So I spent two and a half hours stuck in a lift today....

Here's how it went, and how it could have been a lot longer.

I work on the 4th floor.
our building at work has 3 wings, I work in what would be the 'link' wing in between the two others in a 'U' shape.
We have two lift areas, one in each corner of the 'U'.
I was on the side with the most traffic, and 3 lifts, instead of two lifts on the other side, which is dead at the moment.
It's dead, because our entire site is closed to all employees, except a skeleton support crew, and those people who can't do their work offsite.
Due to Covid outbreaks, the company voluntarily closed the site.
So there are about 10-15 people over quite a large area, 6 floors over 3 wings.

I got into the innermost 3rd lift from the ground floor, to go to the 4th floor at 3pm, almost exactly.
The front is double glass doors, and two other glass doors on the floor side.
I got as far as just above the 1st floor, but not as far as the 2nd floor.
Through the bottom 3rd of the lift, i could see the 1st floor.

I pushed the alarm button, after trying all the other buttons, it rang a bell, and after pushing it a few times, holding it longer, I got a call-centre on the phone line.
I told them I was stuck, confirmed the address of the site, which floors i was stuck in between.
Gave her my name.
Told her I had no phone, so couldn't be contacted, or call back.
She confirmed the call as 3.05pm
It was about 5 minutes since I walked into the lift.
The call-centre called back, or I called them, about 20 times after that, in a row.
I spent a lot of time apologizing, and that yes, a technician was on the way.
I got to speak to all 4-5 people many times each.
I think it may have been a call backlog generated by holding the alarm button for long periods.

After a bit it stopped.
I had left my wristwatch on my desk on the 4th floor, along with my phone.
I had nothing to tell the time. i couldn't see the window in the lift hall on my right, and this inner most lift has no external windows onto the street, like the other two there do.
I had no notion of time, or anything to do except scratch the 5 scratch cards i got at the shop, so i could pay by card.
I made 24 euros from 10 euros of scratchcards.
A win.
That took a few minutes.

After that, i just folded the three losing scratchcards, and played with them.
I didn't want to use the alarm button since we had called so many times, i'd wait a bit.
I ended up sitting on the floor, looking out the door.

I knew the door to the left of the lifts was a small conference room, which was empty, and the other door to the main wing, was empty, due to the covid restrictions, and everyone was working from home.
I didn't see one person, no-one.

I waited.

I thought I might have seen the shadows shift a bit, but the sky had become overcast since before i entered the lift, and the shadows weren't great anyway.
I had heard the lifts next to me move, not sure if there was anyone in them.
I'm pretty sure i heard a couple of people talking at one point early on.
Still not seen one person yet. empty floor.

I waited a bit more.

Quite a bit later, I heard a distinct 'beep' from someone using their badge to activate the lift buttons.
The floor below me was the ground floor.
I could see down there a bit, and could see when a lift came past from the shadow.
the lift came down, and as it was what i thought was next to me i shouted at it, and then when it got to the ground floor, i shouted again.
"I'm in the lift! Get William" he's the site security chief, on the ground floor.
I heard the guy shout back, "are you in the lift?" and I shouted back "Yes!".

A few minutes later, William appears, with the gardener, who was the guy i had shouted at in the lift as it went by.
He waters the plants about once a month or so.
I was very glad to see them both to say the least.

It took William a 5 good minutes of showing me his watch before he understood that I wanted to know the time, because i didn't have my watch, but I was wearing a mask, and he might not have understood.
When i pulled down my mask, and said it louder, and he said 4.35pm, he seemed to understand.
I said loudly that i'd been there one and a half hours.

It turned out the lift repair man had come, and they had gone to the other set of lifts, in the other corner of the 'U' shape.
There was a lift playing up, but no-one inside.
The number of that lift didn't correspond to the work order he had, but he fixed that lift, and the repairman went back to his next job, and William, went back to his.

If I hadn't shouted when i did, nearly everyone who was in the building would have gone home.
I didn't see one person in one and a half hours stuck at the top of the 1st floor.
William said he was 10mins from going home himself, at about 5pm.

Of course, i could have used the alarm button, and got a call through to them.
(It did cock up on the first call though, when I used it first, and said that the "call could not be completed" and hung up.)
I was dreading that happening, or "Call back during work hours" .

If it had been a Friday, or I had waited bit longer, i could have been stuck there quite some time longer than the 2h35mins i spent in that lift.
The repairman could have got stuck in traffic, or be most of the way home, I mean, it could have been much, much longer.

Until i called out, i had not seen one person, not one at all. in one and a half hours. I wouldn't have seen anyone until at very least the security guard made his rounds, if he passed by there, and didn't take the stairs....

I'm happy it was only that long, because those first one and a half hours of pure nothing, was about 40min to 1h to me.

William was by this point now staying with me, checking if I need anything.
I tell him to let my colleague know where i've been for the last almost two hours after "going out for a smoke".

The repairman finally comes back.
It must be 5pm or a bit after now. 25 to 30 mins after making myself known.

He tries to get the lift to go down, but it's not budging.
He manages to get the lift to jump up 6 inches by 6 inches, and I finally end up about an inch above the 2nd floor landing.
The lift dropped to level after a couple of minutes, and then after a good couple of minutes more, the doors opened, and i asked if I could come out, and then just left quickly before the answer.
William had been on the phone with the repairman letting him know where the lift was, and that i was now out.

I legged it for the toilet, telling William as I was going, and spent a glorious few minutes.

I got back to my desk, grabbed my things, checked the train timetable, saw I had one in 10 minutes, and legged it down the four flights of stairs (f*ck the lifts).
Saw William and the repairman filling out a form on the ground floor, in the security camera room, said a very big thank you, and that i had to catch a train, and left.

Had one, quick smoke, and went to get the train home.
Thankfully, i only ended up 30 minutes later than usual, but it was a particularly sh!t afternoon, and I just have to spew it out as catharsis.

I also renewed my lottery ticket today, lets hope Karma works both ways
And hope the rest of the week can only get better

a reply to: MonkeyBalls2
I'd still be stuck in there, as I would of just taken a nap waiting for the repairman hah

Wow. Glad you got out in a reasonable amount of time. I would have been freaking out. Lifts aren't my favorite rides.
I used to visit downtown Chicago frequently as I lived in the vicinity and I remember taking the lifts in the Hancock building up to the 95th floor. That was fun but really freaky.
At some point I briefly lived four stories up in a condominium and eventually decided to just take the stairs every day... all four flights of them. Now, every time there is an option (stairs vs lift), I take the stairs. haha

Nice, Im glad it worked out or you and you got a story out of it

I was stuck in a 2 floor elevator earlier this year, not nearly as fit for a retelling as yours. They knew about me immediately and it too them about 1 1/2 hours to get the doors open. Thats it!

That's a terrifying situation. I'm wary of buildings without clearly marked stair routes. Always take the stairs. Some places have locked stairwells and you have to take the elevators. No thanks to that. If nothing else, you'll get some exercise with stairs. Glad you got out safe!

a reply to: MonkeyBalls2

I was halfway up on an escalator that stopped once. Was there for hours until the fire department rescued me.

Bless them.


(Glad you made it out okay )

a reply to: MonkeyBalls2

Just a hunch, but I think it's safe to assume that you will never again take that ride without having your cell phone.

My sympathy. I got stuck in one for over 3 hours on Mc Chord AFB WA after the motor failed. Long before cell phones but it was a bummer.

a reply to: MonkeyBalls2

WOW!! That would almost certainly never happen in the USA! Elevator phones are required by Building Code to dial 9-1-1 (emergency services), and the Fire Department responds ASAP. Elevators here have some very serious Code guidelines. In fact, one of the projects I'm working on right now involves elevators. After the Fire Department arrives on the scene, they "might" call the elevator guy, but most often they will perform a rescue without.

I am actually pretty shocked to read your story! I've traveled internationally extensively for work, and I guess I've mistakenly thought this was the policy everywhere (i.e. a stuck elevator calls emergency services). I'm astounded this is not the case where you are! Elevators are taken very seriously in the United States. And the US doesn't even have the tallest buildings in the World anymore (I think that title belongs to either China or Dubai now).

I'm glad everything worked out for you!

You spent 3 1/2 hours in an elevator, alone, wearing a MASK ?????

Yeah, I take the stairs now lol
and I make sure to take my phone with me, just in case, as there aren't that many people that take the stairs either at the moment.
i need the exercise any way. Spend way too long each day sat in front of a PC, at work and at home.

And yes, I wore the mask in the lift alone.
I am used to it at work, it being cotton lined it isn't a chore to wear.
i'm one of those people who would have been happy wearing a mask before all this, because I spend a lot of time scowling and swearing under my breath anyway...on Public Transport at least.
Darth Vader vibe sits well with me lol.

it was 2 1/2 hrs total. Waaaay long enough.
Haven't spoken to William yet, but we have to make sure this doesn't happen again, to anyone.

If someone had passed out, or had a stroke in there, they wouldn't have been found for ages.
Luckily it's not summer yet, as its gets sweltering in there.

One of my colleagues had a stroke last summer while out for lunch, and won't be coming back since she is still partially paralyzed. Can't move her right arm barely at all, and can't walk without a crutch.

a reply to: servovenford

I take the stairs. haha

Smart because the stairs never stop working.

originally posted by: Randyvine
a reply to: servovenford

I take the stairs. haha

Smart because the stairs never stop working.

Escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience.

The colleague who works in the Mail Office, he got stuck in the same lift today, 1st floor, but luckily only a bit off the ground.
He was able to escape pretty easily.

The lift people came round pretty sharpish, and deactivated that lift.
defo not taking the lifts for some time

Getting used to the stairs, my knees hate me lol, but they are getting better by the day, so there's that.