Do You Think 9:00 PM Is Too Late To Call Someone?

[crz4mm2]

Yes.
We go to bed early around here too, but even if we didn't, I think past 8 is too late to social call.

 

[Fitswimmer]

This has happened to me twice now.

Admittedly, I do to bed early--usually about 8:45-9:00 p.m. as I get up to go to work at 4:30 a.m.

I know that most people don't do this. Even knowing that, I probably wouldn't call most people that I don't know well past 8:00 p.m.

There have been two incidences where my DD (15) friends' mothers have called me. The last was called at 9:30 to talk to me about a get together and one called me last night at 9:10. I was in bed. My DH was still up and explained that I was asleep. I can help but feel a little embarrased.

But still, I think it is past the acceptable time (unless of course you are good friends with someone and you know their schedule).

I keep similar hours to you and I don't love calls after 9pm either. Most everybody that knows me, knows I get up at 4:30 during the week, so they don't call after 9 unless it's a real serious issue that can't wait for the next day.

 

[RadioNate]

9 is generally my cut off unless it is good friends or family. Then it is usually 10. We are in the central time zone. When we lived in timezones that prime time TV went to 11pm, that was my cut off for close friends and family. Everyone else is still about 9.

Unless I know differently, I generally expect adults to be up until 10pm.

For me I'd rather have late night than early morning calls. I think 10am on weekdays and noon on weekends!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I generally don't call people after 9 pm unless I know their schedule, and I really don't like receiving calls after 9. I like to spend 9-11 as my relaxing time before I go to bed.

 

[powellrj]

I pretty much never call people after 8pm or before 8am except in an emergency. I hate to get calls after 9pm because we go to bed early. Most people I come in contact with work or have older children so I don't think 8 am is too early.

 

[Christine]

Well, what varied opinions.

For me, if I didn't know someone at all (in this situation the parents have never met me) I would not call someone past 8:00 p.m. Now, if I knew someone was a night owl, I wouldn't hesitate. But if I didn't even know the person, I'd err on the side of caution and call earlier.

As I sitting at my desk this morning I was wondering if she would welcome a phone call at 7:30 this morning!

 

[KristiKelly]

I think 9:00 is okay, I probably wouldn't call anyone much later than that unless I knew them well. I would call my Mom and one of my friends because they are night owls.

Last year, DS 3rd grade teacher called our house at 10:35 p.m., she was scheduling conferences. I talked to a few other Moms and she had done the same thing, she called one at 10:45. Very, very rude I thought . If my phone rings after 10:00 I immediately go into panic mode.

 

[mommytoe]

We don't like calls past 8pm. We also don't like calls before 8am.
Never fails that if a survey is calling they call between 8:30pm and 9:00pm.

 

[Christine]

I think 9:00 is okay, I probably wouldn't call anyone much later than that unless I knew them well. I would call my Mom and one of my friends because they are night owls.

Last year, DS 3rd grade teacher called our house at 10:35 p.m., she was scheduling conferences. I talked to a few other Moms and she had done the same thing, she called one at 10:45. Very, very rude I thought . If my phone rings after 10:00 I immediately go into panic mode.

Wow, that was bad. If my phone rang that late, I'd probably get an adrenaline surge and stay up all night. Also, I doubt I'd be coherent enough to schedule a conference.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

My own personal rule about this is not to call anyone after 8, unless it's someone I KNOW stays up late, and even then, I don't call after 9 or 9:30. And I NEVER call anyone at home before 10 am.

 

[helenabear]

I admit I disagree with you. Unless you know that someone has a small child and might be woken up, anything up to 9PM is perfectly acceptable to me. I think acceptable calling times are between 8AM and 9PM (weekends differ)

I decided that if telemarketers are restricted to those hours, then it would be all acceptable times for a call
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/advertising/topic.aspx?topic=telemarketing

I am okay with calls up until 10PM in my house... even a bit later is fine too.

Truthfully to the OP, I think you getting up that early is not nearly as normal to most so your idea of late is way earlier than most. I know people who don't even eat supper until 8PM so I would guess you are in a small minority.

If I were you, I'd tell these people not to call so late in the future.

 

[ashlynn_j_m]

I always get calls after 9:00. But everyone knows I don't go to bed until around midnight. I wouldn't call someone I didn't know past 9:00, but I don't mind if people call my house. On the weekends, my phone rings all the time. And when my sister's visiting, all her friends drive by my house and see her car and call, no matter what time it is. I don't mind though, we're always up late. I'm not a morning person, but if someone calls it doesn't bother me either. I'm just very easy going....not much bothers me.

 

[mickeyboat]

We go to bed the same time the kids do - 8PM. We don't often get calls after 8, and I don't really mind as long as they are closer to 8 and not to 9. I don't call anyone after 8, either.

Denae

 

[Christine]

I admit I disagree with you. Unless you know that someone has a small child and might be woken up, anything up to 9PM is perfectly acceptable to me. I think acceptable calling times are between 8AM and 9PM (weekends differ)

I decided that if telemarketers are restricted to those hours, then it would be all acceptable times for a call
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/advertising/topic.aspx?topic=telemarketing

I am okay with calls up until 10PM in my house... even a bit later is fine too.

Truthfully to the OP, I think you getting up that early is not nearly as normal to most so your idea of late is way earlier than most. I know people who don't even eat supper until 8PM so I would guess you are in a small minority.

If I were you, I'd tell these people not to call so late in the future.

Oh, I am keenly aware that my early hours are not normal. I feel the pain every morning when that alarm goes off. Both of the moms who called me do not work either (nor did they know that I worked) so they probably don't realize how god awful early I get up. When I'm on vacation or on an extened absence, I definitely become a night owl and stay up. I also don't mind calls after 9 pm on weekends.

I don't know if it was something my mom drummed into my head about calling people past a certain hour or what, but it seems odd to me when people do it. I also agree that up to9:00 p.m. seems acceptable but, even right after 9:00 p.m. seems to overstep the bounds. And neither of these phone calls are quick phone calls. When I finally did talk to one mother, we were on the phone for over 30 minutes. The one I waiting to call back is about scheduling a ski trip with our daughters. I guess I'd just like to be more coherent when having the conversation!

 

[Tantor]

Hate calls after nine unless it's an emergency.
I find I need to relax before I go to bed instead of talking on the phone to someone into the late evening.

 

[helenabear]

I don't know if it was something my mom drummed into my head about calling people past a certain hour or what, but it seems odd to me when people do it. I also agree that up to9:00 p.m. seems acceptable but, even right after 9:00 p.m. seems to overstep the bounds. And neither of these phone calls are quick phone calls. When I finally did talk to one mother, we were on the phone for over 30 minutes. The one I waiting to call back is about scheduling a ski trip with our daughters. I guess I'd just like to be more coherent when having the conversation!

I agree with that part. Up to 9PM is fine. After I do not agree that it is, unless it is an emergency or a planned call. I know in my case i don't mind up until about 10:30PM at my house, but those who call know it and realize I am never in bed before then. I would find it rude if a stranger did that or a casual aquaintance. It's pretty much drummed in my head as well that after 9PM it is not acceptable. I just feel that a call that comes in at 8:45 is still okay. That was my point

 

[Christine]

I just feel that a call that comes in at 8:45 is still okay. That was my point

I agree!

 

[VirtuallyMe]

I don't like to call or be called after 9pm but I do know I'd rather get a call than me or kids miss out on some need to know information too- So if someone is calling at 9:30 on a Friday night to tell me that a Saturday Morning activity is cancelled I'd much rather get the call than go to an event that isn't happening...

I do have some friends that will call later at night and if I'm asleep they are told so- actually they only call my cell now- and I just don't answer it if I don't want to talk. And of my friends I have one that is a night owl and I know that if I was upset at midnight and just needed to talk I could call her and catch her perfectly awake and alert...

But most of my friends and family are like me- to bed by 10pm or so and up at 5-6am- so most don't do the phone after 8:30 at night-

As for the other end of the spectrum- how early is too early- that is another case of knowing the person... my same friend that I can call at midnight I know better than to call until after 10-11am - for years I worked as a nurse with geriatric clients- most of whom were up with the chickens as they liked to say- and so I'd often get into work at 6am and find messages waiting for me on my work phone from earlier that morning- But also as part of my previous job I had to call people all over the country and it was remembering where they were so that I could reach them at an appropriate time was important too...

I generally say that it is acceptable to call between 9a-9p but not 9p-9a... that way it isn't too early or too late- but also very important to know who you are calling- what their work schedules are and what the family does- I've had parents of Girls in my girl scout troop that worked nights and I knew to try to call them at 6-7am because they'd be up getting the kids to school before retiring to sleep...

If you don't want to take phone calls after a certain time- make your answering machine message say something to that effect- "I'm sorry I can't come to the phone we are all getting ready for bed- please leave a message with a time tomorrow morning that I can call you back..." Of course I guess you'd have to do that each night lol... but after a while they'd get the message.

Now what I really hated was the sales calls we'd get after 9pm- so sorry but if you want to sell me something over the phone (not likely to happen) do so at a decent hour

 

[helenabear]

I agree!

And now I will say I misunderstood... I thought you were asking if a call after 8PM was bad... not 8PM. I agree that both who called you were too late. But I had it in my head that 8PM was your cut off... sorry

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Although dh and I are usually up till at least 11:00, I too, wonder what the emergency is if the phone rings after 9:00, and I try not to call people after 8:30, unless it's someone I know for sure will be up.

I once called a neighbor at about 8:30 and her dh told me she was asleep. I hadn't realized she got up so early, so now I try to make sure never to call her after 8:00.

Morning calls bother me much more than evening calls. On a weekday, I get and don't mind phone calls starting at 7:00, from people who know the kids have school and we're all up. But on the weekend or when the kids are off school, I do not want to hear that phone before 9:00. We all like to sleep in except the 3yo, so dh and I usually take turns getting up with her and letting the other sleep in. I have been known to rip telemarketers a new one for calling before 9:00am.