I would love to just NOT have a cell phone.

[ScrimpAndSave]

But my fiance wouldn't have it any other way. But I guess I understand that because he thinks I should have it in case of emergencies etc...but I do not like being available 24/7 for someone to contact me. I find that incredibly annoying.

I guess I should be a hermit.

[Caoineag]

If you don't like being available, turn it off. Half the time I have it turned off or the sound off. Just because you have it with you doesn't mean you have to answer it.

[KB24]

I agree with Caoineag... just dont answer it if you dont want to talk. That voicemail is a nifty feature

[project15]

I wish I could cancel ours, but my wife wants us to have them to contact each other. I'd cancel mine, but it's free on her plan.

[Aleta]

I have a tracfone for emergencies. I don't have it on a lot of the time. If someone leaves a message, you can always call back from your home to check out the messages.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

We have one tracphone between the two of us. It is used for our long distance calls and for when one of us travels out of town. Lately, I take it on with me when I go for walks at night. Neither of us likes to be constantly on a tether via cell phone. We do not give out this phone number.

We have occasionally had people miffed that we are not as phone available as they want us to be. Too stinkin' bad, folks. I'm not your phone servant. It does seem to be the generally ill-mannered people who want a favor who are most irked that we are not plugged into a telephone constantly.

[PrincessPerky]

Just because you have a phone doesn't mean you have to answer it.

Mine is always on buzz, and other than one time in the middle of a prayer it has never interrupted me, cause I can't hear it if I am busy.

Today on the way to PA I used it to call the inlaws to let them know why we would be an hour late due to an accident stopping traffic.

I also will be using it from PA for free (no added fees I mean) to make tons of long distance calls to deal with scout stuff in NC. much better for me to have the phone to use, than to have to run up my in laws long distance for it or go buy a card (remember I don't drive and even if I did I have four kids who would need bundled up to go buy one)

[ScrimpAndSave]

Oh believe me, I rarely answer it.

[disneysteve]

I agree with the others. If you are carrying it for emergencies, turn it off. If you need to make a call, turn it on. I did that for years. Now, I do keep mine on, but that's so my wife or daughter can reach me if needed.

The other trick is to not give out your number. There are probably fewer than 10 people who know my cell number.

[Aleta]

I have had people ask me for my number and I tell them that it wouldn't help them reach me any sooner because I rarely have it on. I just explain that it is an emergency phone and if it's important that they can leave a message.

I have also had people question why I have a phone if people can't get intouch with me.

Your answer is not to give out your number to alot of people. My husband and sons have it. Just about 10 as Steve says have it.

[Inkstain82]

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

But my fiance wouldn't have it any other way. But I guess I understand that because he thinks I should have it in case of emergencies etc...but I do not like being available 24/7 for someone to contact me. I find that incredibly annoying.

I guess I should be a hermit.

I lost mine a few years ago. I never replaced it. The monthly bill for the other one is a splinter in our monthly budget, annoying but not doing any real damage. My wife refuses to give it up (she's probably right).

[cooliemae]

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

But my fiance wouldn't have it any other way. But I guess I understand that because he thinks I should have it in case of emergencies etc...but I do not like being available 24/7 for someone to contact me. I find that incredibly annoying.

I guess I should be a hermit.

I understand where you're coming from. My wife wanted me to get a cell phone. I absolutely didn't want one, but go figure, she's at the store paying the bill and picks up a new phone for her and keeps the old one to give me.

I know you can turn the phone off. I know that you can keep the number private, but just having the phone was a big physcological thing for me. It sounds crazy, and I admit it probably was, but I was really annoyed that she would get me a phone knowing my feelings on the matter.

All is well now, though. I take the phone with me when I'm on the road so that she's not worried, and other than that I leave it plugged into wall at home.

[Ima saver]

I don't have one and never will. My dh has one, but he gets annoyed when he gets a million calls a day cause he is usually on top of a ladder!!

[ScrimpAndSave]

I just hate that if someone calls me, I HAVE to call them back - or else I am being rude. I really, really hate that. If someone calls be during the school day on a Monday or Tuesday...guess what...they aren't going to hear from me until the weekend because I am too busy with teaching and my own schooling.

And is there some unwritten rule that I need to get back to them within 48 hours or else I am a horrible person? UGH!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

I just hate that if someone calls me, I HAVE to call them back - or else I am being rude. I really, really hate that. If someone calls be during the school day on a Monday or Tuesday...guess what...they aren't going to hear from me until the weekend because I am too busy with teaching and my own schooling.

And is there some unwritten rule that I need to get back to them within 48 hours or else I am a horrible person? UGH!

I think it depends on the nature of the call. If they leave a message and say, "Just called to say hi. Nothing important. Give me a call when you get a chance." That's different than if they say, "Hi. Have a question for you. Give me a call when you get in."

In either case, I think a call back within a couple of days is warranted unless you are out of town or otherwise occupied.

I'll admit that I really get annoyed when people don't respond to e-mails promptly. If you are going to use e-mail and give out your address, you have a responsibility to read and reply at least every day or two. I'm the chairperson of a planning committee for a program at my temple. I'll send out an e-mail to the committee with questions that I need a prompt answer to and not hear back from people for a week or more. It makes getting things accomplished quite difficult.

As for phone calls, if someone took the time to call me and leave a message, I think they deserve the courtesy of a return phone call when I get the message.

[ScrimpAndSave]

I always respond to emails right away...it is much easier for me to do that.

[FrugalTexan75]

I have a cell phone, and use it as my only phone. However, whenever I am someplace where it would be inappropriate for me to receive/answer a call, I have it on buzz - sometimes I'll put it on buzz when I just don't feel like answering the phone.

To me, just because I have a cell phone, doesn't mean that I *have* to return the phone call right away, nor do I *have* to answer it every time it rings. Just like if someone called my non-existant landline and left a message on the defunct answering machine, there is nothing written in law that I have to return the call in a certain amount of time.

That said, I do usually answer my phone when it rings (unless in an inappropriate place to talk on a phone) and I usually return any missed phone calls within a day or less.

But, I do not get annoyed when someone I call doesn't answer my phone call. Nor do I get annoyed when they don't return my phone call within five minutes! I have no idea where the person may be, nor what they may be doing. If the person is at work or in a movie theater or in a checkout line, etc., and they answer the phone, it actually annoys me!

I have actually stopped calling my mom except for on Fridays when I *know* she is not at work, because she will answer my call even when she is in tutoring a client! She's even answered the phone in the movie theater before - here I am chatting away and she's whispering back - then I figure it out! Ugh! **I have finally gotten her to put it on buzz, at least when she is around me.

Anyway, I find it is very useful to have with me, especially when I get lost going from one place to another, I can then call my dad or my stepdad for directions.

[GrimJack]

We do not have a cell phone (though we are considering buying one to put in the car for emergencies). We have very little use for a phone at home. I worked at McCaw in the 1980s and cell phones got old real fast. We keep one of those really old boxy phones around for emergencies - quite often when the power goes out, the phone will still work because the phone lines carry their own small voltage (to activate the bell). I imagine eventually the landlines will go away, but until then i will stick with them.

[PrincessPerky]

Try emailing folk who call you...then it is their job to answer you back....

[Cylenchar]

Most of the calls I get are wrong numbers so if I don't have a name assigned to the number in my address book I don't answer it.