Am I Boomer Ben or is This Irritating?

[Ben]

Maybe it's a boomer thing and this is just how the millennials do business? Would this irritate you, or no?

I have a list of projects I want to get done right now and I'm supposed to be retired, so I just picked the ones  I want to do and decided to farm out the rest. I was calling for estimates today, and I try to use little local independent guys versus big companies where I can.

Three of them that  I called answered their phone as (two of them): "Hello?" and one of them answered, "Hi, this is Joe." Which led me to have to ask, "Uh... is this Podunk Plumbing?" because I wasn't sure I had the right numbers.

 It's more an "irritating thing" than an "upset thing", but is it like no longer in style to answer with your business name? Maybe because these guys only have one phone for personal and business use? My electrician is younger though, and always answers with his business name unless the person is in his contact list.

It just is kinda off-putting to me and makes me wonder if they are pros or if it's their freakin' weekend side job and they just have a big internet presence via their splashy web page.

Irritating, or not?

[zxcvbob]

Maybe it's a boomer thing and this is just how the millennials do business? Would this irritate you, or no?

I have a list of projects I want to get done right now and I'm supposed to be retired, so I just picked the ones  I want to do and decided to farm out the rest. I was calling for estimates today, and I try to use little local independent guys versus big companies where I can.

Three of them that  I called answered their phone as (two of them): "Hello?" and one of them answered, "Hi, this is Joe." Which led me to have to ask, "Uh... is this Podunk Plumbing?" because I wasn't sure I had the right numbers.

 It's more an "irritating thing" than an "upset thing", but is it like no longer in style to answer with your business name? Maybe because these guys only have one phone for personal and business use? My electrician is younger though, and always answers with his business name unless the person is in his contact list.

It just is kinda off-putting to me and makes me wonder if they are pros or if it's their freakin' weekend side job and they just have a big internet presence via their splashy web page.

Irritating, or not?

If it was Joe's Plumbing instead of Pudunk, I think "Hi, this is Joe" is not ideal but okay.   "Podunk Plumbing, this is Joe" is infinitely better.
But it's only slightly irritating.  Now get off my lawn :D

[Ben]

If it was Joe's Plumbing instead of Pudunk, I think "Hi, this is Joe" is not ideal but okay.   "Podunk Plumbing, this is Joe" is infinitely better.
But it's only slightly irritating.  Now get off my lawn :D

Agree. I mean if it was a guy named "John Smith" that advertised handyman services and he answered, "Hi this is John" I can put two and two together. Or if the ad said "Podunk Plumbing, John Smith Owner" I'll figure it out when he answers "John". But if you're advertising under your fictitious business name only, you might want to identify your business when people call you.

[charby]

I think it's everyone has a cell phone for both personal and business. I have a separate cell phone for work, but with the explosion of robo calls a few years ago, I just answer it as "hello". Landlines in my office I answer it as who I work for and how may I help you.

To be honest I don't think anything of it, because I will reply after hello, is this Joe's Heating or whatever. I still expect land line numbers to be answered as the business, such as Little Chicago Pizza or Wok and Roll.

I don't think it's a Boomer thing, just that everyone has a cell phone is only smaller part of your life, as mine is about 45% of my lifetime.

Also FYI, oldest millennial are turning 40 this year.

[RocketMan]

I believe it's just part of the general deterioration in phone courtesy that has been happening for the last 30-40 years.

[T.O.M.]

I believe it's just part of the general deterioration in phone courtesy that has been happening for the last 30-40 years.

I'm my experience, younger folks who grew up with caller ID and cell phones don't recognize that I won't know who is calling me every time I answer.  And wrong numbers aren't understood apparently.  So get off my lawn, too.

[Jim147]

Hey boomer.

No my business line was always answered with the business name except for when caller ID showed a good customer, I might answer "Hi Cathy, what do I need to come fix." Or it showed a good friend and it might be "What dumbass?"

[RocketMan]

Hey boomer.

No my business line was always answered with the business name except for when caller ID showed a good customer, I might answer "Hi Cathy, what do I need to come fix." Or it showed a good friend and it might be "What dumbass?"

Now that is proper phone courtesy.   

[BlueStarLizzard]

It may not be a generational thing. It may be a living in the boonies thing. Everyone knows everyone else, so it's just assumed.

[K Frame]

Ben, you've got to remember... these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.

[Hawkmoon]

It's more an "irritating thing" than an "upset thing", but is it like no longer in style to answer with your business name? Maybe because these guys only have one phone for personal and business use? My electrician is younger though, and always answers with his business name unless the person is in his contact list.

It just is kinda off-putting to me and makes me wonder if they are pros or if it's their freakin' weekend side job and they just have a big internet presence via their splashy web page.

Irritating, or not?

Irritating? Not at all. I am grateful to them for being so up-front in alerting me to whom I should never, ever do business.

[Ben]

Ben, you've got to remember... these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.

 

I'm really not calling "Jimmy Joe Bob". Just looking for smaller businesses and independent contractors that aren't 50 employee operations out of Boise (who also charge me for travel time).

I guess I got lucky with my electrician. Total professional who just decided to start his own business after working for a bigger outfit in the city, lives just five miles from me, and I call him a friend. It has really been hit or miss with other trades. At some point I'll find them, but the separating of the wheat from the chaff thing is getting tiresome.

[Hawkmoon]

How about asking the electrician who is good and who to avoid in the other trades?

[Ben]

How about asking the electrician who is good and who to avoid in the other trades?

I already got a couple from him, but right now I'm looking for livestock fencing and concrete. Out of his ballpark.

[dogmush]

I don't think it's generational, but I do think it gives you an insight to their professionalism.  Not a deal breaker, but not a check in the plus column either.

Now as a generational thing:  I have two [young person owned] small businesses I work with that prefer to work exclusively by text message.  That took some getting used to.

[MechAg94]

Of the 10 or so people around me at work, I think I may be the only one that has a personal cell phone separate from my work phone.  Of course, the volume of spam calls these days may have something to do with it as well. 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Ben, you've got to remember... these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.

Post of the day.

[Perd Hapley]

Am I Boomer Ben or is This Irritating?

Yes.

I SAID YES! TURN UP YOUR HEARING AID!

[Ben]

Boomer #2: Two guys called me back today in the specific two hour timeframe I told them NOT to call because I wouldn't be available. I called them both back and reached "The voicemail box is full, goodbye" messages. Went to texts and we'll see if they respond back.

This in not the first time I've hit "mailbox full" messages here. I rarely had it in CA with trades people or whoever, but it seems there's some kinda Idaho policy to never clear your mailbox - not just trades people, everybody. I'm actually happy to just text, if that's what people want. I just need to know.

[Perd Hapley]

It's Idaho, you California pinko. Love it or leave it!