Pickles by Brian Crane for February 24, 2015

Stop feeding the troll, Opal.

Ah yes, wrong numbers. My favorites are when you tell them that they have a wrong number, and they argue with you and insist that it’s not.

Sometimes people intentionally give the wrong number, like to a salesperson they don’t want to talk to again. I got a call like that one time. It was a car salesman trying to call back someone he had seen in the showroom. The salesman even told me that occasionally happens to him when he tries to call a potential customer.

I doubt Jeff will even call there.

I wonder if that guy knows what a phone book is.

Hey Jeff let me in I have the stash…Jeff not here…

‘Jeff is on a classified mission and I can’t … “HEY, YOU, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE…..”,’ then hang up- ideally fumbling the phone.

Kind of reminds of an old joke about a plumber and parrot. It was animated on the PBS children’s show, "The Electric Company.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTEeJE3tzDE

At one time my phone number was similar to that of a pharmacy – got all kinds of old ladies ordering prescriptions and hanging up. One was so persistent I called the pharmacy. At another place my number was similar to the bank’s, only it was their fax number – what a pain.

Or to be really mean: “Im so sorry, the service was Friday.”

(note: you didn’t say what kind of service)

Caller I.D. – one of the best things to come down the pike !

My husband will answer in a foreign language when a telemarketer or wrong number is on the phone. Or he’ll pretend he can’t hear them and they get louder and louder until they give up.

An older lady actually ordered me to find the right number after I told her she’d dialed wrong. She did calm down a bit when I explained I had no idea who she was trying to reach. I try to be kind with grumpy old folks; that’s me in the very near future. ;-))

Can Opal not block the number?

xxx

Day after day, month after month I had calls for “Skippy” I finally asked.“Who IS this Skippy?” I got a reply saying. “Skippy is a real Chi Chi girl.” Whatever that meant. I could only imagine!! It kept up till we moved!

At one point the place where I worked got a new telephone system, including new numbers. Mine, as luck would have it, was 557-1212. Imaging the “fun” I had until I got them to change it.

I like to relate the story of the call I got on new years about 8 years ago..Guy calls up,ask for Bill..I say hi and we had a 30 minute chat until I said something that woke him up from his drunken stupor..He said “You ain’t Bill”..I said..“yeah. This is officer Mike…it was nice talking to you please don’t drink and drive…have a good evening.”

At one time my phone number was very close to a local pizza parlor. One night I got so tired of getting their calls, I took the pizza order and told them to come pick it up in 10 minutes. I’m sure they were surprised when they got up there and there was no pizza.