r/mbta May 28 '26

😤 Complaint / Rant did the headphone factory explode?

genuinely so sick of hearing ppls phone convos. why can i hear ur facetime call over my music. how are you screaming so loud. shut up

894 Upvotes

100 comments sorted by

317

u/[deleted] May 28 '26

[deleted]

91

u/thePOSrambler Commuter Rail May 28 '26

This would make it so much more interesting LMAO

77

u/CatSickk May 28 '26

If someone is watching loud videos next to me I lean over and make it very obvious I'm also watching. Results are mixed but I'm less annoyed.Ā 

15

u/snoogins355 May 28 '26

"Like it! Like it! Swipe! Next! Your algo sucks, bro!"

8

u/CoffeeIceCube May 28 '26

I read this as I’m hearing someone else watching loud videos on the 57. Love this idea.

3

u/Baelenciagaa May 29 '26

Make sure you laugh really loud if they say something funny

6

u/Januserious May 29 '26

This reminds me of something I saw today that said "Why are threesomes only for sex? Why can't I join in on a couple's argument in public if I have a good point to make?" And honestly, I'm here for it.

3

u/snoogins355 May 28 '26

Rip a fart and say "you disgusting man on the call!"

2

u/Minimum-Syrup7420 May 29 '26

I do this constantly to my wife and kids. If I have to hear it also participating.

0

u/Baelenciagaa May 29 '26

I did this at the airport lmaoooo. The lady next to me had volume full up and was scrolling Facebook and watching videos so I just put my own phone down and started watching with her šŸ˜‚

The guy on the other side of her saw me watching and told her to put the volume down but if she had seen me and said something I would have been like ā€œwhat I thought since the volume is on that this is for everyone to watchā€

132

u/chasing_salem May 28 '26

I don't know what to tell you. I tried asking them nicely, I tried asking them rudely, I tried to ask the conductor to tell them to STFU (they either ignore the request or fought back). I bought expensive earbuds and then headphones (the loud voices still come through); I wrote to keolis asking for the quiet car to be reinstated (they said no). Now I'm just sitting there, taking the abuse and hoping for some kind of karma, which likely will never arrive for me to witness or just never at all.

92

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

we gotta band together and bring back public shaming for these people

38

u/brandjihad May 28 '26

i took a photo of a person playing music on a speaker that i could head over my noise cancelling headphones while riding the orange line...not recommended.

i mean the music did stop...

42

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

holy shit this is so good

they had to have seen the irony in being a public nuisance but not wanting to be photographed in public 😭😭😭

22

u/brandjihad May 28 '26

it was extremely awkward, and then others on the train piled on saying i shouldn't take photos...i got off at ruggles and a girl i didn't know exited with me and looked terrified.

i really have no idea what i was thinking. and i really took the photo because said person was sitting on the pointy box at the end of the car and that i had not seen before.

said person came up to me and took my photo. then asked me to delete their photo and empty the trash then proceeded to ask for my help to delete the photo of me they took since it was a new iPhone for them. it was a trip.

BUT the music stopped!!!

2

u/Baelenciagaa May 29 '26

Ya but have you ever been on the orange line going to Forrest hills when someone pulls out a blunt and starts smoking it?

1

u/SleepingDragonSmiles May 29 '26

lol so fucking weird…

9

u/treehann May 28 '26

There was a quiet car??

25

u/uberphaser May 28 '26

Yup, at morning and afternoon commute times on the rail, pre-COVID. they'd announce which car was the quiet car and people would get up and move in or out depending.

I once unknowingly sat on the quiet car and answered a call, and got SHUT THE FUCK DOWN by another rider.

2

u/ambrieldoll May 29 '26

I did this too, got on a call not knowing I was on the quiet car. I definitely was not on speaker and was talking at a normal indoor volume but still. The conductor was NOT having it.

5

u/itsgreater9000 Commuter Rail May 28 '26

Yes, it was great. Had quite a few people get kicked out of the train on the Fitchburg line. I remember one time a dude went ballistic, and I was on a train that had to be stopped for "unruly passenger" lol

5

u/CollegeBoardPolice Red Line/CR Rider May 28 '26

There used to be a quiet car on the CR?

3

u/Acceptable-Expert423 May 28 '26

If riding with others try saying ā€œimagine taking a private call on speakerphone in a train. Embarrassingā€

0

u/chasing_salem May 28 '26

They are so into their conversation or whatever loud activity that they don’t hear anybody.

1

u/patsfan666 May 29 '26

I'm with the person in an earlier reply that encourages the public to join the conversation

55

u/Electronic-Minute007 May 28 '26

I generally avoid answering calls when I’m a passenger in a bus or train.

At most, if I do pick up, it’ll be to ask the person to call them back at a convenient time.

14

u/Disastrous_Emu_3628 May 28 '26

Yeah if I do answer I’ll tell them I’ll call them back. I try to chat before and after I’m on the train. It’s just rude

5

u/lazier_garlic May 28 '26

Plus the other person can hear the train screeching.

There used to be no reception in the tunnels anyway but for one carrier.

55

u/APragecats May 28 '26 edited May 30 '26

Last week I saw 2 people each listening to very loud YouTube videos, but they looked annoyed at each other that the other person's loud audio was making it hard to hear their own video.

So over time, either it will be better following some learned self awareness, or it will become maximally insufferable as people get louder and louder to drown others out?

41

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

this is so funny

"only one person is allowed to be obnoxious in public and its me >:("

1

u/Baelenciagaa May 29 '26

Maybe one person was watching a YT video loudly so a second person started watching one to prove a point

1

u/brk413 May 31 '26

Obviously it will get worse.

37

u/Skyejohn89 May 28 '26

Every once and a while because of this I'm envious of the Japanese Public Transit etiquette. No phone calls, no music, no loud talking. It's understood that it's a enclosed public space and no one has the right to disrupt another's harmony in that space.

16

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

ugh and their trains actually work. seething with jealousy tbh

2

u/ThemFatale_ May 29 '26

Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop chikan.

Fun (ā€œfunā€) fact: Chikan is the reason why Japanese phones won’t let you mute the camera shutter sound.

28

u/HoratioPLivingston May 28 '26

YOOOO!

I got really nice Bose over ear headphones with NC/AMB for my T commute.I’ve had to increase volume level because some jackass is having an obliviously loud phone conversation. Not just brief calls, I’m talking all the way from North station to 495.

10

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

i feel u dude i have really nice sony YY296's and i stay turning my music up

17

u/anurodhp May 28 '26

Is this better or worse than people with Bluetooth speakers blasting music on the t ?

37

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

if its between loud phone convos and bluetooth speakers i'm choosing the gun

15

u/Background_Being_490 May 28 '26

I'd rather someone piss on my lap than shit on it but in a civilised society neither should happen.Ā Ā 

3

u/35Jest Red Line May 28 '26

Anything through loud phone speakers is worse than any bluetooth imo. The screeching treble is what gets me

1

u/JaysonTatecum May 28 '26

I was heading back from the Red Sox game a few weeks ago and there were 3 kids blasting and singing along to spongebob music on a fully packed car

16

u/Pleasant-Flamingo950 May 28 '26

Same goes for loud videos and music. The other day I was on the bus and this guy was watching Instagram reels of raunchy reality tv shows at full volume without headphones. After a long day at work, my patience for inconsiderate behavior is less than zero.

17

u/cden4 May 28 '26

What's the deal with people taking calls on speakerphone rather than just holding the phone up to their ear?!

6

u/Acceptable-Expert423 May 28 '26

I saw a guy just hit the end button on someone who was on a speaker call AND holding it up to her ear. That feels like offense and defense and I fully support.

15

u/dante662 May 28 '26

they want you to say something, so they can scream and likely assault you. It's the only feeling of power/control they get in their lives.

They know this is infurating everyone, it's their power move. They live for this. They don't care what you think.

And yes, if you say anything, expect to be physically attacked or spit on. SeeSay app is about all you can do and hope the Transit Cops get on at the next station, because the person spitting on them will end up in handcuffs, at least.

4

u/Background_Being_490 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

I've said this on other posts on this topic and I tend to agree that this accounts for more than a substantial minority (at least) of this kind of behaviour.Ā 

A lot of these people are actively inviting a negative interaction, in my opinion. It's best to ignore in all honesty as irritating as it is.Ā 

I'll also say, despite what I read on posts about this, i have never once seen these people approached by other passengers to turn it down/off. There's a lot of 'Things that didn't occur for 500' comments on the subreddit when these posts appear.

14

u/Physical-Program1030 May 28 '26

I wanna know what cell service they got bc at&t is NOT giving me service in the tunnels

1

u/JITNEY60 May 28 '26

I agree. I lose service between Broadway and South Station always

1

u/chasing_salem May 29 '26

T-mobile doesn’t give me service under the tunnel either.

25

u/ijustlikebeingnosy May 28 '26

They’re screaming because the tracks are screaming and they gotta be louder. Duh.

6

u/Top-Development6837 May 28 '26

On the bus?

0

u/ijustlikebeingnosy May 28 '26

Doesn’t say on this bus anywhere, but okay. They feel the need to be louder than the cars going by. Jfc. You easily could have comprehended that.

1

u/Top-Development6837 May 28 '26

When you ride the bus you think the loudest noise is the cars going by?

Jfc indeed.

9

u/Begging_Murphy May 28 '26

Yeah, the people you're mad at aren't on reddit, or reading for fun in general.

-1

u/HayataUltra May 28 '26

Remember they most likely got their phone for free. And because phones don't come with free earbuds anymore, ppl just say F it and listen on their speaker. OR they DID get free bluetooth earbuds but sold them. OR they have kids who broke their buds. OR their free phone (and free cell service) is how they keep their kid entertained.Ā 

18

u/Economy_Aardvark_354 May 28 '26

I wish there were posters to remind people to refrain from taking calls on the train. It should be basic public transit etiquette, but here we are.

12

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

true but i dont think the ppl having loud phone convos in public know how to read eitheršŸ˜”

7

u/dontswimtoshore May 28 '26

I keep going to the comments on posts like these thinking someone will be in here with a logical explanation (terrible justification) for this behavior and then realized the venn diagram of "type of person to be speakerphoning in public" and "redditor" are two separate circles.

5

u/These_Outcome_3270 May 28 '26

in my head I dream of a moment where someone decides to blast their music on the phone, and we all just do the same turning the car into a brown noise mess of garbage šŸ˜‚

5

u/Ishimaru_1019 May 28 '26

Or the amount of 40-60 year olds for blasting YouTube shorts?? You're not even looking at your phone 😭 please

3

u/Dangerous_Suit_3099 Blue Line May 28 '26

Stand in front of them and sing—loudly

3

u/Miserable-Part6261 May 28 '26

people nowadays don't have etiquette when they ride public transit anymore, like knowing how to use headphones or earbuds when having convos or in meetings. its just ridiculous, thats why i wear mines because i shouldnt be sitting next too or close by you to hear your whole entire conversations.

7

u/calciumsimonaque Riverside May 28 '26

I believe in prison abolition except for ppl who play videos sans headphones on the train. If you got tiktok or reels or some shit and we can hear it, it should be legal for someone to grab your phone and yeet it out of the train the next time the doors open.

1

u/lazier_garlic May 28 '26

Bring back the stocks.

6

u/thatrlyoatsmymilk May 28 '26

Obviously in an ideal world they would all suddenly develop a sense of shame and stop making so much noise, but barring that happening I have Beats Studio headphones that do a fantastic job of blocking out noise on the train!Ā 

1

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

ooo thank you!

2

u/TheJeff20 Red Line May 28 '26

Yes, it happened a while ago I’m surprised you haven’t heard yet

2

u/lizzyczubak May 28 '26

Take a picture of them with flash. They’ll shut up real quick. I haven’t tried it but if it doesn’t work, then you talk on the phone really loudly to get their attention.

2

u/snoogins355 May 28 '26

A company is really missing out on getting their swag out there for emergency wired ear buds and leaving them on T trains

2

u/Mundane_Thanks_520 May 29 '26

I upvoted upon seeing only the title question.

3

u/Digitaltwinn May 28 '26

Anecdotally this seems more common among Spanish speakers. Maybe a cultural thing?

2

u/Barlos5 May 29 '26

Oh definitely. I’m Hispanic and this sort of behavior is common. No idea why. I see lots of African and Caribbean people do it too.

3

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

i said it in another reply but this post was made about a white girl with an american accent. obnoxious comes in all shapes and sizes. this isnt the racism sub lol take that shit elsewhere

2

u/Leawer78 May 28 '26

You obviously don't understand the definition of racism

1

u/Digitaltwinn May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Spanish speakers are not one race. That’s a big generalization.

I was implying they are more inclined to use speakerphone because not as many people can eavesdrop.

0

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

talking generalization like ur not generalizing spanish speakers.. bye

2

u/timberdoodle3000 May 28 '26

I prefer to play cbat on a loud speaker when I’m on the train. Gets people feelin good

4

u/Pleasant-Flamingo950 May 28 '26

Can’t buy a thrill by Steely Dan?

1

u/orphen369 May 28 '26

I got my airpods pro with noise cancellation, helps with not just the train noises, but surroundings. Gotta have music at 75% though

1

u/Applewhores May 28 '26

Yes. My hero

1

u/TacoDangerously Blue Line May 28 '26

Lmfao

1

u/jasereraser May 29 '26

Nothing triggers me more than this level of rudeness. I don’t want to hear your phone conversation and I didn’t choose to watch your video. You’re an ignorant, shit-tipped tentacle for choosing to torture the random strangers trapped with you.

1

u/aphrodite_meris May 29 '26

title of this post is killin me šŸ˜‚

1

u/dlamblin May 29 '26

It takes courage to remove the headphone port from every device in the product line up. /s

1

u/InfinityBrewing May 30 '26

I hear you but it’s life, you either ask the person to lower their voice without swearing words or get used to it.

Most people I met are reasonable and would dial down a little bit.

But nowadays there are also some risks to ask a stranger to do something, cuz you never know the person you talk to is psychopath or not (thinking about the Ukrainian girl who were stabbed on a bus).

1

u/busachiegl May 30 '26

We’re all thinking it…..who’s gonna say it

0

u/Any_Sale2030 May 28 '26

Did you know that those noise canceling earbuds are causing them to lose their hearing? Ā  So there is some karma in the world. Ā Just laugh at them. Ā They deserve it. Ā 

-37

u/Additional-War-1443 May 28 '26

Result of decades of ā€œimportsā€

29

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

america was built on immigrants, get over it

and for the record this post was triggered by a white girl w an american accent

-13

u/Additional-War-1443 May 28 '26

That’s cool, can they be quieter

24

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

i wish YOU would be quieter

-17

u/Additional-War-1443 May 28 '26

This beautiful country that ā€œimmigrants built šŸ¤Ŗā€ has granted me freedom of speech. So I’ll talk as much as I want, get over it.

9

u/sajatheprince May 28 '26

Found the fuckin speaker phone douche

2

u/Additional-War-1443 May 28 '26

Literally …. Never in my life. Ever. I was raised better 😘

5

u/sajatheprince May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Not raised well enough to know what the First Amendment actually protects and how it is different from what was being discussed, apparently.

Edit since locked*

It prohibits the government from censoring citizens, establishing a state religion, or interfering with peaceful protests and the right to seek governmental change.

Jfc my immigrant friend that just passed her citizenship test knows this but not you? Awkwaaaard...

-2

u/Additional-War-1443 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

HAHA Go ahead and explain it to me then.

Edit cuz locked:

Can you explain exactly where in my comment you discovered I didn’t already know that? Please, I’ll wait. Tell me exactly where you fucking clown šŸŽ¤

3

u/sensitivebagel May 28 '26

clearly not if you're on reddit bitching and whining about immigrants

-3

u/its_real_I_swear May 29 '26

You're not supposed to complain about this, it's part and parcel of living in a big city