Sixteen months after receiving our new business number from AT&T, we are still receiving at least a dozen calls a day for the previous “assignees ” of this number. It wouldn’t be so irritating if they didn’t owe money to almost every caller.
A typical call goes something like this. “I want to speak to Tony Baloney” (Name changed to protect identity, since they might owe the IRS!) Debi’s reply, “I’m sorry, this is no longer his number. It’s now the number for a commercial cleaning business.” Anonymous caller’s reply, ” Yea right, are you sure Mr. Baloney isn’t your husband? Debi’s reply, “Well if he is, he’s been fooling me for the last 33 years. By the way… My husband is 6 ft 6 and he wears a .44 magnum strapped to his massive thigh! Does that fit the description of the man who owes you money?” Click!!
The first 200 calls I received, I really did try to be polite and respectful, but as time went on, I became more and more aggravated. First I was mad at AT&T for assigning us a phone number that belonged to a couple (yes…There is a Mrs. Baloney) who never ever paid their bills! (Even their vet called us!) Then I got annoyed because even after you ask the collectors to take you off their you owe money list, they still continue to call and harass you!
In the old days (before wireless phones), a phone number was shelved for at least 6 months. I don’t think that’s the case anymore!
I’m working on some new lines to give these callers and if they’re funny enough, I might incorporate them into my Debi Drecksler Oldest Comic Standing routine.
Yes, dear readers…I’m still that half filled glass kind of girl!
