Wrong Numbers....Everyday!

Posted by Kevin.......

Kevin: "Hello?"
Caller: "Hi, this is Jane Anderson, I will not be coming to my appointment today because I have the flu."
Kevin: "I'm sorry, who are you calling for?"
Caller: "Umm, the Rehabilitation Center?"
Kevin: "You have the wrong number...."
*click*

Next to our kitchen phone, I have the number to two local businesses whose phone numbers share the same last four digits as our number. One is a rehab center, and one is a skilled care facility.

(I won't name them and I am using fake numbers of course)

The numbers are like: 123-4500 for us and 321-4500 and 132-4500 for the other places. I get between 2 and 5 calls a week, sometimes 3 in one day.

Sometimes the caller is rude, like this elderly woman this morning:

Kevin: "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number. Who where you trying to reach?"
Caller: (to some one else on the other end) "They say it's a wrong num....." *click*

Sometimes the caller is polite, like this guy:

Kevin: "I'm sorry you have the wrong number."
Caller: "Oh, jeez, I hope I didn't wake you up."
Kevin: "No it's okay, who were you trying to reach?"
Caller: "The care facility"
Kevin: "Yep, that's 132-4500, the first three digits are 1,3,2. See?
Caller: "Ya, thanks. Sorry again."

Sometimes, they don't get it. Like this young woman:

Caller: "I need to cancel my appointment."
Kevin: "I'm sorry, you have........
Caller: "I don't have anyway of getting over there today."
Kevin: "Excuse me. I'm sorry, but you have the wrong number."
Caller: "This is the number in they gave me!"
Kevin: "Um,...the Rehab Center is 321-4500."
Caller: "YES! That's what I dialed!"
Kevin: "This is 123-4500."
Caller: "Oh. Wow, they gave me the wrong number. Okay."
Kevin: "No. The center is 321-4500"
*long pause*
*click*

I guess Caller I.D. would help (we have new phones, so we are getting C.I.D. soon), but I still wouldn't know if it were some important call for Stace.

So I called the Rehab Center one morning:

Center: "Center for Rehabilitation."
Kevin: " Hi, this is kinda strange but I keep getting calls for your center at my home number, and it's always at 7:00AM.
Center: "Yeah, we just got a new phone number. When people call the old number, they get the recording that says the new number.
Kevin: "Okay, well can you remind your patients that the first three digits are not the same as a normal residential number?
Center: "Sure. The new number is on our appointment cards too. So we'll point that out.
Kevin: "Thank you!"

While typing this post, I had one more wrong number.