Pet Peeves

Pet peeve #212

To the men sitting behind me at the meeting today:

Dear Sirs,

I drove one hour this morning so that I could hear the speaker talk today. Not so that I could listen to you sitting behind me discussing where to get a beer later. I will glare at you. When you continue talking I will ask you to be quiet. It is embarrassing for both of us. Be professional.

Sincerely,

Aggravated

And they get paid to be at that meeting? I know plenty of out of work folks who would be happy to politely sit through a meeting for a paycheck. The extent of some folks' public rudeness knows no bounds.

Chris

People who insist on talking on the phone while they're in the grocery check out line. They usually end up delaying the cashier and the entire line behind them while they try to juggle the damn phone and fish for cash, check, or credit card.

Chris

I have a friend on the phone and their kids keep interrupting the conversation. The mother forgets that she has me on the line and continues to talk to her kids as if I didn't exist. Can't they teach their kids not to interrupt a telephone conversation? It makes me so mad that I just hang up. Than they call back and wonder what happened to the connection. Don’t know darling ….

Petzi: I am with you! Person on the phone, either talk to me or talk to your kids, make the choice. Don't talk to both of us.

What kind of beer & bar are we talking about?

Sometimes there are priorities, and real priorities.

Well, since we were discussing massive budget deficits and statewide cuts perhaps a few drinks were in order.

But in that case, tap my shoulder and invite me. Case in point: If you have a huge party remember to invite the neighbors so they don't call the cops...

Let's add spammers on web sites who disguise as being interested.

I agree about talking to anyone else while being on the line with you is pet-peeve-y,

but what I HATE, immensely hate is when I am calling somebody (or being called myself) and right smack in the middle of the conversation I heard "wait wait, somebody is on the other line!" and am being put on hold,
sometimes quite on the long hold, just sitting there like a statue with a receiver glued to the ear
tap-tap-tapping my foot or fingers, while waiting for that other call to end,
getting madder by the passing minute, wondering should I just hang up or give it just a little longer.

This is particularly irritating when you were in the middle of something very involving, very emotional,
such a rude cut-off is indeed like a sudden bucket of cold water thrown over your head for no reason.
You are not only losing the momentum, but wonder about your self- worth.

Why, I ask, would anybody be more important than you at this precise moment?
Why can't that other person be ignored, just leave a message, be called after we finish our righteously first in the line call?

49 times out of 50, that other caller is but a menial phone call, anyway. not warranting cutting me of mid-sentence, especially when I am all upset telling gory details of my latest emotional turmoil!

lol, I guess you can tell I recently got put on hold on

Risa

CluelessKitty wrote:I agree about talking to anyone else while being on the line with you is pet-peeve-y,

but what I HATE, immensely hate is when I am calling somebody (or being called myself) and right smack in the middle of the conversation I heard "wait wait, somebody is on the other line!" and am being put on hold,
sometimes quite on the long hold, just sitting there like a statue with a receiver glued to the ear
tap-tap-tapping my foot or fingers, while waiting for that other call to end,
getting madder by the passing minute, wondering should I just hang up or give it just a little longer.

This is particularly irritating when you were in the middle of something very involving, very emotional,
such a rude cut-off is indeed like a sudden bucket of cold water thrown over your head for no reason.
You are not only losing the momentum, but wonder about your self- worth.

Why, I ask, would anybody be more important than you at this precise moment?
Why can't that other person be ignored, just leave a message, be called after we finish our righteously first in the line call?

49 times out of 50, that other caller is but a menial phone call, anyway. not warranting cutting me of mid-sentence, especially when I am all upset telling gory details of my latest emotional turmoil!

lol, I guess you can tell I recently got put on hold on

Risa

I agree. The only time I cut someone off for call waiting is if I'm out and hubby calls (health concerns), or if I'm expecting an important call (then I warn the person I'm talking to that it may happen), or if my parents call (again health concerns since they're both in the 80's). Otherwise, they can leave a message and I'll call them back.

Risa,

I have a friend that does that to me and I just hang up and let them call back. I don't consider it rude to hang up. I do consider it rude to be put on hold.

As for those idiots that can't be without a phone in their ear, they need to get a life. 99% of those phone calls are non-important calls that could wait until you get home. Not just in the car, but HOME. Our society has become so rude.

Hal

Some more favorite pet peeves:

1. People who are habitually late.
2. People who are having lengthy phone conversations while having lunch with me.
3. People who start manically texting while having lunch with me.
4. When there is a choice between 2 equally long queues I always end up in the queue where there is somebody who holds up proceedings endlessly.
5. People who let their kids run wild in my house but enforce strict rules in their own home.
6. Unruly children in expensive restaurants.
....

Petzi - My blood pressure just went up reading your pet peeves. I agree 100% on all of them.
What these people do not get is that they are being rude and are self-centered. I have a phone with
all the bells and whistles and it never occurs to me to interrupt someone or answer when I am with other
company (unless I was expecting an important call in which case I would indicate that and excuse myself for
a couple of minutes). And for people being late. They are telling you that your time is not as important as theirs is
(if they do it habitually).

I have to add one--kids who scream and small dogs that yipe. I have 5 kids. There was no screaming. How can a parent
stand it? Same with the yipey dog. I've had dogs. They didn't bark unless it was warranted and never for more than a few
seconds. These two things actually hurt my ears and my ears start to ring. And in both cases, this is not the kid or dog's fault.
It is the parents who like above are self centered and being rude. PLEASE QUIT THINKING YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT COUNTS!

I agree with all of the peeves you listed. I don't think we're asking for very much, just some common courtesy. Using those little phrases, "Excuse me, thank you, please, I'm sorry" would go a long way in making society more pleasant for everyone.

Another one that drives me nuts is behavior in stores, particularly grocery stores. If someone coming up in back of me truly can't wait a few seconds for me to select an item before s/he reaches in there, a simple "excuse me" would get me to gladly move. But no, instead s/he invades my personal space and either breathes down my neck like a buzzard on my shoulder or reaches over me nearly or actually hitting me in the process. I mean, the entire supermarket could be nearly empty, but that person has to come to the one place where someone is already standing and looking. I keep threatening to get physical when this happens and I may yet.

If someone whacks me in the nose reaching over me, and I have a migraine, and I'm having a bad day, I may just hit him/her back. All these bad feelings on both sides and possible physical confrontation could be avoided by a simple "excuse me".

Chris

I love those people that try to squeeze by on the same side of the isle when they could just as easily move over. I'm standing there picking out veggies and you have to squeeze between me and the rack of food instead of going on the other side where there is no one.

Just say excuse me before I knock your block off.

When a person talks about their medical problems and overblows the situation like its a huge ordeal.

Like....a stupid benign mole that is tender to touch and you have to listen to all the trips to the doctor and all the options for proceedures to remove it and what it could cost...... It's benign stupid, stop touching it.

or like yesterday, a coworker was complaining non stop about how she couldn't walk as fast as she used to and spent all this time with doctors and all the tests show up nothing and it's been going on for years progressively worse. She is 73 years old and is an active sailer. I think she is just tired.

If I have a migraine at the time I just want to scream SHUT UP.

I'm on a role now. People who are not prepared in the check out line and then proceed to balance their check book before moving on.
AND people who actually buy more groceries than they can pay for and start eliminating them in line while people are waiting. Everything on this
page is basically about being self-centered. I often go to a more upscale grocery store where I've never had this happen even though I can't really afford it. It is actually enjoyable.

Lund's or Byerly's?



Cheryl

Yep Cheryl.

One of the joys of being here in Chicago--Whole Foods two blocks from where I am staying.

Cheryl

Music playing when you call the call center for a migraine injection..the music is always way to lound and awful..grrr