Oh yeah. I write the phone book.

[SkullBash]

Had a customer call wanting the phone number for a particular department. But before I could answer, he asks, "Now, where could I go to find out the number for [department]? The number here in the phone book just gives me a recording and isn't what I'm lookin' for."

I say "Uhh...I know the correct numbers for all of our departments are listed on the public website. You can look it up there."

He chuckles, says OK, and then asks for the correct number again. I tell him and he then chuckles again and says, "Well, it was close, but that's not the number that's in phone book." You know. As if I personally authored the damn thing. I almost asked him if he was sure he was using an up-to-date phone book, but experience has taught me better than to try and second guess someone coming off as a smarmy d-bag.

At least he then said thank you and then left me alone.

The same snooty-ness just irks me when someone calls and - after being given the correct information - says, "Well, that's not what Google said." Oh right. I forgot that even God uses Google because it's more all-knowing and infallible. Goodness knows why you bothered asking a hapless fool such as myself...

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I've, at times, mentioned that Google or the phone book says something different - though in a polite tone - so that the company can go about fixing the issue if they see fit. If they don't want to that's up to them, I just like making sure they know that their information is wrong on particular, commonly used sites.

But yeah, saying it with a smarmy, greater-than-thou attitude is liable to get you hung up on and your number blocked. For good reason, and you would've deserved it. (General "you".)

[Sheldonrs]

I get this a lot at MAW. People wanting to donate furniture will do a google search under the terms "Donate furniture" or "Charity Furniture", etc. and see our name (because we pop up anytime someone uses the words "charity", "Donate", etc., no matter what other words they add. Then they call us and when we tell them we don't accept used furniture donations, they INSIST it says we do "ON YOUR WEB SITE!!!". No, it says it on Google. And this will go back and forth a few times or they'll just declare "Well YOUR web site says you do!" and then they hang up.

[Pixilated]

I've done the same thing and for the same reason -- "Just thought you should know ..." because the business might want to fix that.

But yeah, I'd hardly want to use the internet as THE source of all factualness (is there such a word? )

[DGoddessChardonnay]

But yeah, I'd hardly want to use the internet as THE source of all factualness (is there such a word? )

You'd be surprised at the number of people out there who think that if it's on the Internet, then it must be true.

[MoonCat]

You'd be surprised at the number of people out there who think that if it's on the Internet, then it must be true.

Yup. They used to think that about newspapers, then about television, now it's the internet. I suppose back in the Middle Ages it was, "Well, the town crier said so!!" Or in Neanderthal days someone said, "Grog said he saw it scratched on a rock, so it must be true!"

[EricKei]

We used to have to deal with that at AccountingFirm. Because we'd been around a loooooong time and we did support for both of the major accounting packages in our customer range, we often show up really high on google searches for those two firms -- ESPECIALLY those that ask for their tech support number. Ya see, neither of those companies like to make it easy to find their support numbers (all you have to to is call their main # and hit one button to get them tho), but we WANTED people to find ours. Heck we're the little guys.

You don't wanna know how many people called and said "your site ways you're (software maker!)" --- which always meant they called our number off of the google result without even clicking through. If they did, they would have come to a site that looks *absolutely nothing* like the sites belonging to the software makers (on purpose), similar colors notwithstanding, and which had out name and number emblazoned on the top of every possible page! Our opening spiel gave our name, too -- I would think that reaching an actual human being on the second ring would have been a dead giveway, too >_> Then, of course, they'd get confused as to why we had separate tech support plans from the software makers...

[Draper Mel]

Google still lists the grocery store near us that closed. 3 years ago.

So yeah, trust but verify.

[SkullBash]

You don't wanna know how many people called and said "your site ways you're (software maker!)" --- which always meant they called our number off of the google result without even clicking through.

Exactly. Google certainly will at least get you within the ballpark, but because they use bots/automation to locate and associate results for whatever search terms, the first few links may not be exactly what you are looking for, or may not be up-to-date. This is especially true if the search terms are vague and don't include any search modifiers. That's why it is up to the user to take a couple seconds to inspect the results you get and make sure it matches what you intend to find...I don't understand why some people stop at this step.

I get that how to do good web research is not really common knowledge, however. Because of this, I wouldn't mind if customers mistakenly called me because of Google, but it drives me bonkers when that odd person acts personally offended as if I am a liar and we SHOULD be obligated to conform to what (they think) Google says. Or what the phone book says, or whatever. I know I have mistakenly called the wrong number several times during my life but I can't imagine being embarrassed enough to blame the company for it.

[earl colby pottinger]

Verify always

Exactly. Google certainly will at least get you within the ballpark, but because they use bots/automation to locate and associate results for whatever search terms, the first few links may not be exactly what you are looking for, or may not be up-to-date. This is especially true if the search terms are vague and don't include any search modifiers. That's why it is up to the user to take a couple seconds to inspect the results you get and make sure it matches what you intend to find...I don't understand why some people stop at this step.

Last month I had to help my mom store her stuff when she sold her condo.

Used Google-Maps to find all the near-by storage places.

Used the phone numbers given by Google to call them for more details.

And then, and then, I drove to each and every locations to check out what their locations looked like and how easy access would be.

Always verify.

[Gizmo]

One of the places around here had a description that said "Adult store" and "dentist" for the same location and business. hmm.... ( I never got any response to my polite email to them unsurprisingly!)

[AccountingDrone]

One of the places around here had a description that said "Adult store" and "dentist" for the same location and business. hmm.... ( I never got any response to my polite email to them unsurprisingly!)

Well both of them can involve filling a cavity ...

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Well both of them can involve filling a cavity ...

As in "drilled and filled" no doubt.

[star82869]

At my job, we get calls for companies that have been gone from our location for YEARS!!!!!! Most people are okay about it, but some callers.........God forbid you tell them there is no such company or person at that number. You would swear you called them a motherless son of a whore or something like that. Also gotta love companies that leave our location, but do not update their website. Those are great too

[manybellsdown]

One of the places around here had a description that said "Adult store" and "dentist" for the same location and business. hmm.... ( I never got any response to my polite email to them unsurprisingly!)

And there's an indoor children's play place near here that shows up on Google maps as a halfway house for drug addicts.