Roger Haaheim <rog@zombie.dtc.hp.com> (03/13/90)
Just gently remind him that HE's the one that keeps calling the wrong number.
hamilton%cell.mot.COM@uunet.uu.net> (03/15/90)
My standard procedure for handling wrong numbers has always been to ask the caller what number they dialed. If the number they give me is different than mine, then I tell them that they must have misdialed, and to try their call again. If they dialed my number correctly, then I tell them that they dialed correctly, but the number they have is incorrect. Case one avoids revealing my number, and case two (hopefully) avoids repeated call backs.
"Michael I. Bushnell" <mike@turing.cs.unm.edu> (03/15/90)
I have a particularly sad example of the wrong number problem. My
parents have been at the same number for about 30 years. Last
Christmas, we got a call from an old woman looking for Mary. We have
no Mary. After the fourth call or so, the poor caller was nearly in
tears. It seems this friend of hers had moved, left our number (by
mistake, obviously) and now she could find no way to get ahold of her.
It was all quite tragic.
Michael I. Bushnell \ This above all; to thine own self be true
LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE \ And it must follow, as the night the day,
mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu /\ Thou canst not be false to any man.
CARPE DIEM / \ Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!shah@cs.cornell.edu (Amitabh Shah) (03/18/90)
This is what happened to a friend of mine (actually, my XSO) in India.
On a Sunday, they started getting a call every hour or so starting at
8:00 am. The caller would ask "Is Yusuf there?" Despite being told
persistently that the caller had a wrong number, this wouldn't stop.
It was the same caller again and again. It happened about 10-12 times
and then stopped in the evening.
Later around 1:00 am that night, they get this call with a different
voice: "Hi. This is Yusuf. Are there any messages for me?"
It may have been one of their friends playing a practical joke, but to
this day, they haven't figured out who.
Amitabh Shah shah@cs.cornell.edu--(INTERNET)
Dept. of Computer Science { ... }!cornell!shah-----(UUCP)
Upson Hall -- Cornell University (607) 255-8597---------(OFFICE)
Ithaca NY 14853-7501 (607) 257-7717-----------(HOME)
[Moderator's Note: Come on! This routine is as old as the hills! Jack
Benny used this on his radio show several times; and I think he got it
from Bob Hope. We were pulling this on neighbors and school teachers
we did not like when I was 10 years old; having gotten the idea from
listening to Jack Benny on Sunday nights. Despite how old it is, it
is still good for a laugh. PT]jthomp@hosaka.central.sun.com (Jim Thompson) (03/18/90)
I might as well add to this thread. My (current) number is one digit (3, instead of 2) away from the Garland City Jail (even though I live miles from The Land of Gar). I get an incredible number of 3am "Do you have my husband there?" calls. I find that repeating the correct number back to the calling party, along with a friendly admonishment about their mis-dial eliminates the 'Persistant' caller. Jim Thompson - Network Engineering - Sun Microsystems - jthomp@central.sun.com Charter Member - Fatalistic International Society for Hedonistic Youth (FISHY) "Confusing yourself is a way to stay honest." -Jenny Holzer [Moderator's Note: I can think of all sorts of perfectly awful ways to handle these calls, but I am not interested in breaking up a family and causing a divorce, etc. :) PT]
cdaf@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Charles Daffinger) (03/19/90)
My number has the last 2 digits swapped with the number for the Big Red Liquor store (... 7354 vs ... 7345). I frequently get calls at the ungodly hour of 8AM: 'do you have kegs'... or 'are you open', etc. Once one of their big ads in the peper had the number misprinted, instead giving my number. My phone began ringing off the hook after this. The manager was a real jerk when I called to tell him about the problem. After that, when people called to ask about an item on the special, I replied 'No, I'm out of <item>. You may want to check at <name of some other store>'. Charles Daffinger >Take me to the river, Drop me in the water< (812) 339-7354 cdaf@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu Home of the Whitewater mailing list: whitewater-request@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu