Wrong number,lost the plot with caller?
Discussion
Local Renault dealer has a phone number which has the indentical last 4 digits to my land line,so we get the odd phone for Renault XXXXXXX dealer.Unfortunatley a recent wrong caught me in a bad mood after 3 consecutive cold callers in the space of an hour.I let the poor owner have both barrels,in my defence he lept straight into a rant about some recurring problem and then demand action from me so said he should have bought a fiesta instead of being a cheap skate and buying french crap, think there might have been a few swear words in there as well.It's just a pity I never got to hear the follow up call complaining about my attitude!
So anyone else let a wrong number caller have both barrels?
So anyone else let a wrong number caller have both barrels?
20 years ago I used to work in Teddington and the phone on my desk had an almost identical number to the National Physical Laboratory. I had quite a lot of fun with that one "Dr Williamson can't come to the phone at the moment as we're all on shut-down trying to contain the leak" - that kind of thing, also having colleagues scream "it's alive, alive I tell you" in the background was quite effective too.
A company I used to work at had an 0845 number that was only 1 digit different to a big bank. We used to get two or three calls a day from little old dears asking what their bank balance was.
Despite my frequent requests, the receptionists wouldn't put the callers though......
Yes dear, can you just tell me your sort code, account number.....
Despite my frequent requests, the receptionists wouldn't put the callers though......
Yes dear, can you just tell me your sort code, account number.....
We had a serious of wrong number calls from some old woman on new years day looking for Joe&Nancy!
After the 7th call I answered the phone with a cheery"Strathclyde police,how can I help?" and was again asked for Joe&Nancy,so I explained that there was a problem with the phone lines in Glasgow and that calls too a certain area were being put through to Police HQ and could she please leave it a few hours before trying again.
No more drunks looking for Joe&Nancy!
After the 7th call I answered the phone with a cheery"Strathclyde police,how can I help?" and was again asked for Joe&Nancy,so I explained that there was a problem with the phone lines in Glasgow and that calls too a certain area were being put through to Police HQ and could she please leave it a few hours before trying again.
No more drunks looking for Joe&Nancy!
I used to have problems with a company who printed their number too small on their fax header causing their customers to misread it and call me instead.
I asked them to make their fax header bigger, but they declined. I tried telling callers various tall stories intended to make them furious with the company, and then went though a period of being horrifyingly rude to them and inviting them to 'complain to my manager' if they had a problem with it. Still the calls continued.
I eventually recorded a message on my answering machine inviting callers requiring company XYZ to 'please redial using the following number'. The number I gave them was for a decidedly 'special interest' sex chat line that terminated in Guyana and was charged at about £5/minute.
After a few more answering machine messages from bewildered customers, the problem appeared to resolve itself.
I asked them to make their fax header bigger, but they declined. I tried telling callers various tall stories intended to make them furious with the company, and then went though a period of being horrifyingly rude to them and inviting them to 'complain to my manager' if they had a problem with it. Still the calls continued.
I eventually recorded a message on my answering machine inviting callers requiring company XYZ to 'please redial using the following number'. The number I gave them was for a decidedly 'special interest' sex chat line that terminated in Guyana and was charged at about £5/minute.
After a few more answering machine messages from bewildered customers, the problem appeared to resolve itself.
I got into trouble for this years ago where reception put through a call from a man asking why his BMW hadn't been serviced properly. I was working as a technical sales person for an electrical connector manufacturer at the time, so he obviously had the wrong number, however the girl in reception obviously didn't have the balls to deal with it so I got it.
The grumpy customer service manager could hear the shouting and abuse coming down the line and assumed I'd f
ked up with a customer enquiry or something. She then refused to believe it was a really bad case of the wrong number and the guy on the phone not listening when I did my "hello this is Ewan at company xyz, how I can help?" thing.
That was a long day, getting it in the neck from someone who had the wrong number, and then getting abuse from the boss for screwing up with a customer. Which I hadn't, but would she believe me? No.
I left that company shortly after, but I've got a job interview with a company next door to them at the end of next week. Hopefully the stupid moo has left the company, she's the sort to bare a grudge!
The grumpy customer service manager could hear the shouting and abuse coming down the line and assumed I'd f
ked up with a customer enquiry or something. She then refused to believe it was a really bad case of the wrong number and the guy on the phone not listening when I did my "hello this is Ewan at company xyz, how I can help?" thing. That was a long day, getting it in the neck from someone who had the wrong number, and then getting abuse from the boss for screwing up with a customer. Which I hadn't, but would she believe me? No.
I left that company shortly after, but I've got a job interview with a company next door to them at the end of next week. Hopefully the stupid moo has left the company, she's the sort to bare a grudge!
During the fuel driver's strike, I worked in an office which had a phone number close to that of a local BP Garage. We kept getting phone calls asking us if we had any petrol. I took great joy in telling them that we were completely out of fuel and that we wouldn't be getting any for the forseeable future.
I used to have a number that was one digit difference to the (then local) British Gas emergency number - something like mine being 872399, theirs 877399.
I think I only had 3 incorrect callers. The only one that stuck in my mind was a woman who called me at 6am on Sunday morning when I'd been up until 4 finishing some work off for a show I was doing at about 9 (I wasn't driving to the show, so I was going to sleep).
After I'd said a very sleep "mmmhello?", she said "Don't give me any of that!", and started on a rant about not having her boiler repaired. After I'd said she had the wrong number, and gave her the right number, she just put the phone down - no apology.
I had a good mind to call her back, but was far too tired to worry about it.
I think I only had 3 incorrect callers. The only one that stuck in my mind was a woman who called me at 6am on Sunday morning when I'd been up until 4 finishing some work off for a show I was doing at about 9 (I wasn't driving to the show, so I was going to sleep).
After I'd said a very sleep "mmmhello?", she said "Don't give me any of that!", and started on a rant about not having her boiler repaired. After I'd said she had the wrong number, and gave her the right number, she just put the phone down - no apology.
I had a good mind to call her back, but was far too tired to worry about it.
Years ago We used to have a test exchange line at work. Outgoing only, but was similar to the electricity company.
Always answered as 'electricity', which got by a rant about bills. If they were pricks, they got "Don't worry about the bill, we must have made a mistake. Don't pay it and just quote reference TO55 99 P0T. And please don't tell anyone, it is a secret code..."
Always answered as 'electricity', which got by a rant about bills. If they were pricks, they got "Don't worry about the bill, we must have made a mistake. Don't pay it and just quote reference TO55 99 P0T. And please don't tell anyone, it is a secret code..."
When I was growing up my folks' number was Crowthorne 2280. Broadmoor was Crowthorne 2281. Had a few wrong numbers there.
When the 071 and 081 numbers came in for London (Phoning Tooting and Barking according to the posters) the 071 version of my 081 work number was a back street garage in Brixton. "My Fiesta ready?" In the end it was easier to busk it than try to explain. "Yeah, it'll be ready at half past five, mate."
Calling an exhaust bay with a number from Yellow Pages in the eighties I found the number had been printed incorrectly. "You people! Calling here all the time," yelled an irate voice. You people? Surely they could see the printing error wasn't the fault of the callers. Rang there a few times.
When the 071 and 081 numbers came in for London (Phoning Tooting and Barking according to the posters) the 071 version of my 081 work number was a back street garage in Brixton. "My Fiesta ready?" In the end it was easier to busk it than try to explain. "Yeah, it'll be ready at half past five, mate."
Calling an exhaust bay with a number from Yellow Pages in the eighties I found the number had been printed incorrectly. "You people! Calling here all the time," yelled an irate voice. You people? Surely they could see the printing error wasn't the fault of the callers. Rang there a few times.
My grandfathers phone number used to be very similar to the local vets and the local Ford factory making gearboxes and axles in Swansea.
Depending on his mood he could be gone 20 minutes or more talking to people with wrong numbers, and I vividly remember him having a long phonecall with a chap about the back axle in his (then) new Mk4 Cortina. Eventually my grandfather persuaded him that if he didn't mind waiting an hour or so he could pop the car round the factory that saturday morning, and they'd fit him a new axle!
Depending on his mood he could be gone 20 minutes or more talking to people with wrong numbers, and I vividly remember him having a long phonecall with a chap about the back axle in his (then) new Mk4 Cortina. Eventually my grandfather persuaded him that if he didn't mind waiting an hour or so he could pop the car round the factory that saturday morning, and they'd fit him a new axle!
When I worked in China, my home number was very similar to the local Air Conditioning Repair shop.
I often had locals phoning me up and asking me to come and fix their air-con.
My first fluent words of Mandarin were "Sorry, I'm English, I don't speak much Chinese, and I cannot repair air-conditioning"
Not surprisingly, they thought it was great that a Westerner was on the phone, and continued to rabbit away in Mandarin whilst I meekly repeated myself. I often had to just hang up on them in the end.
Only once did I get a surprised, but fluent "Oh, so sorry, bye-bye" reply in English.
I often had locals phoning me up and asking me to come and fix their air-con.
My first fluent words of Mandarin were "Sorry, I'm English, I don't speak much Chinese, and I cannot repair air-conditioning"
Not surprisingly, they thought it was great that a Westerner was on the phone, and continued to rabbit away in Mandarin whilst I meekly repeated myself. I often had to just hang up on them in the end.
Only once did I get a surprised, but fluent "Oh, so sorry, bye-bye" reply in English.
We get all sorts of calls, our number is one digit away from a local church organisation type person.
Last week we got thanked for a lovely meal on 1571 and many months ago we got a nice invite to give a talk at the local church something or other....My mate wanted us to go and give a talk on devil worshipping, "for a laught", but given the average age of these people I think it might not have ended well.....
Last week we got thanked for a lovely meal on 1571 and many months ago we got a nice invite to give a talk at the local church something or other....My mate wanted us to go and give a talk on devil worshipping, "for a laught", but given the average age of these people I think it might not have ended well.....
My parents number was very similar to the local squash club. Some people managed to call us regularly, however strangely stopped after we started taking bookings!
Where I used to work our number was given out by ServisAir as being the baggage reclaim fax number for Easyjet. It was impossible to convince Easyjet that the wrong number had been given out, even with the evidence sent to us by the customers.
I left before it was sorted!
Where I used to work our number was given out by ServisAir as being the baggage reclaim fax number for Easyjet. It was impossible to convince Easyjet that the wrong number had been given out, even with the evidence sent to us by the customers.
I left before it was sorted!
Regularly. I have a fairly unique tel number for over 15 yeras but the new local dentist is similar. After a few hundred calls to the dentist who was not interested I decided to have some fun. Some memorable conversations were along the lines of:
Caller: "Hello, I am sorry I cannot make the appointment, can you rebook it?"
Me: "Yes, how is January 4th 2049?"
Caller: "Are you serious?!"
Me: "Of course I am, it would take me that long to learn how to become a dentist"
Caller: "You're not a dentist?"
Me: "No, but I'm still willing to have a go..failing that, try ringing the right number next time"
And another:
Caller: "Hello it is Mrs. X. I have chronic toothache can I book an emergency appointment with you?"
Me: No, I don't do emergency appointments but I can give you specific advice on how to take your mind off the toothache pain"
Caller: "Yes please it really hurts!"
Me: "Are you left of right handed?"
Caller: "Right handed, what to do?"
Me: "Push the thumb of your left hand into the middle of your palm of your right hand until it throbs"
Caller.. some seconds later, "Ok it's throbbing now what do I do?"
Ne: "Nothing that's taken your mind off the toothache hasn't it?"
Caller: "That's not funny at all, I am in pain here, what kind of dentist does that?"
Me: Dunno, I'm an electrician and it works for me.. if you want a dentist try dialling the right fking number!" 
Caller: "Hello, I am sorry I cannot make the appointment, can you rebook it?"
Me: "Yes, how is January 4th 2049?"
Caller: "Are you serious?!"
Me: "Of course I am, it would take me that long to learn how to become a dentist"
Caller: "You're not a dentist?"
Me: "No, but I'm still willing to have a go..failing that, try ringing the right number next time"
And another:
Caller: "Hello it is Mrs. X. I have chronic toothache can I book an emergency appointment with you?"
Me: No, I don't do emergency appointments but I can give you specific advice on how to take your mind off the toothache pain"
Caller: "Yes please it really hurts!"
Me: "Are you left of right handed?"
Caller: "Right handed, what to do?"
Me: "Push the thumb of your left hand into the middle of your palm of your right hand until it throbs"
Caller.. some seconds later, "Ok it's throbbing now what do I do?"
Ne: "Nothing that's taken your mind off the toothache hasn't it?"
Caller: "That's not funny at all, I am in pain here, what kind of dentist does that?"
Me: Dunno, I'm an electrician and it works for me.. if you want a dentist try dialling the right f
king number!" I used to have a number that was the same, except for the 0800 STD code, as the one British Gas give out for their customers to submit their meter readings. We used to get frequent calls from people who didn't use the STD code, then wouldn't believe that they'd got the wrong number and I wasn't British Gas. Some even refused to believe they'd got it wrong even after a load of verbal abuse from me e.g. "Do you really think that if I worked for British Gas I'd call a customer like you a fking braindead wker who is too fking incompetent to be allowed to live ?"
I eventually devised a simple strategy of taking their customer ID and meter readings, then ringing British Gas myself and leaving a different reading so they'd get a huge bill.
king braindead wker who is too fking incompetent to be allowed to live ?"I eventually devised a simple strategy of taking their customer ID and meter readings, then ringing British Gas myself and leaving a different reading so they'd get a huge bill.
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