Was I really being rude???

[computergeekett]

I just had a SC call in (really old man- so I do forgive him) wanting to update his phone number. The only problem was he dialed the wrong numer.

Me: Thank you for calling abc company my name is..., how can I help you.
SC: I'm sorry who did you say this was.
Me: I repeat my name. and ask again how can I help him.

SC: I'd like to update my phone number please.
Me: May I have your account number please
SC: I don't have an account number I was just speaking with John and I need to get my information updated.

(At this point I can tell its a wrong number)

Me: I'm sorry sir you have dialed a wrong number this is abc company, you would have an account number if you had an account with us.
SC: I need to update my phone number, I was speaking with John and he was helping me with my social security case.

(I'm starting to slow my words down at this point hoping he will understand me better)

Me: I am sorry sir you have dialed the wrong number, this is abc company.
SC: What are you talking about, this is the number for social security

(Now I space out each word trying not to miss a sylable hoping he will understand me better)

Me: This is abc company, you have dialed the wrong number.
SC: You don't need to be so rude, I just want to update my phone number.
Me: Sir I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to enunciate my words so you can understand what I am saying.

Thankfully my boss was listening and at this point told me to just hang up the phone. I still feel sorry for the old guy, but please clean your glasses so you can see the numbers on the phone when you dial.

[Teskeria]

Next time (if there is one) don't say 'you've dialed a wrong number'. Makes them defensive and they get mad at you. I use 'You've reached a wrong number. Sometimes the lines get crossed when you dial. Please redial again and you should get the right people' They happily say ok and hang up, because you are blaming the phone lines for the mistake and not them. (senseless I know, but in 20+ years of CS it has worked every time so far.)

[fma_fanatic]

Some people, especially the ones who insist they are right, are going to insist you're rude no matter how you tell them they've got the wrong number.

When I was still covering the front desk, I got a lot of calls from people who swore we were Capital One (our toll free number is a few digits off of Capital One's customer service number), or the number for CHAMPUS.

The ones that irritate me are the people who keep calling back and insisting they've got the right number.

[MoonCat]

The ones that irritate me are the people who keep calling back and insisting they've got the right number.

We get those. There was an insurance company with a similar number, we got a lot of their calls. Somebody got our toll-free number mixed up with the Grateful Dead hotline - those were fun calls.

My favorite was the time someone meant to call a local dept store and got us instead:

"Hi, I'd like to order two of those toilet seats you have on sale."

[ShootMePlease]

You most certainly were not being rude. It's not your fault the old guy didn't understand you. I had a guy call my old job several times insisting we were the pizza place. Finally, I just took the guy's order. I'm sure he got the message when he went to pick up his food.

[aurelemsrealm]

Usually, if someone incorrectly dials me, I simply tell them what number they've reached. Most of them then apologize for the error, and that's the last I hear of it.

[Daemonmonkey]

The ones that irritate me are the people who keep calling back and insisting they've got the right number.

That's stupid people pushing the Redial button... It doesn't occur to them that the last number IS the wrong number

[Tito]

Yep, I get a lot of those when I cover the switchboard where I work. 99% of the people accept the fact that they dialed a wrong number, apologize, and that's the end of it. Then, you have the other 1%........

[Jester]

Me: Sir I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to enunciate my words so you can understand what I am saying.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH?"

[MadMike]

I use 'You've reached a wrong number. Sometimes the lines get crossed when you dial. Please redial again and you should get the right people'

The problem with that is that I could see the caller pressing "Redial", rather than trying to dial the number again.

My work phone number is apparently similar to some newspaper or something. I've had people calling me and wanting to place an ad, or something like that. I've even had a few voicemails.

But that's nowhere near as bad as when I was living in my first apartment in the city. I kept getting calls from hysterical women trying to reach the local rape crisis center. After a few of these, I checked the number myself, and it was only one digit off from mine. I am so glad not to have that number anymore.

[chainedbarista]

you weren't rude; he was being a stubborn old ass who couldn't admit he was wrong.

all he had to do was check a phone book or dial 411, but apparently, that's just too much effort for him.

[Mytical]

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH?"

"War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'". - Rush Hour...

Some people need a road map and blueprints to find their own behind..let alone understand things like a 'wrong number'. Which is sad.

[Daemonmonkey]

But that's nowhere near as bad as when I was living in my first apartment in the city. I kept getting calls from hysterical women trying to reach the local rape crisis center. After a few of these, I checked the number myself, and it was only one digit off from mine. I am so glad not to have that number anymore.

Phone companies should keep adjacent numbers to that type of institutions bundled together, and not re parted to other customers.

[lobo94]

When I moved out from my mom's place after coming home from the Army, some church kept calling me at my new #, wanting me to bring my daughter to Sunday school.

When I finally connected, I said I'd gotten the number recently, had no children, but if they were doing anything for St Francis of Assisi, I had a couple of cats I could bring by that could use some religion.

Got a friendly laugh and an apology.

[Jester]

Phone companies should keep adjacent numbers to that type of institutions bundled together, and not re parted to other customers.

While that would make sense to the people who get numbers similar to such places, commercially it makes very little sense, as any business is going to want to distinguish itself from its competition. Having similar numbers to each other is not going to help in that regard. I know that if I owned my own bar, I would not want the bar's number to be very close to that of Rapscallion's Tavern or Beck's Brewpub. After all, I would hate for people to be trying to reach my business and accidentally get my competitors...as that could potentially be business of mine going to them.