If/when someone comes up to you and asks if they can use your phone for a minute, do you let them? I never, ever let a stranger use my cell phone. (I usually don’t have my phone out anyway, but sometimes I might.) If there is an emergency, or someone is hurt I’ll gladly call 911 or even a relative for them. But I make the call – I don’t hand the phone to them. Why? 1) They might want to have a long conversation with someone and hold me up (or maybe I’ll miss an incoming call). 2) They might RUN with my phone (I’ve heard of this happening to people). Then I have to go thru the hassle of making a police report, notifying my cell phone carrier, buying another phone, changing my number, notifying people about my new number. 3) They might make prank calls to various people in my contact list. 4) Even if they make a quick call and give the phone back to me, I risk getting annoying calls, vms, text msgs from whoever it was they called. Several years ago I had just finished a call when was approached in the parking lot by a woman who asked “Is your phone the type where you pay for minutes or do you have a monthly plan?” Well, I didn’t think that was her business, so instead of answering her I asked “Why?” She goes into this lengthy diatribe about some drama her sister was going thru and she wanted to call her, etc. etc. I interrupted and said “I can’t help you” and I walked away. Yes, sometimes very nice people forget their phones or forget to charge them or for whatever reasons they don’t have a cell phone. . . and pay phones are very hard to find these days. I still say better to be cautious. How about you? (btw I tried to fix the different font size but, it didn't work.)
I have never had it happen except my daughter and of course I let her use it. It would probably depend on where I was if I let a stranger use my phone. I've also never asked to use anybody's phone because I always have mine. I am always prepared, it's my OCD.
In general, not a good idea either way .... BUT once I did have car problems and didn't have a cell phone with me. What I did, was ask someone near me if they would call my insurance company and I handed them the card with the number on it ... they called, then handed me their phone to talk. But in that instance they could see the situation, and knew where the call was going. I haven't been without my cell phone since ...
Re: "it depends on the situation" - There’s quite a difference between someone being stranded, hurt, etc. and asking to use your phone/for you to make a call vs someone just randomly walking up to you and asking you to hand your phone to them so they can use it. I’m asking about the latter.
I don't think I'd hand my phone over to just anybody, I'd tell them I'll make the call for them. For one thing it needs my thumbprint or needs a passcode to open. I have it set to a very short time, so by the time I hand the phone to them, they would need my code again.
When I was younger, the landline phone was a rarity so we are one of the lucky homes that has a landline phone. Neighbors would usually knock to use the phone. It has been the custom that neighbors were given the privilege of using our phone and sometimes even stranger would come to ask if they could use our phone. That was all right, I guess since people have no recourse but the phone of that generous family. But speaking of the mobile phone, I think that is a different story altogether. It is not healthy to let other people use your mobile phone especially strangers. I wouldn't hesitate to decline their request since a mobile phone is a personal thing. What if they would run with my phone or they would accidentally drop it? Sorry but I won't lend my phone unless you are my close friend.
I think all of you are right. There are pay phones if one needed one, so it's not too bad to say no, sorry can't lend you my cell. It's a good idea not to lend other's your phone either for it could just walk away from you after you trusted them with it...I saw it on television once and though I laughed and it was with an expensive camera and not a phone on Cheers, when they went to the Johnny Carson show and asked someone to take a picture of them and the guy smiled and took the camera and ran off with it, so it could happen with your cell too!
It only happened to me once. In the walmart parking lot a woman had car trouble so I let her use my phone to call her husband. No problem. Pay phones? I haven't seen one in years.
I haven't seen one either, this post got me thinking and I will be on the look out for pay phones when I go out today. Fresno is a big city so they should have some. I see ATM machines everywhere I go, maybe they took their place.
Seems like the best place to find pay phones these days, is in public transportation places like the airport, bus stations and subways. It's hard to find any at convenience stores or gas stations. Probably the owners of those places don't care to deal with vandals that would mess with them.
I had a similar experience Bonnie, but in my case I was lost. The gas station I stopped at had no pay phone but the clerk was kind enough to call my friend, handed his phone to me and she refreshed the directions for me.
A neighbor, who lives upstairs from us, locked himself out of his apartment and came to us for help, b/c his cell was also in the apartment. We had talked to the guy, in his early 60's, before, so we did know him........to a point. Anyway, he wanted to know if we would call Maintenance. This was on a Saturday night and when I called Maintenance, the recording stated that they don't do "lock-outs" at any time, that tenants must call a locksmith. Anyway, he ended up getting in. If I remember right, there was another time that I let someone in our apartment complex use my cell, in front of me, to call a relative about something. The girl left her cell at work and the complex office was already closed. I stood right there as she made the call and was so, so grateful to me for letting her call. Other than those two times, I've never been approached by someone to use my phone. However, if I was away from our apartment, I would keep my phone in-hand, make the call and put the phone on speaker-phone and let the person who needs help talk that way.........keeping my cell in-hand all the time.