Thea's official wrong number thread

In My Humble Opinion
1

No, I’m not talking about somebody who calls you up and asks for Adrian and there’s nobody named Adrian living in your house. This is an innocent misdial, or someone using an old phone book, and the number actually did once belong to someone named Adrian.

What I’m talking about is this-

During my oh-so-brief career as a live psychic, I was logged into the network and the phone rang. I answered- “Psychic Hotline, this is Loretto, how can I help you today?” An unfamiliar voice on the other end said, “Hi, Lisa, I just talked to your dad and yada yada…” Huh? I had just identified the business I was working for and myself by name, and this dimwit didn’t clue in to the fact she had dialed a wrong number

Several months later, I got a message on my answering machine. A bit of background- I was constantly getting calls for people I had never heard of, and my OGM identified me by first and last name so that anyone calling for anyone but me would know that they had gotten my number, not the number of the person they were calling. Here in Vegas, there is a huge transient population, and phone numbers change hands frequently.

So, I play the message on my machine, and it’s something like “This message is for Joe Blow. I’m so-and-so with (name of security company) I’m calling to let you know that the door at garage number 4 at (name of trucking firm) is open.” Huh? This person has just listened to an OGM with my first and last name, not the name of the person he was trying to reach, and left a message for the guy to come lock up the garage?

Anyhoo, I called the trucking firm the next day and told them about the message, and that I thought that they might want to consider changing security companies.

So, anybody else out there get wrong-number calls and have the person calling go on talking to you as though you were the person they were trying to reach, even though you had already identified yourself to the caller and it would have been clear to any normal human being that you were, in fact, not Adrian?

2

I keep getting messages in spanish on my answering machine. I don’t speak spanish.

3

do I???

At one point I had an answering machine. My outgoing message said “you have reached the home of (wring) and (wring’s son), we’re not available…” And I got this long message from a furniture store about some one’s order. No, the names didn’t match. Two days later, yet another call from them. and again. I changed the outgoing message to include “and if this is the Such and So Furniture store, you’ve GOT THE WRONG NUMBER” Got another message from them.
(they were long distance or I’d have just called them)
At work, we constantly get wrong numbers. Our business name starts out with two commonly used words, and even locally, there’s a hair salon with a similar name, and in the same area code, apparently a supply store for things like water heater parts. Wonder how I know???

well, I’d get phone calls for the hair salon all the time “Do you braid hair” they’d ask. “my own” I’d reply. Now, mind you I answer the phone with the business name (which does NOT include the words “hair salon”) One time, the guy wanted to set up an appointment to get his hair done. I told him he had the wrong number. “no I don’t” Yes, you do, you want the hair salon, this isn’t it. “Yes it is, I called the operator and this is the number she gave me, you’re located on Cedar street”. No, the operator gave you the wrong number, I’m on Walnut street. “look, I know where you are, and you’re on Cedar street I wanna make an appointment”. I finally “made” an appointment for him. hell. let THEM figure it out.

The long distance operators seem to give our number out for this supply place all the time - I’ve gotten enough calls that I actually called and got their number and give it out to the people who call. They call and ask for “Bill in parts”. “yea, I need to talk to your repair department”. No, you’ve got a wrong number. You don’t do repairs? no, I work with ex offenders helping them get jobs.

4

I occasionally get calls at work asking me if I might be interested in switching my long distance service.

Did I mention that I work for the phone company?

The most ridiculous thing about it is that they have to dial their way through a maze of recorded prompts to reach me, all the while listening to standard phone company greetings.

5

If it wasn’t for wrong numbers and telephone solicitors, nobody would ever call me. :frowning: I’ve gotten a few good ones:
[ul]
[li] Once, this guy kept calling asking for “Debbie”. I tried to explain to him there was no Debbie here, but he refused to believe me. This went on for a little over a week. From what I was able to piece together from our conversations, Debbie was some girl he met at a party, and she gave him a fake phone number that happened to be my real number.[/li]
[li] I got a few messages from a police detective looking for someone in regards of some case. After 2 or 3 days, they left a message saying if this person didn’t contact them, they would be forced to take the case “to the next level” and that “it would be easier for you if we didn’t have to do that”. I called the detective back to let him know he had the wrong number and found he worked in the homicide :eek: department.[/li]
[li] Speaking of law enforcement, for awhile I was getting calls for a bail bonds office. I got a lot of them for a couple of weeks, then they tapered off.[/li]
[li] I used to occasionally (once every week or two) get messages from whom I call “Pete’s Friend”. I call him that because he never leaves his name, but always asks for Pete. Most of the messages were pretty interesting. For example, one message simply was “Hey, Pete…I’m in jail…you gotta pick me up.” At one point, I was going to make a web site called “The Adventures of Pete’s Friend” to chronicle the messages, but he stopped calling shortly after I came up with the idea.[/li][/ul]

6

Once the Holiday Inn printed up brochures with my company’s phone number instead of theirs. (Ours ended with 4000; theirs with 4400.) They distributed these in the Far East, so calls would come in after business hours.

It happens that I and another co-worker started working hours from 2-10 pm. Our phone system had a night bell, so we’d have to answer all the calls or be pestered by it all night. It was sometimes very difficult to explain to these callers (whose English was many times marginal) that they had called the wrong number. (Of course, many argued that they got the number off of a brochure, so it must be right. :rolleyes: )

I kept on telling them that they had the wrong number. My co-worker, however, would take down all their credit card info and “reserve” them a room. He thought about doing something nefarious with the credit card numbers, but never did.

I imagine trying to handle dozens of angry tourists who’d travelled halfway around the world to find they had no room was punishment enough for the hotel. :D:D

7

On a weeknight at about 2 a.m., our phone rang. My husband answered it:

MH (with very thick Australian accent): Hello.
Wasted person (with music blaring in the background): Steve…pick me up.
MH: I’m sorry, but you have the wrong number.
WP: Steve…shut the @&#% up. Come pick me up now! I can't find my car. I'm over at Brian's. MH: Man, listen, you have the wrong number. Nobody named Steve lives here. WP: You're a liar, man!!! %#@ You!!!
MH (being a nice guy): I’m not lying to you. You have the wrong number. I’m going to hang up now. You have the wrong number.

hangs up

phone rings

MH: Yeah?
WP: Steve…you #&@ @&#@ &#@!!! Get the &@* down here! I can't find my CAR!!! MH: YOU HAVE THE WRONG NUMBER!! STEVE DOES NOT LIVE HERE!! WP: &#@@ @#&@ ##@&@*!!!

MH hangs up, leaves phone off the hook.

We have voice mail and the guy left a 10 minute message of “American Woman” playing loudly, some random cussing, then some begging for Steve to pick up the phone and come get him. We never heard from him again. He was probably pissed at Steve the next time he saw him.

8

I’ve got a couple of stories -

At work: I am always getting voicemail messages for the guy who had my extension before he left and I took over his job. That was a year ago. My voicemail message says, “Hello, you’ve reached Scott…” yet they just come on with “Hi Bill…” :confused:

At home: When I lived in Indiana going to school, I constantly got calls for some No-tell Motel that must have gone out of business. Even though my machine identified me by name and certainly didn’t resemble a message you’d expect to hear when calling a motel, people always left messages. It happened so often, that near the end of it, if I answered and they asked if this was the Motel I’d say yes and take reservations for them, including taking their credit card number and giving them a confirmation number. :cool:

My best wrong number story though was when I had the extension 4273. I had left a message for a customer to call me back at 1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. 4273. The customer, however, called 1-800-XXX-4273. As it turns out, 4273 equates to H-A-R-D on a phone so you can imagine what type of answer he got at that number - that’s right, a gay sex line. Everyone on my floor was calling that number for the rest of the day just laughing their asses off. :smiley:

9

Well, I don’t have a lot of wrong number stories, all the people who call my house seem to understand when it’s a wrong number.They still leave a message, though, to the effect of
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have the wrong number.”
Do these people know they don’t have to leave a message? If I get a wrong number and a machine picks up, I hang up. Weird. But I have one story, it’s not as good as some others, though.
An old lady called me, the dialogue was as follows.
“Hello, I want to talk to Tim.”
“I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I need to talk to Tim. Let me talk to Tim.”
“Uhh…Tim isn’t here right now.”
“Yes he is, let me talk to him!”
“Look, lady, Tim is not here, goodbye.”

I’m not sure what she said next, as I went to hang up the phone, but to this day I swear she screamed,
“Nooo!”

10

I’ve had my telephone number for 2 years now, and every once in a while, I get calls for “John Vassard” who apparently had the number before me, and who is apparently a deadbeat.

One day, I checked my voicemail for messages, and got one from a collection agency in New York State. I ignored it. I got another one from the same company. I ignored it. Finally, the same company called again, and I answered the phone. She told me that if John Vassard did not contact the company immediately, that she would file felony bad-check charges in NY state. I explained to her that I did not know Mr. Vassard, and that US West had issued this number over a year ago. She made it clear that they were serious about pursuing these charges, and I told her to go right ahead. I also told her that if I heard from her or her company again, that I’d pursue legal action of my own. I haven’t heard from her again.

Then there was the dimbulb who called me looking for the same guy. I told her my spiel, that I didn’t know him, and that US West had re-assigned the number over a year ago, yadda yadda yadda. She asked me where Mr. Vassard could be reached. I repeated that I did not know this man. She asked me if I could pass on a message. I told her that I did not know this man, did not know where he was, and what part of that did she not understand. I hung up on her.

Robin

11

I just had to call a collection agency that kept calling my apartment looking for the person who lived in the apartment before I did. (The phone number’s different, though) My machine message says very clearly, “Hi, you’ve reached Erica and AJ, blah blah” and she proceeds to leave a message for Raquel. Uh…? So when I spoke to her, she said, “What number am I calling there, so I can take it off my list.” Which made me think…what if I were Raquel? I’d just have to call and lie to get them to stop calling.

I used to work for a tiny neighborhood newspaper called The Chicago Post. People called all the time looking for post office, and would accuse me of lying when I said it was a newspaper. Also, I used to work for an executive search firm, and I would answer the phone with the firm’s name, whereupon idiots would ask, “Is this the Santa Maria Motel?” Nooo, sparky, it’s the firm’s name it took me thirteen seconds to say. Then they’d ask, “Do you know the number?” Why the hell would I know the number? This went on and on until I finally found out they were getting the number from a misstyped web page. Thank god I’m not doing reception anymore.

12

They probably do this to avoid the conversation I’ve had a couple times…

ring
Me: Hello?
Grumpy old lady: Why did you call me?
Me: I don’t know. Who is this?
GOL: I got home and your number was on my caller id.
Me: Well, I did make a call earlier that was a wrong number. Maybe it was your number I called.
GOL: Well, don’t call here.
Me: Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.

13

The main number of my office must be very similar to some Spanish organization’s. We are always getting calls where the caller starts in with high speed Spanish. When they pause, I just say "Hello? and keep speaking English and they get the idea.

One of our lines is a former deadbeats. After the upteenth call for him, I just started saying “He’s not paying. Sue him.” Stopped the calls.

14

We’re temporarily living with my grandmother. Before I was married, I lived with her as well. She has had the same phone number for * seven years * and at least twice a day, someone calls for Barb. My grandma’s phone number ends in 8, and Barb’s is the same, but ends with a 6. At least TWICE A DAY FOR SEVEN YEARS, you can pick up the phone and hear “Is Barb there?” No, nimrod, I reply, you dialed the wrong number AGAIN, just like you did yesterday, and the day before that as well. And it’s always the same three people. I recognise their voices. I’m tempted to call Barb, and tell her that she needs to find new friends, because these people are dumber than a box of hair. You would think that they would learn Barb’s number after seven years . . . .

At our old house, we used to get calls for a doctor’s office all the time. I can’t understand why people would leave messages for a doctor’s office on a machine that said “You’ve reached the Lissa family, we’re not home right now . . .” But leave messages they did . . . People complaining about itches, sores, respitory infections, constipation, and hernias. One woman was a real hyperchondirac . . . she had a new ailment every day, which she described in long, excrutiating detail, punctuated frequently with “I think this may be SERIOUS, doctor. Serious!” I sort of felt that we were doing her poor doctor a service by taking the brunt of these calls on our machine. I remember coming home once, and listeneing to our answering machine, hearing the panicked voice of an elderly woman begging the doctor to call her back, that her husband was having an allergic reaction to his medication. She left three messages, sounding more terrified with every call. When I came home, I called the number she left, but no one answered. I still wonder what happened to her husband.

15

Hmmm… one time when I was trying to call my friend I dialed the wrong number and didn’t realize it for a while.

Me: You sound different.
Her: Yeah, I’m feeling kinda sick.
Me: Oh. Well anyway, I’m still trying to…

Blah blah blah. I had a pretty decent conversation with the chick for a while. Didn’t suspect a thing.

Her: Wait, is this Lisa?
Me: Uhm, no. It’s Isabel. Whoa, hold on. Who’s this?
Her: This is Rachael.
Me: Uhhh… I think I have the wrong number… bye.

16

A few years back I picked up my phone and some guy immediately launched into a detailed apology - presumably to his girlfriend. He seemed quite sincere and rather upset. I listened for a moment and hung up without saying anything - to this day I wonder if he ever talked to her again! I hope nothing really bad happened…

17

I once had some girl call the lab at work and say she was going to be late (no girls work in our lab). Me being the smart-ass I am, was a little cruel:

Ring Ring
Me: Electronics Lab.
Her: Yeah, it’s Jill, I’m going to be late coming in today.
Me: Why?
Her: Well, it’s raining really hard and my tires are bald and I don’t want to risk an accident. So I’m going to wait until the rains lets off some.
Me: I don’t blame you. I’ll tell you what. It’s not very busy today, go ahead and take the day off. We’ll cover for you.
Her: Are you sure?
Me: Sure, I don’t mind.
Her: Wow, thanks.
Me: OK, but you owe me one.
Her: OK, bye.

18

me: House of Knives, Fairview mall, (Mnementh) speaking.
them: Hi, is this HMV?
me: Annoyed pause No. This is the House of Knives.
them: Oh. Well, can you patch me through to HMV?
me: longer annoyed pause No. No, I cant.
them: What, dont you work there?
me: incredibly long annoyed pause No, I work for the House of Knives.
them: But it’s the same mall, right?
me: considering hanging up Yes, but the stores don’t share phone lines. It’d be like you patching someone through to someone else in your neighbourhood.
them: Oh. well, do you have their number?
me: on the verge of tears No, I dont keep a directory of mall numbers here.
them: Oh. well, thanks. click

At this point I tend to bury my head in my hands and consider the stupidity of our species.

19

Of the many calls I answer during the day, I’d say roughly half of them are wrong numbers. People usually catch it right away when I say the business name, but occasionally there are people who just start in…

>Yes, I’ve got this awful pain in my ankle. I don’t know what I did, but I’m sure there is something reallywrong with it this time…<insert three minutes of detailed explanation as I try to interrupt>…so how soon can I see the doctor?

>Yeah, you are speaking Spanish? I am needing help paying my rent.

>Uh…well, this isn’t the number I dialed. click

>Ah, yes…is this where I call to renew my licence?

>Oh, I’ve got the wrong number. What is the number I meant to dial?

And yes, after all this time I am still terribly tempted to let my rapier wit have the better of me…but I like my paycheck. :slight_smile:

Over and above all else, I have to say that most people see their misdialing as my fault. Feh. And since I’m so used to it at work, I have more patience with it at home. In fact, one of the nicest chats I’ve ever had on the phone was with an elderly woman who misdialed. It was our first night in our home (with our new number) and she was calling for the previous ‘owner’ of the number. When she discovered we were the ‘new’ people, she welcomed me to the town and invited me to her church. Methodists are such nice people. :slight_smile:

20

A slight hijack, but in college, I worked at a hotel in Daytona Beach and this type of call was quite common. People seemed to think that they could just call any random hotel in Daytona and we can connect them to whomever they’re trying to reach, even if they’re staying somewhere else. They’d say something like “You’re a hotel in Daytona, why can’t you just connect me?”

What I didn’t understand is they had to look up our number somewhere, why don’t they just look up the number of the place they’re trying to reach in the first place?