I had one caller that was more sad than annoying; I had just moved into an apartment with couple of rommates and the night we got our phone we had an elderly woman call asking for someone (been a while, but I believe it was her son?), and insisting she had the right number - she always gave it the old fashioned way - KL5-1234, not 555-1234. We would generally get multiple calls at a time, and patiently explain that she did dial the right number, but the person she is asking for isn’t at this number, and she would call back, getting surprised and confused all over again when told her son no longer has that number. The next day, it would start all over again. I assume that the woman was senile; she always sounded confused when we tried to explain that her son was not at the number even though she got it right. It made me sad - I pictured this lonely and confused woman trying to call her son every evening and never getting through. I felt really bad one day when I heard my less-tolerant roommate go nuts on her, curse her out and tell her to stop calling our number. I also don’t remember how we got the calls to stop, but after about a month the calls ceased.
Then again, I had an annoying calling experience where I was the caller; my job sometimes required that I make client contacts to keep them appraised on the status of network problems they had reported, and I got their numbers from ‘tickets’ in which a front helpdesk took down all of the relevant info RE: the problem, including client contact info. In this case, someone goofed. I make a call, ask if I’m speaking to Mr. X, and the response: “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t”. Me: “Well it’s important that I know, as I have some important information regarding blahblahbalh”. Him: “Where did you get this number? I never heard of any Mr. X!” Me: "Oh, may I ask if this number is 555-1234? Him: I’m not telling you my number! <click> Ok, well that was neat, did I fat finger my phone keypad (happens way too often) or is the number wrong? Only one way to find out… <ring> Hello? Me: Hi, am I speaking to… Him: Dammit!! I just told you there’s no fucking Mr. X here!!! Me: Ah, so it appears that the number I was given is wrong, this is 555-1234, right? Him: I TOLD you! I’m not giving you my fucking number!! Me, now getting somewhat annoyed myself: well, obviously I already have your number if I hit you twice in a row, and am reading your number to you over the phone, so you’re not giving me your number. Him: <long pause> Me, starting to feel slightly sadistic: If you hang up again, I am going to call the number I just read and ask for Mr. X again; I’m starting to enjoy this and can do it all day - I’m getting paid. If your number is 555-1234, you can make this all end by saying, yes that is my number, and I am not Mr. X, and I promise you will never hear from me ever again. Or, you can hang up on me again, and I will attempt to reach Mr. X at 555-1234.Him, reluctantly: Yes, that is my number. But I don’t want you to ever call me again. Me: Trust me, I have better things to do.
At first, the thing that stuck me as funny/weird was he seemed to think it was giving too much info to simply reply whether the number I was giving him was in fact the number he was at - I mean, if he said no, it wasn’t like he was giving me some secret info, and if it was, well, I obviously had his number to read it to him in the first place. Years later, I guess I find his initial response weirder… ‘maybe it is, maybe it isn’t’? What kind of stupid beating around the bush is that? Then again, after hitting him twice, it was pretty likely the number was wrong and maybe I should have just laid off (despite the fact I sometimes will fat finger a phone number 3 or 4 times in a row, making the same mistake each time).