[Junk Box Nick]

I used to have to deal with a couple of people who liked to phone me with a brief during their commute. The quality of the hands-free audio was always so poor that I found comprehending what they were saying more than a strain. In actual fact if it went on for long I found it very tiring. There was the embarrassment of frequently asking them to repeat, and then resorting guesswork as to what they were saying for the rest. There was then the stress of wondering if my interpretation/guess was correct. I usually sent them 3s 4d* as, invariably, they were going to a dance.

* For younger readers this equates to a shade more than 18p.