What's the most annoying thing that people do when they're on the phone?

Question

I don't mean like coughing or blowing one's nose but things like when people start talking to someone else whilst they are still on the phone to you lol

Answer 1

You said it yourself, it is when they break you off to talk to someone else they are with, and you kindly say, "This is a bad time for you, can I call back later?" and they say "No, no, I'm listening".
This has happened to me with best friends far away; it isn't easy to phone them because of the time difference and cost. One friend has a young child, and the child gets jealous about Mummy being on the phone ... I let that one go; it is understandable, but it made me feel miserable. It wasn't a minor grump I needed to talk about. The mother was my closest friend for years and years, but now was no longer accessible to me because she spent more time telling her daughter to let her talk than actually doing any talking to me.
I love both her and her daughter, but I feel I have lost a life-line, somehow. I hope I can hang on long enough to be able to talk to my friend without having her daughter tickle her in the middle of a serious discussion and making her laugh. (Of course I don't know why she is laughing until later!)
Another annoying thing was a friend of mine, very close friend, who lived in the same city. Whenever I phoned her, she'd start cooing at her husband in the middle of a sentence without asking me to hang on or wait ... it was really confusing, and totally annoying too! Surely the hubbie can watch t.v. or something during a 5 minute phone call?;
I don't care if someone is munching on the phone when I call. Nor if they are using the hand-set and I can hear the loo flushing in the background. They can be scrubbing dishes as long as they are listening and giving me their attention. But people who are otherwised occupied should just say to me that this is a bad time and could I phone again in .... minutes/hours/ etc.
Double talking is one heck of a rude thing and also the most annoying one too.

Answer 2

When I was younger my mother would sing in the background as loud as she could when I was on the phone to my friends. It was always the song from a Milky Way advert...

'The red car and the blue car had a race
and all red wants to do is feed his face
he eats everything he sees from trucks to prickly trees
but smart old blue, he took the milky way..
Oh no, the bridge is down,
oh the red can't carry on
but smart old blue he took the milky way!'

It was so embarrassing and I could never have a conversation without my friends howling with laughter saying my parents were so cool... I never shared that enthusiasm then... Kinda do now though and I can see the funny side 15 years later!

Answer 3

I knew someone who- no lie- would turn on the TV while on the phone. Inevitably, she would end up paying more attention to the television set than the person on the other end of the line. It was not only annoying but rude.

Answer 4

1. Chew food
2. Talk to others in the room
3. Yell at their kids
4. Talk too softly
5. Put you on hold to pick up call waiting and never come back
6. Don't say "bye" when the conversation is over, just hang up

Answer 5

I think it's annoying when I tell someone three different times that I need to get off the phone to attend to something (or leave for an appointment) and they keep talking, changing the subject, or say, "Okay, I'll let you go now, but just wanted to say ... blah.. blah..blah .." and it goes on for another fifteen minutes!

Answer 6

I think the most annoying thing is when people put their little kids on the phone and they don't talk and you have to talk for ages untill their mum/dad comes back.
Is this deliberate do you think?

Answer 7

When you phone a call center and they forget to press the mute button, whilst asking the supervisor wot to do, and he says

"Make something up "

Answer 8

My mum speaks in a really posh voice when on the phone to my nan

Answer 9

When they drive slowly because they are too wrapped up in conversation to pay attention to the road!

OR

When they go to the bathroom while you are talking to them.

Answer 10

when somebody presses that dreadful SECRECY button while they go to get whoever is wanted on the phone ,i find that very rude especially when they know you well ,i feel like not ringing at all