My own wrong number story....

[Kogarashi]

Reading these other wrong number tales reminded me of this one from last week.

For the record, even though we just moved one state over, I'm still using my phone number I got five and a half years ago because I gave it out to several people here, including my oldest daughter's school. I figure I'll switch numbers come summertime or so.

I was in the parking lot at the store, ready to head in with my younger two children to do the grocery shopping, when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but having just moved here, I answered anyway in case it might be important.

Them: "I'm calling about [some deal or other] for the Thousand Spices company" Nope, just a wrong number.
Me: "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number."
Them: "Don't you own the Thousand Spices company?"
Me: "Um, no. This is a personal cell phone."
Them: "Is this [reads off my phone number exactly, including the area code]?"
Me: "Yes, that's my number."
Them: "Are you [name that's not me]?"
Me: "No, I'm [my name]."
Them: "Oh, they must have changed their number recently." They then thank me and hang up.
Me: "Yeah, recently as in five years ago."

Good grief. I'm not looking forward to when I get a new number.

[PepperElf]

Them: "Are you [name that's not me]?"
Me: "No, I'm [my name]."

I use to give out my name too. I no longer do that however.

Partially because I once got a call from an angry man demanding to know who I was. I instinctively answered and later found out it was a shipmate's psychotic husband. He'd broken into her cell phone bill and was reviewing all the numbers she called.

These days I just say things like "that doesn't matter" or I just reiterate "I'm not billy" etc.

[Andara Bledin]

My answer for "who is this?" is "the person who pays the bill for this phone." And if they get shirty, they lose any chance of getting anything else from me.

^-.-^

[lobo94]

Years ago, I'd gotten a phone hooked up at my new apartment. Shortly thereafter, I kept getting calls from a church saying that they hadn't seen someone in Sunday school.

When I finally actually connected with these folks, told them I had a new phone, no kids,
but that my two cats could use some religion. Got some laughs.

[Kogarashi]

I'm still trying to figure out how I was suddenly getting a call for a business at this number when I've had it for over five years. I mean, I can understand people transposing digits or giving out false numbers on purpose, but a business?

I use to give out my name too. I no longer do that however. -snip-

Good point.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm still trying to figure out how I was suddenly getting a call for a business at this number when I've had it for over five years. I mean, I can understand people transposing digits or giving out false numbers on purpose, but a business?

A typo in a directory somewhere and rather less-than-stellar proofing.

One of our people managed to order 5 boxes of business cards with our number wrong. >_<

^-.-^

[wagegoth]

I had some guy from an investment company keep calling my cell. I didn't recognize the number so I let it roll to voicemail. After he had called a couple of times, I called back and told him I wasn't the person for whom he was calling. He actually asked me, "Are you sure?" Seriously?! He asked for a man with a very foreign-sounding name, and I'm female with a totally WASP name.

He stilled called me back a couple of more times. Nope, still not the guy you're looking for.

[Slave to the Phone]

I've had my number for years. Last year, I started to get calls from numbers I didn't know, so I let them go to voice mail. I got so many angry calls from people who wanted their money that I changed my message to say "This is Slave. I am not douchbag and I don't know who he is or where he is. Angry messages will be deleted."

I did return a couple of polite messages, and finally talked to a cop who was looking for douchbag. The last screaming message I got was from a U-haul place wanting their truck back. I called the cop back and told him that douchbag was leaving town. In a stolen U-haul truck.

I'm so happy that he left town.

[Mamochan]

I've had my number for years. Last year, I started to get calls from numbers I didn't know, so I let them go to voice mail. I got so many angry calls from people who wanted their money that I changed my message to say "This is Slave. I am not douchbag and I don't know who he is or where he is. Angry messages will be deleted."

I did return a couple of polite messages, and finally talked to a cop who was looking for douchbag. The last screaming message I got was from a U-haul place wanting their truck back. I called the cop back and told him that douchbag was leaving town. In a stolen U-haul truck.

I'm so happy that he left town.

Wow.... Not many people can say they helped a criminal investigation because the criminal was using there number to hide behind!

[raudf]

I'm still trying to figure out how I was suddenly getting a call for a business at this number when I've had it for over five years. I mean, I can understand people transposing digits or giving out false numbers on purpose, but a business?



Good point.

My parents had an issue with a local business for a wee bit. Apparently, the business took out an ad in newspaper, only with my parents' number. Seems it was a transposed number in the ad (and it was a typo on the ad setter's end turns out), so.. a short game of phone tag and the problem got sorta resolved.

The poor guy was wondering why the ad wasn't generating the expected amount of interest in his goods!

Maybe that happened to you?

[MoonCat]

My recorded greeting on my voice mail goes like this: "Please leave your name, number and message. If we don't know who you are or what you're calling about, WE WILL NOT CALL YOU BACK."

It has actually cut down on the number of voicemails from sales people, collections people looking for someone else, and stupid people who dialled wrong.

[Kogarashi]

My parents had an issue with a local business for a wee bit. Apparently, the business took out an ad in newspaper, only with my parents' number. Seems it was a transposed number in the ad (and it was a typo on the ad setter's end turns out)

Maybe that happened to you?

Good idea, but I doubt it, as this is the only call I've gotten recently, and it almost sounded like one business to another rather than an advertisement.

[Pixilated]

My recorded greeting on my voice mail goes like this: "Please leave your name, number and message. If we don't know who you are or what you're calling about, WE WILL NOT CALL YOU BACK."

It has actually cut down on the number of voicemails from sales people, collections people looking for someone else, and stupid people who dialled wrong.

I like that!.

On my landline I never run to answer when it rings; I just let everything roll to the answering machine (it's a VERY old phone -- no caller ID capability, nothing like that), so 99.99% of the telemarketing calls just get my answering machine. Again and again and again and again ...

[EricKei]

I know people mentally transpose digits on their own ,too -- The DaddyJim's I worked at a decade ago had over ten different phone numbers (that all rang to the main line) because they had had to purchase numbers from local residents who were getting tired of pizza-seekers who can't dial a number properly >_< Note that they only EVER published the real number, never the purchased ones. This is apparently fairly common amongst pizza joints, and it's a case where caving in would cost much less than a lawsuit (I think it was 5-10 grand plus a year of free pizza or something in payment)

[wagegoth]

I know people mentally transpose digits on their own ,too -- The DaddyJim's I worked at a decade ago had over ten different phone numbers (that all rang to the main line) because they had had to purchase numbers from local residents who were getting tired of pizza-seekers who can't dial a number properly >_< Note that they only EVER published the real number, never the purchased ones. This is apparently fairly common amongst pizza joints, and it's a case where caving in would cost much less than a lawsuit (I think it was 5-10 grand plus a year of free pizza or something in payment)

I imagine that pizza joints get lots of calls for deliveries from chemically incapacitated customers.