Weird phone calls. Someone called my house and made a dinner reservation.

[PartyPooper]

They left a message on my home telephone today..."a party of 3 for Friday night between 6:30-7:00".

:wtf:

My voicemail message clearly gives my name...and, I'm NOT a restaurant!

Why do people do this?

A few years ago...I was receiving late night calls from people who wanted a cab. (my number was very similar to a taxi company.) One time I finally said, "okay, I'll be right there." Then I hung up the phone and went back to bed. :evilgrin:

What about you? Do you receive strange phone calls like this? If so, how do you handle them?

:silly:

[MichaelHarris]

1. tell um

your full until 8 but after that you'll have a table for 4 ready

[Fridays Child]

2. What's the special? I might want a reservation, too...

...as long as you're cooking, anyway. :D

[Eureka]

3. I also hear that

conservatives will pay $2000 per plate and you don't even need to provide them cutlery.

I hope whoever it was was a conservative, you'll make a fortune, and you can lecture them during the meal and they won't be able to make clinking noises.

How cool is that.

Table for three, looks like you hit the trifecta :-)

[LastKnight]

5. i dont think conservatives trust each other with cutlery, would you wanna?

think about it, how fast do conservatives have the proverbial knife in thier "friend's" backs if the other guy can stand to make a buck, imagine if you gave them real sharp and pointy objects...

-LK

[Eureka]

8. Nah, just make sure they don't bring any dem kids

Cons are only good at proverbial knives apparently. If they wanted to put a real knife in your back, they'd have to go find a Dem kid and get them to do it for them.

:-)

[SarahB]

4. My number is one off from a local pharmacy

Not a week goes by that another elderly lady (usually it's an older person, but not always) calls my house and asks to refill her perscription. I just give the pharmacy's number for them and send them along graciously.

[MI Cherie]

6. We used to get phone calls all the time for ...

... an inner-city minister who had the same name as my husband. The things people say before they're sure who they are talking to or the messages left on an answering machine!

Anyway, we looked up in the phone book and discovered the other guy spelled his last name a little different. So we would pass the information on to the people who called. They seemed grateful.

[eileen from OH]

7. A related story (very funny)

A good bud of mine had a phone number that was very close to another that was used for rental properties.

He kept getting calls, and finally called the correct number and very nicely told 'em that they either had the number listed wrong in the ads OR there were LOT of people misdialing. The woman was quite the bitch and seemed to indicate to my friend that it was somehow HIS responsibility to correct things. Not suprisingy, he was NOT happy at that response, which says a lot because he is a major Nice Guy and Sweetheart.

Fast forward to December. He gets a call from a restaurant wanting to confirm the Bitch's reservation for 14 people for New Year's Eve. He blithely tells them that he has no idea what they are talking about and to be on the safe side, mebbe they oughtta just cancel it.

Revenge is a Bitch - and she knows not gender!

eileen from OH

[CoonDawg]

9. I had a call...

one night...getting into the bunk while shutting down at a truckstop.

The phone rings and I got an automated message telling me "Christ's return is near. Have you accepted Jesus as your personal saviour?"

The message proceeded to give me touchtone options. It condemned me for my sinful ways and informed me that I was destined for the everlasting fires of hell. And if I wanted to know what to do about it, please press 2.

It was so bizzarre...so I couldn't wait to call my wife and my best friend to tell them that all of our suspicions were correct and that I was indeed condemned to eternal damnation in the fires of hell, but that I'd probably get there first, so I'd save them a table and work with Belzebub on a plan to install central air.

Ernie B.

[Bunny]

20. ***snarf***

Good one! :)

[On the Road]

21. Oh, Man, That is Too Much!

Randomly calling people to tell them they're going to hell. Offering a voice menu, no less. Inventive little evangelists, aren't they?

[fudge stripe cookays]

31. Man....I bet my company made that system too.

Telecomm is getting more and more intersting all the time.

Yes, definitely work on that AC thing. I'll see ya there in a couple years.

[Spirochete]

10. I once had a phone number

that was only one digit different from a local bowling alley, so I got the occasional call, asking if I had any open lanes. Once I answered the phone, and this lady asked me "do you have ten pound balls?" I said "nope, and it's a good thing, because I think I'd have a lot of trouble walking". She said "huh?" I said "sorry. you have the wrong number. this is not Sunrise Lanes". <CLICK> She hung up. hehe

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

30. Thank you a lot

For make me look weird to my coworkers. Maybe I should just burst out in hysterical laughter instead of contorting the muscles of my face in impossible configurations.

[soup]

11. We're one # off of customer service for the cable co.

Can't tell ya how many times I've been tempted to 'play along'.

Ma'am, try unplugging the cable box for 30 seconds so it can reset itself. But first, make sure nothing else is plugged in on the same circuit that would interfere with the digital amperage feed.

or
Sir, I don't know why you'd complain about the reception on Channel 18, it's all garbage, anyway.

or
Ma'am, we can have a service tech out on the third Sunday of next month at 11:53 p.m. I hope that's convenient for you.

etcetera etcetera.

but I don't. I just give them the correct number, they apologize, life goes on.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. We get calls all the time from people who think we are State Farm

The stuff they leave on our answering machine is unbelievable. Ususally, I think they are trying to make a claim.

[BigMcLargehuge]

13. my home office number used to be the main number of a landscaping

and hydroseeding company. Here is my schedule of calls:

November - Feb. Snowplowing.
March - May. Hydroseeding and underground sprinkler installation.
May - Sept. Grass cutting and ornamental gardening
Spet - Nov. Leaf and brush removal, schedule for upcoming plow season.

All day, everyday I deal with landscaping inquiries. It's starting to taper off now though since i've had this number for over a year.

Still, the landscaping company ad in the phone book lists MY NUMBER... LOL.

[blondeatlast]

14. My work number is one number off from the county jury excuse line.

It's so bad that I've been allowed to screen them with my voicemail.

Let me put it this way--you wouldn't want most of these people on a jury, regardless if you were the prosecution or the defendant. Dumb as rocks, and angry too.

I get the idea that "people who partake of the forum that must no longer be mentioned" don't often care to do their civic duty.

It's sad, really.

Edit: I should mention that I work in the Collection Development office of the library. We choose the library materials and oversee the entire collection, but when people hear the "collection" part, you can imagine what they are thinking. And I've heard what they are thinking, oh yes, indeed.

I've learned many colloquialisms!

[skypilot]

15. I occasionally receive calls...

...where someone will apparently listen to my voice-mail message and then leave a message saying, "Hello? Hello?" It's definitely some telemarketer because I can hear all the "office" sounds in the background. I've gotten them occasionally over the last two years. Male and female callers. I'm pretty sure they are coming from MCI because they are THE most annoying and obnoxious motherfuckers EVER. I don't know what they are trying to accomplish by pretending that they didn't here my voice-mail message that clearly states that I'm not home. Why they sit there going, "Hello?" is beyond me. It's some sort of scam, I'm sure, but I can't figure out what the scam could be. Any ideas?

[fishnfla]

16. Our phone number is one digit away from a bail bondsman

We used to get all sorts of calls from the Volusia county jail late at night, until I had the # blocked

[adriennel]

17. trying to book a band

some smooth talker called my residence and left a very long message about such-and-such band, and how big they were going to be, gigs, marketing, yadda yadda....very amusing. I have no idea who this person was trying to reach.

[amazona]

18. i get calls about people's prescriptions all the time

I just ignore them. If I called back everyone who wanted to know, Is my prescription ready? I wouldn't have time to do anything else. They'll figure it out when they don't get a callback.

[bbernardini]

19. I still get TONS of calls for whoever had my number last...

After almost two years of living in a newly-constructed home, we still get calls for whoever had our number before we got it. I'm torn between saying two things:

1) "I'm sorry, they're dead." <click>

2) "I'm sorry, they're no longer at this number. I guess they didn't care enough about you to give you their new number. Take the hint, pal." <click>

Usually, I just say there's nobody there by that name. We also get calls all the time from people speaking Spanish. Unfortunately, the only thing I can say in Spanish is "Where is Pepe's house?". When they hear me speak English, they often hang up.

Regarding "reservations", a local hair place keeps calling to confirm appointments for the people who used to have the number. I think I might cancel the next one. :)

[belladonna]

22. The guy who had my number last was a deadbeat, I guess

I get calls from collection agencies, banks, stores trying to contact him about bounced checks, etc. The most annoying ones are the idiots who refuse to believe that I don't know who the hell he is. One even insinuated that I was "covering for him" and insisted that I put him on the phone. :mad:

[ronnykmarshall]

24. That sucks.

Get the number of the agency and call the phone company. Report their asses.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Classic from my best friend

Caller: Is this Blockbuster?

Anita (now in her best Minnesota-voice): Sure is what can I do ya for?

Caller (teenaged boy): Do you have "Devil's Advocate"?

Anita: Oh I don't think a young man like you should be watchin' no movie about the devil. How 'bout "All Dogs Go To Heaven"?

Caller: What a fuck?

Anita: You kiss your mom with that mouth, I don't think so!

<click>

Another time, someone was looking for a Alfonso Garcia and found "A. Garcia" in the phonebook.

Caller: I'm trying to reach Alfonso Garcia, is this his number.

Anita: Yeah, hang on! (holding the phone down and yelling) ALFONSO!!! PHONE!! (pause) Hang on a minute, lemme go get his ass. (yelling again) ALLLFONNNNNSOOOOOOO!! Put that beer down god-damnit. PHONE!!! Oh, don't you swing at me!

<click>

[Streetdoc270]

25. Used to be one number from a shoe store....

People would ask if we were having a sale, I would say 'yep any Nike shoe in stock $10.00!

Now My number is 2 numbers reversed of the elementary school, so you can imagine how often my phone rings when its snowing!

[VelmaD]

26. My parents get a lot of them...

There number is only 1 digit off from CallNotes in their town. They are forever getting calls from people trying to check their messages. Sometimes my dad will make messages up.

Their number is also close to a dry cleaner and a barbq restaurant that takes phone in orders. My dad has a lot of fun with that.

The best though was back when I was a kid and our number was close to the number for a bank. My mom never could get people to go ahead and mail their deposit to our address. :evilgrin:

[CO Liberal]

27. We Used to Get Calls All the Time for "Bob"

There was no one in my family by that name - we'd tell them they had a wrong number and not think about it until the next call for Bob.

Until one day when my older sister answered the phone.

Caller: "May I speak to Bobn, please?"

Sis: "Oh - didn't you hear?

Caller: "Hear what"

Sis: "Oh, it's too horrible to tell you!!!'

(Sis hangs up - the caller calls right back.)

Caller: "What happened to Bob?"

Sis "BOB's DEAD!!!!!"

(Sis hangs up - that was the last call we ever got for "Bob".)

:-)

[achtung_circus]

28. Not recently but

Some years ago my wife, a vet, got a series of late night phone calls from the same woman.

#1
a: Hello
b: Is this the vet?
a: Yes.
b: I think my rabbit is dead.
a: is it still breathing?
b: Hang on, I'll go check. (patter of retreating feed, time lapse, more foot pattering). No it's not breathing.
a: Then it's probably dead.
b: Oh, OK.

#2
a: Hello
b: I think my rabbit's dead, it's not breathing.
a: Then it's probably dead.
b: Oh, OK.

On both occasions she sounded drunk, why that overlapped with her rabbit problems I don't want to know.

[catmandu57]

29. This is not the chinese take away

I used to be listed by my initials, people would call looking for rachael, mostly guys late at night crying into the phone, I wasn't too happy answering the phone in the dead of night. I've never answered the phone at three in the morning and got good news, so many of these poor shmucks got blasted.

[KCDem]

32. mine used to belong to a doctor's office

and i get all sorts of messages. People leave detailed personal info on it.

[sangh0]

33. Are you sure you're not a restaurant?

When was the last time you checked?

[Pithlet]

34. Someone routinely calls my house for x-rays.

It's always the same person. I must have a similar number to a radiology clinic.

For a few days a woman kept leaving messages asking about some 1.5 million dollar deal. "Kim, can you call me back and confirm 1.5 million?" She never left her number, so I couldn't call her to let her know I had no idea who she was or what she was talking about. Her messages kept getting more desperate. Finally she got me and I explained that she'd had the wrong number all this time. I hope she didn't screw up her huge deal.

[playahata1]

35. When I was attending graduate school in Tallahassee, Florida,

I used to get phone calls from folks who thought they were getting the WAL-MART up the road from my apartment.

[Nihil]

36. Taxi?

Our number used to be the same as a local taxi firm with the last two
digits reversed so we had a fair number of wrong numbers.

Most of the time we just pointed out the mistake, the caller would say
sorry and re-dial but every now & then (especially after the pubs had
shut at night) we'd get a persistent caller who would insist that he'd
dialled the correct number each time and that it was somehow *our*
fault that he'd come through to the wrong place ...

The usual technique that we used was to answer politely twice but if
they continued (or were rude) then we'd take the address, say the taxi
would be round in about 45 minutes and unplug the phone. It's the old
teacher adage: "If you want to waste my time, I'll waste yours".

(Edit: Heh, how's that for timing? The post where I admit to being a
snarky git at times is number 666!)
:evilgrin:

[matcom]

37. my number is one off from a Pharmacy

i get little old ladies calling asking about meds for all KINDS of ailments.

they just start rambling and i can't get a word in telling them i'm not the Pharmacy. some of the ailments are :scared: