Call Waiting
By Kaldonya
@Kaldonya (277)
United States
February 7, 2007 1:19pm CST
So are you in favor of having call waiting on your phone or do you think it's very rude to be talking to someone and then putting them "on hold" because you "need" to answer another call? In my opinion, I feel that I would be sending the message that "yes, you're important to be talking to...but hold on - someone more important might be on the other line and I "need" to find out who it is!
We used to be a society that would get along just fine without call waiting. If someone called and got a busy signal, they would just try back. Since when did we become a society that 'needs to be available' at every moment and that we always need to talk to someone right away? I just think it's rude.
I was talking to my mom across the country and she put me on hold when another call came in (like she always does). After 3 minutes I hung up....and that time I was being nice. If she really wanted to talk to me that bad, she can just call back. My time is just as valuable as hers, and I think it's wrong to put someone on hold as if your time is more important than theirs.
How do you feel about this?
13 people like this
75 responses
@DRoddy77 (1776)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I have call waiting but I only use it if the call is really important. I hate it when im talking to someone and they keep putting me on hold every 5 minutes to answer the other line. I only answer the other line if I'm waiting for an important call and I will explain to the other person why I have to answer it! I really hate it when people put me on hold to answer the other line and then just leave me there for 10 minutes while they chit chat! That's sooo rude!
2 people like this
@Kaldonya (277)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I guess I'm sort of wondering also when we became a society of needing to know everything right now type society. I mean....even with an important call, we knew to just wait until it came in, and if we were on the phone, then so be it, and the person on the other line would just know to try again. Society as a whole seemed to function just fine that way for years. I wonder why so many people seem to think that we can't anymore.....hmmm....
1 person likes this
@34momma (13882)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I love call waiting. yet i do think that there is a way to use it without being rude. first if you have caller id with call waiting then you can see who is calling before hand which is great. sometimes that person calling in is someone you don't need to talk to right away. but if you do need to take the call what i do is tell the person i am talking to i will call you back i have to take this call. i don't think it is an issue of who is more important, yet sometimes you need to speak to certain people at that time. and i would never put someone on hold for three minutes. that i agree is rude
2 people like this
@mikeyr6000le (2123)
• United States
8 Feb 07
You are so very right. It is very rude and that is exactly what you are telling the person. There are some good things about it though or needs for it. Here are two examples.
I went to Europe one year thanks to band and my parents. We were touring all over there. My parents got call waiting just for that reason. They didn't want to miss a call from me. If they got a beep they just told the person the truth. My son is in Europe right now and that might be him, can I call you back? If it wasn't me they would just talk for a while then hang up and call the other person back.
Then when i got home they kept it for a while because my grand mother was really sick. They kept incase she was calling or if it was the hospitol calling. Then they would just do the same thing, ask to call that person back and take the call. Those are some of the good reasons for having call waiting.
2 people like this
@ilovesarwesh (148)
• India
8 Feb 07
I love call waiting but when it is on my part.That mean if a third party is calling me when I am buisy and then talk to the third party keeping the second party on hold.But I don't want to get wait for some other on phone.To wait is the worst thing I want to do.i hate it by nay means.
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I have call waiting and it enables my family to be able to get ahold of me whenever. They don't have to wait for someone to get off the phone. I am very quick when I answer another call, most of the time I will tell that person I will call them back, that I am on he other line. Most people do understand. The only time I will call the original person back is if it is a long distance call coming in. I do my best not to be rude.
2 people like this
@mercury1060 (771)
• Indonesia
8 Feb 07
I know someone who does that and I think that is the rudest thing I ever heard. We are in the middle of a conversation and she will tell me HOLD ON and take the other call or sometimes cut me off right in the middle of a conversation
1 person likes this
@blakky (137)
• Australia
8 Feb 07
i think it is totally rude to put someone on hold and take another call. the only good reason for this is if you are waiting for a very very important call - and i mean seriously important. it is common courtesy to give your full attention to the person you are talking to at that time. a lot of these kind of social niceties are going by the way it seems. like whenever you are with someone they HAVE to have their mobile phone and take all calls and SMS people when they are supposed to be with you. what on earth did they do before mobiles when they couldn't be reached 24/7???
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Feb 07
I'm one of the rarities, I guess, because I don't have call waiting. I don't like it. I used to have a family member who was a long distance call for me. I didn't mind paying for my share of the calls but I hated being put on hold while she took other calls. I wasn't about to pay for that so, if it was more than a minute or two (enough time to tell the other caller she'd call back), I would just hang up.
I leave my cell phone on during the day, while everyone is away from home. Emergencies, heaven forbid, can be called by cell phone so they are always answered immediately. I have a pay as you go cell and that's one of the main things it's used for. :)
1 person likes this
@lifeiseasy (2292)
• United States
8 Feb 07
I don't feel its rude . But when I am on the phone with someone else and a call come in I check to see who it is ... I have kids and I never know if is one of them or if something might have happened to them ... I only use flash after I ask the person to please hold on as this might be about my kids and I only do that when I see a number I know is from them . I don't always use it but it is nice if I do need it ... I feel I can understand why you were upset calling long distance is quite exspensive to be put on hold for that amount of time . just tell your mom that when you call its your dime and you want your money's worth, so talk Mom and don't put me on hold...lol I think she will understand where youare coming form on he issue ...good luck
@gemirios (55)
• Pakistan
8 Feb 07
hmmmmm...well i think wat ur mom did was not such a wise thing to do (with all do respect) cuz u were making a long distance call...but in other scenarios, wat if there has been an emergency and some family member is trying to call u but ur on phone with ur friend or collegue gossiping bout ur daily adventures orrrrr may be its ur boss who's trying to assign u a new assignment which can get u the promotion u've been eyeing on...which instead went to someone else since u didnt prefer to put ur first call on hold.
i think its a gud use of technology only if ppl used it wisely and effectively.
@stardust21 (22)
• United States
8 Feb 07
I have a friend that will say " I'm getting a beep, can I call you back". And she'll go to the other call. I think that is sooo rude. Why can't she just tell the person calling that she'll call them back. Why have it in the first place if that is what you are going to do to people.
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Feb 07
I've come to realize that there are some people who use their call waiting as a reason to "get out of" or hang up on a call... you know, the people who can't just seem to say "I have to go now" LOL I find it kind of amusing when they forget that the other person can actually hear a little skip in the conversation if another call comes in ;)
1 person likes this
@leopardxtasy (2426)
• United States
7 Feb 07
i think for some people call waiting is a life saver you could be on the phone with somebody who can talk for hours and wont shut up and then you are saved by the beep and you end up with an excuse to get off the phone
1 person likes this
@cblackink (969)
• United States
12 Mar 07
I totally agree. I have call waiting and I refuse to use it, especially on my cell phone because they can still leave a message.
1 person likes this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
•
10 Feb 07
i love it and treat direct telemarketeers to a long wait on my call waiting system they always get bored much quicker than i will, blessed be
1 person likes this
@greengal (4286)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I have a friend who puts me on hold too all the time. It annoys me a times especially when its for a longer time. I don't put people on hold unless I get a call I've been expecting. I think its better to tell the other person that you will call back after you are done with the important call than to put them on hold. I agree when you say we needn't be available round the clock. If we are on another call the others who call have to wait or try again.
1 person likes this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
7 Feb 07
We have that. I never bother with it. If I am on the phone it is to take care of personal business. If the thing beeps well it just beeps. I dislike using the phone anyway, and call waiting was part of the package we got with the phone service.
My wife on the other hand loves it, but hey, women and phones were made for each other or so it seems.
1 person likes this
@awonderfullife (2893)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I have call waiting, but I only use it if I am expecting an important call. If I'm chatting on the phone with a friend, I try not to put them on hold. I have been put on hold many times and it's annoying-- I usually hang up if I'm on hold for more than a minute. But call waiting definitely has it's place.
1 person likes this
