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View Full Version : Answering other people's mobile phones?



David Bailey
23rd-December-2005, 07:45 PM
Not a day goes by at work without some fool leaving their mobile on their desk and the rest of us being subjected to whatever weird and wonderful ringtones said fool has put on to amuse us...

What's the etiquette in these cases? I refuse to answer these - on some occasions, I'm the fool in question, and I really wouldn't want anyone else answering my mobile. But I'm happy to answer other people's work phones.

What do other people think? Is it a new taboo to answer other people's mobiles, or am I just being weird again?

WittyBird
23rd-December-2005, 07:48 PM
I always have my phone on silent. If I heard someone else's phone going off I would not answer it.

In the office it's always better to leave it on silent.
Out of the office I think its better to leave it on silent / vibrate - it doesnt annoy anyone.

I would be very P1$$ed off if someone answered my phone for me :mad:

ducasi
23rd-December-2005, 08:10 PM
Hit the Busy/No/Mute/go-away button.

Or drop it in a fish tank – who knows, maybe it'll kill the fish...

Missy D
23rd-December-2005, 08:57 PM
Depends if i am going out with the person who owns the phone:whistle:

Whitebeard
24th-December-2005, 12:09 AM
H

Some old fools don't have a mobile ;-)

Dreadful Scathe
24th-December-2005, 12:22 AM
I would answer any phone that was ringing with no one there to answer it. Last time I did it, it was a public phone but why should a mobile be different if someone leaves it lying about?

One time I didnt do this but really should have was in the 'quiet coach' of a train heading south - some girl was always away from her seat and her phone was always ringing. People should have the decency to leave it on silent if theres the slightest chance they wont be there to answer it :).

Magic Hans
24th-December-2005, 12:49 AM
Little pet hate of mine this!! :angry:

Should I leave my phone non-silent and unattended, I must accept that it might be answered or turned off.

Should a phone go off on a nearby desk with the owner out of earshot, I would turn it off.

On the other hand, I have a friend who had a habit of answering unattended mobiles thus "Hello! London Zoo, snake pit!"

ChrisA
24th-December-2005, 03:29 AM
What's the etiquette in these cases?
Who knows what the etiquette is, but what I did once when some nerk had a habit of leaving his mobile on his desk (what part of the word "mobile" do you suppose he didn't understand? :confused: ) was hide it.

I made sure the rest of us (we were all equally p1ssed off with the constant ringing) were in on the game... and then put it at the back of a filing cabinet drawer, leaving it on, obviously, just to give him a chance...

We all practically peed ourselves trying not to laugh out loud when he came back, noticed it had gone, started looking for it... then called Security... who also had a look around, and then had the bright idea to dial it.

We all looked rather :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: but it did the trick. He took it with him after that. :devil:

Rhythm King
24th-December-2005, 08:53 AM
We have mobiles provided by the office. We have valid reasons for leaving our phones on and not taking them with us. The etiquette is to answer them with "so and so's phone" and take a message. Personal mobiles either get answered, or the call is declined, depending on the owner. Although sometimes the language setting is changed, Turkish is best :devil:

philsmove
24th-December-2005, 11:27 AM
swallow it :eek:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4557192.stm

DavidB
24th-December-2005, 11:27 AM
"This is Mistress Claudia's slave. Mr xxx is currently being seen by the Mistress, and is unfortunately dressed up as a baby, suspended from the ceiling, and gagged at the moment. Can I take a message?"

WittyBird
24th-December-2005, 11:31 AM
"This is Mistress Claudia's slave. Mr xxx is currently being seen by the Mistress, and is unfortunately dressed up as a baby, suspended from the ceiling, and gagged at the moment. Can I take a message?"

Love it :rofl:

ChrisA
24th-December-2005, 01:14 PM
We have valid reasons for leaving our phones on and not taking them with us.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Apart from not having to take the calls, obviously :rolleyes:

LMC
24th-December-2005, 08:02 PM
I switch mobiles off if colleagues leave them ringing on their desks.

What about kidnapping phones of people having inconsiderately loud conversations? - it's fun! Only done it once, a few weeks ago, but I've broken the taboo now :devil: (Jam-packed train, running late. Lucky me, got a seat. Unfortunate man opposite was obviously not convincing his wife/partner (who herself was clearly audible to the 200 people in the carriage) that he was late because of the train. Other people's arguments are always fascinating, and the carriage just got quieter and quieter... but the high volume discussion was getting rather repetitive. He was so bemused when I held my hand out for the phone that he handed it over, whereupon I informed his wife that 200 people were listening to her making a right idiot of herself before handing the phone back. I guess she heard the round of applause because the conversation ended fairly sharply - and the guy actually thanked me :rofl: )

WittyBird
24th-December-2005, 08:26 PM
I guess she heard the round of applause because the conversation ended fairly sharply - and the guy actually thanked me :rofl: )

All I can say is :worthy: :rofl:

TiggsTours
28th-December-2005, 12:31 PM
Its called a "mobile" for a reason, if people can't be bother to take it with them, I'm not answering it! I usually hang up then put it on silent, but if it is a regular culprit who's left it on their desk to irritate the office with their naff ringtone, then I switch them off!

drathzel
28th-December-2005, 02:15 PM
Please feel free to answer my mobile if left unattended, especially if you want to take a message....this way i wont have to pay the 20p or whatever to phone my answer box.

I dont have a problem with people answering my phone, however i would only answer certain peoples phones, ie mum and sister. Anyone else i wouldnt want to annoy them by doing so! Some people have stuff to hide y'know!:D

The only thing that would annoy me is if someone read my text messages, because when things are written down or in the mid conversation they can be taken the wrong way by an outsider and therefore cause offense.

Icey
28th-December-2005, 02:25 PM
Although sometimes the language setting is changed, Turkish is best :devil:
I tend to change them to Arabic :devil:

drathzel
28th-December-2005, 02:31 PM
I tend to change them to Arabic :devil:

remind me not to let either of you near my phone!:D

LMC
28th-December-2005, 02:59 PM
I remember the bad old days in one office I worked in where you *had* to remember to lock your PC before leaving your desk, or you would return to find that "you" had sent an e-mail to the MD/the entire office containing something rude, embarrassing, surreal or irrelevant - sometimes all four.

Perhaps we should apply the same aversion therapy to people who leave their mobile phones lying around by sending some suitably cringe-inducing text message to everyone in their phone list?

But e-mails didn't cost anything and the work computer belonged to the company, so tempting though the idea is, it would probably be highly illegal as text messages cost money and the mobile phone belongs to the person :sad:

WittyBird
28th-December-2005, 03:02 PM
Perhaps we should apply the same aversion therapy to people who leave their mobile phones lying around by sending some suitably cringe-inducing text message to everyone in their phone list?



Memo to self:

Leave phone in car when LMC is around.
mind you mine is always on silent anyway :clap:

Piglet
28th-December-2005, 03:56 PM
I wouldn't answer anyone else's moby and I wouldn't expect them to answer mine either.

What strikes me from hearing them go off in our staffroom - is just how deaf some people are that they need to have the "ring" so loud (and I accept that one of our members of staff does have a hearing problem - but I'm not aware of anyone else owning up to being deaf or ever so slightly deaf) - mind you, mine is so daintily quiet that I don't often hear mine, which is fine by me, cos my phone is there to be of use to me when I need it. It's at my beck and call and not the other way around. :rolleyes:

LMC
28th-December-2005, 04:19 PM
... my phone is there to be of use to me when I need it. It's at my beck and call and not the other way around. :rolleyes:
Absolutely. My phone is usually on silent mode and if I don't want to answer it, I won't. The same applies to my home phone (except the silent mode, I shouldn't have been so mean when buying it).

At work, my mobile stays in my bag or pocket, so it's not disturbing anybody (vibrating phones make a hell of a racket when they are on a hard surface - for the benefit of the coven, I am actually thinking of a desk or table :rolleyes: )

Dreadful Scathe
28th-December-2005, 04:56 PM
What strikes me from hearing them go off in our staffroom - is just how deaf some people are that they need to have the "ring" so loud:

There is an easy solution to this - there is a computer keyboard you can get that lights up the number pad area on the right when a nearby ringing mobile phone is detected - perfect for phones on silent. I recently saw a mini santa hat that did the same thing and theres probably plenty of other 'light up' devices.

Stuart M
28th-December-2005, 05:33 PM
There is an easy solution to this - there is a computer keyboard you can get that lights up the number pad area on the right when a nearby ringing mobile phone is detected - perfect for phones on silent. I recently saw a mini santa hat that did the same thing and theres probably plenty of other 'light up' devices.
Hmm - has anyone ever seen a mobile phone 'flashing Smurf' accessory?

Or is that just an excuse?

Lee
28th-December-2005, 05:49 PM
I got seriously told off for rummaging in colleagues handbag to answer a ringing mobile. Maybe she thought i would pull out a tampon and put it to my ear? :eek:

So now I just put the blooming thing in the persons top drawer and leave a post it. Sod em!!! :angry:

I don’t need my mobi for work but some people do, so it's up the the company to communicate a policy on it.

Lee

WittyBird
28th-December-2005, 05:52 PM
I got seriously told off for rummaging in colleagues handbag to answer a ringing mobile. Maybe she thought i would pull out a tampon and put it to my ear? :eek:



I think you have missed the point. I would be seriously p1$$ed if you went in my bag to answer a phone, that is so taboo. Its not about the sexist comment you made about pulling a tampon out at all.:mad:

Lee
28th-December-2005, 05:55 PM
I think you have missed the point. I would be seriously p1$$ed if you went in my bag to answer a phone, that is so taboo. Its not about the sexist comment you made about pulling a tampon out at all.:mad:

Fair point, sorry, that was just the joke in the office (by the other women surprisingly).

I prob ahve missed the point as i've not managed to read the whole thread yet, maybe 2moro, off home now.

Lee