Wrong Number!

Pross
Pross Posts: 40,479
edited March 2014 in The cake stop
My colleague just took a call which was from someone who had dialled a wrong number. Instead of them apologising and hanging up they asked if he could find them the correct number (a completely different company he'd never heard of) so as the caller sounded elderly he found the number for them on the web.

It made me wonder what the strangest wrong number call is that you've had (either you calling or answering) and I don't want to hear about you being asked what you are wearing!

Also, what's your best response to a constant wrong number problem? For example, our office was getting regular calls from people asking for prices for exhausts and tyres so in the end a colleague got fed up and found the best price he could on the web and halved it with the caller saying they'd be around shortly. Another person I know, back in the pre-internet betting days, used to get calls from clients of a bookmaker with a similar number so eventually took to taking their bets - I suspect the disappointed winners were outweighed by the happy losers!

Comments

  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    I have been freely giving out medical advice for sometime. You don't have to wait and I can just provide it! Most of my treatments involve leeches or large doses of lethal drugs. Our phone no. is one digit different to large GP practice. :)
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    RideOnTime wrote:
    I have been freely giving out medical advice for sometime. You don't have to wait and I can just provide it! Most of my treatments involve leeches or large doses of lethal drugs. Our phone no. is one digit different to large GP practice. :)

    Same here but for me it's one digit different from the gynecologist, my advice is always for them to pop over and I'll look into it for them :lol:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Our home number used to be the number for the Family planning clinic ...

    Obviously they shouldn't have reused the number quite so soon as we had a constant trickle of answerphone messages from various ppl - including midwives - leaving personal details !!
    One christmas holiday I was replacing the engine in my MG and we had a spate of calls for FP - so my Dad, getting a bit fed up with this answered the phone with "Just don't Bluddy Do It Ok!" ... only it was my wife calling to find out which bit it was we wanted her to get ... :o
  • Frank the tank
    Frank the tank Posts: 6,553
    I get calls from all manner of companies, they've got the wrong number everytime. :lol:
    Tail end Charlie

    The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
  • Mr_Cellophane
    Mr_Cellophane Posts: 690
    arran77 wrote:
    Same here but for me it's one digit different from the gynecologist, my advice is always for them to pop over and I'll look into it for them :lol:
    Easy mistake when looking for a gynecologist, putting one's finger in the wrong hole.

    Where I used to work got faxes confirming bookings in a hotel. I wonder how many people turned up to find no room for them.
  • scottishgeek
    scottishgeek Posts: 143
    I used to get frequent calls for the local benefits office. Most folk that called were so wound up they got into a rant that was impossible to interrupt so got some interesting stories till I was able to say 'sorry, wrong number".
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,297
    I had a message on my work voicemail from someone that sounded a bit cofused, said he'd been given my name as I could help him find the parents of his brother's daughter and could I call him back. Only he didn't leave a number. I would have called and told him to ask his brother.
    I was watching the programme when Keeley Hawes went back in time on telly a couple of years back and my parent's phone number appeared on a piece of paper in her hand. The dialling code has been updated, but still the right number. They wound up leaving the phone off the hook as wierdos kept calling them. A couple of my childhood friends saw it and recognised the number too. Why would you phone a number you see on the telly?
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • Lord_V
    Lord_V Posts: 54
    At the last place I worked my direct dial number was only two reversed numbers different from the local hospitals geriatric ward.

    I used to get at least 3 - 4 calls a day asking about someones condition....

    Best one was a young guy ringing about his grandfather and sounding very very stressed, he tried about 4 times to get the number right but kept getting me. He was getting more and more flustered so I ended up talking to him for about 5 mins on his last attempt to try and get him to calm down. He rang back about an hour later after getting through to the hospital to say thank you and promise me that he wasn't always such a dipsh*t. :)
  • awallace
    awallace Posts: 191
    I am one number from a door company. I've had many calls and messages from people not happy with the door they have been supplied. I may buy some so when I get the call I can make the sale!

    My old aunty used to be one number off an estate agents which when I was 5 years old I found hilarious her getting numerous calls a day!
  • awallace
    awallace Posts: 191
    Its also annoying when I tell people they have the wrong number and they insist they have the right one!
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,297
    awallace wrote:
    Its also annoying when I tell people they have the wrong number and they insist they have the right one!
    This happened to a colleague. Drunk bloke wanting to speak to someone insisting he was there and getting more agitated when he was being told he had the wrong number. Drunk bloke eventually starts to get threatening saying he knew where they lived he'd go round and sort them out. Colleague told the guy he didn't know where they lived as he had the wrong number. Drunk bloke got more threatening and abusive, my colleague eventually put the phone down as the guy wouldn't listen. Never heard any more, I wonder if he did turn up at someone's house.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    Too many...

    - Used to live in a house that had a number 1 digit different from a builders' yard: "Hello, got any 2 b' 4?"
    - Used to live in a house where we received a call from someone looking for the ELC in Leamington Spa (70 miles away)
    - Worked in an office and used to regularly get calls for "M&J Seafoods". Was seriously tempted to take massive orders for prawns...
    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • sadlybiggins
    sadlybiggins Posts: 158
    My number at work was the almost the same as a well-known car insurer's claim line so I used to get some interesting calls. It would often be a few minutes before I could get a word in to tell them the good news.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    My mobile number starts 07785 and a bloke called Simon has one starting 07885. I frequently get phone calls from Simon's plummy friends wanting to chat about the weather forecast for Cowes or the price of spinnakers. They often get quite shirty when I suggest they have clearly dialled the wrong number; as if it's my fault for somehow intercepting Simon's calls. They frequently insist they have dialled 07885... despite all the evidence to the contrary.

    Several times they have left messages for Simon on my voicemail, which I happily delete and don't tell him. F@ckwits!
  • crumbschief
    crumbschief Posts: 3,399
    keef66 wrote:

    Several times they have left messages for Simon on my voicemail, which I happily delete and don't tell him. F@ckwits!

    Oh you rotter keef how could you,but they do sound rather simple

    If only we could hear what Simon says.

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