Ok, sorry if this is a threadjack but it fits PERFECTLY with the title.
Since I’ve lived in this apartment (almost 3 years now) I’ve gotten repeated calls for someone with, curiously enough, my same initials. The difference is that it is a distinctly female name, while mine is distinctly male. Aside from that, the names are absolutely NOTHING alike. As for the calls, they’re invariably from a credit or credit card company. The odd part is this is not one of my fictious names I use to screw with the grocery store card (what??) people. Anyway.
The other day, I got yet another call for “Her”. I answered, in a tone of voice which made it blatantly obvious that I was not happy with this call, using words to the following extent: “I am not her. I have never been her. I’ve lived here a long time. Had the same phone number. Keep getting calls from folks like you, looking for her. Still not her, despite the wait. Not Her, Not Her, Not Her. I’m Not Her.”
The lady on the phone: “Oh. Well, I’m from such-and-such credit card company (I won’t tell which, you can discover on your own when she calls you next week) and we’d like to tell her about our latest offer?”
“Oh!” I say. “I’m sorry, yes, I’m (person’s name). I’d like a credit card please!”
A moment of silence…
“Ok, and this is (person’s name)?”
“Yes.” (voice of quite blatantly obviously opposing gender, who just spent two minutes explaining to you that I am not, in fact, this woman you’re looking for)
She asks again, I say yes again. I decide that if she wants THAT badly to send me a credit card (after I told her!) then fine, send me one! Not that i’d use it, but it sure would be fun to frame and keep on the wall.
This is the part that absolutely gets me. I swear I’m not making it up. I wish I were:
“Ok, Miss (female name), and can I verify that your home address is (person’s address, in my town)?”
“Uh…” stalling while I grab a pen and paper… “Did you say (repeat address back to her while I write it down)?”
“Yes”
“Yep, that’s me allright”
This surreal conversation goes on for a few more minutes… I’m just repeating back what she said to me, or saying “Yes, what I said earlier, that’s right…” when she asks for the address again, like 5-6 times. No, I’m not exaggerating. “Home address?” “Billing address?” “Where do you want us to send the card?” “And your billing address?” I just keep saying “Well, you said (xxx) so send it there.”
She must have gotten her supervisor’s attention by then… she asked me to verify ‘my’ birthday. Didn’t give it out this time tho, dangit! Of course I had no way of knowing what it was, and the poor girl was near tears at this point anyway (i was ENJOYING this!), so I said “Uh… I don’t know what my birthday is” and hung up, laughing my ass off.
Of course, the first thing I did was sign online and search for that address. Unlisted. No surprise.
So, here’s the hijack… HOW much trouble is the telemarketer who gave me the address in? Could I have pumped her for more info, and gotten it? Should I DO anything (call her supervisor, the card company, some agency like the BBB that handles this stuff)?
HOW can I convince all these companies that I am not, and never have been, some woman who lives on the other side of town from me?
And most of all HOW STUPID was this telemarketer! I swear, two-minute speech on how I’m not some woman… then she believes I’m that same woman enough to give me her address??? SHEESH!!! hahahahaha
