What's the latest you call?

[emeleel]

Assuming it's not a dire emergency, and assuming that you know the person you're calling has a "normal people" schedule, what's the latest you would call their house for something?

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

9pm-ish. But honestly, Hubby and I hardly ever use the phone. We hate talking on the phone. Often we'll call someone to talk, they won't be home and we'll leave a message, they'll call back 30mintues later and we won't pick up because we're just not interested in talking on the phone any more. "The window has closed," Hubby will intone and the person rambles into our answering machine "Pick up the phone! I know you're home! YOU just called ME!!"

[mtomm[$]]

I try not to call after 9. That is when I'm getting ready for bed anyway.

[pippadaisy[$]]

8:30

[emeleel]

MJ:

I sometimes wonder how otherwise sane people operate in this world. Last night, one of the church members stayed after to tidy up in the building. She doesn't have a key, but you don't need one to get out of the building. Apparently, her son was working on his homework while she cleaned, and then he left it behind. So she called us because we live 2 doors down from the building, to see if we could let her in.

At 11:07 p.m.

I wasn't rude - I don't think - but I wasn't very coherent, either. I'd gone to sleep around 10:15 or so, so I was still in that really deep, deep early sleep. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest!

[pippadaisy[$]]

Um, no, not unless it was an emergency. My neighbor will sometimes call after 10, but it's usually when she's worried about something and she can see our lights on and us moving around... she knows we are up late.

My sister will sometimes call late, too, but she also knows we are up, and it's three hours off in Seattle.

[amykhar]

Generally, 8:30 or 9. I have some friends though that I know I can call later, if need be. I'm not a huge fan of the phone. In fact, our house phone has been unplugged for about 3 weeks now. I got tired of clearing out the messages on the answering machine. People who I care about email me, call me on my cell phone, or stop by.

[phoenixx]

If I use the phone, which is rare...

People with kids: 8:00 PM is my general rule

Our parents: 9:00 PM

People our age and younger without kids: anytime after noon until the wee hours is fine, but before noon is the no-no there

[lynnzop[$]]

9:00 on either end of the spectrum (before 9 a.m. is a no-no or after 9 p.m. is a no-no) unless it's a business call or the person's told me to call them outside that window.

[theworm[$]]

what Lynn said.
And on the weekends I'll rarely call someone before 10am unless they're expecting my call or I know they are early risers.

[mtomm[$]]

People with kids: 8:00 PM is my general rule

Thank you.

I'll do you one better, Melanie. In July we had a church member call us at 11:45 p.m. to tell my husband he had a meeting in the morning at 7 a.m. Needless to say my system got a shock.

[Prepoia[$]]

I wasn't rude - I don't think - but I wasn't very coherent, either. I'd gone to sleep around 10:15 or so, so I was still in that really deep, deep early sleep. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest!
__________________

This is what it feels like when a teen (or older) calls you at 2:00 am when they should have been home much earlier. My husband still wakes up every night at about that time in anticipation even though they are no longer living at home. That phone is so damned loud in the middle of the night!

[wivabef]

We don't accept calls from anybody after 9 .. it goes to voicemail... unless I tell someone specifically that they may call after 9.

I don't make calls after 8:30.

[nicholmere]

The other night I received a call from one of those telephone solicitors (is that what they call them? the name escapes me right now) ... anyway, after his schpeel I asked him what time it was.

The time? Oh, um, it is nine o'clock.

That's right, good night and I hung up.

[jgibson2[$]]

I got a wrong number phone call at 1am.

I said, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

dummy said, "Don't tell me what time to make phone calls."

I said, "I DON'T CARE WHEN YOU CALL YOUR FRIENDS. JUST LEARN TO DIAL THE NUMBER CORRECTLY."

dummy had the grace to apologize at that point.

[emeleel]

Oddly enough, the very next night another church friend called at 10. But she knew it was rude to call that late, apologized profusely, but something unexpected had come up and she needed a babysitter for the next day if possible. That I can deal with.

[Helen_B[$]]

There are a few people I would phone after 9pm, mostly the children and very close friends. A few people know they can call me late, because I'm a night owl, but that is usually to return my earlier call.

[Joubert[$]]

Middle kid's driving instructor called the house this week at 6:35 a.m. I was not happy. He didn't see anything wrong with it.

There are a handful of people who can call any time, but generally 9 would be the latest I would expect most people to call.

Dealt with a complaint situation not too long ago where the debt collector (novice? internal?) dialed too early and broke the law. With proof and a determined person on the other end, he could have cost his company a couple of grand.

[Prepoia[$]]

How early is considered too early and how late is too late for solicitors (spelling) and charities to call? I hate these same groups calling me on Sundays too.

[Penguinlady[$]]

I don't use the phone between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm, except in an emergency. I have one friend who tells us we can call until midnight, but we very, very rarely call her past 9:30.

the answering machine is in the kitchen, at the other end of the house from the bedroom, about 55' away, so we can't even screen our calls when we're reading.

[Prepoia[$]]

Wouldn't that be 9 pm and 9 am? Otherwise, I'll be your friend but please don't call.

[Penguinlady[$]]

Prepoia said

Wouldn't that be 9 pm and 9 am? Otherwise, I'll be your friend but please don't call.

DUUH! Yup!