Say hi for me

Have you ever been on the phone and someone next to you says "tell them I said hi"? This is what I call the awkward "tell them I said hi", because it leads to this exchange:

Joe: Tell them I said hi.
Me: Joe says hi....
Moe: hi
Me: Moe says hi.... *awkward silence*

Although that's awkward, it's not as bad as the evil twin of awkward "tell them I said hi", I call it I'm too lazy to talk to them so you "tell them I said hi".

Here's the scenario:
You tell someone you are meeting so and so, and that someone will ask you to "tell them I said hi". I don't understand why I'm obligated to do this. If you really care, you'd go say hi yourself. And what am I supposed to do if so and so says "tell them I said I hi back"? Am I supposed to be the messenger for you? We live in a world with instant messages, text message and something called phone call (I know it's something foreign to us now); how did I become your carrier pigeon? Folks, don't fall into that trap! There is only one way to prevent this... I don't tell them you said hi. Take that, bad friend!