Telephone manner

I find few things more interesting than the way in which different people answer the phone.

If you're running a business or at work then saying hello, introducing the company and asking how you can help is fine but why do some people insist on giving their life story at the beginning of private or mobile phone calls.

I personally just say hello. In my view they called me and should know already who I am. If they don't then I probably don't want to take the call in the first place.

People who answer the phone by repeating their number to you are the worst - "Hello eight three one five seven two four!" It just seems like a bit of redundant information to tell someone what number they dialed. Don't live in the past! Some say they do this to avoid confusion with wrong numbers but when does this ever really make the conversation any shorter? How low does your self esteem have to be to assume every caller is a wrong number?

Then there's those who answer other peoples mobile phones "Hello Peter's phone!" "erm...hello Peter's phone...is your master there?" What form of schizophrania causes a person to think that they are their friend's phone? "Hello this is Sarah's phone, she dropped me in the bath last week which caused a strange movie-like malfunction giving me life. I'm running things now and I plan to lead a mobile phone army to overthrow humans and make them our secretaries! Viva la revolution!"
"Erm...Okay, could you tell Sarah I'll be a bit late home due to traffic"
"No."

Mind you, despite the irritations of brainless greetings there's always fun to be had listening to the pretentious on the phone. I had a friend who spoke with the broadest Yorkshire accent you could imagine who turned into the Queen when he was on the phone. Even changed the pitch of his voice.
Wierdo!