# A Typical Sample Of My Voice Mail (Vent) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777 "2016-12-15T14:49:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777/1 "2016-12-15T14:49:56Z")
Sample of today’s – well, of pretty much any day’s – voice mail, details obscured to protect the guilty: > [@](#): > > Hello… I’m calling… hmmm… errr… ahhh… about… a case\*… hmmm… errr… ahhh… to try… and clarify\*\*… the status\*\*\*… hmmm… errr… ahhh…\*\*\*\*… it’s case number\*\*\*\*\*… onetwosevensevenninesevenpleasecallmebackatfivefivefivefivefivefiveonetwothreefour. \*What, you’re not calling just to say hello? Don’t you like to say hello? \*\* Presumably, somebody out there calls my office hoping to have the content and status of their cases obfuscated, but I have yet to hear from these people. \*\*\* Each outgoing communication has a list of contact numbers, one (me) for queries about the substance of the case and another (not me) for queries about the case status. Perhaps I need to start printing this paragraph in 48-point bold italic red blink toner. \*\*\*\* You’re about one mumble short of being reported as an obscene phone call, bub. Get to the freaking point, already!! \*\*\*\*\* The suspense builds! Drum roll, please… Gah! 😕 :smack: :mad: :smack: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777/2 "2016-12-15T16:20:24Z")
I wrote a very similar rant yesterday and deleted it before posting. And oddly enough, it’s the same type of calls, people who want status on a case. By the time they remember why they called, what their name is, and blathered on about why this case is so important, they don’t have time to give you the patient’s name, medical record number, a call-back number, or anything pertinent unless they switch to auctioneer mode. Sometimes they just leave it out. :smack: Apparently, your average person is really shit at using the telephone. I think they ought to teach it in school. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777/3 "2016-12-15T16:26:47Z")
Welcome to my world. My voicemail clearly state to leave full name, case number or social security number, phone number and reason for your call. I all went rogue and state messages with incomplete information may not be returned. It’s a given that half my calls leave little to no identifying information and just state they’re calling about their case. I have a few who don’t know their case numbers (despite being on every single piece of paper we send out) and will not leave their SSN’s. So, I’m supposed to try and look you up? And your last name is Peterson? In Minnesota? Then they call my boss whining that I never return their calls. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777/4 "2016-12-15T17:03:36Z")
I’ve been using Apple’s voice-to-text (Beta) to read my voicemail. Although it is still being tweaked, it works pretty well. I think callers would be embarrassed to read their messages, with all the “ahhs” and “umms” written out. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typical-sample-of-my-voice-mail-vent/774777/5 "2016-12-15T19:08:50Z")
I hate it when someone painstakingly enunciates their area code and the first three digits, and then give the last four digits in what sounds like Swahili. “ONE … TWO … THREE … … FIVE … FIVE … FIVE … sixtysixsixteen” Great. I only have to call 1,000 numbers to see if I have the right person.