I get scared of using the phone, except when it is to people I know really well and am comfortable with. If a call goes badly (even if it is to a friend or family member), it will take ages before I get up the courage to call again.
I prefer dealing with those automated messaging machines a lot of the time, too eg. IVR.
Yes, that's about right. Texting might be a bit less intimidating but I don't own a mobile phone as they're too expensive (I don't understand why mobile phone plans have to be so complex and expensive)
Yes, and I'd prefer a somewhat larger one so I can see the text more clearly. I have glasses for distance viewing but now my close vision is starting to go a bit bad too. The mobile phone companies seem to target their products at teenagers and early 20's people and forget about the rest of us.
At work, I'm not meant to take phone calls but I get a few anyway and they've been okay. Before, it was worse because they wanted us to do call-centre type work for a while and I freaked out big time about it.
And I always prefer to write a letter. The only trouble is, that's slower and sometimes they mightn't get the letter.
If somebody would just make a simple cell phone WITHOUT all the fancy bells and whistles. I'd be more than happy to have one for travelling emergencies, BUT, that seems to be an illusion! :?
Peace
A cellphone without service can still be used to call 911, my mom works for the CSA&DV and they're always taking donated old phones for just that reason.
Also, I have a cheapo TracFone, I go through about two hours every three or four months. Handy for when I forget something importent when I'm halfway to work.
Matt, I don't think phone phobia is so easy to get over, really.
I was thinking about the issue a bit more today. Maybe what I have is more a fear of situations becoming uncontrollable. I'm fine talking on the phone to people I know well and feel comfortable with and sometimes I probably overdo it.
When I have any calls at work (not many these days), I don't know how to end the call so it will go for a long time. I've also had some good chats to people who called the wrong number at home (one time after a half hour conversation it was only after the call ended that I realised they must have been after somebody else).
Before, in another section I worked in, we sent out letters reminding people to lodge their income tax returns. I probably would have got into trouble for how long I spoke to some people - they would tell their life story just about and some of them were really tragic. I couldn't just cut them off as they obviously needed somebody to talk to.
The phone phobia really came into full force when we were suddenly put onto doing work where we had to tell a lot of bad news and had no real power to put office errors right. Naturally the people on the other end got angry and frustrated and I felt awful about not being able to help them. Job satisfaction went from high (even despite getting a few stroppy calls) to rock bottom within a very short time.
So some of these phobias might be a bit more subtle than they first seem.
I've been known to get addicted to being on the computer (forgetting to eat, getting to bed late) but hope the novelty will eventually wear off.
Sounds fair to me. I always prefer mail order, going to the shop itself (provided it is not too crowded and the service is courteous and the prices are reasonable).
Government departments are now putting a lot more of their services on the internet too but there is still a long way to go. (apart from some of them being a bit reluctant to give up their old ways, there is the important issue of how they are going to keep personal client information secure).
Perhaps I don't so much have a phone phobia but a big fear of social situations getting out of control. Because this has happened during phone calls, the phone has become associated in my mind with conversations getting out of control and turning into arguments.
On the phone, you can't see if the person is frantically busy or what expressions they have on their face and so it is harder to know the right thing to say and avoid the wrong thing.
I nearly lost my job because of issues with doing phone work. Had it not been for my getting an official diagnosis of Aspergers, I probably would have had to leave.
I seem to get nervous about returning calls and making calls in the first place so it makes life tricky.
Sometimes - depends on how well I can get my thoughts in order beforehand.
Was this in your home? That's abuse.