Leave a decent non-cryptic voice mail message.
Got one today through my work voice mail (I'm a highschool shop teacher), asking me to phone them back. "Back" was to their Emergency Ward pager. Their last name was not that of any of my students. They left no indication what it was about. What makes it more of a challenge, is I do not own a cell phone for them to call me back on.
So....
Was it a parent of one of my students?
Is one of my family members in the Emergency?
So I begin to call everyone to see who is in trouble. Still waiting for mumsie to return my call; everyone else checked in ok.
Message to y'all: give the voice mail recipient an idea what your call is about, ok?
EvanR
Dork
10/20/14 11:30 p.m.
If it's medical in nature, it is forbidden by law to leave such info on a recording device... HIPAA and all that.
I can understand that.
But a simple:
"...It's in regards to my son" if it's from a parent, or
"... It's in regards to your son" if it's from emerg probably wouldn't be out of line.
And mumsie checked in; we're all good.
Must be a parent?
T.J.
PowerDork
10/21/14 1:55 a.m.
Did you intentionally create a confusing topic name for a thread complaining about cryptic messages?
DrBoost
UltimaDork
10/21/14 6:15 a.m.
T.J. wrote:
Did you intentionally create a confusing topic name for a thread complaining about cryptic messages?
Ok, so it's not just me. The topic thread makes no sense at all.
He's a teacher - nuff said 
SkinnyG wrote:
So....
I would have ignored it. If they can't leave a message that makes sense, it's not important enough for you to spend your time on it.
Yes, it was purposefully confusing. Add mine to all the others that are created.
Lady phoned again and spoke with me. She wanted to know if my MX students would do the clutch in her '98 Saab.
Again, just a bit of info in the aforementioned message would have been nice.
And yes, I'm a teacher; we're all to blame for everything. 'Nuff said.
Zomby Woof wrote:
SkinnyG wrote:
So....
I would have ignored it. If they can't leave a message that makes sense, it's not important enough for you to spend your time on it.
This. I got one yesterday. No idea who it was or what it was about. It was deleted.
wbjones
UltimaDork
10/29/14 7:20 a.m.
TRoglodyte wrote:
He's a teacher - nuff said
probably using Common Core 
As one of the very few people in my department with an issued workphone that can actually make or take calls (we use sprint/Nextel for the push to talk) I get some very weird voicemail sometimes.. most of it having nothing to do with work
wbjones wrote:
TRoglodyte wrote:
He's a teacher - nuff said
probably using Common Core
Do you know what common core is? It's NOT what states are teaching--it's a guideline for teaching. Each state has to create curriculum that meets the core standards.
/rant.
Back to OP, yeah cryptic messages suck. So do folks who race through their phone number so you have to replay the damn message three times just to get the full number. Slow the hell down people.
Cryptic messages are also a tactic for slimy salespeople. You think it is important, so you call them only to find out it is a sales pitch. There is a special corner in hell reserved for these people BTW.
The only thing that would make me paranoid is if the number were out of your area code. Or you're a fugitive from justice.
I wasn't always a school teacher.
In reply to SkinnyG: It would also be nice if people would spit the marbles out of their mouth and Enunciate.
wbjones
UltimaDork
10/30/14 6:30 a.m.
I only have a cell phone, people don't leave voicemails and if you do I don't take the time to listen to it.
I assume if you called me you would like to talk about something. If I don't already have your number, I likely don't care anyway. 
