So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[HudsonHawk]

We have these idiotic new electronic phones at work which, if you wait more than two seconds between dialing a digit of the number you're trying to call, will cut you off and go back to dial tone. Given the fact that we often have to dial ten stupid digits now, and given the fact that my vision seems to be deteriorating by the day, it sometimes takes me more than two seconds to figure out what the next number I need to dial is. Technology has no consideration for the fact that people age.

We've had required 10-digit dialing for almost 20 years now. There's a whole generation that looks at you funny when you say say "back in my day, you only had to dial seven digits..." I don't have the enthusiam to tell them I remember 4-digit dialing in some places. Kind of like the kid at the coffee counter this morning...we got to talking about the NBA Finals game last night and LeBron James when I mentioned Michael Jordan. He said "yeah, that was before my time." I might as well have been talking about Willis Reed in 1970. A punch to the gut.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I grew up on four-digit dialing, and can just remember when my mother worked as a manual-exchange operator in the next town. When I got my first "big city" radio job in 1986, I was amazed that we had to dial five digits.

I defiantly refuse to give my area code when giving out my phone number unless they specifically ask for it. If I'm feeling really grumpy, I'll give my exchange as "LYric 6."

 

[HudsonHawk]

We have overlapping area codes, which means I often get calls meant for my number in another area code. Most of the time, it's an honest mistake, I point it out, they say "sorry", I say "no problem, have a nice day". What irritates me is when people start questioning who I am and why I'm answering my phone. Sometimes I go all Spanky on them:

Caller: "Who is this?"
Me: "I give up...who?"

Caller: "What number is this?"
Me: "How many guesses?"

I really get annoyed at people who call me looking for someone else, perhaps an old acquaintance or ex-fiancee. They don't seem to be satisfied with "I have no clue". A friend of mine had the best response to one of those:

Caller: "May I speak to So-in-So?"
Friend: "He doesn't live here anymore"
Caller: "Where'd he go?"
Friend: "I'm not sure...last I heard he joined a cult...you know the kind that shaves their head and hangs around at the airport"
Caller: "Do you know where I can find him?"
Friend: "Have you checked the airport?"

 

[Fading Fast]

We have these idiotic new electronic phones at work which, if you wait more than two seconds between dialing a digit of the number you're trying to call, will cut you off and go back to dial tone. Given the fact that we often have to dial ten stupid digits now, and given the fact that my vision seems to be deteriorating by the day, it sometimes takes me more than two seconds to figure out what the next number I need to dial is. Technology has no consideration for the fact that people age.

All the people writing the software for phone technology today are probably under thirty, don't think of area codes as anything other than three additional digits and have know idea that people age. I am constantly frustrated by the new convention (not universal, yet, but it is happening more often) of not spacing or using dashes when giving telephone or other long numbers.

Okay, I'll admit this, I have put a piece of paper up to the screen to block out numbers so that I can see the first three, etc. And with my glasses, I am 20/20 - without, God only knows.

I feel your pain.

 

[tonyb]

We have overlapping area codes, which means I often get calls meant for my number in another area code. Most of the time, it's an honest mistake, I point it out, they say "sorry", I say "no problem, have a nice day". What irritates me is when people start questioning who I am and why I'm answering my phone. Sometimes I go all Spanky on them:

Caller: "Who is this?"
Me: "I give up...who?"

Caller: "What number is this?"
Me: "How many guesses?"

I really get annoyed at people who call me looking for someone else, perhaps an old acquaintance or ex-fiancee. They don't seem to be satisfied with "I have no clue". A friend of mine had the best response to one of those:

Caller: "May I speak to So-in-So?"
Friend: "He doesn't live here anymore"
Caller: "Where'd he go?"
Friend: "I'm not sure...last I heard he joined a cult...you know the kind that shaves their head and hangs around at the airport"
Caller: "Do you know where I can find him?"
Friend: "Have you checked the airport?"

Reminds me of another pet peeve of mine, one which I haven't encountered much of late, thank God. It's a caller asking who I am. If the first words out of a caller's mouth are "who's this?," I consider just hanging up. No man, I'm tempted to say, you called me. I wanna know who I'm talking with before I say anything more.

Because this annoys me so, I make a point of identifying myself and stating my business whenever calling people who wouldn't know who I am otherwise.

 

[Redshoes51]

Caller: "Who is this?"

You could always be... 'Jake from State Farm...'

I've done this... there tends to be a bit of silence from the other end...

HAR!!!

~shoe~

 

[Stearmen]

We have these idiotic new electronic phones at work which, if you wait more than two seconds between dialing a digit of the number you're trying to call, will cut you off and go back to dial tone. Given the fact that we often have to dial ten stupid digits now, and given the fact that my vision seems to be deteriorating by the day, it sometimes takes me more than two seconds to figure out what the next number I need to dial is. Technology has no consideration for the fact that people age.

Back in the late 80s when I was still working on airplanes, we got the Merlin phone integrated system. The joke was, "you need to be Merlin to work the stupid phone!"

 

[Stearmen]

We have overlapping area codes, which means I often get calls meant for my number in another area code. Most of the time, it's an honest mistake, I point it out, they say "sorry", I say "no problem, have a nice day". What irritates me is when people start questioning who I am and why I'm answering my phone. Sometimes I go all Spanky on them:

Caller: "Who is this?"
Me: "I give up...who?"

Caller: "What number is this?"
Me: "How many guesses?"

I really get annoyed at people who call me looking for someone else, perhaps an old acquaintance or ex-fiancee. They don't seem to be satisfied with "I have no clue". A friend of mine had the best response to one of those:

Caller: "May I speak to So-in-So?"
Friend: "He doesn't live here anymore"
Caller: "Where'd he go?"
Friend: "I'm not sure...last I heard he joined a cult...you know the kind that shaves their head and hangs around at the airport"
Caller: "Do you know where I can find him?"
Friend: "Have you checked the airport?"

I used to have a phone number that was one digit off from the local Kmart. Needless to say, I got a lot of wrong numbers, back before caller id. One time I got, "do you sell Z Brick?" I said, you have the wrong number, they went on and on asking me about Z Brick, how much, how many panels did I have. Finally, they got the message, he was sincerely apologetic, so I know it wasn't a prank call. Another time, I may have ruined a relationship! A young women called asking for some man, I said you have the wrong number. I must have sounded like him, she told me to quit kidding around and she knew it was him. She finally said, "fine, be that way," and hung up. He must have had some serious explaining to do that night.

 

[Stearmen]

I have to admit, when I said I am a lot more patient these days, and slowing down, that was a bit of a lie! There is one bit of slowness, I have little or no patience for, that's drivers going under the speed limit by 10 or more MPH! It's bad enough when they are in the passing lane on the highway, (which is illegal,) but, on two lane roads it is down right dangerous. As the line of cars pile up, and the one right behind me gets right on my bumper, as if that is going to make the guy at the front go any faster! Stay home Snail Man! Thanks for reading my rant, I do feel a little better. [video=youtube;9ghX4MWQDms]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ghX4MWQDms[/video]

 

[LizzieMaine]

The other side of that coin is the aggressive jackass in the sports car who thinks a twisty, narrow two-lane country road is the Autobahn. I yearn for the days when anything over 45mph was prima facie evidence of reckless driving.

 

[jamespowers]

I used to have a phone number that was one digit off from the local Kmart. Needless to say, I got a lot of wrong numbers, back before caller id. One time I got, "do you sell Z Brick?" I said, you have the wrong number, they went on and on asking me about Z Brick, how much, how many panels did I have. Finally, they got the message, he was sincerely apologetic, so I know it wasn't a prank call. Another time, I may have ruined a relationship! A young women called asking for some man, I said you have the wrong number. I must have sounded like him, she told me to quit kidding around and she knew it was him. She finally said, "fine, be that way," and hung up. He must have had some serious explaining to do that night.

My favorite was when we used to get calls for a utility company back east. They would call about account cutoffs and all kinds of things. I think I probably did more to tarnish that company's reputation than anyone in their history.
"My utility has been cut off."
"Well, let me see here. Your account says you have not paid your bills for three months! Pay the bill and we will turn it back on again!" Slam down phone and cradle.

 

[Zombie_61]

I used to have a phone number that was one digit off from the local Kmart. Needless to say, I got a lot of wrong numbers...

My in-laws' phone number was one digit off from the local police department. They used to get some interesting wrong number calls. lol

 

[Stearmen]

My in-laws' phone number was one digit off from the local police department. They used to get some interesting wrong number calls. lol

Joe's morgue, you stab em, we slab em!

 

[Stearmen]

The other side of that coin is the aggressive jackass in the sports car who thinks a twisty, narrow two-lane country road is the Autobahn. I yearn for the days when anything over 45mph was prima facie evidence of reckless driving.

45mph, our construction zones are faster than that! However, fines are double for speeding in a work zones, and enforced to the MPH!

 

[Trapped in T-wilight Zone]

About a week ago, I was driving through a construction zone with a reduced speed limit of 55 mph. I was doing 70. In the right lane. Being passed by everyone else on the road.
Gotta love Califunny. (I seriously considered adding "Not" after that. Then I realized that may actually belong in this thread as something trivial that annoys me!)

Zombie_61 said
"My in-laws' phone number was one digit off from the local police department. They used to get some interesting wrong number calls. "

Your in-laws and my mom could swap stories! When I was growing up, our number was two digits transposed from the local Physician's Exchange. It took a little while to figure out why they got so many calls on weekends from frantic mothers.

 

[jamespowers]

Joe's morgue, you stab em, we slab em!

Police Department, Officer Stearman here.

 

[GHT]

Is the adding to the price of venue tickets a UK phenomenon? THe ticket price to a West End show, (West End is London speak for downtown) was advertised at £45. After paying a booking fee, theatre restoration fee, any other fancy fee I can think of fee, I paid a total price of £62 a ticket for something that was advertised at £45. If it hadn't been for a special occasion they could have shoved it where you stick a rectum thermometer! Ticks me off? That's putting it mildly.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Is the adding to the price of venue tickets a UK phenomenon? THe ticket price to a West End show, (West End is London speak for downtown) was advertised at £45. After paying a booking fee, theatre restoration fee, any other fancy fee I can think of fee, I paid a total price of £62 a ticket for something that was advertised at £45. If it hadn't been for a special occasion they could have shoved it where you stick a rectum thermometer! Ticks me off? That's putting it mildly.

That's not unique to the UK. Most event tickets in the US are loaded with fees as well. I've seen tickets that come with a "processing fee", a "service fee", a "printing fee" and a "shipping fee". You'll usually pay the "printing fee" even if the tickets are electronic and not printed, and you'll pay the "shipping fee", even if you go right to the box office and pick them up.

 

[Zombie_61]

Is the adding to the price of venue tickets a UK phenomenon? THe ticket price to a West End show, (West End is London speak for downtown) was advertised at £45. After paying a booking fee, theatre restoration fee, any other fancy fee I can think of fee, I paid a total price of £62 a ticket for something that was advertised at £45. If it hadn't been for a special occasion they could have shoved it where you stick a rectum thermometer! Ticks me off? That's putting it mildly.

Here in the U.S., if you order tickets online they'll usually add a few dollars and call it a "handling" or "convenience" fee, but I haven't seen any so far that add anything like the equivalent of £20. Then again, I rarely attend events that charge £45 per ticket, so what do I know?

 

[tonyb]

45mph, our construction zones are faster than that! However, fines are double for speeding in a work zones, and enforced to the MPH! ...

As well they should be. I wouldn't be saying that if I were the person paying a fine of some hundreds of dollars for driving 56 mph in a 55 mph work zone. But then, I'm not likely to be that person.