Whatever happened to telephone etiquette?
• Do not chomp on your gum and blow bubbles while on the phone, as it is very loud and we cannot understand you.
• If you have the hiccups, please call back, as we are open from 9 to 9, and again, we cannot understand you.
• If you are at work, please call when you are on your break, as three- or four-way conversations are hard to figure out. Are you talking to me or to someone in your office?
• Do not put me on hold, as I more than likely have customers in the store waiting for me to get off the phone so I can help them.
• Please do not have your dog on your lap. If you let your dog bark into the phone, it is painfully loud for us.
• And one for the in-store customers: Please come in and get your book before dental surgery. Do you think we can understand you with a numb mouth? A Reader, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: Whenever I get a bill for a subscription renewal, I check prices on the Internet. If I find a better price, I call the magazine's customer-service line and ask the magazine to match the price. So far, they've all said yes! Kelley Sanderson, Chipeta Park, Colo.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 210-435-6473 or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column. © King Features Syndicate Inc.



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