speakerphone should be abolished!

[HotelMinion]

Is it just me, or does anyone else have problems with the callers who use this.'
I think I have pretty good hearing.
Whenever anyone calls on speaker, I can hear an echo and the voice sounds really really distorted, like "WAWAWAWAWA" and I can't understand what they're saying, just that their saying something.
Whenever this happens at work, I politely ask them "ARe you using spearkphone?" Yes. "Could you take me off?" Well, I'm driving/washing dishes/holding my kids hands.
Sorry but I just can't understand YOU! My sister does it to. I have to play Guess what they MEAN? My GM too. What's this OBSESSION with it?!
Does anyone else hate speakerphone?

[iradney]

I have headphones that I use so I don't need speakerphone. I used to have conference calls with clients that would put me on speaker and they would cluster around the desk. OY the background noise! What a pain!!!

[Deserted]

A long time ago, I worked in an office where we had weekly meetings... with half the staff being on the opposite side of the country. We had a conference room speaker phone, they had the same... ugh.

[greek_jester]

Whenever this happens at work, I politely ask them "ARe you using spearkphone?" Yes. "Could you take me off?" Well, I'm driving/washing dishes/holding my kids hands.

I would certainly never ask someone to come off of speakerphone if they were driving!

I have sometimes used speakerphone at home if it's a situation where I need to page through my files, write information down or do things on the computer, since my home phone has no option for using a headset and I am unable to do most of the above while trying to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder (which, incidentally, would screw up my notoriously finicky spine). Whenever I do use speakerphone I try to speak loudly and clearly and minimise background noise where possible.

Annoying as it is for the listener, sometimes people have good reasons for using speakerphone.

[HotelMinion]

If I'm driving and I get a call, I always hold it to my ear. I don't have those clips that hold your to the steering wheel to use speaker. I also pull over asap cuz it's dangerous to drive like that, especially in a place you don't know.
And yeah I get if people can't physically hold their phone up that they use speaker. But they might as well say WAWAWAWA cuz that's all I hear. IDK maybe I'm just not used to it...I've had CWs that take calls that are on speaker and they seem to understand it better.

[Ghel]

The only thing I like speakerphone for is listening to webinars. Otherwise, I hate both talking on them (because of background noise and how the eff do you regulate your volume?) and listening to other people on them. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you" is usually the first thing I say to people who call on speaker phone.

When I call my brother on my cell, I usually use my little headset. He says I'm quieter but clearer using that, so I guess it works. I like it because it keeps my hands free and I don't get a crick in my neck.

[dendawg]

My sister does it to.

Mine too when she's in the car. How am I supposed to understand her when she's a foot and a half away from the mic?

[Trixie]

The managers in my company like to use the speakerphone. I've answered calls from other stores and it sounds like they're on the other side of the store. I mean if you are going to use it at least stand close enough to the phone so you can be heard. I've used it while I was on hold with tech support for our photo equipment but I am close by and for that the phone usually rings before they pick up.

[notalwaysright]

My parents use it all the time, and it's fine. I can tell it's on speaker, but I can still hear them. It's the people who think it's MAGIC that are the problem. The mic on a smartphone isn't some kind of futuristic NSA listening device. It needs to be close to the person speaking. It will pick up background noise. You can't mutter like you can when you're holding the phone 2" from your mouth. Simple concepts, but we all know these are foreign to a large portion of the world.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I get some people that do this at the IT Service Desk at The Client.

I don't even get the WAWAWAWA. I just hear nothing. I'll usually just respond by stating, "If you're there, I cannot hear you."

I'll continue to repeat myself along those lines for about thirty seconds before I'll say something like, "I'm going to disconnect this call now. If you still need assistance, please call us back."

[HotelMinion]

I get some people that do this at the IT Service Desk at The Client.

I don't even get the WAWAWAWA. I just hear nothing. I'll usually just respond by stating, "If you're there, I cannot hear you."

I'll continue to repeat myself along those lines for about thirty seconds before I'll say something like, "I'm going to disconnect this call now. If you still need assistance, please call us back."

Is that what they are? I thought that that was a dropped call, when you don't hear anything at all. *googles* Huh. Well you learn something new everyday....

[EricKei]

Dropped calls often (but not always) result in a click or three and a dialtone. Depends on the service provider, I suppose.

[RealUnimportant]

Speakerphone systems are only as good as the environment they're used in. I find it hard to differentiate a lot of loud noise, so if someone calls me with armageddon in the background I won't hear them regardless of how they're connected. Conversely, I find it much easier at home to use speakerphone but I'll always make sure every extraneous noise is isolated - no videos or music playing in the background, fan off, even closing a window if traffic's heavy. I do this for my own sake as much as the person on the other end; if I can't hear them due to noise around me, how can I expect them to hear me? (Of course we know that not everyone thinks this way, otherwise this site wouldn't need to exist...)

I refuse to take calls while driving for the same reason. A small metal box attached to a barely tame rapid explosion generator, surrounded by other similar devices, does not make for an ideal place to speak or listen! I've even got a couple of bluetooth earpieces, which I only use for listening to the satnav.

[WishfulSpirit]

Just keep saying "sorry, what?" until they either take u off speaker or give up and go away.

[raudf]

The only time I use my phone's speakerphone option is if the power is out. The handset is placed on the base unit to power it, so I have to use the speaker to call the power company. Fortunately, all I'm talking to is a computer to report an outage....

If I am driving, I don't answer the phone. Period. I will look at the CID and/or message when I get a stop sign or am able to pull over. I hate using my phone while driving... there's too many idiots on the road wanting to hit me as it is. Why should I make it easier?!