You're missing an essential part

[retailsweetie]

At the beginning of the sale, Bustice asks for your home phone number so they can send you coupons. I don't care whether you give me your number or not, or whether the number you give me is even real. But for the love of Justin Bieber, people, at least give me all the numbers!

I'm sure that there are still places where it's common to only use the last 7 digits of the number and exclude the area code. I don't know anywhere around here that still does it, though. I know the store is in an area that uses the same area code as your phone number. However, many of my customers come from other areas (heck, even I'm only 15 minutes away and have a different area code) and other states. I cannot read your mind that your area code is ###. So when I ask for the missing numbers, please do not sigh and say, "Oh, it's area code ###."


But if you are from out-of-state and you start off your transaction with "Area code xxx" I will love you forever, because even though I usually just assume that the first three numbers are the area code, you are making sure that we're both on the same page. Kudos to you, out-of-state-customers.

[Cai1987]

My wife is constantly complaining that people do that to her.

The really depressing part: she works in a CALL CENTER. Half the time these are the same people who don't believe she's actually in the US, but then somehow doesn't need their area code.

[kpzra]

People up here don't use the area code, but the entire STATE is the same one. When I travel/call on the phone I always use "area code 907", then the rest.

[trailerparkmedic]

Retail, if you are where I think you are (I grew up near Columbia), you've had to dial the area code at least since I was in high school, and I graduated almost 10 years ago. There's what, 4 area codes for the state now, all of which can be given to anyone in any part?

[bainsidhe]

I can sorta understand when dealing with the general public, but why do companies do that too? I'll be on the phone with a company that does business nationwide and when I ask them to confirm a phone number, they only give me 7 digits. My workplace doesn't have caller ID and I don't know where you're calling from. And contrary to belief, my physic skills are not legendary.

[EricKei]

What really annoys me is this -- Our state broke up the area codes in the last decade-ish. The thing is, they're inconsistent about which areas require just 8 digits, which require the AC, which need 1+ AC, etc...And the thing is, if you get it wrong, the call won't go through, even if there are no conflicting phone numbers...

To give an example, let's say that we're in Area Code "000", calling another number in 000. For some numbers, I need to start with 000. Fail to do so, even tho it's unique within the AC, and I get a "you must dial the AC first" message. The reverse is also true (we get a message that says you must NOT dial an AC). Gets on one's nerves after awhile. x.x Same goes for numbers across the lake, let's call it AC "111" -- All of them require 111, but SOME of those require 1+111 and others will NOT work if you use 1+111 ... And yes there are some 000 numbers that require 1+000.

I always thought that the whole point of AC's was to define an area...Revolutionary thought here: How about, if someone is in your AC, you do NOT need to dial 1 nor an AC....otherwise, you need both. Why is that not the standard?! >_<

[MoonCat]

I'm an exception to this rule, I hate it when people give their area code when they just called me within that same code. There is no need to give me your area code unless it is DIFFERENT from ours.

OTOH, there is a lot of general stupidity out there re: area codes. I cannot tell you how many times a customer has called to complain they're getting calls for an ad in the paper, and it's not their ad; when I look it up, I find that it has a different area code from ours LISTED RIGHT THERE IN THE AD, and morons are NOT dialing the area code....just the last 7 digits! WTF do they think those extra 3 digits are there for?

[retailsweetie]

Retail, if you are where I think you are (I grew up near Columbia), you've had to dial the area code at least since I was in high school, and I graduated almost 10 years ago. There's what, 4 area codes for the state now, all of which can be given to anyone in any part?

I've been doing it for as long as I've been allowed to use the phone, so definitely at least 12 years, and that was even when i was calling numbers that had the same exchange as mine (apparently where I live, you didn't always need the exchange or something.)

Plus on top of that, we're the closest store to most areas of DC, parts of Delaware, and other far-away area codes. So that's about 6 or 7 area codes I commonly get. How should I know who's from which one? *shakes head*

[Racket_Man]

when I lived in the Chicago area during the 1990's the area was split into (at last count that I know of) 5 or 6 different area codes within a 100 mile radius.

a quick Google/Wiki search now shows that 3 of the "older" (as in created/split off in the 1990's) area codes have been overlayed with new area codes. so if you life in say a 847 area code you also have a 224 area code in the same area. Chicago city proper now has 3 area codes.

I wonder how many the NY, NY area has now?

these days it is almost impossible to dial ANY phone number without the area code esp in major metro areas with all of the phones (landlines) cellphones, fax lines, data lines, multipule blocks of numbers large companies have (both land and cell), etc.

[mattm04]

At my store, which is in areas with three commonly used area codes nearby, and has store in 5 states I can look up a customers store card number by phone number. All too often it goes like this.

M: Your area code and phone number.
SC: 555-12354.
M: *i recognize the lack of area code, and as I need to enter the area code first ignore them* Ok, i need you area code FIRST then the number.
SC: *sigh* 333-555-1234.

[Food Lady]

I've given my number as 10 digits for most of my life.

[Sleepwalker]

I lived in a place so rural, that you only gave out 4 numbers, since everyone had the same first three and the state had only one area code...

I could tell you what town you came from by the first three of their number.

[retailsweetie]

I could tell you what town you came from by the first three of their number.

When I get customers who are from (my town), I can always tell by their exchange (There are 3 or 4). I think my customers think I'm a stalker.

[2gigch1]

Here in DC everything is area code 202, but the surrounding area of VA and MD each have 4 area codes. My work cell phone is the same last 7 as a summer camp in MD. Starting in mid spring I usually field two dozen calls from people who are trying to reach the camp. About 70% are cool, 25% are sucky, and 5% actually try to argue that I am wrong.

But I always try to field the call politely. Heck a few years ago I took a mis-dial from a lady in VA, purely a random call. She asked for so and so, I told her "Sorry, I'm 2gigch1 from WXYZ tv, and this is my cell phone. I can't help you find the person you are looking for, but if you have any good stories I'd love to hear 'em!"

Turned out she was organizing a dating club for men & women all over 6' tall. The story turned out to be a riot, ran as the kicker on the 11pm a few days later.

Pays to be nice.

[munchkinmama]

i remember those days as well sleepwalker (and i'm not that old) I can remember when we changed from dialling four digits to dialing seven. I still can dial seven if it is in an area close by, but use 10 for the areas further away so up here in the rural areas 10 digits is uncommon for local calls.