When did people stop answering their phones?

Everyone I know, except me, screens their calls, or just lets messages pile up until they feel like dealing with them.

Is this efficient? Well, maybe for the person being called, but I’m so old fashioned, I like to have a real person answer when I call. Since I don’t screen my calls most of the time, me leaving a message means that the person on the other side always calls me when its inconvenient. 

Like today. I called someone for a simple question, did they mind if their name was on a list with 100 other names, instead of being anonymous. They didn’t pick up, so I left a message, twice. The first time I wasn’t succinct enough and the machine cut me off.  They called back a couple of hours later. I was in the bathroom, but since I had my phone in my pocket, I picked up. I asked my question again. The person wanted to see the document with the 100 names, just to be sure. So I had to call them back.

Fortunately, this had a good outcome, I got to my computer, and they were at their computer, so the document in question was viewed right away, an answer was provided, business was concluded.

But so often, it doesn’t go that way. Say we have the same exchange I call, leave a message, they call, ask to see the document I go to my computer and send a document. But they weren’t home when they returned the call, so I have to wait for their response, and I can be on tenterhooks all day. So I have started to avoid calling people because it’s more trouble than its worth.

Am I being too sensitive?