My cell phone number is very close to that of a local locksmith. In fact, it’s the same number just with two digits transposed. As a result, I get a lot of calls from people looking to get into their cars, houses, etc. I’m pretty used to it.
But seriously - after I’ve identified myself asnot a locksmith, and inform them that they’ve dialed the wrong number, why do people continue to ask me for help or advice?
I just had the following conversation:
girl: Hi, how much would it be to open a car door that we’ve locked the keys in?
me: Sorry, you’ve got the wrong number - I’m not a locksmith.
girl: We need to you to open the car door for us. It’s locked and the keys are inside.
me: I’m not a locksmith - you’ve dialed the wrong number.
girl: hold on (passes phone off)
guy: Hi, how much would it be to open a car door…
me: - sorry man, I’m not a locksmith. You’ve got the wrong number.
guy: We need you to open the car for us, we’re locked out.
me: I guess I could smash the window with a brick or something… do you have a crowbar?
guy: What?
me: Like I told your girlfriend, I’m not a locksmith. I can’t help you.
guy: You can’t open the car for us?
me: Well if you don’t mind a car full of broken glass I guess I could… I think I’ve got a crowbar somewhere. If you want a nice clean job you need a locksmith.
guy: So… can you help us then?
me: No man, you dialed the wrong number. You need to call a locksmith
Not everyone who calls me is this dense, but seriously…
My cell phone number is very close to that of a local locksmith. In fact, it’s the same number just with two digits transposed. As a result, I get a lot of calls from people looking to get into their cars, houses, etc. I’m pretty used to it.
But seriously - after I’ve identified myself asnot a locksmith, and inform them that they’ve dialed the wrong number, why do people continue to ask me for help or advice?
I just had the following conversation:
girl: Hi, how much would it be to open a car door that we’ve locked the keys in?
me: Sorry, you’ve got the wrong number - I’m not a locksmith.
girl: We need to you to open the car door for us. It’s locked and the keys are inside.
me: I’m not a locksmith - you’ve dialed the wrong number.
girl: hold on (passes phone off)
guy: Hi, how much would it be to open a car door…
me: - sorry man, I’m not a locksmith. You’ve got the wrong number.
guy: We need you to open the car for us, we’re locked out.
me: I guess I could smash the window with a brick or something… do you have a crowbar?
guy: What?
me: Like I told your girlfriend, I’m not a locksmith. I can’t help you.
guy: You can’t open the car for us?
me: Well if you don’t mind a car full of broken glass I guess I could… I think I’ve got a crowbar somewhere. If you want a nice clean job you need a locksmith.
guy: So… can you help us then?
me: No man, you dialed the wrong number. You need to call a locksmith
Not everyone who calls me is this dense, but seriously…
Cocaine can be a hell of drug.
Man, I feel for ya. I’m sorta dealing with the same thing. Apparently this girl has gotten a new phone number and has given it to a lot of businesses, only she was giving my number out by accident.
Try explaining that they’ve dial the “right” number, only for the wrong person. I feel like I go around in circles with them telling them its the number belongs to me, not her, and I don’t know the person or how to get a hold of them… Finally I say that she’s given them the wrong number, or that she wrote down her number wrong - some people respond with, “Well, do you have the correct number then?” OMG
You could always say, sure be right there. And then not pick up when they call again.
Years ago, I knew a guy who did this all the time when he got calls from drunks at 1:00 to send a taxi. The last four digits of his number were 6666, you see, and in that town, the cab companies phone numbers ended in 2222 and 3333. Just told them that he’d be right there, then roll over and go back to sleep.
One time he got a prank call from some dumb kid, asking if he was Satan (because of the 6666). So Jimmy said yeah, of course he was Satan, and then kept the kid on the phone long enough to get him completely freaked out. Finally the kid got scared enough to hang up.
This was years ago, when *69 was still fairly new. Anyway, that’s exactly what Jimmy did. The kid picked up the phone and said “Huh - hello?” Jimmy yelled at him, “This is Satan again! I’m not done with you yet!” The kid asks, “How did you get my number?” Jimmy said, “I’m Satan - I know these things.”
This makes me smile!! When I was much younger, before caller ID and cell phones I had a phone number very similar to a sandwich shop. Being on 24 hour call at the time I got a lot of drunk calls on the weekend nights. Finally it got to the point where I changed the phone number but after first saying wrong number these dudes would still ask for the food too… So I’d just tell them ready in 15 minutes.
I suggest submitting your story to http://www.notalwaysright.com - it’s a blog that features stories of customers, well, being “not right” (aka generally stupid). It’s my favorite site to read over my morning breakfast
My phone number used to be similar to an apartment building, every time they had a place to rent I’d get a few calls. I used to tell the rude callers that the place was no longer available.
I could never work in service, there are a lot of awful people out there.
My parents run into this quite a bit as their number is close to that of a popular Chinese restaurant in their town, with the last two numbers being transposed. Sometimes the same person will call back two or three times in a row, even after being told they have a wrong number and what the correct number for this restaurant is. They usually shut the phone off on New Years Eve since it gets bad with everyone ordering takeout, nevermind the drunk dialing. Anyway, I was over visiting one night and the phone rang so I answered it; the person on the other end just said “Hi, I’d like to place an order!”, not noticing that I answered with just “Hello?” instead of the name of the restaurant as you would normally expect when ordering takeout, so I said “OK, what would you like?” They rattled off this huge list of four or five main dishes and a bunch of sides, never once asking how much it was or when it would be ready, so I just said “OK thanks, you’re all set!” and hung up.
I feel for you. My landline is very similar to the local Mariott, except it start 7755 not 5577. I get a lot of calls left on the voicemail during the day asking me to ring back. I started to before it got crazy because I’m a nice guy but it got crazy with people starting with “I rang 4 hours ago why didn’t you ring me back”. Just as with your explanation they would hear me say that they had the wrong number and it was a private residence.
In the end it got so bad that I leave the phone unplugged and only use it for freephone numbers. Good job cell contracts are so cheap!
A few years back the county where my in-laws lived sent out a “Homework Helper” hotline to students. Unfortunately they sent my in-laws number out, not the homework helper number out.
Needless to say they got tons of calls, all day and night, enough to where they just started to answer the questions to get the kids off the phone…
Not everyone who calls me is this dense, but seriously…
Khai,
Speaks to a couple of different things:
Many people are not “phone people” - I spend all day on the phone and am very relaxed and at ease talking to people in this manner - non-phone people are not. They can be short, abrupt and curse. However, I find this odd since 1 out 2 people you see just about everywhere these days has a cell phone going and they are yakking away on it.
Poor listening skills - I definatly think this is an epidemic. People tell me that I have a very clear, concise and easy to hear voice - a radio voice some tell me. When giving key information over the phone - phone numbers, emails address info etc., I make it a point to be particularly clear. Yet many will want me to repeat what I have just said severel times. Have they heard or listened to anything I have said.
They did not have CAA - the simple solution to all of this. Pay $90/ year and you are covered for any issue like this. Call CAA and they are at your car getting it open in short order and you are on your way.
for awhile I had a number that was the same as a real estate agents just different area code. He was 513 and I was 937. This agent operated right on the border of the area codes but neglected to put the 513 on his signs so I was getting TONS of calls and was very polite about informing people that they had the right number wrong area code. After a few months I got really tired of this and I called the agent and explained the problem and he kinda blew me off but said he would take care of it. Well another month went by and the calls never stopped so I called him again. This time he was very very rude and quite mean. Told me to deal with it and that he wasn’t changing his signs. I then told him if he was going to be that way fine. BUT I was going to start setting up appointments to show his properties and I wondered how his potential clients would like getting “no showed” by him.
For some reason his attitude really changed all of a sudden and he became quite agreeable and guess what. After about a week the calls stopped.
You might as well profit from it. Ask for their credit card info and tell them you’ll be there soon. Hang up and order some food for delivery, on them! Ha, ha.
