Do You Ever Turn The Ringer Off On Your Phone?
By Rozie37
@Rozie37 (15499)
Turkmenistan
February 8, 2008 12:19am CST
As much as I love to talk on the phone, I will turn it off in a minute and not feel guilty at all. I do not care who it is that is calling, if I am not in the mood to talk, they will be ignored. If it is an emergency, leave a message. If I hear the emergency, I will pick it up no matter what.
When my family and close friends call, they demand to know where I am and why I did not answer their call. They think that all I do is sit in front of the phone and wait for them to call me. I have a life and even if I didn't, I refuse to let people control me with a phone.
One day, I had talked to my aunt for a good two hours. After the phone call, I went to the restroom. She called right back to say something and had the nerve to fuss at me on my machine. I know you are there, because I just got finished talking to you, why aren't you answering your phone. When I played back the message, my teeth were clinched together.
When I take a nap during the day, I turn the phone off, unless I am expecting an important call. If the person calls twice, I will listen to the recording on the answering machine from my bed. By this time, I am awake. If I do not want to talk to that person, I will turn over and go right back to sleep.
My middle sister will make a joke of it, but she is just as bad. I have been over her house and seen her look at the caller I.D. and ignore the call or tell her children to. But, if I do not answer the phone. I have to hear, Rosie, where are you at? Get your behind home and answer your phone. I know that she is just playing, but it can still get on my nerves sometimes.
I had to switch to DSL, just for my family. I was the first one in my family to get it. They kept complaining about my line being busy. So, I fixed all of them. I got a cell phone and didn't give anyone the number and I keep the volume on vibrate. I only use it for emergencies. So tell me, do you ever turn your phone off?
5 people like this
27 responses
@balasri (26537)
• India
8 Feb 08
Yes I do.Mostly by 10.30 when a tv show or a dvd becomes very interesting.I don't like to be called by my relatives and heard 'Just I called to say Hello.Long time no see.How are the things?What are the new things cropping up from your side?' kind of stuff.I need some time for myself.Don't I?
3 people like this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
8 Feb 08
hahaha I don't have many family members calling our landline Rozie so when they do call I can't ignore it and have to pick it up if I am at home (since majority of them call from New Zealand and or Australia). They also have my cell phone number which my mum calls all the time.
Some days I have turned the ringer down but not off, and let the answer machine pick up the calls. We have caller ID now so if I am near the phone I check it and then if I recognise the name and number then I answer it, if not I let the answer machine pick it up.
3 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
8 Feb 08
I do not believe that I get any important long distance calls yet. But when that bum takes my family to Atlanta, I guess I will have to keep the volume on my phone up so I can hear if they leave a message.
I was so close to saying that I will leave the phone on for them, but I just can't do it. I have to have my quiet time when I know that no one will interupt me. Maybe this is why I am not married with children. Woe is me!!!!!
3 people like this
@SViswan (12051)
• India
8 Feb 08
I never turn the ringer off....but I know some of my friends do especially if they or their kids are taking a nap. I don't mind that because most of them have told me that they do it and I don't want to disturb anyone....even though I only call when there is something to be told and not really to chat.
I never turn my ringer off...because I don't have an answering machine and I'm always worried that someone might call from my son's school and I won't be able to answer. And I also want the little one to get used to the noises around him and be able to sleep through it (which he wasn't able to do earlier).
3 people like this
@itsmepinky (1300)
• India
8 Feb 08
i tunr if off when i am in a meeting or sleeping at night
3 people like this
@dpk262006 (58676)
• Delhi, India
8 Feb 08
I switch off the ringer, when I am going to sleep in the afternoon or when I am busy in some important work. I can call the person afterwards, when I am free. Me having a mobile phone does not mean that anyone can disturb me any time and vice versa.
3 people like this
@leeloo (1492)
• Portugal
8 Feb 08
I generally do not turn off my cell or phone as maybe it is paranoia but I always feel that it is the day that I don't have a phone with me something will happen, just put it on vibrate. I am very forgetful, so my cell is forever on low battery and then it cuts off in mid conversation, then I forget to charge it, so my friends and family just send me sms and leave the calls for emergencies. Also, I have a erratic schedule so I have a basic timeframe in which I receive calls, so if the phone rings it is either important or an emergency. I do understand you though, there are days that I which that phones where not to successful.
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
9 Feb 08
i always have the ringer down low on my house phone, i live in a small apartment, so i can hear it anywhere except the bathroom, and who needs to hear the phone ringing when they are in the bathroom really ?? and it doesn't wake me up if i'm asleep.
My cellphone is almost always on silent. I dont answer the calls, as i use my phone mostly for text messaging!
2 people like this
@sukumar794 (5040)
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
13 Feb 08
oh! I do it quite often ..just to avert nagging calls from my debtors. They would not accept whatever excuses told and will go on with repeated callls. Hence I have no other alternative but to switch off my ringer.
2 people like this
@valerie37 (1002)
• Christiansburg, Virginia
14 Feb 08
On days that I'm just not in a mood to deal with anyone i will turn the ringer off. Also when I'm wanting an uninterrupted nap I will also turn it off.
2 people like this
@asawako48162 (3321)
• United States
8 Feb 08
most of the time i just don't answer the phone and screen all my calls..but sometimes my wife picks up..today i was so into the inernet trying to get some info that when my wife thrust the phone in my hand i just hung up..and then the caller called back and said "we were cut off" ..yeah..lol..by me and i just told her something she already knew..it was about a doctors office who could not fill my perscription due to the fact they were not treating me..i said..yeah thanks i am going to my doctor today..and i will have HIM prescribe the MEDs..which was only 800 mg Motrine..(strongest strenthg..but you need a script) but i get too involed with what i am doing that i get too focused..lol..but unless i make the call..i don't like talking much on the phone as i have few close friends that call
2 people like this
@asawako48162 (3321)
• United States
9 Feb 08
i either ignore the phone (caller id- answering machine) or my wife picks up if she knows who is calling but she is very abrupt with people who call out of the blue..lol have a nice day
2 people like this
@laurika (4532)
• United States
14 Feb 08
I do it pretty often. Specialy now when there are every day at least five calls, when they want your money or juts asking for some name and I tell them at least hundred times, the person doesn't live here. but they are calling over and over, so i would just look at ID and ignore it and turn ringing off too. My parents never call here, since we talk thorugh the internet, but sometimes when my husbands' family call I would not pick it up, just because i don't feel like talk to them and also i am just having hard time talk on the phone. i get really nervous too, so better let that phone ring forever.
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
14 Feb 08
I found that I have many times when I just do not feel like being interupted by the outside world. There are people that I love to talk to some times, but then other times, I would rather not speak to them. That is really hard for some people to understand.
1 person likes this
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
9 Feb 08
i tried hooking our phone to a fax machine so nobody would call...we have a rotary phone still though, and because of the "pulse" dial tone thing not being existant on new phones and me not authorized to change the phone we are stuck with it...i can't turn the ringer off either...
my cell phone i keep on silent and never answer unless i know who it is...
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
8 Feb 08
Rozie you are so right. I do not answer the phone if I do not want to. I do not turn the ringer off because I have four phones.
I do look at the caller ID and then decided if I want to answer it or not. I also decided if I want to call someone back or not when they leave the message on my answering maching.
2 people like this
@nyumix (1658)
• Belgium
8 Feb 08
I do turn off the volume of my phone in the house, because my husband always complaint if I put the ringer volume loud. But I still put the vibrate on, in case there is a call for me, I can still hear the vibrate since I always put it on the table.
@wolfewatcher (191)
• Canada
9 Feb 08
the house phone i do sometimes turn the ringer off. especially when a neighbour decides to call me like 11-12 at night. and sometimes when my aunt calls. i love her and everything but you can only handle hearing the same things soooo many times in a week. as for my cell phone, if i am at home i have it set to ring, and only a few people have it including the school. if i'm out doing something i have it set to vibrate cause its in my pants pocket and i will feel like shaking.
2 people like this
@madasp (563)
• United States
9 Feb 08
If my kids aren't home I turn the ringer off because otherwise their friends will call back every 10 min. to see if they're home yet. If my kids need to get ahold of me they call the cell.
I also check the caller ID and if it's not someone I know I very rarely answer
@santau (223)
• United States
9 Feb 08
I almost never turn mine off, but I never leave the ringer on an audible level. Its always on vibrate or silence. I hardly ever talk on the phone. I dont like it very much. Whats funny though is that it annoys the people I work with because when they try to call me to pick up a shift or come in early, I'm clueless and there isnt anything they can do about it lol.
2 people like this
@stacyb726 (29)
• United States
12 Feb 08
I turn my phone off all the time... Sometimes i hate the sound of people voices...
2 people like this
