didn’t have her phone on silent, and then when it rang proceeded to have a long conversation. Unbelievable!
On another occasion we went to the theatre and found it was full of noisy teenagers. However, as soon as the lights dimmed there was complete silence. Not one phone or toffee wrapper to be heard for the entire performance.

I too experienced this when we saw War Horse recently. The book is on the ciriculum and the theatre was full of teenagers. Teachers were taking phones off them and when the play started, there was silence amongst the audience. I was impressed. I’ve experienced worst behaviour from adults at the theatre .

Lots of older people do it too - especially those who are a bit deaf I think. Their phone ring is very loud (and usually annoying), they take forever to find their phone and answer it and then have a 'nothing' conversation confirming they are in the shop/cafe/library, getting bread/coffee/a book and will be home in 20 minutes/1 hour/when they feel like it. Alternatively have a very long discussion about a grandchild, sometimes on video.

Although that may be better than the discussion that was forced on to us a few days ago where two women sitting beside us were discussing in very loud voices their reoccurring UTIs, including symptoms and general management.

Freya5

Most annoying , and damned rude, went into a local shop to return some goods, woman behind counter, ear pods in,talking away to goodness who, and never stopped all the time she was serving me. Needless to say won't go there again.

Staggeringly rude and ill-mannered!

Most annoying , and damned rude, went into a local shop to return some goods, woman behind counter, ear pods in,talking away to goodness who, and never stopped all the time she was serving me. Needless to say won't go there again.

Dickens That made me giggle! Naughty, but very funny

AskAlice

Back in the days of those "brick" phones, the funniest thing I ever saw was one of the Dads turning up at my DD's primary school to collect his son, striding through the playground pretending to be on his phone having a Very Important Conversation, when it suddenly started ringing! All us mums absolutely fell about laughing and he exited with a very red face

... striding through the playground pretending to be on his phone having a Very Important Conversation, when it suddenly started ringing! All us mums absolutely fell about laughing and he exited with a very red face

😁😁

Back in the 80s, a work colleague - permanently well-pleased with himself - was the first in the office to get one of these brick-phones. It made him feel Very Important.

He was an industrial surveyor, out in the field on a daily basis, so it did in fact make sense for him to have one. However, he often used it in the office instead of picking up the landline phone. He'd pack up his briefcase with its many zips and locks, stowing the brick-phone at the bottom because of its weight and size, and depart shouting that if we needed him, we could 'catch' him on his "cell".

We regularly waited until he was halfway down the stairs (no lifts in the building) and give him a call, then sneak out on the landing to watch him sit down on the stairs, unzip and unlock his zips and locks, bring out his Motorola brick - and then cut him off... he fell for it every time because of course, it could have been a client calling.

We found out later that in fact very few clients actually called him on his cell - the functionality was poor and its range limited. But, for a while, it made him feel Very Important.

Back in the days of those "brick" phones, the funniest thing I ever saw was one of the Dads turning up at my DD's primary school to collect his son, striding through the playground pretending to be on his phone having a Very Important Conversation, when it suddenly started ringing! All us mums absolutely fell about laughing and he exited with a very red face

I read about a man on the train who was having a loud conversation with his wife on the phone, which everybody close by could hear. A woman in the seat behind leaned over and said in a loud voice " oh darling, do put that phone down and come back to bed". Priceless!

petra .... HA HA HA!

I find those who do it to be obnoxious and arrogant, they think absolutely everyone wants to hear their boring conversations about their latest squeeze or which fake eyelashes they're worshipping now!

There's a woman, late teens you gets on the buses and I genuinely think her conversations on her mobile are totally fake, I don't think she's actually talking to anyone but she ''rings'' 7 or 8 one after the other telling them in a very loud voice ''I'M ON INSTAGRAM NOW! Yes, I know! It's great isn't it?! Here's my handle: @ .... You can get me on there and FOLLOW MEEEE!''

I'm in Instagram but I've got no intention at all of Following Miss Gobby!

I think people who use their phones in public should use earphones. It’s common sense and beyond arrogant to think other people should have to tolerate your noise.
I would have asked her politely to use earphones. But in my experience people like that are rude and selfish so probably would have got an earful. Might have made her think though.

I would have been tempted to instigate a round of applause when she finally ended her call and left the restaurant.

Seriously, I also find speakerphone conversations irritating and unnecessary in public places. The one and only time I have ever used the facility was when I was having a conversation with a computer technician but that was in the privacy of my house, not in a cafe.

I didn’t say anything on this occasion as didn’t want to come across as a grumpy old woman…. I find things like this irritate me more these days and thought best to ignore and carry on enjoying my coffee and lunch.

Grannynannywanny

I’ve been puzzled by the speakerphone behaviour in recent months. I see so many folk walking along the street having a phone conversation and instead of having the phone to their ear they are holding it in a horizontal position at their chin with speakerphone blaring. I wonder why they do it. It reminds me of Dom Jolly’s “I’m on the phone” sketches from years ago .

I once found and sent someone an annoying birthday card with Dom Joly on the front with his outsize mobile phone that SHOUTED "I'm on the phone!" each time it was opened.

I wonder how long it took for the battery to run down?

I was on a train the other month when a man had his phone really loud listening to music. His demeanour was aggressive and I felt too intimidated to object. Thankfully he got off after a couple of stops smirking I noticed.

mabon1

It is rude and inconsiderate.

It’s appalling bad manners.

How on earth did we manage without mobile phones?
I have even heard private details like bank account numbers being shouted out into a phone while on public transport.
Another annoying habit is mothers of young children and babies walking around pushing a pram with one hand while in the other hand is their phone which they keep staring into.The poor baby is ignored.Even worse is crossing a road doing it.

I hate calls on speaker phone , so rude and unexceptional. I find it’s not the younger generation who do this but the older generation. I’ve been on trains and in restaurants and the loud person on speaker phone is 50 plus .
I’m a hygienist and we have a notice asking no phone calls in surgery and we still get patients insisting that they have to take the call . Obviously if it’s urgent , it’s not a problem but I’ve had patients have a 5 minute call !!!