Telephone manners, a lost way of life?

I'm similar to you, I always apologize if I get the wrong number or if someone phones me with the wrong number I say 'Sorry no one of that name lives here', telephone manners are becoming worse, maybe its because people can't see the person on the other end of the phone so doesn't think it matters if they are rude, those people have feelings to. I could never do cold sales calls although I am sometimes a bit short tempered with them when I have politley said no thank you several times, I feel awful when I hand up on peoplebut some do push me to that especially when they don't listen to me and carry on pushing for a sale or whatever. I think I've only ever answered the phone with 'Yes what?'to my hubby when I was mega busy and he knew I was and phoned for something silly! So yes I do still use telephone manners to a certain extent!

If I dial a wrong number,it's only polite to apologise..if I pick up the phone when it rings to realise it's one of those automatic dial cold call outfits,however,I'll hang up immediately! I've had people calling looking for someone with the same surname in my area-they're probably going thru the phonebook! All I could say was "Sorry,don't know them!" My Surname is quite common in this region,but We're not directly related..I have no other Family near Me.

I still practice manners on the phone and elsewhere. I am afraid that rudeness is now the accepted way of life for a big portion of our society!

People do have good manners or they don't. It is not only related to telephone manners. Rude people on the phone are rude in general, because they are not happy.... Take care, HUGS

When I dial the wrong number, I usually know by who answered, and I just say, "Oops, wrong number! Sorry!" or something along those lines and then hang up. I would never just hang up on them... how rude. Plus, if you hang up and then accidentally dial that number again... well, that's double rude. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten a call and heard "who's this?" on the other end. WTF? I never tell them. I just say, "who's calling?" and they usually hang up. I don't get it. For awhile I was getting a lot of phone calls from people thinking my name was Tanisha and that we had met at "the club" when we clearly hadn't. They were so rude, too, and I would tell them they have the wrong number, and then it usually ended in, "well, wait wait. What are you doing tonight honey?" or something equally obnoxious.

I am always polite on the telephone and never just hang up. Perhaps it is because I hate people hanging up on me. I do work from home on the telephone doing market reserch so I do hate it when people put the phone down on me.

Hi dragon54u, I think it might have something to do with the intentions of the person calling. If someone regards a telephone call as a two-way exchange, then they'll implicitly acknowledge the dignity of the person on the other end, and act accordingly. BUT if the caller is simply wanting to GET something, and the telephone is the means to that end, then the person who they are calling is probably irrelevant to them beyond that. So if they have the opportunity to leave a message, they probably won't - either because they don't care, and just want to get to the next "prospect" on their list, or because they don't want to give you warning that they're trying to get in contact with you. The telemarketers fall squarely into that category of people trying to get something from you. And unfortunately, so do some relatives and acquaintances. It doesn't matter to the answering machine - it just does it's job (as well as the occasional bit of cooking and cleaning).

i have experience being hang up from the other line and the worst thing is when the phone was being left behind with only the music being played ...its not a local thing..the other end was playing...i guess bored and doing nothing...yes i really practice phone manners and all and even taught my daughters how to be polite when answering and even asking somebody on the phone on the other end..

I spend many hours on the telephone and its important to be nice on the telephone. One of the business classes I had many years ago discussed how to answer the telephone and the do and don't of making a call. Yesterday I dialed the wrong number and the gentleman on the telephone asked me what number I was trying to dial and with his help discovered I had one number off, but he owned the other number, so would have been quite embarrassed to dial the correct number.

Hang-ups? As in you dialed a number but you got it wrong then you hang up on the poor guy who got a "nuisance call" for nothing? Geez, if that is the case, I always apologize! It is only right since I am the one who make the mistake. The only exception for me to turn unfriendly would be when that guy was being rude or whatever while I had been polite. And yes, I do get my phone ringing and someone asking me who I am. Now I agree that it is indeed the height of telephone rudeness! You are calling me on my phone and you are asking me who you are?! I NEVER say who I am. I will return the question. If you don't know who I am, you have no business calling me and don't expect to get me to tell you whose number you dialed!

I was taught manners and respect (for myself as well as others) I still try to practice all tha I have learned today. If I get the wrong number and someone answers, I will ask did I dial 555-1212 if they tell me no, then I will apologize for bothering them. If I get an answering machine or voicemail I don't recognize, I will leave a silly little message and apologize for dialing the wrong number. . In this day and age of Caller ID, people can see the number that called. I think it is the right thing to do to let them know you made a mistake, instead of wondering who it was that called them. You are right when you say it might be the only kind word a person hears that day. Also, interjecting a little humor into you mistake might give them the only laugh they had that day.

Yes, I am absolutely with your opionion. People always say that you can know a person according to the telephone, I am so agree with it. So I am always trying to be police on the phone no matter I get or give a wrong number.

I still practice telephone manners. It reflects the type of person you are, and perhaps you just cant be rude to any and everybody you dont know or for that matter people you know! And people who say'Who's this' i think are i great hurry or they have plain forgotten how to talk to people.

I do apologize when i have dialled a wrong number. Yes it makes me mad when somebody calls and asks who is this?

I agree that telephone manners are a thing of the past but what bothers me even worse than what you mentioned here is when you are speaking to someone and they don't bother to say goodbye before they hangup the phone OR they are already speaking to someone in the background when you answer the phone. It seems to me that if they are calling you, you should have their undivided attention. I also dislike the "who's this?" when someone answers the phone. I also apologize when I dial the wrong number as I want the other person to know that I have made a mistake and wasn't just playing with the phone.

I always have good manners when I have a call. If I dial a wrong number I will apologize for that. My first word after I pick up a phone is hello. I think the people who don't have good manners are now regnize that is a very important problem. We must point it out and make them pay more attention.

I have to say that i do that sometimes. When tele-marketers call and I here what they are saying I just hang up the phone. Then there are times that I don't pick up the phone at all. When it's the wrong number I let them know they have the wrong number and have had the phone hung up in my ear. Then there are times when they will say sorry too. I guess manners are really up to you and how you feel at the moment when you get the call. Then that goes both ways for the caller and the one picking up the call; it depends on how you feel at the moment.

I spent a good number of years working on the telephone, so my telephone manners are pretty hot. It doesn't hurt to be polite to people, and when you are nice, you can find out all sorts of things that you wouldn't otherwise. Hubby tends not to introduce himself on the phone, which bugs me terribly. He justifies it by saying that those he is calling will recognise his voice, but that's not the point!

I agree with you it is not that hard to say sorry I dailed the wrong number. Or if someone calling you asks for someone who is not there explain they got the wrong number. For the moment I hear a persons voice I know if i got the wrong number. If i did I say sorry I was trying to reach my friend , have a nice day. I did leave a message once on a machine, but it was just an ooops sorry wrong nymber, I was caught off guard there. Hey, once missed dailed and just got the phone slammed on me . Atleast you still have manners and so do many other people out there. Have a good rest of the day !

I've been experiences a lot of rude call. There was a day when I recieved a call asking me "who are you?" when she calling me. I said pardon me? Then she jump up and ask "tell me who you are?" I don't know who that person looking for? but after asking me that question she hang up. I don't khow how a lot of people learn about manner but there was a lot of rude people out there.