Not answering the phone

[countrygirl12]

This kind of goes along with the thread about telling a lie but is a different topic.  A couple of years ago I called a friend on a Sunday afternoon (we went to church together) while I was at Walmart.  She was walking along in front of me (a good piece in front of me) and I saw her pick up her phone and look at it and then put it back in her purse.  I realize it is you right to answer the phone or not answer it.  Anyway, I told her that evening at church I tried to call you earlier and she said she did not hear the phone ring.  I just thought "okay".  I did not tell her I saw her look at the phone.  But it did change things.  I just said "hmmm okay" and she said did you need something and I said "nah not really". 

So my question is do you ever ignore calls from people who call you? 

And second, if you were in the situation above and the person called you on it and said I was behind you and saw you look at your phone what would you do?

Personally, I almost always will answer the phone if someone calls.  Or if I cannot I will text them and tell them I can't talk right now and ask if it is something important or if it can wait.

One more thought.  This same person, whom I use to think was my friend, I called 3 or 4 times in a row and she kept letting it go to voice mail.  I knew she had her phone, as everyone always does, and she was not at work but out shopping.  She finally texted and said "what do you want" and she got a text telling her someone close had died.  It's like if you do not want bad news in a text then answer the freakin phone.  When I kept calling she should have known it was important.  Anyway, she called me after I sent the text.

[LenoraMinogue]

I can see why you might be annoyed, especially given the awkwardness of spreading bad news and wanting to do it in a more personal way. Consider this though, years ago, it might have been considered to be too impersonal to tell someone over the phone that someone had died. But our society has adapted and changed where that has become more acceptable. I think we're going through a similar process with text messaging now. I also have a couple of friends who don't answer their phones often. It annoyed me too, until I spoke to them directly about it and I saw their perspective. You might consider this yourself.

[countrygirl12]

I don't know how to see someone else's perspective when they just flat out will not answer the phone.  My SIL is the same way.  Most of the time she ignores texts also.  There could be a reason someone is trying to call you. 

As for getting news about a death.  People are so stupid and inconsiderate today you are just as likely as to not to hear about the death of a close family member on facebook or anywhere else.  People are stupid and want to be the first to yap it all over the place.  I have heard where people found out about a death because someone who was not close at all put it on facebook.

[lvstephanie]

I hardly ever answer my phone, even if it's a friend. I'd much rather text than talk on the phone. First I can answer back on my own time instead of stopping whatever I'm doing to answer the phone. Second, it's sometimes difficult to hear the person; either because one of us is in a noisy area or just because of poor reception. I figure that if the call is important, they'll either leave a message or try to get a hold of me some other way (eg by texting me instead).

However I usually don't completely ignore the person or lie about not hearing it... Were I your friend in that situation, I'd have just told the truth: that I was busy shopping at Walmart and didn't want to talk to anyone right at that moment. Also if the person is more of an acquaintance than what I'd consider a true friend, I'd also mention that usually my friends just contact me by text.

There was only one person that I really did purposefully ignore. She was someone that I had met at karaoke and on a few occasions I'd give her a ride home as she didn't drive. However it became apparent that my kindness was being construed as me actually being interested in having a more intimate relationship with her. I tried to tell her in person that I wasn't interested in dating her, but she kept calling and/or texting me messages like how she wanted to kiss me (if not worse things that I can't repeat on FC). So I ended up just ignoring her attempts to contact me so that she'd really understand that I really was not trying to hit on her when I was giving her a ride home, but rather just trying to be a platonic friend.

[missplaymate618]

Very rarely does my phone ring now, I have told everyone having kids (one that is a quadriplegic) it's hard to stop what I'm doing to answer the phone, so they usually text me. And even then it takes some time to answer back. I usually answer the phone if its family or my guy because when they call I know its super important because most of the time they will text.

[metsrock69]

I Rarely Ever Use My Phone To Talk On. I Always Text On It. Those Who I Talk To I Always Tell Them To Text Me Because I Hardly Answer The Phone. 

[buckbuck1]

I ignore alot of calls. I made the mistake of giving potential colleges my phone number. now they call me all the time. i ignore every call that i dont know now.