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Is this a common trend?

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aerog

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It used to be, when you'd get an incoming 'wrong number' you'd politely say "I'm sorry you have the wrong number", and they'd politely reply "oh I'm sorry" and hang up.

Right?

Several years ago I had someone that would call 2-3 times a day and not only <span style="font-style: italic">insist</span> they had the right number, they'd proceed to tell me about all the ailments "my" relative (her husband, if I recall correctly) was having. I tried to be patient and explained over and over again that I had no idea who she was, who he was, and that she had the wrong number. I finally gave up and put an answering machine on that said "if you're calling for 'George' [or whatever name it was she called me] you have the wrong number, there is no 'George' here and never has been, please check with other relatives and get the correct number and please do not call me again. Thank you".

After a few months the calls finally ended, but since then I've had tons of wrong numbers where people argue the point. They'll call and ask for "Mavis", for example, and I politely explain that they have the wrong number. More often than not they'll say "are you sure?" or "you're wrong, I know I have the right number"...or some variation of that, as if I'm just utterly confused about who or who may not be in my tiny house.

Tonight it went one more step, I got a text message on my cell phone excitedly telling me that this person had a new cellphone number. It was an obvious mistake, so I ignored it. An hour later I got <span style="font-style: italic">another</span> one that sounded a little testy, but again explaining that they had a new cellphone number. I wrote back that they had the wrong number and to please not text message me.

Yup...just like the wrong-number conversations, the text messages starting coming in telling me they didn't have the wrong number, and went on to explain who they were, and wanted to know why I was asking them to not message me.

My carrier and phone don't permit specific number blocking (without paying for the service, *ahem*) so I made up a canned response that I'd hoped would get the message through. It said "your msg has been blocked. The number you are using is incorrect. Thank you".

Brilliant plan!

Not.

The <span style="font-style: italic">phone calls</span> started in after that with voice messages. Even though my voicemail says my number and my name I nevertheless had messages from a young woman telling someone with a name not remotely similar to mine that I was full of it, and to stop blocking her messages.

Sigh.

Maybe this is a new age way to meet women but, seriously, if she's that dumb I really don't want to be bothered.

:smile:
 
word has it George passed away recently and left
millions to all his relatives!! :cry:
 
If the persist, just tell them you'll go look for whoever they're calling for....put the phone down & leave it there for about 15 minutes - they'll get the idea!
 
The last four digits of our phone number resemble 5959. The pizza parlor in towns last four digits resemble 5656. I have since come to the conclusion that one out of every three people in our area must be dyslexic or blind, because in the past year, we could have sold around $5000.00 in pizzas. It got to the point that we just say, "Your pizza is ready, come pick it up" and hang up. The calls are getting fewer and fewer. This is no joke, it's the truth!
icon501.gif
 
Of course those persistant calls remind of the joke that ends with the call: "Hello, this is XXXXX, have there been any calls for me?"
 
I had a guy once who kept leaving voice mails on my cell phone. They were tearful pleas for the intended recipient (and God, I hope it wasn't me) to please forgive him and come back to him because, he would say, "I really need you - I can't live without you!" It took me a while to finally convince him he had the wrong number!
 
I was getting calls asking for Johnny Alvarez. At first they were once a month, then once a week, then every day and then even a few times a day. Then they would call and hang up when I answered. Eventually the calls started asking for Johnny again, then they went back to the hang up thing. Eventually law offices began calling and asking for Johnny. I found out once that they were calling for Silly Maye. Apparently this Johnny guy had gotten a student loan and they wanted the money back. Johnny must have given my phone number out and so they called the number they had, for more than two years. I figure they lost the money, paid good money to make the calls, and nearly turned me into a homicidal maniac! Johnny probably graduated, went back home, and thought that America is a pretty nice country!

Oh, then the UW Ag Extension used my number in information they sent to all the county farmers. Got any idea how many farmers are in a county? The ag rep called and apologized. And promptly sent out another letter using my phone number again!
 
Ok Bas - that was a snorter for me! :smile:

Seems like I'm getting weird calls all the time anyway. Yesterday I got a call from AT&T (formerly Bellsouth) wanting to know if I had any questions about setting up my email, and was I satisfied with my internet service. I really had to stop and think about that, and I started to laugh... I told the guy that for the past five years it's been fine, thanks for asking.
 
We have had our current phone number for 8 years, and the local phone co doesn't reassign numbers for at least 2 years after they are disconnected. We are still getting phone calls for the previous user of the number. Maybe they have lots of not so close friends who only call once per decade.
 
70herald said:
Maybe they have lots of not so close friends who only call once per decade.
Click to expand...

That's me.

I also find I get an odd Christmas card or two with just a signature (sometimes it's indecipherable) that comes from no one I can recall... :wall:

not to mention the ones that come with new addresses just after I've sent mine to the old ones.... :wall:

And I just found out one not-so-close acquaintance died last March....
 
Back in pre cellphone days I carried a pager for work. On night I got a page from a number I didn't know and when I called it back got a older man who said he hadn't paged me because he didn't know me, he'd paged his son. I explained he must have misdialed or had the wrong number. Well, I started getting pages about every 5 minutes. Called him back again and said he was paging the wrong number. Kept getting the pages. Called him again to ask that he quit, he said "please stop answering these pages, you're keeping my son from getting them". I tried to explain it didn't work that way but he wouldn't hear of it. I wasn't supposed to but I ended up just turning it off and hoping nothing at work came up....
 
I got the Magic Jack for one of the kids for Xams Once your Ph# is issued you and the people you give it to are the only ones that have it there is NO other listing anywhere. Of course it will not cure cell phone ills but I am getting one for the house soon. Quest can stick it where the sun don`t shine! {my Ph service provider.}
Soliciting Ph calls here has gotten so bad as of late my NEW standard answer is
Before you get started, NO I do not want your service, I`m NOT interested in anything you have to sell. I am NOT interested in giveaways, free contests, condominiums, free trips or lawn care. And furthermore I request that you cease and desist in calling this number.
Thank you and have a real nice day!
Then proceed to hang up!
It is working, the calls are diminishing slowly but surely
Never the less I am getting a majicjack then only those whom I choose will have my Ph #
Besides it is much much cheaper anyway.
 

Scott, In your portfolio, this car looks very familiar. Could you tell me where this photo was taken. If it's the car I'm familiar with, the guy spent tons of money to have it professionally restored.

jagred.jpg


It's a beautiful restoration and that's fine, but, if it's the fellow I met, <span style="font-weight: bold">(Not saying it is)</span>, he looks down his nose at other folks who restored their own cars themselves. Not a very nice fellow. I actually heard him condemn a beautiful Jag next to his in the show once and called it a junk restoration. I hate snobs and I don't hate anyone! Does that make sense?
 
Does it make sense? Sure does. And those folks exist in areas beside classic car interests.

Just seems that some folks exist only to gain credit for themselves, and to cut down others. Tell 'em you gave a million to a local charity, and you'll hear "what a rip off. you should have given to <whatever>"

Tell 'em your child got an award, you'll hear "ain't nothin' - my kid got lots of those".

Show 'em the job you spent days/weeks/years on, you'll hear "you're not a pro, are you?"

It's like they have to make up for their own problems, by seeking attention and telling you what *you* did wrong.

Wouldn't it be great it the rest of the world could be like BCF members? giving honest advice and praise? not just trying to be in the spotlight all the time and proving they're better?

yeesh.

Tom
 
PAUL161 said:
Scott, In your portfolio, this car looks very familiar. Could you tell me where this photo was taken. If it's the car I'm familiar with, the guy spent tons of money to have it professionally restored.
Click to expand...

Orlando Florida in 2004. No idea who it belongs to.

I've heard similar attitudes expressed by one or two members of the Jaguar club (not in Orlando)
 
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