Slightly off-topic, but my dad phoned the doctor once and got through to an answering machine. He thought it was a bit odd, because it was during the day, but he just left a message anyway, outlining his symptoms and that. Anyway, there was no reply for hours, and so he rang again. This time he got through and asked if they'd got his message - but they didn't know what he was talking about.
It turned out that he had rung a construction firm by mistake. I bet the person who got the message with my dad's symptoms and everything had a good laugh!
Sorry...:o The OP just reminded me of that occasion.
Some years ago, when I lived in London, I regularly used to get phone calls from a Scots lady. She always used to ask for her daughter, who obviously wasn't me!
One evening I asked her what number she was dialing. She replied that she was calling 552 1***, which was my correct number. I then asked her what was the prefix code? She replied "061"!
Then the penny dropped! I told her that either she was dialing the incorrect code, but the correct number, or there was a fault on her phone which was missing out one of the digits in the code. (My number, being in London, was, of course, 01 552 1***)
I must have got something right because, after this particular conversation, I never did hear from her again!
Our landline number is very similar to a local Solicitor's number, so we very often get calls from people asking for their Solicitor. Usually when we tell them they've got them wrong number, they understand. There's been a small number of times when people have kept ringing back again & again, so in the end we took the phone off the hook.
Last week a woman rang our house one morning and asked to speak to Liz, now no one of that name lives here so I told her she had the wrong number and hung up. A few moments later she rang back again, 'Oh hello can I speak to Liz please'. So I pointed out once again she had the wrong number and had just phoned up a few moments before.
She wouldn't have it though and asked me if she was through to the social security offices or something like that. I said she'd rung my house, not the social security offices.
She sounded bemused and read out the number she'd intended to ring and its similar to ours but with one didgit different. I pointed this out to her, she apoligised and hung up. Then a few moments later she rang back again, this time I didn't answer because I regoginsed the number on the screen. I think I'd have shouted at her if I'd answered it.
This morning im sat in the living room and guess what she rings again. 'Hello can I speak to Liz at Social Security'. Me throuhg gritted teeth, 'sorry you've got the wrong number, and you rang here last asking the same thing week having miss dialied.'. She was flustered and hung up on me, before ringing back yet again:mad: This time I ignored it.
She's really pissing me off now. Why the hell can't she dial more carefully?! Has this ever happened to anyone else?
1- Call her back.
2- Ask for David.
3- Repeat.
4- ???????
5- Profit!
Last week a woman rang our house one morning and asked to speak to Liz, now no one of that name lives here so I told her she had the wrong number and hung up. A few moments later she rang back again, 'Oh hello can I speak to Liz please'. So I pointed out once again she had the wrong number and had just phoned up a few moments before.
She wouldn't have it though and asked me if she was through to the social security offices or something like that. I said she'd rung my house, not the social security offices.
She sounded bemused and read out the number she'd intended to ring and its similar to ours but with one didgit different. I pointed this out to her, she apoligised and hung up. Then a few moments later she rang back again, this time I didn't answer because I regoginsed the number on the screen. I think I'd have shouted at her if I'd answered it.
This morning im sat in the living room and guess what she rings again. 'Hello can I speak to Liz at Social Security'. Me throuhg gritted teeth, 'sorry you've got the wrong number, and you rang here last asking the same thing week having miss dialied.'. She was flustered and hung up on me, before ringing back yet again:mad: This time I ignored it.
She's really pissing me off now. Why the hell can't she dial more carefully?! Has this ever happened to anyone else?
I had a strange inexplicable experience some years back.
When I split with my ex wife we lived in a flat. Eventually she moved to a new house, but the woman that had moved into her flat kept complaining to her that she was getting phone calls asking to speak to me.
My question is how ? My wife had kept her number, so this woman's number wouldn't have been connected with that dwelling in any way. And as far as I know, you couldn't do a reverse look up in those days - unless you were the police.
Next time she rings, tell her that shes through to a call centre, and ask her if she wants to upgrade her mobile phone, and then push for her 'bank account details and sort code' :cool:
Next time she rings, tell her that shes through to a call centre, and ask her if she wants to upgrade her mobile phone, and then push for her 'bank account details and sort code' :cool:
Or or or... tell her that her rich step brother's dog's cousin's uncle from Uganda has died leaving her as the sole beneficiary of his cash - 5.2 million Ugandan dollars. Tell her all that she needs to do to receive the money is STOP ****ING CALLING!
I replied that she had the wrong number and put the phone down.
She kept ringing back for the next hour or so, I feel your pain OP.
I feel both of your pains although when it was happening to me, I knew who was the caller. This particular fool was calling me around Christmas time and the last time I got his call, he received a nice loud blast from the BBC1 coverage of church carols/hymns. I would do the same again if he called or someone wasn't getting the message that I don't want to hear from them but put the TV on Kerrang or something, make their eardrums burst lol.
My number is similar to that of a local firm which does stuff for swimming pools. I'll occasionally get calls from people asking to order things,once the phone rang,I said hello and before I could say anything else the bloke launched into a rant as to why hadn't his order been delivered. Or I'll come home from work and find messages on my answerphone,last one was one of this firms suppliers complaining as to why they hadn't paid an invoice.
Some years ago, when I lived in London, I regularly used to get phone calls from a Scots lady. She always used to ask for her daughter, who obviously wasn't me!
One evening I asked her what number she was dialing. She replied that she was calling 552 1***, which was my correct number. I then asked her what was the prefix code? She replied "061"!
Then the penny dropped! I told her that either she was dialing the incorrect code, but the correct number, or there was a fault on her phone which was missing out one of the digits in the code. (My number, being in London, was, of course, 01 552 1***)
I must have got something right because, after this particular conversation, I never did hear from her again!
061 is the country code for calling Australia! :eek:
We once had the same telephone number as another household a few years ago. It was the strangest thing, I think both our phones rang whenever one of us got a call. Quite often it would ring a few times and stop because the other household had answered it. My friends said they often got through to a stranger, and we always had people asking for "Denise" and there is no one in our home called that.
We finally complained to NTL (as it was at the time) and they said they'd allocated someone else the same number as ours by mistake. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently it is!
Years ago a bewildered old lady rang up asking to speak to so-and-so. Apparently someone so-and-so knew had died.
As per this thread, I explained they didn't live here. The old just kept explaining that this person had died and they needed to tell so-and-so. I kept explaining that they didn't live here.
Eventually she got the message and hung up. Within 2 seconds the phone rang again. It was the same old girl asking for so-and-so again. It took a while to explain that simply hitting redial on a wrong number won't correct the number.
I felt a bit sorry for her as she was obviously upset over the dead person.
061 is the country code for calling Australia! :eek:
We once had the same telephone number as another household a few years ago. It was the strangest thing, I think both our phones rang whenever one of us got a call. Quite often it would ring a few times and stop because the other household had answered it. My friends said they often got through to a stranger, and we always had people asking for "Denise" and there is no one in our home called that.
We finally complained to NTL (as it was at the time) and they said they'd allocated someone else the same number as ours by mistake. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently it is!
No, that would be 0061. At the time that the poster was referring to (when London numbers began '01', 061 was the code for Manchester (now 0161).
There is a very simple answer: get an answerphone.
We have used one for years. We wait for the recorded message to finish and listen to see who is calling. Our friends are aware and wait for us to answer.
On the other hand, telesales people (and we receive many such calls) are ignored.
I am sure that this would also work for 'Liz's friend'.
Comments
It turned out that he had rung a construction firm by mistake. I bet the person who got the message with my dad's symptoms and everything had a good laugh!
Sorry...:o The OP just reminded me of that occasion.
One evening I asked her what number she was dialing. She replied that she was calling 552 1***, which was my correct number. I then asked her what was the prefix code? She replied "061"!
Then the penny dropped! I told her that either she was dialing the incorrect code, but the correct number, or there was a fault on her phone which was missing out one of the digits in the code. (My number, being in London, was, of course, 01 552 1***)
I must have got something right because, after this particular conversation, I never did hear from her again!
Well I think it's funny anyway.
Our landline number is very similar to a local Solicitor's number, so we very often get calls from people asking for their Solicitor. Usually when we tell them they've got them wrong number, they understand. There's been a small number of times when people have kept ringing back again & again, so in the end we took the phone off the hook.
My wife and nieces (all Singaporean) could not believe a foreigner could speak with such fluency and tell these amazing jokes.
It makes me embarrased when I pathetically try to speak my few words and then listen to him..
Oh yes, that was a very funny joke....Thank you.
1- Call her back.
2- Ask for David.
3- Repeat.
4- ???????
5- Profit!
These made me laugh.
When I split with my ex wife we lived in a flat. Eventually she moved to a new house, but the woman that had moved into her flat kept complaining to her that she was getting phone calls asking to speak to me.
My question is how ? My wife had kept her number, so this woman's number wouldn't have been connected with that dwelling in any way. And as far as I know, you couldn't do a reverse look up in those days - unless you were the police.
I didn't know that. It's probably not of Chinese origin then?
Of course its being ancient doesn't necessarily mean that it's not "great". (But humour is highly subjective.)
I feel both of your pains although when it was happening to me, I knew who was the caller. This particular fool was calling me around Christmas time and the last time I got his call, he received a nice loud blast from the BBC1 coverage of church carols/hymns.
You missed the point entirely.
In xiangsheng, it is not the joke, it is the manner in which it is told.
It is a very ancient Chinese method of comedy and for a foreigner to be able to tell it in the xiangsheng way makes it even more appreciated.
Comedy is often more an art form than people think.
Benny Hill was funny, someone impersonating Benny Hill is not. It is all in the manner it is told in.
061 is the country code for calling Australia! :eek:
We once had the same telephone number as another household a few years ago. It was the strangest thing, I think both our phones rang whenever one of us got a call. Quite often it would ring a few times and stop because the other household had answered it. My friends said they often got through to a stranger, and we always had people asking for "Denise" and there is no one in our home called that.
We finally complained to NTL (as it was at the time) and they said they'd allocated someone else the same number as ours by mistake. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently it is!
As per this thread, I explained they didn't live here. The old just kept explaining that this person had died and they needed to tell so-and-so. I kept explaining that they didn't live here.
Eventually she got the message and hung up. Within 2 seconds the phone rang again. It was the same old girl asking for so-and-so again. It took a while to explain that simply hitting redial on a wrong number won't correct the number.
I felt a bit sorry for her as she was obviously upset over the dead person.
No, that would be 0061. At the time that the poster was referring to (when London numbers began '01', 061 was the code for Manchester (now 0161).
We have used one for years. We wait for the recorded message to finish and listen to see who is calling. Our friends are aware and wait for us to answer.
On the other hand, telesales people (and we receive many such calls) are ignored.
I am sure that this would also work for 'Liz's friend'.