The second ring was sudden, causing me to start so involuntarily that I felt the blood rush to my temples. It took all my will power to get out of bed, and in a half groggy state, I dragged myself to the reading table where the phone was now lying precariously on its edge – reaching it in time for the third ring.
The first had jolted me from sleep – the kind that you don’t want to be woken from because you’re smiling, giggling or laughing through some sweet dream – with my eyelids fluttering open in confusion. I had shrunk in bed in fear of the shadows cast by my window curtains on the walls around me, barely recognising my bedroom. After only a moment of restlessness, though, I drifted back to sleep.
But my caller was persistent. He was an old acquaintance that I had recently reached out to for assistance on a project and was now calling “just to say hello.” Wait … what? That was it? There was no urgent, crucial, life and death message he had to deliver? And yet, it was a quarter past midnight!
Feeling like someone had suddenly stuck hot needles in my eyes; I endured nearly a minute of torturously idle phone conversation to give my caller a benefit of doubt. I quickly realised that he was just one of those people with bad phone manners who act like other people are unaffected by their actions – you know, the ones that call or text at odd hours, even when it’s not urgent and it interferes with something as important as work, sleep, or food.
They are the ones who never – I mean, never ever -acknowledge our missed calls or messages; the ones who never call but frustrate us with endless flashing; the ones whose yelling over the phone in commercial buses or at the mall almost blocks our ear drums; the ones who are perpetually chewing or lying down when we call; the ones who always interrupt us when talking or chat us up without as much as a greeting but start messages with “So I was thinking …” “If you could …” or the ones who do nothing but mumble and grunt their replies “huh uh” “uh uh”; the ones who call us and ask rudely, “Who’s this?” (They called o, not the other way round!); and, of course, the ones who don’t spare our phone batteries because they just won’t stop calling, which explains why, as soon as we turn our backs, we see sixteen, seventeen missed calls from the same person on our phones with a critically low battery (Arrgh! *Grits teeth, tears out nails, pulls out hair …* we’d pick if we were with the phone).
But aren’t we all, in fact, sometimes guilty of displaying one teenie tiny form of bad phone manners or another, especially with the quick, easy access to apps like BBM and Whatsapp on our smart phones? I know I am. I might have even committed the same “crime” I accused my caller of committing at some point in my life, even though I like to tell myself that I was calling or sending IMs to a close friend or relative. A couple of times, too, I have caught embarrassing stares from a bus load of people after revealing private details to them while shouting over the phone (Sometimes, we can’t help being too excited and emotional, even at the risk of sounding rude or breaking the rules of phone etiquette).
Yes, phone etiquette! You probably thought you knew all the etiquettes there were to know, social, table, bathroom, corporate, business etiquettes, but never really considered phone etiquette because the thought of following some stringent rules when using your phone isn’t very appealing. Yet, phone etiquette, like all etiquettes, isn’t just a list of rules but entails principles that guide people, in this case phone users, in being respectful and considerate of others. In short, think common courtesy when you think of phone etiquette, it’s really that simple.
Remember, too, that displaying bad phone manners says a lot about you. People assume that if your phone manners leave a lot to be desired, then you are likely ill-mannered in other aspects of your life. It’s the same way you show good manners in your normal, daily activities by greeting, stepping aside for an older person on the stairs or on a narrow aisle, saying the little but important things like “thank you”, “please”, “sorry” and “excuse me” that you extend courtesy to others when using your phone. If you can’t be courteous when using your phone, how would you be in other situations?
Besides, do you really want to be that person, the one your friends avoid because you’ve been labelled rude? Once, I sent an IM to a friend on BBM at a decent hour, he replied 24 hours after I saw the D (Delivered) and R (Read) signs with the words, “Imagine, your message just came in.” Of course, I never sent him a message after that. It wasn’t only because he was lying through his teeth; it was mostly the sheer discourtesy with which he responded. He was rude and didn’t make any attempt to disguise it. True, we can’t always reply messages or return phone calls immediately because we’re caught up in work or other things, but courtesy demands that we acknowledge them as soon as we get the chance to and if necessary apologise for the delay. Again, if you’re rude to people, they would be rude to you too. So treat others the way you want to be treated. Be polite and courteous, not rude. It might be hard in this crazy, fast-paced world, but it isn’t impossible.
Photo Credit: Foto.com.ng
The ones u reluctantly give your number to just to get them off your case and the next minute they are “hi dear”(ing) you on WhatsApp
the exact issue i had with someone, and to think we just met. u call me as early as 6.30 i dont pick up what happens to sending text messages? this dude gave me 5missed calls and i rushed outta the bathroom where i almost slipped cuz i tot it was an urgent call only to ask how was my night. Jesu cant u type? if its not a life and death matter pls 2missed calls will do then send an sms
*happened
If dey don’t call you now, u’ll complain they don’t care about you, they’re cheating on you. They have a side chic. etc.
Lmao! Well this can’t affect me cuz I think twice before I give my # out. Be it a male or female. Second, if u end up getting the #, good luck in trying to get hold of me. But some folks just don’t have manners and they wanna call at ungodly hours as in ehn, I don’t offer booty call so didn’t u look at d time??? Folks are trying to be proactive & sleep.
…or the bosses who want to call you at 10pm because getting that information can’t wait till morning, smh
Story of my life ! My boss called one day around 2:00Am and she goes “are you sleeping? , i almost replied , “No, i’m still at work” . To think she was calling for something that can wait till next week self
If you have more than one phone or two sims, give your boss’ one of your numbers you don’t frequently use; do not give your main line. Once it’s past 7pm and on weekends, turn off that phone or turn mobile network off for that phone. That way your boss’ wouldn’t call you outside official hours. As a professional, you shouldn’t call someone outside official hours. I say that to my superiors and surbodinates.
These get me every time. Like they would die if I don’t give the information. Mshew.
I can totally relate to all these habits aforementioned by the writer..The one that gets me the most is AIRTEL, they have devised a very clever means of getting you to pick their calls by using eleven Legit and typical phone number..Thank God for true caller o, I am able to see its ‘Airtel Aisha Airtel’ calling so I can punch the reject button with the speed of light…
Second annoying phone habit, is all those guys who know you are not in the dating market, but keep calling you at odd hours (talk about spontaneous outbursts) just to profess their undying love, sometimes they call you, and want to talk about every mundane thing, all the while not knowing or caring if Mr Real Boo might be trying to reach you on the phone , God knows I try not to be rude, but haba!
Story of our lives, do ones dat call u and say u are flexing o just like dat, mehn let’s not start cos dey are pretty annoying
Mobile phones are the cause of a lot of problems these days. From increasingly bad grammar, to reduced capacity to communicate with people in person; to having high blood pressure at 28 cos you never fully close from work or go on vacation…. How were businesses and families surviving when everyone had a landline and no one had a computer, I wonder….?
The ones that read your messages on bbm/WhatsApp and reply 2/3 days after are the worst! and u think I would now foolishly continue that conversation
I can totally relate to all these habits aforementioned by the writer..The one that gets me the most is AIRTEL, they have devised a very clever means of getting you to pick their calls by using eleven Legit and typical phone number..Thank God for true caller o, I am able to see its ‘Airtel Aisha Airtel’ calling so I can punch the reject button with the speed of light…
Second annoying phone habit, is all those guys who know you are not in the dating market, but keep calling you at odd hours (talk about spontaneous outbursts) just to profess their undying love, sometimes they call you, and want to talk about every mundane thing, all the while not knowing or caring if Mr Real Boo might be trying to reach you on the phone , God knows I try not to be rude, but haba!
Let’s also extend it to silly Facebook messages. This dude added me last week. Cos we have some friends in common and his wall did look like a decent person’s I accepted. Only for him to start sending me messages saying I had a dream and you look like an angel which means angels now reside with humans. I was like hun???? When did we start geography that we are drawing map. I blocked his silly ass
Perhaps that’s what I should to an idiot who is a friend on facebook. We actually were classmates. Recently on two occasions I have gone on facebook and the guy instantly sends “go marry”. I’m turn between whether to insult the fellow, write an obvious epistle on facebook about dumb idiots who can think of nothing else but marriage or perhaps just ignore him.
Please block him
My mother is the king when it comes to this… she calls the plumber at 11:30pm to complain about sink being blocked, she go call cleaner at 1am because she is looking for brush… she will call Muslims at 2:05pm on a Friday and call Christians at 9am n a Sunday. NO PHONE ETIQUETTE AT ALL…..
hahaha, this just got me laughing out loud!!
OMG loooooooool. You got me in stitches.
My mom’s own would be that she screams into her phone cuz the microphone is bad(bontel phone), that’s were her official lines are in cuz the phone ba3 lasts unlike her z10. If my mom is at Ajah bustop talking to someone on her phone, best believe that someone at ikota shopping complex would hear her(I joke I joke), but you should have a vivid description by now of how she’ll scream into the phone be it anywhere, bustop oo, market oo, church ooo, BRT ooo, no chill. I get embarrassed on her behalf sometimes…..*sigh*
Why does this remind me of my mom?! Lol No disrespect but my mom was good at calling me as early as 5 am in the morning. She will insist as many as 20 times sha! Only to greet me with a “how can you still be sleeping at this time?” Lol . No urgent issue whatsoever. Just to inquire on things as annoying as recent pregnancy etc. Lord have mercy! And to think that she is the one who taught me not to wake people up too early, as everyone needs their rest. It took some time to make her understand that we need our full 8hour sleep to start a day on the right foot.
Phone Etiquette : Do not call anyone after 10pm unless it’s life threatening otherwise leave them a text message.
lol…………………so true. we all throw phone etiquette to the window at times. nice story
Try putting up a car for sale on Olx and you will know no rest. I mean I got calls at odd hours, I had to turn off my phones when going to bed. 3 months after I still get calls, I had to take the ad down
That’s all true. Some people can be so annoying. Imagine someone giving you 12 missed calls and when you call back, thinking they have a message that will save your life or career, they start a conversation like this,
Hello, please, can you send me Moyin’s number, i need her to be my chief bridesmaids and I suddenly loss her number.
OMG
you need my favour and I have to be the one to call you after a frustrating 12 missed calls
Its so annoying.
That’s all true. Some people can be so annoying. Imagine someone giving you 12 missed flash calls and when you call back, thinking they have a message that will save your life or career, they start a conversation like this,
Hello, please, can you send me Moyin’s number, i need her to be my chief bridesmaids and I suddenly loss her number.
OMG
you need my favour and I have to be the one to call you after a frustrating 12 missed calls
Its so annoying.
Phonetics, wonder if Africans really have it. I talk to a person on phone and I make sure the man seated next to me doesn’t pick a word, some people can shout hoarse whole lying sef. “MO ti fe do odo yin, mo wa ni gwarinpa” (I’m close by, am at gwarinpa) said a dude on my last trip to Abuja while we were barely at okene and all of us turned to look at the shouting liar
Hope we’d get the ethics some day, hope We’d get It sometime