Yeah, maybe you should lay off those drugs.

[StarSong]

Me - university receptionist
SW - stupid woman

Note before I begin - our university department has a toll-free (800) number so that people calling from out of state don't have to pay to call us. Three minutes before I was about to close the office, the 800 line rings.

Me - *generic greeting identifying the university and department*

SW - YEAH! I been takin' yer drugs and I'm havin' all kinds of problems with it! I want you to...

Me - Uh, ma'am? You've got the wrong number.

SW - No I don't! Now, listen! My stomach's been...

Me - Ma'am, I don't know who you were trying to reach, but this is the school of (profession) at (university).

SW - This isn't (unintelligible) drug company?!

Me - Um, no ma'am. (repeats where she's called)

SW - Well this is the number they gave me to call!

Me - There must be some mistake, then, because this is not that company.

SW - Well, do you have their number?!

Me (restraining laughter) - Nope, I sure don't.

SW - But you have the same number as them!!! I WANT TO TALK TO (COMPANY)!

Me - I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't help you.

At that point, I hung up and forwarded the phone to voicemail. Seriously, how hard is it to understand you have the WRONG NUMBER? I think she probably should lay off those drugs she was calling about.

[Rhania506]

That sounds like my grandparents old number. It was one number different from the number for the local liquor store. They would get calls at all hours of the day and night with orders for booze. Finally my granddad would pretend to take the order and let them get to the store and wonder what happened.
~Rhania

[BookstoreEscapee]

That sounds like my grandparents old number. It was one number different from the number for the local liquor store. They would get calls at all hours of the day and night with orders for booze. Finally my granddad would pretend to take the order and let them get to the store and wonder what happened.
~Rhania

While I laugh at the customer for that, I pity the poor liquor store employees.


My parents' number is evidently close to that of a doctor's office. When my grandmother lived with us, it was not unusual to get calls from her various doctors with appointment reminders or follow-up calls and whatnot. I answered the phone one night and heard a man say what I thought was "This is the doctor's office." So I said "Yes?" He started to ask a question, and that was when I realized he had said "Is this the doctor's office?" I said "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number." He called me a jackass and hung up.

[bigjimaz]

I used to get wrong number calls all the time. It seems my new phone number was the same as a large Golf Company's toll free catalog order number. It seems that they would call (123) 456-7890 (we'll pretend that 123 is my area code) instead of 800-456-7890. I figured they were local people in my area code running on autopilot. After this happening for a couple months I called the phone company and they switched my number for free.

I never got any sucky people though.

[Pedersen]

That sounds like my grandparents old number. It was one number different from the number for the local liquor store.

Which sounds similar to another story I read long ago, but cannot find now.

Parts of which I am not sure:
Arkansas: I think it took place in AR, but it could have been Alabama.
Marriott: I'm not certain if it was a Marriott or not, but will call it such for this retelling.

Seems a new Marriott went up in town, and was a fairly nice place. People would book wedding receptions, large parties, etc. There was only one problem: The phone number of the hotel was one digit removed from someone who had lived in the town for many years, and had that phone number for many years.

Of course, she got numerous calls from people trying to make all sorts of reservations. She tried to get the Marriott to make some sort of change, but they would not. After a few months, she decided to handle things her own way.

Whenever anybody would call for the Marriott, their reservations would be happily accepted. Always availability, whatever needs they had would be met, etc. No hint of any issue with any outrageous demand.

It took several months, but then the shit hit the fan. People started to show up to use these reservations. Reservations that did not exist. The Marriott staff could not find these people anywhere in the system. This resulted in major issues, including (on more than one occasion) entire wedding receptions being unable to happen, since all the conference/party/whatever rooms were all already in use.

Lawsuits happened. Payouts happened. That Marriott was closed down. And the woman in question got her peace back.

As you can see, some funny aspects, but some very not so funny aspects, too. I can't imagine how pissed I'd be if that happened to my wedding reception.

Finally, since I'm not able to find it, I have to think this is more urban legend than reality. At least, I hope it is.

[Slytovhand]

One of the lines I'm on is 1 digit off a metro taxi company. Now.. just use your imagination a bit... 2 am, alcohol........ :-)

Especially when they have to come through the prompts, and then also past our spiel, you'd think they'd catch on (well - no, you're on this site, you wouldn't think that at all :P)

Slyt

[Becks]

While I laugh at the customer for that, I pity the poor liquor store employees.

Same here.

But before I came on this site regularily I would've just thought it was hilarious beyond words...until my conscious woke up.

[CiggyStoreClerk]

I constantly get phone calls for a (insert french accent here) Robert.
The annoying thing though?
A lot of the time, it's the same person calling over and over.

The definition of insanity: repeating the same action again and again, expecting different results >_<

[crazylegs]

The definition of insanity: repeating the same action again and again, expecting different results >_<

Isn't that what scientists do?

Until of course the *do* get different results!

[bainsidhe]

Same here.

But before I came on this site regularily I would've just thought it was hilarious beyond words...until my conscious woke up.

Amen sister. I used to work with a guy whose number was one digit off from Toys R Us. When the mood struck, he would occasionally play along and pretend to be the store. Once a woman called asking prices on a couple gotta-have-video games of the season. He gave some obscenely lowball price and the woman excitedly hung up so she could rush to Toys R Us and get them while they lasted. I can't even imagine how upset she was, let alone the poor employees. At the time, I thought it was hilarious. Now I know different

[MadonnaC]

Which sounds similar to another story I read long ago, but cannot find now.

Parts of which I am not sure:
Arkansas: I think it took place in AR, but it could have been Alabama.
Marriott: I'm not certain if it was a Marriott or not, but will call it such for this retelling.

Seems a new Marriott went up in town, and was a fairly nice place. People would book wedding receptions, large parties, etc. There was only one problem: The phone number of the hotel was one digit removed from someone who had lived in the town for many years, and had that phone number for many years.

.....urban legend than reality. At least, I hope it is.

Yes, it is urban legend

[Dave1982]

Reminds me of the woman who called my store (office supplies) last year asking if "y'all deliver milk?"

[Eric the Grey]

I constantly get phone calls for a (insert french accent here) Robert.
The annoying thing though?
A lot of the time, it's the same person calling over and over.

The definition of insanity: repeating the same action again and again, expecting different results >_<

For the first 2+ years that I had my current cell number, I would occasionally get phone calls for the same guy, but each and every time, it was a different woman..

I finally started telling them that he apparently was giving the wrong number out on purpose, and the calls started tapering off.

Another time, I got calls for a "Lakisha, somthing.." from the phone company (Qwest) as well as the police... After telling them I didn't know her, and never heard of her they too went away. Luckily they've been few overall.


Eric the Grey

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, I must admit I've called the wrong number before... and been kidna sucky, the number I called was 1 digit off in the area code from a hotel I was trying to call... and the person answered and I could barely understand what they said and I could have sworn that they said "front desk" and I asked, "I'm sorry, is this the (hotel)"... ok, I guess not that sucky, but had I been paying attention in the first place to what she was saying I'd have known I had the wrong number without her telling me...

that aside, some asshole keeps giving out my number as a fake number to creditors and it pisses me off that they don't believe me that I have no idea who this "John" is.