Cell phone etiquette in public places

I was in the video rental store a few days back. Only one other customer was present. His cell phone rang. He answered it and launched into a long, loud conversation about bad sales leads and the incompetence of some of his fellow employees. I heard his entire conversation in detail. There was nothing of an emergent nature. No one's life or personal fortune was in danger. It was office small talk. I was not eavesdropping; he was speaking so loudly that anyone in any corner of the store could hear him clearly. I went there to look for a movie, not to hear about some stranger's day at work.

Although I can't think of a truly rational reason why, his behavior really ticked me off. He was the one revealing details about his life yet I was the one who felt violated. I see this all the time; in the supermarket, in restaurants, in the post office, in the movie theater (during the movie), even in the library!!!!! Some actually wear tiny hands free headphones with a built in mike. I sometimes mistake them for babbling zombies until I see the hardware.

I fully acknowledge that the salesman in the video store had every right to talk on his cell phone whenever and wherever he pleases. He paid for it and it's perfectly legal. And there are actually some who truly derive their livelihood in one way or another by engaging in long cell phone conversations that can't wait. But I would guess that those people are few and far between. I doubt that the teenager I see jaw jacking endlessly on his cell at McDonalds is the CEO of a major corporation.

Hey, I have a cell phone too. I even use it once in a while. If my wife calls me while I'm in a public place to ask me to pick up some milk on the way home, I will talk to her discreetly and only long enough to convey whatever communication is necessary.

I have no problem with people who use their cells in public for quick, essential messages. But I am becoming increasingly offended by those who walk around with phones glued to their ears engaging in endless inane conversations that only they have an interest in.

I live in the LA area. Does this happen outside of California too? The dangers of second hand cigarette smoke in public places have been virtually legislated out of existence here. Now we are faced with a new equally offensive threat; second hand small talk!!! It seems like every other person over 13 years of age carries a cell phone around here. My son's NINE year old friend has one of his own!!!

Has anyone else out there been offended by obnoxious cell phone users? Or am I just an old fuddy duddy who should shut his pie hole and learn to coexist peacefully in the 21st century, the age of communication?

I carry a cell phone as well, but don't just go yapping on it endlessly in public. I see people with cellular telephones glued to their ears, just tooling down the sidewalk and yapping away endlessly. If my phone rings, I pull over and stop before answering it, and I try to be sure I'm really out of the way before I start yapping. And if it goes off inside of a store or other place, I simply press the "hang up" button and it quits ringing, and I don't have to answer it. I imagine the calling party gets a recording of some kind, like "The AT&T cellular customer you're trying to reach is not available at this time. Please try again later." or some such horse puckey.
If it's somebody that really needs to talk, I can grab the caller's phone number off the display and call them at a more convenient time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Or I just let the ****sucker ring, if I'm outdoors and nobody else can hear the phone go off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If I'm in a movie theatre or church or restaraunt, I'll just turn the telephone off altogether, so there's absolutely no chance it could ring and disturb anyone.

Re your question of whether it's CA only: it happens everywhere. Even funnier is the growing use of hands-free headsets making it look like the phone addicts are walking around talking to themselves out loud.

Yeah, it bugs me too. I don't even like it when I call someone and after a half minute of chatting I realize that they're on a cell phone (and maybe even driving a car at the same time). Cell phones are great for saying you'll be arriving somewhere, setting up another call, etc. but I hate chatting over them even in private. Bad audio, dropped calls, poor privacy, etc. Best to use them sort of like pagers, keep the calls real quick, use a regular phone for longer calls.

90% of my cell phone calls in public places go something like this:

"hello?...Hi mom... No, I'm at the grocery store can i call you back in a few minutes?... Thanks, bye" I don't think anybody is upset by that. I have been on busses or trains or just walking down the street and I've learned about people's marital problems, I learned all about an interesting affair (whith lots of scarry details) leading to a divorce while reading childrens books to my daughter at a barnes and noble the other day. I even got one ladies SS# and mothers maiden name while waiting at a crosswalk last year. I meant to tap her on the shoulder and tell her how bad that was security wise for her, but I got distracted and she ran away when the light changed.

Some people can be reminded about stupid things and actually alter their behavior. Most of us have a certain degree of control over our behavior, but not everybody /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I carry a cell phone when I have to for work (they pay for it). I hate the things. But they're here to stay.

I just wish more states would crack down on the people who yak nonstop and barely pay attention to anything else while they are driving!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Hey you guys think its bad over there... wait till you see what it's like over here in Asia... Almost everyone has a cellphone here, from school kids to just about any Tom, **** or Harry on the street. Here it's more than a fashion statement, it's become almost like a necessity!
Sometimes you get idiots who leave their cells on while watching a movie, and as if the ringing isn't bad enough, they actually start chatting in the cinema too!! It takes probably about everyone in the cinema to stare at them (with enless 'sshhhh'ing) before they actually stop! Funny how they don't seem to be considerate enough to take the call outside if they have to... Hmm.. must be the radiation affecting their brain cells...

Yes, and it gets worse. I've had one idiot start narrating the damned movie to whoever was on the other end. I thought my misery came to an end when I hear the low battery warning. Then he whipped out his spare battery.

Now you must be asking, why didn't anyone tell the prick to hang up, well, usually when you do that, it gets ugly and people have been assaulted and a few cases even made it into the papers. This is a country where you can get challenged to a fight for 'staring' We've a significant number of pricks in this country. Don't let me get started on parents and their brats..I mean children in public libraries.

Bad cellphone etiquette is a very common problem in South East Asia, esp in my country, Singapore. You have multiple wankers talking on their phones at the top of their voices in public places, including buses and trains. And many of these idiots carry on long conversations. I was on a bus where this %^&*# yakked non-stop at the top of her voice for more than an hour behind me(she had TWO spare batteries)
Its also a national pastime to download fancy ringtones for cellphones. Some like their ringtones so much they actually hold the phone and listen to the ringtone for a frikking 10 to 20 seconds before picking up the *&%$#@ call.

There is also heavy usage of SMS here, where you send text messages to friends using your cellphone. Problem is, many idiots here like to do that even when they're walking, I've had a few bump into me from behind because they were so engrossed in SMSing that they didn't see where they were going. And then they glare at you as if its you're bloody fault for blocking their path. Why can't thse jokers walk into incoming traffic instead?? Then we'll have less of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

Nowadays, I listen to music when travelling to drown out all the noise.

Oh, and on a related note, did I mention that people here refuse to queue up when boarding the buses or trains, its more like a pushing, shoving match with people trying to cut in front of you all the time. You'll never be able to get on the bus if you actually try to queue up because there will be an endless stream of people cutting in front of you.

Agreed, lhz... situation in M'sia is not that far off from the scenarios you described either. Which scenario? ALL OF THE ABOVE... But the spare battery cases, now that's a classic... they might as well get a solar powered charger or something...

What really gets to me is when these teens (or some adults for that matter) are having a 'sound test' on their phone to see which ringing tone they'd like best. Never mind that they've selected the most irritating tone(s) to listen to, but the fact that they could go on and on trying out each tone one after another with the volume on full blast is really what gets to me!

As for SMS, one of the Telcos even has a 'Speedmaster' challenge here annually, and no wonder it's a huge success cos it was all about how fast one could type and reply a phrase and sms it back to the service provider! Needless to say someone made lots of $ there!

Sad to say, but High School One Act Play competitions are now started with an announcement to the audieace to TURN OFF their cell phones so as to not interupt the plays. Violators get escorted out.

I've even heard cell phones go off during funerals!

Sad.

Its so bad here in Japan that on the trains and subways they have a recorded announcement requesting passengers to turn off their cell phones while on the train, as it is annoying for other passengers.

Cell phone email is incredibly popular and common here, and its very common to see people walking along while tapping madly away at their phone.

Graham

There must be a reason why we get irritated upon hearing other people talk on their cell phones. I'm guessing it has something to do with people feeling like they are being forced to hear some one else's conversation whether they like it or not. It feels like the other person is saying, aren't I special, so special in fact that you should feel privileged to be able to listen to what I am saying. Since this person won't ask for permission,(excuse me) to carry on a conversation in public, it seems as though something is being forced upon us and we are at their mercy. If one of these public talkers were to talk in a hushed tone it wouldn't be nearly as irritating. The fact that they don't care what anyone around them feels like just makes it worse.I have been known to be rather outspoken and don't have a problem with letting rude people in public know how I feel. If they don't like it, who cares. Consideration of others is one of the first things we learn in school, but some people feel they can do anything they wish. It seems like really loud cell phone users are invading my sound space, invading the part of me that wants to exist in my own space, quietly, without agitation.

i heard of a convention where they did a Gallager (sp) style little joke. they asked everyone to turn off their cell phones/pagers/etc, and immediately after, a phone rings. the announcer asks the guy to come up and hand over his phone for a second. a large wood block is wheeled out, the phone put on the block, a cloth thrown over it, it's smashed with a sledge hammer. the parts are returned to the owner who is now jumping up and down. there's a radid flurry of people making SURE their phones are off :>

of course, this was staged and a dead cell phone used for the actual smashing :> still, an effective message. consider using it at work, meetings, etc! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

other tactics and fun...

o if someone is holding forth on a cell phone or even better, one of those camcorder zombies you see that just has the camera glued to their head, they aren't usually paying attention to their surroundings. you just come up to them and say over and over something like "tomato" or "candy" and wait til THEY get annoyed. in the case of the camera person, they might not even notice, until they get home. the camera sure will record you though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

o cell phones with cameras are becoming VERY popular. so is the practice of instant video blogging. i'm sure it'll be next to trivial shortly for the masses to do that or similar. watch how quickly many venues clamp down on people with cell phones with cameras! yay. it's already a "no no" to take pictures in many theatres, super markets, malls, stores, court rooms and clubs. i've seen the occasional sign now saying that camera equipped devices are NOT to be used on site. rock.

o in movie theatres lately, in the usa, they are pretty sensitive to people using phones, and i've seen managers escorting abusers out the door. awright! screaming at someone in a dark theatre to "shut up" only takes a second and is hard to track. bwahahahah. oh, i got this FLASHLIGHT i can help you with :>

o rawr!

o cell phone users and driving. well, various studies keep showing that it's not so much the phones but any distraction making drivers less able to drive well. focus people! drive or pull over, regardless if it's the phone, baby, dog, sexual act, sunset, eating, smoking, whatever. oiy!

o speaking of funerals - i've heard of a few light hearted jokers requesting a full working pager/cell phone be placed IN their coffin, so as to amuse/shock the gathered /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

that's all for now

Unfortunately, when you try to politely tell these buggers to lower their voices or cut short their conversations because they're disturbing others, more often than not they'll turn it into an ugly scene, shouting at the top of their voices or challenging you to a fight. Is it just me or do people who live in densely populated countries become more tense? We have neighbours nursing grudges over small matters for years, even after police involvement. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

And no, its not just the young people, in fact most of the people responsible for this kind of boorish behaviour I've seen are over 30 yrs old, many are elderly people, in fact.
The worst offenders are middle aged women.
The younger people, esp teenagers, seem to have better manners than their elders, well, except for the SMSing, they're the worst in that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

I have to carry one for work, so the few times it has rang in public I answer "$company_name$ emergency support how may I help you?" and of course its always on vibrate, then ring so I can answer it before it does ring. Even then when I am in public or driving I say I'm not at my computer now give me x minutes to get home and on the vpn and I will call you back unless its a really simple problem that I can provide a quick answer for. Poeple at my office spend more time in their personal lives at work and have their cell phone sitting on their desk playing a song at full volume while they are in a conference room in the other end of the building in a meeting. Then their phone beeps every two minutes for the next hour until their meeting is over and they come back to their desk and check their voice mail and call their kids/spouse and talk loudly about the after school activities etc. Why is it people have to talk loud on a phone. I get those tech support calls and have to jerk the phone away from my ear because the person THINKS YOU HAVE TO TALK LIKE THIS /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. The worst are the Nextel walki talki phones. BEEP BEEP %&^$Static%$^%$ Hey ^%&^%^%static^%$&^%$ where are you. We had those and you had to stand real still or you would loose the signal. We had a 50% dropped call rate.

I'm a light cell phone offender. Light.

I've been known to chat in public on the phone, but I understand that you don't have to SCREAM to use a cell. Talking as loud as you would to a person standing next to you is suffice. I'm also somewhat timid about it. IN Wal-Mart with 500 other people? Sure I'll use the phone. In a video store with 1 other person? Better be an important call...

I'll SMS while walking but I understand that the main goal here is to walk and not bumb into anybody, not SMS

Ringer is never any louder than it needs to be. Libraries? Movies? Silent. Churches? Funerals? Phone is left at home. I never do a sound check in public and if I'm doing lots of menu crap then I'll turn off the key press tones as to not annoy others.

I say I'm a light offender but I think I'm hard on myself. I've been carrying a phone for about 4 years now (I just turned 17) and quite a few of my friends and family still don't even know I have a phone /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Ah, I see an opportunity here! Some restaurants are considering equipping themselves with electronic suppression technology that renders cell phones inoperable while inside the dining area! I saw a news clip where they had a restaurant that could detect an active cell phone when passing thru the receptionist's area and patrons were asked to turn off the phone. It could be the same as a "smoking" and "non-smoking area"!
Now if I went into business installing cell phone suppression or blocking equipment into sensitive areas... restaurants, theaters, funeral parlors, etc…

What do you techies think would work? EM or white noise generators? RF blockers, scramblers? Something that would not affect pacemakers.

cell phone suppressors eh? will they make a portable one for me to carry on my belt?? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The only problem with surpressing cell phones and such is there are legitimate reasons for people to have them. A good example is when I used to work for the 911 company. I installed the equipment that received your phone number and address from the phone company and the computer aided dispatching systems. Our support was 24/7 so there were times that I could be called in a public place. That is a rare situation but you don't want to risk blocking 911's tech support /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

There are lots of places (basements, subways, etc.) where cell phones plain don't work even with no deliberate suppression active. And in a big disaster, the base stations for some region could go out, so nobody's phone would work. If your 911 system depends critically on being able to reach people by cell phones, it needs to be redesigned.

Cell phone etiquette in public places- SUPRESSION?

I would have to study the technology more, but yes, I think you could build a portable "anti-cell phone" device for EDC. It would have a small radius due to antenna constraints, then there is the battery issue, something everyone here can appreciate... I also need to check FCC regs on active emitters.