Which is worse, waiting in line or waiting on hold???

[Dreg]

Waiting on Hold!! I'm bad with a phone, and having to listen to the crappy music just grates on me. Waiting in line can be annoying, but not as much as a phone does.

 

[Captain Gizmo]

Being on hold. Sometimes those people just hang up on you randomly, and on the phone, you don't know if you're actually any closer to being served lol.

Being on a line is pretty boring but at least you know how close and how fast you're moving.

 

[Patrick]

Unless you don't have an option to go to speaker phone, or just really love striking a conversation with random people, waiting in line will always be worse. Once I'm told my call will be so long, or even before then, I just hit the speaker button and go back to whatever it was that I was doing. And if you need to move to a different area, take the phone with you if it's cordless.

The only thing that makes being on hold aggravating is if you get connected to someone who doesn't help, hangs up on you, and forces you through the process again. That's painful. At least in person you can ask for a manager or a different representative. On the other hand, you aren't subjected to a bunch of roll eyes and people huffin' and a puffin' behind you because you're holding up the line to get your money or your time's worth (really stupid questions are another thing entirely, though).

I guess the answer depends on how much of a social person you are (if you'd rather avoid the looks that may kill, being in line for service issues is never going to be fun), what the line is even for (amusement or service), how restless everyone involved is, and if you have other things to do while on hold over the phone (though honestly, you can find stuff to do).

 

[Hannah]

On hold, defs. Being on hold means I get to listen to some elevator music alone. Waiting in line means I get to talk to the people around me.

 

[Brendino]

I'd much rather wait in a line than wait on hold. At least if I'm in a line, I can see how fast it's moving, and I know I'll get served at one point or another. Being on hold, though, I have no idea when I'm going to get through to someone- if I even do at all. That, and I'm one of those people that can't focus on other things while I'm on the phone, so if I decided to watch TV or something while waiting, I might not notice when someone finally does answer, and then they hang up (it's happened to me at least once or twice before).

 

[Ho-Oh]

Waiting in line. I'm extremely impatient when something is in my grasp but I can't actually have it/achieve it (uh, in this case, getting served I guess? lmao). Waiting on the line you don't really know, and at least you can be in the comfort of your own home at the time, and fiddle with a game or something. Time tends to pass quicker that way than actually waiting (plus my legs get tired!) Actually even waiting at the Doctor's is the worst thing ever, very much would prefer waiting on the phone ;(

 

[Rodriguezjames55]

on hold at least on line people can destract you on hold you want to shoot yourself

 

[Meganium]

Waiting on hold, pretty much. I can be patient when it comes to waiting in line, but when it comes to waiting on hold...on the phone, it's crazy. Because you won't know what the caller on the other line is actually doing. :P

 

[antemortem]

I despise waiting on hold, but that comes with not liking to speak on the phone in general. Having to hold up the phone for dozens of minutes on end with no idea of how long it will take for the other end to return is agonizing. Waiting in line is a breeze in comparison.

 

[Sammi]

I hate being on hold. I hate calling people, especially businesses. And you're stuck holding it to your ear and then someone comes on the line and oh wait it's just them telling you you're on hold again and thanks for staying on the line... Ugh!

If I'm in line, at least I have a general idea of how long it's going to take me. I can move around and chat with people if I want. Also, I'm not stuck on the phone!!

 

[Sir Codin]

Both make me want to eat a buckshot sandwich, but to me waiting in line is worse. Especially when there's no good reason for a line to exist (translation: there's never a good reason for a line to exist). I've given up groceries, video games, CD's, going to amusement parks, seeing movies on opening day, you name it, just so I can avoid waiting in line. I especially hate it when the reason there's a line is because either the customer up front doesn't know what s/he's doing or the clerk doesn't know what s/he's doing. My life is ending one minute at a time and when I want something done, I want it done now. You can help lessen my inclination to cease my existence by learning how a scanner works, how to count up change faster, not buying so much, and also by not paying with checks.

At least when waiting on hold I can walk around and not have to worry about some opportunistic jackass stealing my spot. Plus, some of the music is kind of catchy.

 

[Wobbachomp]

I hate both, but waiting in line is worse in my opinion.

 

[TwilightBlade]

Being on hold. It's truly annoying. I have to listen to the phone to avoid being hanged up on. I hear a voice, no, that's not the person, that's just the automated message for the 25th time. At least I can better estimate when I will be served when waiting in a line.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I'd much rather wait on hold in the comfort of my own home and just put the phone on speaker so I can go about my business while I wait.

Waiting in line is worse by far. You can do nothing but stand awkwardly in the company of a bunch of strangers...

 

[von Weltschmerz]

On hold. Definitely. Nothing worse than waiting 20 minutes for someone you can barely understand to try and help you with something they know barely anything about.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I'd rather wait on hold, much as I hate doing that. I get all sweaty and uncomfortable when having to stand up for long periods of time, and being in the vicinity of other people while doing so makes matters all the worse. My bum knees don't really help either.