what the phone

[lauralh]

I have telephobia. I'm mostly over it, but I still will ask my friends to call someone before I will volunteer. I don't know exactly what the deal is, because after a call the stress goes down a lot, but if the call is "going badly" I get even more nervous. I'm talking here about calling a restaurant for reservations, or a hair cut appointment, since that's about all I ever need to call places for.

I have a punctured tire and I can't afford to replace it quite yet; I bought a whole set two years ago and they may still be under warranty. Probably not, but all I have to do is call and ask. I'd rather walk over and ask than call, though.

[Poll #542557]

Comments

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

My Mother has pretty darn severe telephobia and when I was a child she would make me make telephone calls. Mind you I had the same fear myself. Also she made me ask sales clerks questions because she was too shy.

Mind you I hate hate hate hate telephones but I am engaged to a man who hates making phone calls. So I am fucking stuck.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

my ex Nick would simply mock my fears but call anyway. Sometimes he forced me to. But when I lived alone it wasn't as big a deal, since no one else would do it!

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

What a sucky ex. This is why he is an ex.
Mr. Jenner has me call when we order Pizza or Chinese because I think he has a thing about two people with accents on the phone attempting to speak English to one another and sometimes people can't understand him.

He pays so I put up with it.

[jette.livejournal.com]

I can not stand the hellophone.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

when i'm "depressed" i do not answer my phone. when I'm social I call people. But they are people I know and have probably made out with, so you know. I kind of like arranging parties of people to get together, although i prefer to use LJ or AIM.

[jette.livejournal.com]

I can't stand the tone of people's voices when they're rejecting an invitation.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

I can be very persuasive. IM me and I'll teach you how to do it. I have had so many people who were in bed come to a party after calling them... I RULE! hee.

Anyway most people are so passive-aggressive in seattle that they'll say they'll come at midnight and then, you know, not come, rather than say they can't make it.

[jette.livejournal.com]

I don't really worry about the partying because usually they invite me. My problem is other parents who don't want to get the kids together. :-/

[jette.livejournal.com]

But I will take you up on the tips later on.

[jette.livejournal.com]

Here's one I dislike... when other people should call and send an email instead, like when you're about to cook them a giant chicken and they have car trouble and bail. :-(

tires

[bewing.livejournal.com]

Warranties have absolutely nothing to do with it. If you go back to the place that sold you the tires, they will fix punctures for free, forever. And probably rotate the tires for you, too -- for free. They always have, for me.

The first time, for each, I expected to pay money. I was happily surprised. The one time I had a flat fixed by someone other than the tire company (I was ignorant -- this was before I did it the RIGHT way! :D ) it was like $12.

Re: tires

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

OH RAD
Thanks!

[fritz-da-kat.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel. I have the same problem when I need to call people that I don't know, whether I speak my native language or not. In recent years that anxiety has diminished though.

Tires, hah! I hit a curb yesterday and got a flat on angela's car. The cheapest tire I could find (that car's just not worth anything better) was $35.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

Yeah same here with the "recent years" thing. I have realized that, hey, it's actually not a big deal. But there is still a bit.

Ugh. My tires were hella expensive. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/herbaliser/496725.html)

[doyouhaveaflag.livejournal.com]

I hope it wasn't a re-tread. those are dangerous. one burst on my friend and her car flipped over.

[fritz-da-kat.livejournal.com]

It was a new tire, Sears doesn't sell retreads. But if price is quality...

The Schwabasaurus Les

[emu-coyote.livejournal.com]

Two cents from a total stranger:

The interesting thing about Les Schwab is that their policy is to assume you bought your tires there. They don't ask, and there's not even any paperwork; they just patch them for free (I've heard they'll also rotate 'em, but I've never asked about it).

You also don't have to call; just show up, hand them your keys, say "there's a puncture in the tire," and they'll take care of it. They've never tried to sell me anything, either. Around mid-afternoon it can be pretty busy and take a little longer than other times of day, but even then it's 30-40 minutes of watching tv in the lobby, eating bad popcorn and drinking free coffee. Then they hand you your keys.

Since they're a chain, it's pretty easy to find one. Also, since there's some twisted corporate policy that forces the guys to literally *hustle* everywhere, it's both fast and entertaining.

Re: The Schwabasaurus Les

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

actually i did get them there. heh.

Re: The Schwabasaurus Les

[fritz-da-kat.livejournal.com]

True, they did my last tire rotation for free, no questions asked. Although indeed, I had bought the tires from them and had the proof with me, just in case.

[janietrain.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not alone in this particular phobia. I WILL NOT order a pizza. I was damned near giddy when Papa John's started online ordering. I always come off sounding like a total jackass when I talk to strangers on the phone.

[awfulness.livejournal.com]

I've had three disintegrated tires in the last two months. At least around these parts, they don't like to fix or replace tires for free. But, just call (or have someone else call) local cheap service stations, and find out who will patch and/or plug the tires the cheapest. It shouldn't be much, if at all, more than $10. If they insist that your tire is beyond repair (which they like to do), find somewhere that sells used tires (cheap!), and have them put the tire on the rim, and then put the rim/tire on your car (make sure they have no qualms about putting used tires on your car). That shouldn't cost more than $20. These prices are in North Carolina dollars; I'm not sure how they convert to Seattle money.