Remember that little book a couple of years ago listing the rules of
dating? Though its relevance was debated, it was a top seller. Omnipoint
Communications could strike a similar chord with its recently released
book of do’s and don’ts for wireless telephone users.
Although some folks may bristle at being told where and when they should
use a device purchased mainly because it offers convenient phone access,
perhaps it is time for some formal etiquette training. After all,
estimates from companies like Sprint PCS indicate as many as 90 million
Americans will have wireless phones by next year. The ones that already
have them can be found talking on phones while driving and even at one
Massachusetts grade school Christmas pageant, where a bored parent
placed catalog orders.
“Whether they love them or hate them, (people) definitely have an
opinion,” said Peter Laufer, who wrote “Wireless Etiquette: A Guide To
The Changing World of Instant Communication.”
“I had plenty to say myself. I had been watching this phenomenon along
the way, taking mental notes,” said Laufer, a former radio reporter who
now produces a radio spot for Omnipoint. “My hope is that people will
think a little bit more about it after reading this.”
Though, he conceded, “some people may see this as silly.”
His biggest pet peeve?
People who have phone chats in fancy restaurants.
“People pretty much agree they are offended by the use of a phone in an
elegant restaurant or a crowded subway car, but they also use them in an
elegant restaurant or a crowded subway car they feel it might be that
important call,” he said in a recent interview.
Laufer explores this particular peeve in chapter six of the 60 page
book, which is illustrated with New Yorker cartoons and numerous
photographs, including one of a gravestone in Israel shaped like a
mobile flip phone. His advice: “If you choose to accept calls during a
meal, the best alternative is to answer the phone as you’re excusing
yourself from the table.”
Actually, Omnipoint’s book isn’t the only place to find phone pointers.
Sprint PCS executive Dan Wilinsky wrote an article last February –
“Mobile Phones Can Save Your Marriage, But Remember Basic Rules of
Etiquette” – that was published in several papers around the country. In
it Wilinsky cites the golden rule of phone use: “if there’s even a
slight chance your call will intrude upon those around you, turn the
volume down, set the ring on vibrate mode, or simply turn it off.”
Manners expert Judith Martin, of “Miss Manners” fame, has also weighed
in on the issue. She shares Laufer’s distaste for phones in restaurants,
ruling “the correct place for a telephone at a restaurant is not between
the bread plate and the wine glass, but on the hat rack in the coat
check room.”
Complaints have been heard around the country in movie theaters, subway
cars, college classrooms, libraries, and hospitals. Some hospitals, such
as the Caritas Christi group, post signs asking visitors to turn off
mobile phones, because radio waves could interfere with medical
equipment.
Linda Shelton, a Lifespan spokeswoman, said “it’s best to ask before
using cell phones in sensitive areas, such as the emergency room.”
Though most of the health care group’s five Rhode Island hospitals don’t
have formal policies, clinical managers are allowed to ban mobile phones
if there could be a problem, she said.
At Providence’s Trinity Repertory Co. house management routinely asks
theatergoers to turn off phone ringers, pagers, and even watch alarms to
avoid disrupting performers and annoying other patrons, according to
Dina Croce, marketing/public relations associate. About three seasons
ago, Trinity’s house manager added the request to announcements made
before day performances for school children.
“So many of the kids have pagers and cell phones now, he’s had to add it
to the speech,” Croce said.
Doctors or others expecting emergency calls can, however, leave phones
and beepers at Trinity’s front desk. “The usher would go in and get the
person in their seat if there is an emergency,” she explained.
Across town at the Providence Performing Arts Center, Marketing Director
P.J. Prokop said they have not instituted a formal policy.
“Once in awhile a pager goes off accidentally,” she said. “People, I
think, generally respect that they’re in a live audience with other
people.”
What’s wonderful is that the technology is so specific to our needs, it
can be set (to vibration mode or an answering system),” Laufer said.
“You don’t have to be rude to stay in touch.”
Bell Atlantic Mobile, which has almost 6 million wireless phone
customers, doesn’t specifically address politeness in its customer
handbook and guidelines, according to David Thomson, regional director
of marketing. “What we really focus on is the safety aspect,” he said.
Occasionally they hear anecdotal evidence of impolite mobile phone use,
but more often he said people thank them for the service. For instance,
one woman recently stopped in the Springfield, Mass., store because her
two sons were in a car accident, one was seriously injured and the other
called help quickly with a mobile phone, Thomson said.
At the Omnipoint Store in Cranston, Raeann, a customer care
representative, agreed customers generally aren’t concerned about
protocol. “They’re predominantly concerned with how to use the phone,”
she said, explaining some phones offer complex features such as
downloading capabilities and horoscope reports.
Raeann said she herself isn’t that concerned either.
I am a juvenile delinquent; I use it all the time,” she said.
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