If you press the button it will come

[depechemodefan]

I pressed the "up" button to call an elevator.

I then started to use my cell phone to call the Dr. office and finally got through.

While I was on hold a woman with her baby (in a buggy) comes up to the elevator. She doesn't push the button to go down, though in the back of my mind I figured she would no doubt want to go down to the garage.

The elevator opens and the mother and another woman get on the elevator. They do not pay attention that the elevator's arrow is pointing "up". The doors close on them. Now no one else called the elevator to another floor, so since neither woman pressed a button to go up, the elevator opens up.

first woman: The elevator was going to go up (in a "that's weird, what's wrong with the elevator?" voice).
second woman: Now it's going down (in a "that's weird, what's wrong with the elevator?" voice).

Come on, if you want to go in a certain direction on the elevator, please press the call button to go to that direction. Don't just get on an elevator when the doors open, expecting it will go where you want it to go.

[raw456]

At my local shopping centre, there are 2 main lifts to get to the parking levels as well as accessing the 5 shopping levels. I only ever use them if I have a trolly full of groceries and cannot use the escalators. But you would not beleive the amount of people who just jump on the first one that opens without even checking to see what direction its going in.

I once had 2 mid-30's "trailor trash" types (for lack of a better term) push past myself (with ladden trolley) and a heavily pregnant woman with stroller and small child to get onto a lift going up and then bitched about it not going down when it opened at the car park. I couldnt help myself, as I manouvered past them out the doors I said
"perhaps next time instead of pushing others out of the way, take a moment to look at the pretty lights above the door. Green arrow means UP red arrow means DOWN"
Seeing their faces struggle with the concept of a coherent sentance as the doors closed amused me no end

[freaktard]

When I was in college, I noticed a disturbingly large number of people who would press both the "up" and "down" buttons, regardless of which direction they wanted to go. I think they actually believed it made the elevator come faster!

[Difdi]

There is actually a trick to pushing buttons simultaneously in some elevators, but it has nothing to do with the call buttons.

Back in the old days, the Otis Elevator Company built this feature into their products. In this age of computer control, customers can request it be disabled, but it's there by default to this day. Some other companies copy Otis, since it's a useful feature at times. Specifically, if you press Door Close and a floor selection at the same time, the elevator becomes an express to that floor, no matter how many floor buttons have already been pressed.

[technopoptart]

... mental note

[wolfie]

Specifically, if you press Door Close and a floor selection at the same time, the elevator becomes an express to that floor, no matter how many floor buttons have already been pressed.

Let's see if I'm reading this right. Assume the elevator is at the 1st floor of a tall building. A number of people get on, pushing the buttons for their floors. At the last minute, someone dashes on, wanting to get to the top floor, and pushes both the top floor and door close buttons. The elevator bypasses the floors that the other passengers have requested, and takes the self-proclaimed VIP to his floor. When he gets off, someone else gets on, wanting to go to the 1st floor, and pushes both the 1st floor and door close buttons. The people who have already been taken past their floors on the way up are taken past their floors on the way down. At the 1st floor, there's another "my hurry is more important than your hurry" person who wants the top floor. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sounds like a feature designed for SCs.

[mattm04]

There is actually a trick to pushing buttons simultaneously in some elevators, but it has nothing to do with the call buttons.

Back in the old days, the Otis Elevator Company built this feature into their products. In this age of computer control, customers can request it be disabled, but it's there by default to this day. Some other companies copy Otis, since it's a useful feature at times. Specifically, if you press Door Close and a floor selection at the same time, the elevator becomes an express to that floor, no matter how many floor buttons have already been pressed.

Seems like a useful feature for safety personnel, though I have seen elevators with "Medical Emergency" buttons on the ground floor in addition to fire fighter operation stations.

[EricKei]

I thought that that was what the "Fire Department Mode/KEY" was for o_O

[Broomjockey]

Let's see if I'm reading this right.

Nope, I don't think that's it. I believe they were talking about _exterior_ call buttons. So anyone in the elevator can get off, but if you're not in the elevator, you're not not getting on. Like an express bus, basically. You can get off at any stop, but someone looking to get on would be sol.

[Difdi]

Nope, I don't think that's it. I believe they were talking about _exterior_ call buttons. So anyone in the elevator can get off, but if you're not in the elevator, you're not not getting on. Like an express bus, basically. You can get off at any stop, but someone looking to get on would be sol.

Some modern computer-controlled elevators do have a feature like that.

But the original Otis version of it is indeed tailor made for SCs. But it's also tailor made for medical emergencies in hospitals, particularly those involving a patient on a gurney.

If you get on a crowded elevator that includes the original Otis feature on the 1st floor, and use it to punch the 40th floor, the elevator's next stop will be the 40th floor. If someone gets on at the 40th floor and uses the feature to select the 1st floor, then the 1st floor will be the next stop. Call buttons, other than ones on the express destination floor, will be ignored by the elevator.

[Broomjockey]

But the original Otis version of it is indeed tailor made for SCs.

Ah, darn. There's my pesky optimism showing through.