Am I the only person without a cell phone?

[sgeeeee]

. . . It is beginning to be that to choose not to have one is a choice to socially isolate oneself. (To a degree anyway.) . . .

I see that this is true. People with cell phones lose all need to plan in advance.

Q: Where will we meet?
A: I'll call you and let you know?
Q: When are you going?
A: I'll call you and let you know?
Q: Are you going to be finished by then?
A: I'll call you and let you know?
. . .

If you don't have a cell phone attached to your ear, you are too difficult to involve in these instantaeous plans. Mostly, that's just fine with me, but I see this trend and realize it's not going to stop. I will either get a cell phone eventually or become a hermit. By the way, how many of you internet proclaimed hermits have cell phones?

 

[segfault]

But at that point, I plan to discontinue my cell phone and the associated $33/month payments. This is $396/year I should not have to spend.

Not sure if someone else has suggested this, but, if you don't use it regularly, get a prepaid phone! The minutes expire after a certain period of time, but even taking that into account, it's much more economical than $33/month if you keep it mainly for emergencies.

 

[perinova]

I don't feel isolated not using a cell phone. I am just not interupted during anything I do during the day. People know think I am busy and that they will have to play phone tag with me or even better, I find that most long term planning is done through emails.

Cell phones lend itself to spurr of the moment decisions but anything more than that need to be typed down anyway... With email there is a hard record.
Also an email allows for contacting many people at once. Trying to plan with several people using cell phone is opens up an endless decision loop...

 

[haha]

... With email there is a hard record.

You require a hard record when you want to meet your son for coffee?

Ha

 

[perinova]

You require a hard record when you want to meet your son for coffee?

Ha

Agreed but when it is planning a trip of my BIL and MIL and with all our schedules we can go back and forth multiple times to reach consensus. Same with a business trip.
Right now I have few occasions similar to what you mention (my son is only 10yo BTW). As I mentioned before I probably will get a cell phone once he is out of home.
We are the only one in the family without cell phones and probably we also are the only LBYM. Maybe we are very annoying to them .

Anyway there is nothing wrong about cell phones since they can be turned off anyway. I am looking into it every now and then but didn't decide to fork with the money yet...

BTW I was in NYC this WE at the Nat. Hist Museum I came across at least 3 occasions of people looking for each other using their cell phone. For us we just stay together or say "If we get lost let's meet at this location..."

 

[justin]

If I set up an appointment with someone for coffee or a lunch, I expect them to be respectful enough to show up. I think the general rule of thumb for social engagements applies - 15 minutes late is the outside edge of what is acceptable. If I make an appointment with you, I have shown that I have reserved that time period for you, and only you, because you (and our time together) is important. I felt it was important enough to set up a get together. I guess it is about mutual respect.

Then enters the cell phone. All of a sudden time schedules become flexible. "Hey, can we push back that meeting 15 minutes? I'm really busy right now, and I want to meet, but I can't right now. I'm just slammed." Translation - poor planning. If this were the exception instead of the rule, I would understand. However, the flex-time seems to be the rule now. Maybe I'm just getting my "ole curmudgeon" a little early.

 

[Nords]

If I set up an appointment with someone for coffee or a lunch, I expect them to be respectful enough to show up. I think the general rule of thumb for social engagements applies - 15 minutes late is the outside edge of what is acceptable.

If it's business, I've learned to bring a book and a backup plan. After 15 minutes I'll go ahead with my backup plan (lunch & a walk, or just finishing the rest of my errands) and the heck with their business. If it's important then we'll meet again, largely at my convenience, but probably not for lunch.

If it's with a friend, of course, I'm flexible.

I guess it is about mutual respect.
"Hey, can we push back that meeting 15 minutes? I'm really busy right now, and I want to meet, but I can't right now. I'm just slammed."
Maybe I'm just getting my "ole curmudgeon" a little early.

Let's see, they really want to meet with us but they think it's more important for us to wait on them while they're preoccupied by whatever's in their cubicle. Whatever it is, even if it's their boss, it better be experiencing actual combustion at that moment.

Our lunch appointment gave them the perfect excuse to look at their watch, smack their forehead, and run out of the office saying "Sorry, gotta go!!!" Instead they chose to put us on hold. Not only does it tell us about their planning & priorities, I guess it also shows where we rate on their scale of mutual respect. Not a great way to start a client relationship!

If it's a friend doing that, then I guess they've just shown what type of friend they are.

 

[deserat]

I have a cell phone and landline here - we also have Skype - ummm, it's more for my husband's benefit - the cell phone is courtesy of work and also has email on it - as for answering the cell phone I'm really bad - I get voicemails from my colleague all the time: "Why the he!! do you have a cell phone if you aren't going to answer it!" Uhh, that's what voicemail is for.

I love the text messaging and learned about that in Europe - was so much cheaper than calling and talking - allowed my husband and I to let each other know of our ETAs (we lived in different countries then).

AS for attention span and controlling other people's time, that's what the on/off switch is for - if one doesn't have the self-discipline, then I can see the cell phone would be a problem.....occasionally I have issues - usually when I've had too much coffee - seems to make me jumpy and mush more responsive to external prodding

I do not take phone calls while driving - too dangerous - if I'm talking then I lose the ability to steer clear of the other guy weaving because he's talking on his cell phone - bad business there.....

Deserat

 

[justin]

Our lunch appointment gave them the perfect excuse to look at their watch, smack their forehead, and run out of the office saying "Sorry, gotta go!!!" Instead they chose to put us on hold. Not only does it tell us about their planning & priorities, I guess it also shows where we rate on their scale of mutual respect. Not a great way to start a client relationship!

If it's a friend doing that, then I guess they've just shown what type of friend they are.

My perception is that it is okay (at least among my peers - 20-somethings) to blow off or significantly postpone an appt, as long as you call within 15 minutes or so of the appt and let the person know you are cancelling. I guess it doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I just wonder "what were you thinking?".

What I'm saying is that the standards of mutual respect seem to have changed. From the point of view of many members of my peer group, it is acceptable to change plans or cancel at the last minute if something slightly more pressing or interesting comes along. Maybe I'm just an a$$hat But if I have plans, I respect those I am meeting and show up, even if something else (a non-emergency) comes along. Or I let them know plenty ahead of time so that they can make other plans.

 

[Martha]

My perception is that it is okay (at least among my peers - 20-somethings) to blow off or significantly postpone an appt, as long as you call within 15 minutes or so of the appt and let the person know you are cancelling. I guess it doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I just wonder "what were you thinking?".

What I'm saying is that the standards of mutual respect seem to have changed. From the point of view of many members of my peer group, it is acceptable to change plans or cancel at the last minute if something slightly more pressing or interesting comes along. Maybe I'm just an a$$hat But if I have plans, I respect those I am meeting and show up, even if something else (a non-emergency) comes along. Or I let them know plenty ahead of time so that they can make other plans.

I read an article not long ago in the WSJ about young people using text messaging or email to break up relationships. No need to go face to face and fess up that it is over. Instead, say "i dnt luv u im b8kn up." Or something to that effect.

 

[justin]

Instead, say "i dnt luv u im b8kn up." Or something to that effect.

F U I h8 U its ovr (that's how I would do it)

 

[bssc]

I read an article not long ago in the WSJ about young people using text messaging or email to break up relationships. No need to go face to face and fess up that it is over. Instead, say "i dnt luv u im b8kn up." Or something to that effect.

One of our people were over from Australia a couple of weeks ago and her Aussie boyfriend dumped her via text message. Cold and he waited until she was on the other side of the world. That's techology.

 

[FinanceDude]

One of our people were over from Australia a couple of weeks ago and her Aussie boyfriend dumped her via text message. Cold and he waited until she was on the other side of the world. That's techology.

Good luck to him in the future..........without any cajones, life might be tough.........

 

[bssc]

Good luck to him in the future..........without any cajones, life might be tough.........

In his cause, the Australia term is wanker.

 

[TromboneAl]

I've now had my tracfone for about 7 months. For a while it was 100% free because I would refer other people through a web site and get free minutes. But that program has been discontinued.

We use a total of about 10 minutes per month, and it's been pretty useful.

However, if something goes wrong, it's one more thing for which you have to call tech support. Email support questions usually come back with a "Call tech support" reply.

One thing that I can say for cell phones is that they eliminate the "NO, I said we'd meet at the store on FIFTH street!" problems.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Email support questions usually come back with a "Call tech support" reply.

Aint that funny how that is?

You think the email tech support guys for every company have figured out thats all they need to do to shift all their work to the phone support guys? :

"Gosh guys, if I wanted to sit on hold for 20 minutes from 9am to 3pm eastern standard time in order to talk to someone who has no interest in my problem nor any idea of how to solve it, dontcha think i'd have gone ahead and done that?"