This was the saddest phone call. I got a new lan line and as usual....sometimes phone numbers are recycled so I'm not surprised when I get a wrong number call but this one was sad.


So the phone rings and I say hello like anyone would and this dude greets me with a good morning miss and proceeds to tell me his name, where he's from and that he's been unemployed due to HIV and Hep C and that he's been on medication and he's at a point where he is physically able to return to work and he's been an adult ed teacher for 7 years but he wants to go back to school for retraining and...


So of course I gotta cut him off and tell him "I think you have the wrong number."


HIM: "Omg is this social services?"

Me: "No, sorry."


HIM: "Omg I'm so sorry I've called information 3 times already, why do they do this! First they tell me they don't have the numnber and then they give me a non-working number and now the wrong number!"


And then he is balling on the phone. I just told him I was sorry and to try them again and ask for a supervisor to make sure you get the right number or look on the internet.


HIM: "gracias...I'm really sorry miss." and he hangs up.



Dayum that made me so sad. He must have been really embarassed too, telling all that to a stranger. And I hate when you call information and they give the wrong fucking number or they tell you they don't have that location or even worse you end up with that automated shit where you have to repeat your friggin request.

Every single time I call information for the customer service number for Verizon or Sprint or any telecom company they give me the wrong number.

and internally within the company, if you have to resolve a bill or get a refund, they will send you to the wrong office. They don't have a single centralized calling service ANYWHERE.

Verison is semi-close cause it has that spooky electronic voice that sounds like a real person. But if you need something specific your'e fucked.


And information keeps send me to the wrong place.




Customer Service this last 5 years has been declining very, very quickly.

TheVoid said:

It's fucking annoying I tell ya!!!


I onced asked for the phone number for the market up the street that has been there forever and the electronic voice is going to tell me to hold on for an operator cuz "I didn't get that" and then the operator doesn't have the friggin' listing!

First, I hope things worked out for that man.


I thought of one of the weirdest "wrong numbers" I've ever gotten:
It had to be about 3am, and the phone rang. When I answered, a woman paused like, "WTF?!" and then started cursing and yelling at me about answering her man's phone, and why was I there...
I asked her who she was trying to call, but she kept cussin' me out.
In the middle of yelling, she blurted out his name and the number: xxx-xxxx.
I said, "this number is xxx-xxyx. I don't know any ---".
She said, "Oh, I'm sorry." in this sweet voice and hung up.

chocolate1 said:

AND AND

I've been thinking about that dude all day. He just sounded like he needed a friend. I never heard a dude cry like that before.

DesireeNevermind said:

That really was sad. Knowing me, I would have ended up on my laptop trying to help him find the number.

chocolate1 said:

You know I thougt about it but was just taken aback by the whole thing.

DesireeNevermind said:

chocolate1 said:

Yep. That would have been me. The tears would have done it for me. I just can't stand to see people really upset when I can do something to help. Maybe you could have dialed *69 to get his number and call him back with suggestions. Anyway, I guess it's done now, but at least you have a heart and listened to the poor guy. When you first started telling the story, I thought he was gonna turn out to be some scam artist, but the sincere emotion clarified it.
[Edited 3/11/10 7:56am]

DesireeNevermind said:

A prayer for him...
"Heavenly Father. Desiree received this call in error. But Father God, perhaps you knowing her heart had them "meet" thru it. Maybe all he needed at that moment was to cry, due to frustration. But here Father God on the org, she voices her concerns for him. Father God, we ask that you bless him with a job. Bless him God with all he needs, in Jesus' name I ask this, on his behalf. And bless Desiree for her tender compassionate soul, Lord God."

^ that was truly beautiful. ty for that on my mystery caller's behalf.

chocolate1 said:

OMG, sorry to laugh, but that was funny.

When you get a wrong number call and you tell them they've got the wrong number...why do they often ask "are you sure?" or "what number did I dial?"

Wow, that is sad.Poor guy.

2elijah said:

I was too affected yesterday. Kept thinking/wondering all kinds of things: did he get the right number, was SS the right agency to call, was he really able to go back to work or just in desperate need, how can he handle both HIV and HEP C, where were his friends and family etc....

You ever hear someone cry on the phone...it's almost worst than seeing them cry because all you have is the sound of the broken voice, the sniffling, the change in pitch and all of it.


lemme stop Im bout to work myself up again.



carry on.

DesireeNevermind said:

re: beautiful words - Thank you Lord.
re: ty - You are so welcome, beloved.

chocolate1 said:

Now that's flippin funny!!!