Why Do People Do This?

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I have received several wrong numbers on my new phone (two today from different people.) The last one called, I didn't answer, so of course they call back two minutes later. So I answer the phone and the following conversation ensues (name changed to protect the innocent.)

Me: "Hello?"

Caller: "Is Jane there?"

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

I start to hang up the phone but realize they are still talking.

Me: "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Caller: "Jane, Jane Doe. Is Jane Doe there?"

Me (more forcefully this time): "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number."

Why when people the wrong number do they insist on asking again with the last name? Do they think I am going to say, "Oh, that Jane. I forgot. I keep her locked in the closet. Let me go get her for you?" Either you misdialed or you weren't important enough for her to give you your number. Everytime this happens I want to ask them "What part of you have the wrong number is too hard to understand?" So far I have refrained from getting snippy, but really. If you have the wrong number, apologize and hang up. No matter how you say her name, it will not change the fact that there is no Jane at this number.

 

[doxdogy]

I also hate when they ask well who I am I talking to? Like I really am Jane Doe and I am just messing with you!

 

[MinnieMe87]

I hate when people do that! I have a lady who calls my phone every once in awhile, and never believes me when I tell her she has the wrong number. The number she is trying to call has the same numbers as mine, just in a different order. I finally saved her number in my phone as "Do not answer" so when she calls, I don't have to talk to her and can just ignore it.

I do remember one time getting a call from a number I didn't recognize once and when I answered, the guy didn't ask for anyone he just said "Where is my money?" I told him he had the wrong number and he said "This isn't Andrew?" I said "Do I sound like an Andrew? No. I'm a girl. You have the wrong number." and hung up. He called right back, and left me a voicemail apologizing.

 

[Wheelsie]

I rarely get wrong NUMBERS. Somehow I manage to get wrong TEXTERS. Some will apologize and I just politely respond "Have a Nice Day" Then some wont respond ( I don't really care either way)

I did have a co-worker once that had a "wrong texter". Was quite funny.

She is a Baptist Minister's wife, first off.

and the text read "Why don't you like me any more? What did I do?"

co-worker responds back "Well sweetheart I'm a Minister's wife..I like everybody"

wrong texter came back "Oh! gosh I'm sorry. Wrong Number"


I just wanted to run up and hug "wrong texter" cuz he sounded so sad

 

[JoiseyMom]

I got a wrong Happy Mother's Day text!! I texted back to let them know so they could text the correct Mom!!

 

[Nancy]

My pet peeve; when you tell them they have the wrong number they say "well isn't this xxx-xxxx?" No it isn't (I already said you have the wrong number) and then after you tell them no they ask "then what number did I reach?" Um how about you reached "none of your darn business"

 

[LoraJ]

I get calls for Cablevision a lot. A few weeks ago I told a woman she had the wrong number and she started yelling at me to speak Spanish and I said I only spoke English and she started screaming at me to speak in Spanish. She'd scream "SPANISH SPANISH SPANISH" And I said "ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH". I had hung up on her once but she called back.

I think she had a relative call later on because when I answered they sounded really agitated and said "Whom am I speaking with!" And I said, "you called my house, who are you?" Then they apologized and hung up.

I should really change my number, but it seems no matter what number you have you get someone calling for the wrong person. In the past it was bill collectors. The Cablevision calls are more entertaining than the bill collectors.

I always tell them Cablevisions number and to call there.

 

[Tina]

I once had a wrong number call . After I told the guy he had the wrong number, he paused for a second and asked, "You wouldn't know her new number, would you?" Ummmm. huh??? LOL

 

[Ephany]

I'm guilty of texting the wrong person. I meant to send my DH a picture of the cake my DD decorated for him for Father's day and transposed the numbers. Don't know who I sent the picture to, but they thought it was funny. Now I double check the number before I hit send.

 

[chager]

My pet peeve; when you tell them they have the wrong number they say "well isn't this xxx-xxxx?"

I can see asking that question though. Although the person they are looking for is not at the number they may well have dialed the correct number. For some reason we started getting calls for "Jane" becuase apparently "Jane" had her number confused and was giving out our number to some places.By answering this question the caller knows that they did dial the number they were given and it is a wrong number or that they actually dialed the wrong number. My parents number is one digit off from the Waffle House. Since someone asked if they dialed xxx-xxxx my parents were able to figure out the problem. In their case it is just a metter of a misdial.
Now if the person argues with you that they KNOW they have the right number then that is a whole different thing. Now that I think about it it has been awhile since I have heard from anyone looking for "Jane". I wonder how she is doing and how her son is doing. I know her cancer had returned and her son was in leg braces all from messages left on my machine.She also worked at the county morgue and shpped at CVS!! LOL

 

[Disneylover79]

I hate when people do that! I have a lady who calls my phone every once in awhile, and never believes me when I tell her she has the wrong number. The number she is trying to call has the same numbers as mine, just in a different order. I finally saved her number in my phone as "Do not answer" so when she calls, I don't have to talk to her and can just ignore it.

I do remember one time getting a call from a number I didn't recognize once and when I answered, the guy didn't ask for anyone he just said "Where is my money?" I told him he had the wrong number and he said "This isn't Andrew?" I said "Do I sound like an Andrew? No. I'm a girl. You have the wrong number." and hung up. He called right back, and left me a voicemail apologizing.

Wow a guy that calls and demands his money, then calls back and apologizes... even though you definitely deserved the apology but just weird he sounds like a not so mice person, but deep down he really is...LOL

 

[Disneylover79]

DBF used to have a person call all the time (when he got his new number) and the lady spoke only Spanish and was talking Spanish to him and neither one of us are fluent in Spanish so we couldn't tell her she had the wrong number, so he blocked her number

 

[omghidanielle]

My one friend got a text from a wrong number that said "My head is like a box of wasps. Don't bother coming over, I don't care about you anymore"


pretty hilarious.

 

[mum4jenn]

We used to have a number very close to a plumbing company. We would get calls at all times of the day begging for someone to come fix their plumbing problems and one lady refused to believe that she had the wrong number!!

 

[Evil Genius]

I just got a wrong number about a week ago at 11pm. Some kid who sounded either stoned out of his mind or was trying to be real quiet so that his parents couldn't hear him on the phone. I told him 5 times he had the wrong number, his only reply was "Hey, it's me." I finally put on the mom voice and told him he had the wrong number and that it was way too late to be calling someone anyway. I hear this real quiet Oh and he hung up.

 

[TwinsinCA]

When I was in high school I lived in a town that had only two prefixes. The Jerry Lewis telethon number was the same as ours but with the other prefix. Every year we'd get calls.

I've also had a phone number than was one digit off from Walmart.

My dad had one that was similar to a pizza place. He got sick of telling people that it was NOT Little Caesar's and every so often he'd just go ahead and take the order.

 

[MaumeeMom]

I'm loving the stories!

For a while I was getting collection calls for the person who had our number before us. One company was relentless so once I said, "Let me give you another number, 555-XXXX." Five minutes later they called back - "That was some business number, I need to speak with Jane Doe." I told him that that was my lawyer's number and that he would be handling the harassment charges...
Needless to say, they didn't call back.

Growing up, our # was one off from a bakery so we always got calls for them. When my sister got married she told the clerk - "We know you're the best by the number of calls we get for you." They gave her a discount on her cake!

 

[Imzadi]

I also hate when they ask well who I am I talking to? Like I really am Jane Doe and I am just messing with you!

If they get really snarky insisting I'm Jane or asking who I am, I say, "Excuse me, you called ME, who the **** are you?"

My parents number is one digit off from the Waffle House. Since someone asked if they dialed xxx-xxxx my parents were able to figure out the problem. In their case it is just a metter of a misdial.

Now if the person argues with you that they KNOW they have the right number then that is a whole different thing.

That's when I'd tell them the Waffle House closed down.

She also worked at the county morgue LOL

That's funny. I never answer an unknown number on my Caller ID. If a person calls back repeatedly, (some even have left messages on my voicemail, ) I will finally answer with, "County Morgue."

There's usually a long pause, then they ask, "Umm, where did I call???"

Me: "NY County Morgue. Which cadaver are you calling about?"

Them: "... umm, sorry wrong number." Click!


Another time, my work number got called. I freelance, so this may have been a referral as he did ask for Imzadi. Only the guy started asking ME very strange questions and was very vague about what he was about. I had a feeling he got my number somehow and was phishing to scam me. Well, my caller ID registered his phone number.

I had a prepaid cellphone (Tracfone) with a different phone number than the one he called. The phone number and service on it was about to expire in a few days. So I knew I could use with that Tracfone phone number. I called that guy's phone number back to see if someone would answer stating a company name. I got some weird voicemail message saying some company name. It was definitely the same guy.

He calls back a few minutes later. I answer, "Federal Bureau of Investigation. How may I direct your call?"

Him: "Where is this?"

Me: "Federal Bureau of investigation."

Him: "... Well, someone from this number just called my cellphone."

Me: "Which case file are you referring to?"

Him: "Wha-at? Someone called ME!"

Me: "Which agent was working on your case, sir?"

Him: "What case? Why would someone call here?"

Me: "Well, either they are working on a case for you or you part of an investigation... You needn't worry, unless you've been doing something wrong."

Him: "Oh, no. Umm, I haven't been doing anything wrong, really... honest!"

Me: "Well then, you have nothing to worry about, have you? I'm sure an agent will be in touch if there is a problem."

If he had been scamming people, or about to, I hoped that stopped him and made him think twice.

He actually called back the next day. I again answered with, "Federal Bureau of investigation." he hung up.

And if he called back again the next day, he would have gotten a disconnected number. That would have really freaked him out!

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I used to have a number that was one number off from a business (don't remember which one) and this one woman used to call me all the time. One time, she actually had the nerve to ask me what the right number was. I told her it was not my job to answer that question, that she should call 411, and hung up on her. She had called me three times in an hour when I was expecting a call that was actually important and I didn't know which digit was off but I was really tired of her calls....and I wasn't going to tie up my line to look up her number for her.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I am loving these stories. Plenty of ideas should I get any persistent wrong number callers...