Phone Pet Peeve #26: people who *69 a call or call you back off their caller ID without knowing who you are.
(most names have been changed to protect the guilty)
Laura: (picks up ringing phone) Bob’s Blue Boxes, this is Laura.
Caller: Did you just call me?
Laura: Uhm… I don’t think so. May I ask who’s calling?
Caller: My name is Jose.
Laura: I’m sorry, I didn’t call you, but someone else might have. Would you like me to check?
Caller: Who is this?
Laura: This is Bob’s Blue Boxes. We’re a business in Deadwood?
Caller: Deadwood…? OH! Oh, you said Bob’s Blue Boxes. I talked to someone there this morning. Let’s see. Sam maybe? Ted? Mike?
Laura: You mean Bob?
Caller: That’s right! Is Bob there?
Good thing I talked to Bob earlier in the day and just happened to know that he’d had a conversation with someone named Jose.
The moral of the story? Don’t assume everyone is out to get you (unless they are), or if they are, don’t call them back without knowing who they are. If they didn’t leave a message, they’ll probably try again. Or, at the very least, try not to blame the person you’re calling for the fact that you don’t know who they are.
Tune in again next week (or month or whatever) for more Phoney Fables!
