Agreed! Agreed! Agreed! There is possibly nothing as annoying as the speaker phone and its obnoxious users! It always puzzles me that speaker phone users find it acceptable to SCREAM into the box with their mouths 1 inch from the receiver. If you have to put your body into that strange of a position, would it not just be easier to pick up the phone? Thank you for putting this issue to words...

You know, people who eat on the phone should be subject to some sort of death ray that emanates from their speaker phone...would serve them right. Gum chewing is also a death ray offense.

Good on you for judging this person for those reasons! Manners are highly underrepresented these days.

You missed your chance...why didn't you refer her to 'it will be so much fun' from your post a few days ago.

If someone I know calls me from a speaker-phone, I usually say something filthy or otherwise embarrassing. They never do it again.

That is hilarious! I can't believe someone has bad enough manners to actually burp into a phone on a business call. You were definitely right to turn down that job.

I hope the person who made that call is reading that post and realizing that they need to buy some manners.

Eating while talking on the phone. That's just... gross.

When my manager was hiring for the store we worked at a few months ago, she put up a sign and the resume's flowed in. One resume looked good so she gave the young man a call for an interview a few days later. On the day of the interview he called and said that he'd be late because his mother "needed" a haircut before she could drop him off. Then called again to say his mother needed to stop at a store before dropping him off. Needless to say his resume went in the garbage. Another fellow seemed very interested in the job and wanted to start right away, and asked me for an application. The next day he dropped it off with a note scribbled on it, "Call me tonight". Some people eh?

I LOATHE speaker phones. I refuse to speak to anyone on a speaker phone. My defiance culminated the day I had to call my Ob-gyn (after a surgical procedure) to ask about a dressing that didn't seem quite right. I left a message and he called me back a couple of hours later. I could tell we were on speaker phone, but hey, he's a doc and I thought what the heck. I asked my very personal questions and then heard in the background OTHER PEOPLE TALKING!!!!! I asked him where he was and he informed me that he was in his car driving home from a football game. I was mortified. I hung up. He called me back and I told him I was humiliated and also that I thought he was very unprofessional and ended the call.

He called me from his home and apologized. Many weeks later I ran into his wife at the grocery store and she thanked me for putting him in his place.

Oh, I wish I were as clever and brave as you and could refuse a trick. I wish I wish I wish.

they made a call while eating? dang. I will totally eat and burp if necessary, if someone calls me. But I try not to call them while burping. there is a fine line, people. I agree, shoulda referred them. can you imagine 8 months of that????

When someone calls me on speaker phone I speak very softly....and then when they say they can't hear me, I take it down even more softly and ask "Is that better?" Usually they get irritated and pick up their phone :)

Good call on the bad call.

Billy Mouth has written a review of the Loud and Clear post on his website.

Billy Mouth is a troll. Find something more productive to do with your time, dude.

Headsets. All the advantages of hands-free calling, without the evils of speakerphones. Don't know what I'd do without mine.