). Also, it is convinient for your significant other to reach you.
Another reason is that the traffic in this city is quite remarkable and it
is the common practice for people to be late i.e. it is the norm to be half
an hour late for example. Thus, by carrying a mobile phone, one can call
ahead (if they are concientious that is). Then of course, there is the
status thing. I am sure you know of those "die-hard" new technology
freakzoids who have to have the latest and best in mobile phone technology
(thank gawd I am not one of them ). It is "cool" to have the most expensive
model.
OK... I am digressing from this story of mine. I have notice that there are some idiots out there who don't know how to use the phone politely. People react to situations differently. When I realised that I have dialled the wrong number, what I usually do (and I believe that this is the normal practice) is to apologize and make sure that I have indeed dialled the wrong number by repeating the number that I want... you know, the standard procedure. The design of the keypad on the telephone does allow for errors, especially for digitally challenged people like myself. Or perhaps, I don't have the right number etc.
Anyway, there are people out there who when told that they have dialled the wrong number, instantly go on the offensive and then claim that the person who answered the phone is wrong / stupid. To illustrate... this guy called my phone a few weeks ago. I told him that he had dialled the wrong number and that there is no such person by that name here. He then asked me "are you sure"? Come on, of course I am sure!! Duh!! I was very polite of course... until he asked me if I was sure. There is only so much time in one's life that a person can allocate to answering "the wrong number" phone calls. These are the people in denial i.e. they don't want to admit that they are in the wrong but try to put the blame on someone else.
I have automatic global roaming on my mobile phone (for work purposes and so my boyfriend can get hold of me). What this means is that if someone calls my number and I am in another country, the call still gets routed to my phone, unbeknownst to the caller. The charges are higher of course and both parties are charged. Well, when I was in Manila, I got heaps of "the wrong number" phone calls. I would politely tell them that they have connected to the wrong number and that I am in Manila. Some would apologize and then hang up quickly (standard practice again) etc. There was this lady who called me up THREE times in quick succession (me thinks that she hit the redial button). On the first time, I told her (the usual procedure) and she apologized. Less than a minute later, she rang again. Naturally I got a little irritated by this seeing that everytime I picked up the phone, I was charged. I then told her that I was in Manila (once again). This time she just hung up on me. On the third time, I told her that that person doesn't exist on this phone and that I was in the Philippines to which she exclaimed that I never told her... yeah right!! Manila equals Philippines no? It was SHE who got blatantly rude and abusive after that... to which I hung up.
Then of course, there are those who just don't know how to handle "the I called the wrong number" situations. What they would do is hang up as soon as you say that you have got the wrong number. In more situations than less, they call back within a minute and do the same thing. These people are not only rude but terribly insecure people. You see, they refuse to admit their mistake (i.e. their insecurities) to a strange person over the phone (a real pain if you ask me).
Then of course, there are those who just don't plain understand the phrase" you have dialled the wrong number". They have to have that sentence / phrase repeated to them a fair few times before they get it... even though the phrase was articulated slowly and clearly (a hint of sarcasm is always involved). I mean, which part of "you have dialled the wrong number" that they did not get? Are these people in denial or just galatically stupid?
Then, there are some who take politeness to a new level. These are the people who cannot stop apologizing profusely when they have realised that they got the wrong number. I mean, how much time do you want to waste on these people? I really don't like talking to strangers, especially strangers over the phone. They would launch into a lenghty explanation on how they got the wrong number, who they wanted to talk to etc. Man... I really don't know what to do with these people!!
Hoped you all like my story of the day .
