A pet peeve about phone etiquette

[Harriet]

This happens to me a lot at work; in fact, it happened just now.

The phone rings, I pick it up, and I hear the caller mid-conversation, chatting away to someone else on their end. I have to break into their conversation to say "Hello?" I mean, you called me, right? But you've already annoyed me and we haven't even started talking yet.

Does this bug anyone else? Suggestions for handling?

[Irishkitty]

Say hello, and if there isn't an immediate response hang up*.
I don't think that's a rude action (from you), but it's extremely rude of the caller.

If they ring back and complain you politely state "I did receive a call earlier, but there was only background chatter, there didn't appear to be anyone on the line".

ETA: * well, give it a second or two.

[GoTwins]

If it's a customer there's not much you can do without offending them. I agree it's VERY annoying.
We also have customers who call in on our toll free number and then proceed to keep talking to people in the background or put us on hold. 

[Harriet]

For me it's not a customer. In fact, due to caller ID I usually know in advance what the call is going to be about (in a general sense) so it's even more annoying to have my time wasted before getting to the point.

It's really not bad if I hang up? I so want to sometimes...

[MyFamily]

What type of chatter is going on in the background.  I am sure I've been the caller in your situation, but it usually is something along the lines of "yes, I'm calling them right now to fix the machine" or "can you wait a moment while I finish this call" or "the bandaids are in the first aid box behind the door".  Not conversations, but quick sentances while the phone rings.  I know you consider your time to be valuable, but so is my time and if the phone is ringing and I'm just sitting there waiting for you to pick up and other things are happening around me, I am not going to ignore them while I wait.

Now, if I call someone and then put them on hold, that is rude, but not the same as what you are describing.

[GoTwins]

If it's not a customer and you give it a few seconds, I think you are free to hang up. And it's O.K. to feel good about it. 
They are disrespecting your time.

[Harriet]

I know you consider your time to be valuable, but so is my time and if the phone is ringing and I'm just sitting there waiting for you to pick up and other things are happening around me, I am not going to ignore them while I wait.

I personally consider the phone ringing to be part of the call. I am mentally preparing myself for the conversation ahead, so I can be focused when the person I'm calling picks up, and not spinning my wheels for the first few seconds while my mind switches gears from my other conversation to the call. That, I do feel is disrespectful, if the caller is not prepared to talk to me when I pick up, considering that they are the one who initiated the call and interrupted whatever I was doing.

Obviously a first aid issue is more important, though!

[MrTango]

If it's a customer there's not much you can do without offending them. I agree it's VERY annoying.
We also have customers who call in on our toll free number and then proceed to keep talking to people in the background or put us on hold. 

If I pick up a ringing phone and hear "hold" music on the other end, I hang up immediately.  You* can call back when you're ready to talk with me.  This also includes recorded messages.  I will also not stay on the line to listen to a recorded message.

*A general "you"

[Elfmama]

If it's a customer there's not much you can do without offending them. I agree it's VERY annoying.
We also have customers who call in on our toll free number and then proceed to keep talking to people in the background or put us on hold. 

If I pick up a ringing phone and hear "hold" music on the other end, I hang up immediately.  You* can call back when you're ready to talk with me.  This also includes recorded messages.  I will also not stay on the line to listen to a recorded message.

*A general "you"

This.  If you want me to vote for Candidate X, or give you a donation to help underprivileged squirrels, or take a survey, then you can by gosh have a real person on the other end.  I'll probably say 'no', but a recorded message will guarantee a big, fat NO!

[GoTwins]

If it's a customer there's not much you can do without offending them. I agree it's VERY annoying.
We also have customers who call in on our toll free number and then proceed to keep talking to people in the background or put us on hold. 

If I pick up a ringing phone and hear "hold" music on the other end, I hang up immediately.  You* can call back when you're ready to talk with me.  This also includes recorded messages.  I will also not stay on the line to listen to a recorded message.

*A general "you"

I've never picked up the phone to hold music but we get customers who (while trying to talk about our product) will keep putting us on hold to answer their other line because they are they only person there. It's maddening. 

[CakeBeret]

Oh, this irritates me too and I think it's horribly rude.

*ring ring*
Caller: [muffled, in the background]...well I was talkin' to Billy the other day 'bout...
CB: Super Fantastic Widgets, this is CB, how can I help you?
Caller: ...and then I says to Billy, hey Billy, what do you say we go...
CB: This is Super Fantastic Widgets, can I help you?
Caller: ...and Billy says, hey Bobby, I think we might oughta...
CB: Super Fantastic Widgets...
Caller: Oh hang on a second...[to me] Yes, this is Bobby, and I need to see about a widget.
CB: [bangs head against desk, because nothing good can come of this.]

[Jones]

We had a pushy salesman who used to call; I had caller ID and knew it was him, but rarely wanted to speak to him (hey, he was pushy). When he called, though, I would answer, because that was my job...answer my phone. One day he called, I answered, there was chatter, he didn't answer my hello so I hung up. He called again, demanding to know why I had hung up "Oh, well, no one answered me so I assumed the line had been dropped". He didn't pull that particular trick again...

O/T, end of story: The salesman got so bad, one day the VP came near my desk and heard me arguing about how I was NOT going to give him employees' personal cell phone numbers while they were on their hard-earned vacations. VP asked me to transfer the line to him. Guy mouthed off to VP. VP banned the guy, his company, and his company's products from our company. All over a $50 disagreement and his pushiness to get it resolved THIS INSTANT.

[Harriet]

Oh, this irritates me too and I think it's horribly rude.

*ring ring*
Caller: [muffled, in the background]...well I was talkin' to Billy the other day 'bout...
CB: Super Fantastic Widgets, this is CB, how can I help you?
Caller: ...and then I says to Billy, hey Billy, what do you say we go...
CB: This is Super Fantastic Widgets, can I help you?
Caller: ...and Billy says, hey Bobby, I think we might oughta...
CB: Super Fantastic Widgets...
Caller: Oh hang on a second...[to me] Yes, this is Bobby, and I need to see about a widget.
CB: [bangs head against desk, because nothing good can come of this.]

Ha! This is actually a fair approximation of what I heard when I picked up.

[Slartibartfast]

If you want me to vote for Candidate X, or give you a donation to help underprivileged squirrels, or take a survey, then you can by gosh have a real person on the other end.  I'll probably say 'no', but a recorded message will guarantee a big, fat NO!

I've gotta say, I feel bad for anyone named Rachel doing phone work - I've hung up on "Rachel from Cardholder Services" so many times, I think I'm primed to hang up on anyone saying "Hi, I'm Rachel-" *CLICK*