Rude to refuse cell number requests?

[Akka]

I have the same problem - only reversed!

I do not give out my home line - basically because I am home only at nights and it is only for my family to call. I do not have voicemail at my home line (nor do I plan to get one), but everyone is free to reach me at my cell.
Also, I do not give out my work line to non business related people
And still I get a lot of complains (from companies mainly) that I do not give out my home / work line...

So I think you are not rude, but I believe this is one of the situations you.just.cannot.win! Some people will always request more of your personal info than  you will be willing to give out
Enters "I am afraid this is not be possible"

[wyliefool]

I'm thinking that if I had a cell, I certainly wouldn't have the ringer on at work / on the bus / in the movies / etc., so it would basically have the same # of hours of me answering it as my home phone would.  So why is it more difficult and expecting someone to leave you messages considered rude?

Heh. Where I live--and really most everywhere I go nowadays, it seems--you'd think it was illegal not to have your phone on/spend all day yakking on it.  Movies, concerts, whatever.

I used to have a cingular prepaid phone. It liked to shut itself off when I hadn't used it for a couple days. Fine, right? Saves batteries? Except the dingdangity thing wouldn't turn itself on again if I got a phone call!  That was the most useless 'feature'! So giving out that number wouldn't have helped anyone get in touch w/ me.

My current phone doesn't do that (tracfone). But I don't actually know how to turn it off.  So if I gave the number out to all and sundry it'd be ringing all day long. As it is, I get a goodly number of random misdials/spam calls, even tho only a handful of people, and no businesses, have the number.

Up until very, very recently, I lived in a dead zone (cell service has appeared all of a sudden). So giving the number would be really silly since no one could call me when I was home.

Back to the original question, I don't see how it's rude to not give out a phone number, any more than it's rude to not have a credit card. If they won't take no for an answer, tell them it's actually a work phone and you could get fired for using it for personal business.

[Queenie]

It is never rude to not give out your phone number to people just because they ask for it.  They may say you're being rude but you are not!

[artk2002]

I used to have a cingular prepaid phone. It liked to shut itself off when I hadn't used it for a couple days. Fine, right? Saves batteries? Except the dingdangity thing wouldn't turn itself on again if I got a phone call!  That was the most useless 'feature'! So giving out that number wouldn't have helped anyone get in touch w/ me.

I've never in my life seen a phone that you could turn off, and that would then turn itself on when you received a call.  As as far as I know, that's really not possible.  In order for the phone to get the call, it has to be in contact with a cell, so the system knows to route the call to that cell and then to the phone.  I can lock my phone's keyboard and still receive calls, but I certainly can't turn it off.  If I do, the calls go to voice mail.

If your phone was shutting itself off, it was probably doing so because the battery got low.  That's the only time I've had a phone actually shut itself off.  (Either that, or you have it unlocked in a purse or pocket and it's getting banged around and the power button gets hit -- I've done that.)

[Dragons 8 Cactus]

Art, a really old Mobile of mine had a timer in it, I could set a time to turn Off and On. Sadly this feature isn't in my current phone.
[Im talking about 6 yrs ago]

[ginlyn32]

I would tell them to leave a msg on my Home VoiceMail or Work VoiceMail.

I got out of providing a Work number by telling people that "I'm not allowed to recieve personal phone calls at work unless it's an emergency."

ginlyn

[zyrs]

It's not rude at all to not give out your phone number just because someone requests it.

I have always found "N/A" or "Not Applicable" to be the most useful phrase when filling out forms for businesses.  It's not applicable because they can't call me at work without putting my job in jeopardy, I don't want them to have anything but my land line number and yet it lets the person behind the desk know that I answered the question so they don't assume that I just ignored it.

[HonorH]

My cell phone (keitai denwa, as they're called here) is my only phone--I have no landline.  I use Skype for overseas calls (It calls landlines in America! For no extra charge! Skype is great!) and my keitai for local ones.  And I'm very picky about whom I give it to.  My company has the information, as do my local friends and contacts, but it's not something I will give out to just anybody.  IMHO, your contact information is your own property, and  it's entirely your choice whom to give it to.  People who have an entitlement mindset about your privileged information confuse me.

[LizC]

My two best friends have cell phones, as do I. I do not have *their* numbers, and they do not have mine, because we leave messages at the home line instead. So if my best friends do not have my cell, I'm certainly not going to feel obliged to hand it out to businesses.

I don't give out my home phone to businesses, either, unless I really want them to call me. When pressed for a number, I've just responded, "I don't give out that information." I usually get a "Oh, but it's just for our..." And I interrupt with a smile and say, "I don't give out that information." Were they to press or tell me it's rude to not do that, I'd be tempted to say, cheerfully and politely, "No, what I'm being is inconvenient. That's different."

I don't put my information down without good cause. Filling out doctor's forms with DH a few weeks ago, I had a hard time figuring out what my birthdate and social security number could possibly have to do with his treatment, so I asked the receptionist for what purposes this information would be used? I was told, "Oh, we just collect that." And I pressed a bit: for what reason is it relevant to DH's treatment? When she had no answer, I smiled, thanked her, and put N/A (not applicable) into all the spots that asked for private information unrelated to his treatment.

[MommyPenguin]

I just had this happen yesterday, and I actually thought of the etiquette boards while it was happening!  I took my youngest to her first appointment at a new doctor and they asked if I had a cell phone number.  I said that it's not a good way to reach me, I never hear it ring.  She then said, "Well, I have to have an emergency number for you."  "My home number is really the best way to reach me at any time."  "And your husband?  Is he at home when you're here."  "No, he's at work." (A number I had already given her.)  She muttered a bit but took it.  It's just... well, if I never hear my cell phone ring, what help is it?

[Twik]

I just had this happen yesterday, and I actually thought of the etiquette boards while it was happening!  I took my youngest to her first appointment at a new doctor and they asked if I had a cell phone number.  I said that it's not a good way to reach me, I never hear it ring.  She then said, "Well, I have to have an emergency number for you."  "My home number is really the best way to reach me at any time."  "And your husband?  Is he at home when you're here."  "No, he's at work." (A number I had already given her.)  She muttered a bit but took it.  It's just... well, if I never hear my cell phone ring, what help is it?

Actually, providing an "emergency number" that will not be answered is not helpful, it's quite dangerous.

[blarg314]

  IMHO, your contact information is your own property, and  it's entirely your choice whom to give it to.  People who have an entitlement mindset about your privileged information confuse me.

Well, it depends somewhat on how much inconvenience you are willing to accept by not allowing people to contact you by phone.

Places like doctor's offices, companies with which you are doing business, employers, government offices and child care agencies generally require a number at which they can contact you. You can choose not to give it out, but you have to accept that will either seriously curtail your service, or result in a refusal of service.

[Surianne]

  IMHO, your contact information is your own property, and  it's entirely your choice whom to give it to.  People who have an entitlement mindset about your privileged information confuse me.

Well, it depends somewhat on how much inconvenience you are willing to accept by not allowing people to contact you by phone.

Places like doctor's offices, companies with which you are doing business, employers, government offices and child care agencies generally require a number at which they can contact you. You can choose not to give it out, but you have to accept that will either seriously curtail your service, or result in a refusal of service.

The OP gave them her home number, so I can't see any reason they should curtail her service or refuse her service.  I don't even have a cell--I would be quite angry if a business turned me away because of this.

[blarg314]

  IMHO, your contact information is your own property, and  it's entirely your choice whom to give it to.  People who have an entitlement mindset about your privileged information confuse me.

Well, it depends somewhat on how much inconvenience you are willing to accept by not allowing people to contact you by phone.

Places like doctor's offices, companies with which you are doing business, employers, government offices and child care agencies generally require a number at which they can contact you. You can choose not to give it out, but you have to accept that will either seriously curtail your service, or result in a refusal of service.

The OP gave them her home number, so I can't see any reason they should curtail her service or refuse her service.  I don't even have a cell--I would be quite angry if a business turned me away because of this.

I was referring to giving out phone numbers in general, in response to a post from someone who said that they *only* have a cell phone, and give it out to very few people.

[Sophia]

I think my OBGYN handles it best.  With each phone number they ask, "Is it OK to leave a confidential message at this number."  This way they limit the time spent on phone tag but don't insist on having all your numbers. 

When I am home, my cell phone is in my purse in my car so it is silly to give it out as a contact.  There are soooo many people that try the cell phone first because they assume it is always on or near your body.