Dear LPG,

I know that getting a mobile phone call can be just as annoying and, while the advice I want to offer today works for them too, I am focussing my thoughts more on the house phone today.   There is nothing more frustrating than hearing the phone ring and being unable to get to it on time.   I know that the youngsters can phone 1471 in an instant and have an idea about who was trying to call but it takes me so much longer than that when I finally get to the side board where I keep my landline.

Firstly, and I know that it is my fault with these new (well not so new now, I suppose) wireless phones, I can never remember where I put the handset.  So I finally get to the stand where it is supposed to be only to find that I left it on the chair in the living room, and then when I do work out who was phoning, I call back only to get the engaged signal while the caller leaves me a voicemail message.  Then something else will draw my attention and I will forget to try again later.

When finally I manage 1471 I know that there will not be as many calls where ‘the caller withdrew their number’ because of the new privacy laws that came into place last year, and I also know that if the number quoted begins with 01 or 1 it is likely to be a sales call so I don’t call those ones back, but sometimes I will recognise the number of someone I know, and really want to talk to, and it is so frustrating to know who called and then get the engaged signal when I try to phone them back.

It often happens the other way round too, where I call one of my friends and cannot get an answer, but I have found a solution and that is to dispense with leaving the  answering message the first time you call  and put the phone down for three or four minutes before trying again. 

If the person you are calling is getting a bit slower like me, this gives them time to get to the phone, or find it if the person you are calling  is, again  like me a bit slower.  They can then try calling you back without your being on the phone and appearing to be engaged because you are leaving a message. 

Most of my friends and I have an unwritten rule where, when calling an older friend and getting no reply, we always give it a minute or two before trying again, and then we will only  leave a message after the second attempt at calling. 

Try it, it really does work.

IP, Forest Hill

Just in case there are any readers who are not familiar with calling 1471 LPG has found a little information …

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