We need a societal rule for giving out phone numbers on the phone.
 

Every time I have to give a phone number when I'm on a call, it goes one of two ways. It goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...867

Them (talking over my 867): Okay, 303...

Me: 5309.

Them: Okay, 303-530-9...

Me: No, 303-867...

Them: Not 530?

Me: Okay, start over. 303-867-5309

Them (talking over my 5309): 303-867...what?

Me: Here's the whole thing at once. 303-867-5309.



Or it goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...(waiting for confirmation)

Them: (Silence)

Me: (Silence)

Them: (Silence)

Me: 867...

Them (talking over my 867): Okay, I'm ready.

Me: 867...(waiting for confirmation)

Them: (Silence)

Me: (Silence)

Them: (Silence)

Me: 5309.

Them (talking over my 5309): Okay, I'm ready.

Me: 5309.



Why is it so hard to give someone a freaking phone number?

I propose that we adopt a national system, and that it goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...(wait a beat)

Them: 303.

Me: 867...(wait a beat)

Them: 867.

Me: 5309...(wait a beat)

Them: 5309. Your number is 303-867-5309.

Me: Exactly. Au revoir.

Them: Adios.

You just frustrated me.

Okay, I'm ready for your comment now.

To ensure complete success Europe would have to adopt the complete opposite.

5309

867

303

Same thing with credit card numbers.

Good point. I bet they do that. Except in England.

Yes! Exactly!

I do the slight pause between sets of digits but do not wait for a confirmation. So

303 (Pause)
867 (Pause)
5309 (Pause)

Now if I am taking a number I will expect much the same and will then repeat it back (without the pauses).

This is where you should ask them to confirm after they write it down or put it on the wall or whatever they do with it.

RM: ok, here is my phone number. Please confirm. Ready?

Them: Ready.

RM: 303

Them: 303

RM: no, I said 303

Them: That's what I wrote down.

RM: Good, you ****ing listen. OK, ready? ...

Also, make sure you pronounce the zero as 'oh'.

Three oh three

:bang:

Repeat after me: zero, zero, zero

You only do that when quoting out the contents of a core dump or a product code. Phone is fine.

Try this:

Left Parenthesis, 303, Right Parenthesis, Space, 867, Hyphen, 5309

I suppose saying, "Three, aught, three" is completely unacceptable?

A little old fashioned and you run the risk that the person on the other end will not know what you just said.