I do not need to hear about your business trip plans

[Ironclad Alibi]

My wife and I were having a pleasant dinner at a local Italian restaurant. As we were munching on our entrées, we became aware of a one-sided conversation that was becoming increasingly louder. We looked across the small restaurant and saw a man talking on his cell phone about a business trip to Hawaii. He kept getting louder and louder and louder. Everyone in the restaurant, including the staff, was looking at him.

Since I could no longer hold a conversation with my wife because of his loudness, I decided to do something about it. I got up and walked over to his table. Upon arrival I said “Excuse me, but could you hold down the volume on your conversation? It has been getting louder and louder” just as he was closing the cell phone. He mumbled something and said he was through with the call. As I was walking back to my table, I overheard his wife say something like “I told you you were talking too loud.” And I heard his daughter ask why I did what I did. He responded saying something about some people are just rude that way.

We continued our dining. After a short while, the man got up and came over to our table. My wife said she thought he was going to attack me. He didn’t. He apologized for the disruption and attempted to blame it on the acoustics of the restaurant. I thanked him, and he returned to his table.

I got thumbs up from the other diners and the restaurant staff, and free dessert. And we have received celebrity treatment there ever since.

[Evil Queen]

IA, seriously, that's the same thing my SO would have done. For a minute there, I thought you were him until I realized that he hates forums for some weird reason. (actually, he gets really bored with them quickly)

[tropicsgoddess]

My voice is naturally loud......

[KhirasHY]

As soon as I tried to picture his conversation, the only thing that came to mind was a George Carlin joke

(said as a sudden quiet comes over a normally loud room)
"I know! I know! Well, what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna have my testicles laminated!"

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

I have one of those cell phone jammers for just such occasions. If a person is getting loud or vulgar I don't confront them (hell in my area they usualy are pretty scary looking people) I just pulse the jammer so they get the call dropped. If they call back and are quiet then all is good. They get loud or vulgar I'll pulse it again.

Lather-rinse-repeat until I'm out of their earshot.

M

[Samaliel]

My voice is naturally loud......

Same here... My friends always have to remind me to try and keep some semblance of control on the volume of my voice.

[Amina516]

Im also unfortunately loud..usually not on purpose and i have to be told to quiet down lots.

One time, when I was in tech school, I was in a hospital cafeteria with my teacher and some classmates. My teacher was telling us a story about a patient that had a snowglobe stuck up his arse (true story) and I laughed, VERY loudly apparently. A woman at another table came up to me and scolded me saying, "Young LADY, We ARE IN A HOSPITAL!!!" even louder than I was laughing.

After she left, we all laughed again and my teacher laughed for getting me "in trouble" and mocked me the rest of the year....

[auntiem]

I have one of those cell phone jammers for just such occasions. If a person is getting loud or vulgar I don't confront them (hell in my area they usualy are pretty scary looking people) I just pulse the jammer so they get the call dropped. If they call back and are quiet then all is good. They get loud or vulgar I'll pulse it again.

Lather-rinse-repeat until I'm out of their earshot.

M

I'm so jealous! I want one of those so badly but they are illegal here.

[bainsidhe]

Considering how the guy told his daughter that "some people are just rude", I suspect his wife chewed him out and that's why he apologized. Way to go wifey.

[PepperElf]

The first time I went to the Cheesecake Factory ... One of the first things I noticed was a "No cellphone" policy for the customers posted on the menus. I liked that idea.

[JustADude]

A woman at another table came up to me and scolded me saying, "Young LADY, We ARE IN A HOSPITAL!!!" even louder than I was laughing.

I suspect it was more the fact that you were daring to laugh and not act all somber and depressed, rather than the fact that you were loud. I had that happen to me before when I was visiting a friend who was booked in for something minor (I think tonsils, appendix, or something like that. It's been years,) and we were joking and laughing. She shoved her nose into our business and told us pretty much the same thing yours told you.

Fortunately, my friend's Doc came in just then and said "And laughter is the best medicine. They're fine, but you need to get back to your room," sending her on her way.

[Boggles]

I was on the train a while back and sat near a guy who was getting louder and louder on his mobile.

Being English we had all adopted the "for Christ's sake don't speak to him. everyone just ignore him" attitude but he was getting so loud it was difficult for my party to hold a conversation about 2 rows away.

Eventually I walked up to him. The carriage went silent as everyone realized I was going to do something rather than just tut and sigh quietly (the english way). I tapped the chap on the shoulder and just said "excuse me sir but that is a mobile phone not a megaphone."

He quietened down after that.

[Balgram]

1. Boggles, I'm proud of ya.

2. I do this a lot. I talk on my phone at different volumes depending on who I'm speaking with. If it's an old high school friend, I'm told I start booming and yelling. I guess I just revert to how I talked back then (probably true).

3. I NEVER do this except when I'm at home/with family/by myself. If you have a phone in a restaurant, it's pretty rude, even if you apologize to the people you are dining with in advance. Being loud at the same time is pretty cruel.

Good for people who ask others to speak quieter. If you are gonna yell into your phone, take it outside.

That's where you can use your outside voice.

[Pagan]

Some of the conversations I've heard.... People do realize that those things are also not equipped with a Cone of Silence aren't they?

Fortunately, my friend's Doc came in just then and said "And laughter is the best medicine. They're fine, but you need to get back to your room," sending her on her way.

And not everyone that's going to a hospital is going there for a sad reason. Babies are born there!

I tapped the chap on the shoulder and just said "excuse me sir but that is a mobile phone not a megaphone."

Absolutely brilliant!