Wrong Number!

carnation · #1 08-04-2010, 08:49 AM

Have you ever had a phone number that was similar to a well-used one and you got a lot of wrong numbers?

We've had the same number for over 30 years and I don't want to change it. However, it's almost the same number as that of a barber shop (we get, "can you help me with my dreads?") and a psychologist (usually what happens: a third party calls and leaves personal information about a second party on our answering machine.)

When I was at Auburn, there was a very desirable corner room on the sorority floor. However, you took it knowing that the phone was one digit away from Auburn's city weather line. No one ever lived there more than one term.

Frustration.

ThetaPrincess24 · #2 08-04-2010, 09:30 AM

Yes. I've gotten several people calling my cell asking for a Michelle (not my name!). I've people call me about a cell phone that I didnt know I was selling, and people from a place of business trying to track down an employee.

I even had this one dude call me a few months back several times after midnight wanting to talk to someone. I must have been in a dead sleep because I didnt answer it and he left a message. His story was he was a trucker and saw my name and number on craigslist. He was coming through town and "just wanted to meet somewhere to talk." Calling someone and asking to meet somewhere "to talk" after midnight, sounds like a booty call to me. Anywho, that stopped when I had my husband answer my phone for me the last time he called. He hasnt called back.

My cell number has been my cell number since December of 2000. I have had zero problems with morons calling me until this year.

AnotherKD · #3 08-04-2010, 09:54 AM

My cell phone # is one off from a taxi cab company in Ohio! So it rings in the middle of the night all of the time, asking for rides. Sometimes I let it go to voicemail, and the people call right back. You'd think that after hearing my outgoing message, they'd get the hint.

I do keep my phone on ringer at night because there are family members that aren't doing so well, and I've gotten emergency calls at night before. No fun.

AOII Angel · #4 08-04-2010, 10:10 AM

When I moved to Baltimore, I got a home phone that apparently had been listed previously to a couple with a bit of financial trouble. We went through months of calls from collection agencies looking for those two. They were quite aggressive and wouldn't take "They don't live here." as an answer. Explaining to ten different collection agencies that called daily that we'd just moved there, and that the phone number was our new number got a little old. We finally got rid of that phone all together and just lived off of our cell phones.

Shellfish · #5 08-04-2010, 10:10 AM

I used to have a phone number that ended in 1237, and the local PBS station's number during begathons was had the same area code and first three digits followed by 1234, so during every pledge drive I would get calls from people who accidentally went down one row on the last number. I used to joke that I should take their credit card info and promise them that they would get that Doctor Who mug.

Last year I got a lot of calls inquiring about a car for sale on a car-sale-related web site, and when I checked the online ad, those weren't wrong numbers: my number was the one posted. I thought that the seller was from the other area code for this neck of the woods, but that number was disconnected. Weird. I had to tell people to try e-mailing the seller instead--I hope it all worked out.

Miriverite · #6 08-04-2010, 10:12 AM

A few years ago, some Spanish-speaking lady would call me all the time and demand (from what I can gather from my meager Spanish skills) that I return her calls because she has been "waiting for days to hear a confirmation." No idea what that was all about...

ComradesTrue · #7 08-04-2010, 10:22 AM

When we moved to a new part of the country I opted to get a cell number with that prefix since we don't have a landline. Apparantly some individual who was behind in numerous bills had that number before me. In addition, he either only spoke Spanish and/or had a spanish surname as I was getting multiple calls daily from his creditors in Spanish .

It took a good 4-6 weeks to get everything straightened out but apparantly the creditors eventually believed that I was not the individual they were looking for. Haven't had any trouble since.

Hopefully I will never have to change numbers again.

AlphaFrog · #8 08-04-2010, 10:24 AM

In high school, my line at home was one off from Walmart. That got annoying. Now my home phone is one off the Walmart Portrait Studio, but we hardly ever get those wrong number calls.

agzg · #9 08-04-2010, 10:22 AM

Live-in gets a lot of collections calls on his work cell phone.

I used to get a lot of people looking for someone in my hometown area. If it was a 585 number and I didn't recognize it, I stopped answering. They were leaving messages for a man, but somehow my outgoing message didn't turn them off.

sweetmagnolia · #10 08-04-2010, 10:45 AM

My old cell phone number was one off from a doctor or a pharmacy- I'm not sure. I got lots of calls from elderly people talking about prescriptions and leaving their social security number!

LatinaAlumna · #11 08-04-2010, 10:51 AM

My mom's phone number is one digit off from the local movie theater--and you can imagine how this played out before MoviePhone! People used to call off the hook asking what movies were playing. Finally I started giving the names of old movies. You wouldn't believe how many people were like "Oh, okay...what time is that one showing?"

For a long time, this teeny-bopper named "Brittany" was giving out my cell number as her own. I had tons of boys calling and even girls who wanted to beat Brittany up! Luckily this was before text and picture messaging became popular, otherwise who knows what kind of crap would have shown up on my phone!

MysticCat · #12 08-04-2010, 10:55 AM

When I was a kid, our number was one off from the sheriff's department and from a local furniture store.

ree-Xi · #13 08-04-2010, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LatinaAlumna

My mom's phone number is one digit off from the local movie theater--and you can imagine how this played out before MoviePhone! People used to call off the hook asking what movies were playing. Finally I started giving the names of old movies. You wouldn't believe how many people were like "Oh, okay...what time is that one showing?"

Have you seen the Seinfeld episode where Kramer got a new phone number and it was 555-FILK, but movie phone was 555-FILM?

We also have been dealing with a deadbeat having had our number before we did. The calls started the first day we got the phone and the phone company offered to change it, but we were moving in from out of state and had been building the house, so we'd have to call dozens of people. And honestly, we thought it would go away after a while. (Apparently, the previous number holder had just given up the number a few weeks earlier, not the minimum 6 months or whatever. Phone company screw up.)

FOUR YEARS LATER, we are still getting bill collectors and long-lost relatives looking for Sergio. The guy still lives in my town, but his number is unlisted.

ASTalumna06 · #14 08-04-2010, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

Have you seen the Seinfeld episode where Kramer got a new phone number and it was 555-FILK, but movie phone was 555-FILM?

That's what I first thought of when I saw this thread

lovespink88 · #15 08-04-2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LatinaAlumna

My mom's phone number is one digit off from the local movie theater--and you can imagine how this played out before MoviePhone! People used to call off the hook asking what movies were playing. Finally I started giving the names of old movies. You wouldn't believe how many people were like "Oh, okay...what time is that one showing?"

LOL I missed this before. That is so funny!

"Why don't you just TELL me of the name of the movie you've selected??"