Why do people feel they can be rude when they dial a wrong number?

[RB TexLa]

Number I don't know calls, I pick up.

Me: Hello

Caller: Is Susan there?

Me: No, you have a wrong number.

Caller: Oh, sorry baby.

Me: Maam, my name isn't "baby."

Caller: Fine motherfucker ... I hang up.

[Skittles]

1. do what I do

say sorry, you have the wrong number and hang up

[hfojvt]

2. I always try to make sure they know what number they dialed

If they hang up before I can ask sometimes they just end up calling right back. "Hello again. I tried to tell you, Jenny is no longer at 867-5309. No I do not know her current number."

[Clintonista2]

10. Don't you say "bye" before you hang up?

That is SUCH a pet peeve for me. I'm halfway through saying "bye", and I hear the click of the person hanging up.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. "Is Susan there?"

"Yes, but she's dead."

[realisticphish]

5. .

:rofl:

[realisticphish]

4. that's not as bad

as the people that INSIST that "ashley" is there, and I'm just covering for them

[begin_within]

6. Have you seen the John Waters movie "Desperate Living?"

Near the beginning the woman is frazzled by all the things going on around her, and she gets a wrong number call, and the caller says, "I'm sorry," but she screams at him, "Sorry?! What about the 30 seconds you stole from my life?!" and chews him out.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. I got this once:

"Hello."

(Pre-adolescent voice mumbles incoherently; I'm convinced all American kids are sent to the Dispronunciation Academy at 10 years of age.)

"I'm sorry, who were you calling?"

(More mumbling.)

"I'm sorry, who?"

(Yells name.)

"There's no _______ here."

"Well, why didn't you SAY so?"

[MilesColtrane]

8. Be glad you got an "I'm sorry".

The rudest are people who just hang up.

Q:Is Dave there, man?

A: No. You have a wrong number.

::click:: ::tone::

[ellisonz]

16. If it was really rude there would be no answer...they'd just hang up without comment.

See telemarketers.

[The Straight Story]

9. I have been getting those from bill collectors to local school district

Have tried being nice and finally had to be an ass.

They fucking woke my wife up, again, at some early ass hour. I called em back and told them that we had just moved here and this was a new number for us. That 'Tim' did not live here, and that if they ever called here again I would sue them silly - they had never believed my wife when she told them that, but after I swore to sue em if they ever called again they stopped calling.

Today the school board called, again, wanting to speak with someone who did not live here. I told them the same thing and they promised to remove our number from their call list.

Lord help em if they call again :)

[LaraMN]

11. Once, I needed directions to somewhere, so I randomly called

a number out of the phone book.
I talked to a very nice man, who provided me good instructions on how to reach my destination.
(This was when I was in college, prior to mapquest.)

He wasn't even mad that I randomly called him, requesting directions. It was kind of nice. Weird, but nice. He was good people.

[crim son]

13. You are a complete weirdo.

You know that, right? :)

[JVS]

23. that's because giving directions makes the male heart sing

it's the other side of the "I refuse to ask for directions" coin

[crim son]

12. I think people feel stupid when they call a wrong number.

IMHO you compounded the awkwardness by informing the woman that your name isn't "baby." Of course, in the caller's shoes I wouldn't have launched into obscenities but you know, I might have wanted to. :shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

14. This has become my mantra: People are idiots.

Me: "Hello."

Caller: "Is (name) there?"

Me: "I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number."

Caller: "Who the fuck is this?"

Me: "I'm sorry?"

Caller: "Who the fuck is this?"

End call.

[datasuspect]

18. my face

me: hello

caller: who's this?

me: who the fuck is this, you called here.

then i hang up.

[VLC]

15. I would have been happy with the "sorry baby" and the call would have ended right there.

Usually I get the hangup.

[RB TexLa]

19. I didn't care for being called "baby"

[VLC]

27. Yeah, I don't like that either...

but probably the caller meant no harm by it.

[mikeytherat]

17. Best response to a wrong number:

"Is Debbie there?"

"Sorry. Debbie can't come to the phone right now, my dick's in her mouth. I'll have her call ya when I'm finished. (hangs up)
God, I love wrong numbers!"

Danny Devito - Ruthless People

mikey_the_rat

[skygazer]

29. Exactly what I though of!

:rofl:

[Omphaloskepsis]

20. I like to chat things up.. I am usually bored.

I have gotten some wonderful recipes from wrong numbers.

[JVS]

21. What can you do, baby?

[RB TexLa]

28. There is no reason to be degrading

[sniffa]

22. i hate the ones who just hang up on you

when you inform them they have the wrong number.

it's worse when they keep caLLing back but just hanging up because they know they're caLLing the wrong number.

after about 4 caLLs i usuaLLy admonish them: Look, diaLing the same number isn't going to get you the one you want. stop caLLing here.

[triguy46]

24. Oh I like it when you answer...

and the caller immediately says "Who is this?" to which I used to reply, "Who the hell is this, you called me?" Now, I just hang up.

[Midlodemocrat]

25. I had four wrong numbers last night at 1AM.

Finally, I screamed 'You fucking moran, Michelle doesn't live here' and hung up.

Then, I turned the ringer off.

[MissMillie]

26. Why do people feel that it's ever appropriate to be rude?

:shrug:

[montanto]

30. i just answer the phone:

"who the fuck is this and what the fuck do you want."

That way i ge the first strike.