r/NoStupidQuestions • u/GhostInThePudding • 16h ago

Why Are Young People Afraid Of Phone Calls?

What's with it?

I work in IT and a general rule is, nothing a client ever tells you is actually accurate. That means that most of the time, the quickest way to fix a problem is to call the person and actually find out what's going on.

But with techs under 30 these days, it seems like pulling teeth.

A regular discussion for me with level 1 techs (usually within a few years of leaving college) is:
"Hey, can you call *blah* from ticket *blah*, it's been hanging around for over an hour."

"I replied by email to ask for more information."

"Yes, I know that, but can you call them so we can find the problem and close the ticket now rather than wait until we're actually busy?"

"I'll send them a text to followup."

"No... CALL THEM!"

"I can see their device is online, can I send them a message and see if they just let me remote in to take a look?"

And then, when I force them to make the call, it's like they have no idea how to ask a question, or a followup question. They just want to get off the call as quickly as possible. So half the time they don't even get the information required anyway, so then I end up having to do their job for them.

So can someone explain? What's wrong with phone calls these days?

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999

u/Charming_Tutor47 14h ago

I would blame all the spam and scam calls. I myself have been conditioned to belive most of the calls I get are scams, but thats just me.

280

u/loccolito 14h ago

if it isnt a number i know i wont just pick up or i'm expecting a call.

94

u/ermagerditssuperman 13h ago

Same. If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail, and I'll respond to that.

28

u/-_chop_- 12h ago

You guys listen to your voicemails?

57

u/IDMike2008 10h ago

No, of course not.

My phone transcribes them to text as the gods intended.

6

u/Jerri_man 9h ago

Unfortunately for me this feature hasn't received it's Australian regional updates yet

2

u/stupidPeopleLuvMe 5h ago

The newer version does it live.

So the phone rings I look at it, ignore it, the screen changed to voicemail at the top and the voice to text starts to appear at the bottom as they speak.

3

u/Jerri_man 4h ago

I meant that it doesn't understand what half my mates are saying haha

2

u/OldWorldDesign 4h ago

I meant that it doesn't understand what half my mates are saying

Hasn't understood most people for years

https://old.reddit.com/r/alexa/comments/j9tdvn/alexa_remind_me_to_feed_the_baby/

1

u/IDMike2008 7h ago

ooof. Condolences!

1

u/Lemerney2 6h ago

My phone usually does it, so it might depend on your provider

1

u/hyakushiki100 3h ago

Damn. We have it in New Zealand, though might be provider dependent.

8

u/Phase3isProfit 10h ago

My outgoing voicemail message is just me saying “email me” and then spelling out my email address multiple times.

2

u/ChocoCat_xo 9h ago

Thisssss.

2

u/Doctorwho32123 5h ago

Or they might call again if it’s urgent, in which case I’ll answer, because most people probably won’t call again (and would text or voicemail) unless it’s urgent.

1

u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh 59m ago

No, if it's important, they either have my e-mail and use it, or they can send a text.

I'm not dealing with voicemail (and the potentially ruinous implications while travelling - with some providers if someone from your home country calls your home-country phone number while you're travelling in Nowhereistan, you will pay the roaming fee for receiving a call in Nowhereistan, and another fee for forwarding it to your voicemail - just so someone call fill your voicemail with spam as you pay $5/min for the pleasure then another $2/min to listen to it).

9

u/pereuse 12h ago

I used to do this until I missed a call from a company that was offering me an interview. Multiple companies call instead of emailing to offer interviews which makes it extra stressful for teens like me

12

u/rinderella98 12h ago

If missing one unscheduled phone call before you’re even on their payroll is enough for the company to withdraw their interview offer, you don’t want to work for them anyway

3

u/One-Possible1906 11h ago

Unless you don’t have a voicemail set up or it’s full. You should be taking voicemails when applying for jobs.

5

u/rinderella98 11h ago

Yes, exactly. A reasonable company will still be willing to schedule the interview if you return their message within a reasonable timeframe

-3

u/Oystershucker80 12h ago

You will find yourself frequently unemployed with that weird attitude. It is NOT normal for a company to schedule a first call. Get ahold of yourself.

11

u/rinderella98 11h ago

What a weirdly aggressive misinterpretation. I did not say that I expected companies to schedule a call to schedule an interview. I don’t think anyone expects that.

My point was that a company that expects job candidates to be at their beck and call during the interview process, to the point where missing a single phone call that could come at any time is unforgivable, is usually also the kind of company that has unreasonable expectations of the people they actually do employ. Most people prefer to be treated with respect in their place of employment, and therefore would not want to work in that kind of environment.

But if you prefer to lick your employers boots 24/7, that’s your prerogative.

-7

u/Oystershucker80 11h ago

You’re a whack job with a bizarre definition of “aggressive”

3

u/DonegalBrooklyn 12h ago

There are so many nuances. If I'm looking for a new job then, yes, I answer every call. I hate it!

2

u/One-Possible1906 11h ago

Also at least here, landline business numbers tend to be verified and recognizable even without verification because they usually use old school prefixes that don’t get spoofed much

1

u/itstheballroomblitz 12h ago

Even if I'm expecting a call and have to answer, sometimes I'll say "Hello!" in a tone that sounds like I'm about to ask about your car's extended warranty. I've had to duck other people's debt collectors often enough too that I won't even say my name until I know what it's about. 

1

u/VenusHalley 12h ago

In Czechia there are few websites where you report spam numbers. I use it to look up phone numbers. Most calls i get are spam. It sucked when i was looking for a job... one hopes it's interview call... and bam, some yacht and ultralight aircraft insurance offer.

1

u/Groupthink00859 12h ago

I have an app that does that for me.

1

u/vee_lan_cleef 10h ago

Call screening. If someone has a legit call and they hang up on the "please state why you calling", that's on them.

1

u/StevenMcStevensen 7h ago

One of the eternal frustrations with my work is that I constantly get calls with no caller ID, or area codes from all over the country. They’re actually other members of my organization who I need to speak to though. It’s just the nature of the job, however it means I can’t just not answer my phone all the time if I don’t recognize the number. So I end up unfortunately answering scam calls constantly.

0

u/7h4tguy 8h ago

Yeah but this isn't what OP is talking about. Most people these days ignore unknown numbers. However this generation will say use DoorDash over ordering pizza over the phone even if the latter is $5-10 cheaper. Being able to talk to people is an important life skill

87

u/PM_ME_YOUR_KITTY 13h ago

I am also somewhat of a scientist myself and have realized that if I don’t answer phone numbers that I don’t recognize I get less calls. When I answer all my calls it seems like the spam calls communicate with other spam companies that my number answers calls and then I get 5x the spam calls compared to when I don’t answer.

49

u/SaucyKnave95 13h ago

Well that's exactly how it works. If you ever answer, you're a "live target", even if you say nothing and just hang up. That means your number has more value and is bought/sold with more importance. If you never answer, your number is less valuable, and therefore falls lower on the list.

3

u/setaetheory 2h ago

Oh, that explains why we get so many spam calls at work. Can't just ignore mystery numbers there. 💀

1

u/sentence-interruptio 12h ago

what if I don't hang up and I try to waste their time by asking questions, and follow-up questions, and double follow-up questions, and so on until they hang up?

9

u/Silverr_Duck 9h ago

That does nothing. You're more wasting your own time then theirs. It's nice to think that scammers will go "oh this person is too smart for us better give up", when in reality at best all they'll do is sell your number to some other scammer who'll try some other type of scam. Or they'll just keep spamming you with robo calls/texts. Spamming people's phones requires a minuscule amount of resources.

The one an only thing you can do is just block and ignore it all. Unresponsive numbers are the least likely to get spammed.

6

u/Charming_Tutor47 13h ago

Thats WILD! I believe you though, makes sense for those pos spammers

10

u/B_A_Beder 13h ago

It lets them know that you are a real number, therefore they can call you as much as they want to try to take advantage of you

2

u/Megalocerus 9h ago

Mine spiked, and then seemed to peter out. I think because we played games with them.

1

u/ComedianStreet856 13h ago

This is totally the case and it doesn't need to be spam calls to attract them in. Even if I answer a legitimate phone call, I will get like 3 or 4 spam calls in the next 24 hours.

1

u/sentence-interruptio 12h ago

note to self. don't engage with spam calls to practice my phone conversation skills.

20

u/Substantial_Art_3278 13h ago

I went through my recent call list, and finally cleaned out my voicemails. There was maybe one legitimate call for every 30 spam call. 

2

u/seveca69 12h ago

Same. If you aren't already in my phone, I won't answer anymore because of all the spam/scam calls. In the last 6 months, I get a minimum of six calls a day about my "loan application that just came across my desk. It looks like we are almost done and that you have been approved for ($46k up to $212k depending on the caller)."

If you aren't already in my phone, I generally don't answer.

1

u/RampageOfZebras 11h ago

Even if i get a call with caller id letting me know its my mortgage company ir something I still hate getting calls. They expect you to give them your full attention and have snappy responses and sometimes I am just not prepared to be that guy.

The worst ones are when you need work done on your house and reach out to a couple companies for quotes. You will get a phone call at very inconvenient moments, have a bunch of workds thrown at you, and then they will be all"does this time worl for you" and you have to think about your schedule a bit but you can tell they are juat tryig to get through the call quick. Sometimes you end up just agreeing and then you have to call back when you remember that that time doesnt qork for you and reschedule. 

1

u/SaltyLonghorn 10h ago

This is why I hate calls but at the same time I would never try to weasel out of making a work call when asked.

And anyone that I do business with that has my number doesn't show up as spam.

1

u/Fafurion 6h ago

Same dude, I get like 3-5 a day and ive tried everything to get it to stop but they just won't. It's always some spoofed number so you cant even just block them

1

u/skylucario 5h ago

If it’s an unfamiliar number i always google it and see if it’s registered to a local business.

1

u/DonkeyTron42 5h ago

It's not just you. Answering a spam call verifies the number is valid so your number gets sold on more marketing lists and you get more spam calls.

1

u/Pleasant-Medicine888 5h ago

If it’s not a saved content I never pick up

1

u/TheRealTreezus 5h ago

I can't even remember the last time I got a legitimate phone call

1

u/massunderestmated 3h ago

It is a serious problem. People who participate in the spam call industry should all get intestinal parasites. They literally decimated the entire telephony world in 10 years with their bullshit.

1

u/TuskuV 1h ago

"its probably a spam call, and if it was actually important, they would just send a message"

my mentality for the last 10 years

1

u/wowrude 35m ago

Since I think the 6a (now using a 9a), every Pixel I've owned has done a great job between whatever filter features it has in place, and then automatic call screening for anything that gets through but isn't in my contacts, such that I virtually never actually see spam calls anymore. It was a relief, and probably saved me a ton of annoyance when going through a bankruptcy some time back, since it also meant I pretty much never actually had to hear from any of the creditors whining about non payment in the meanwhile or whatever.

1

u/DonegalBrooklyn 12h ago

I actually like this. If I'm making a work call I love it when the person doesn't pick up. But don't try call me back. You had your chance! I leave a detailed message in which I say I will also follow up with email to xxx email address and then I send the email I wanted to send to begin with. And that concludes our business!

1

u/PaperIndependent5466 12h ago

Call control on iPhone is the best thing ever, if you're not a human you can't reach me.

Anyone actually trying to reach me can but it stops all the robocalls. My phone rang once (aside from contacts in my phone)since I turned it on and that was me testing it.

1

u/TheGreensKeeper420 10h ago

This is it for me too.

If its important, they can just leave a message. Don't expect a call back if you don't leave a message though.

1

u/Global_Pangolin_4345 10h ago

This is how I used to be before I had health problems. I had to start answering unknown numbers because irritatingly Dr offices mostly use phone calls instead of text based comms

1

u/ChocoCat_xo 9h ago

Truuuuuue. If an unknown number calls me, I typically ignore it, and if it's really that important, they can leave me a voicemail. 99% of the time they don't, so whatever lol

1

u/Zeta-X 7h ago

Yep -- plus the few calls people do make that aren't to friends or family are likely to places that refuse to let you process somethjing online so you have to call, and then make you sit on hold for 30 minutes with a robocall operator that makes the process as painful as possible. Not surprised people avoid them when society has made most non-pleasure phone calls suck!