Pay attention people!

[Morticia]

I've gotten more and more wrong number calls lately. Seriously wrong numbers with apologies and all, not just the spam wrong numbers. What are people doing when they dial the phone? Are they not expecting someone to answer? If they are expecting someone to answer, and they were not expecting to hear, 'Good evening Addams Inn, how may I help you?' why do they continue on as if their friend answered the phone?
Tonight I got, 'Do you sell Amana appliances?'
What part of 'Addams Inn' sounds like 'Best Buy' to you?

 

[swirt]

Sounds like your phone company may have a wire crossed

 

[gillumhouse]

The crossed wires DO happen. I called because of trouble on my line and when I told the tech (the same one who fixed my computer lines problem) that it sounded as if I had 2 conversations on the same line, he went to the switch station and found that another line and mine were coming into contact.

 

[Morticia]

The crossed wires DO happen. I called because of trouble on my line and when I told the tech (the same one who fixed my computer lines problem) that it sounded as if I had 2 conversations on the same line, he went to the switch station and found that another line and mine were coming into contact..

I get that. My point was, if you called a friend and the person who answered said, 'Good evening, Addams Inn, how may I help you?' you wouldn't assume it was your friend joking around, right? You'd figure you had the wrong number. It's as if they are not even paying attention to what is being said to them.
And some of them have been mad at ME because they got the wrong number!

 

[swirt]

you wouldn't assume it was your friend joking around, right? You'd figure you had the wrong number. It's as if they are not even paying attention to what is being said to them.
Honestly, if I thought I was calling a friend...I might think they were messing around (I need better firends LOL) ...also when you are just expecting "hello" anything that is radically different, is sometimes so out of context that the meaning gets lost. If I wasn't expecting "Good evening, Adam's Inn", it would likely take throw me for enough of a loop that I might not immediately recognise what was actually said.

 

[Big Bri]

Tonight I got, 'Do you sell Amana appliances?'

Ok, so here's is what you need to do instead of saying they have the wrong number.
When they ask this question or something like it... tell them "No you dont have Amana (or whatever it is they are calling about), but you do have a guest room you would like them to come look at renting for the night."
Chances are they will be stopped cold, but they may also be curious and talk to you about your B&B. I had a fellow B&B owner tell me that and I tried it a few times, and I actually got a few positive responses where the people began asking me about our B&B, the rates, etc. Give it shot and let me know if it works.

 

[Morticia]

Tonight I got, 'Do you sell Amana appliances?'

Ok, so here's is what you need to do instead of saying they have the wrong number.
When they ask this question or something like it... tell them "No you dont have Amana (or whatever it is they are calling about), but you do have a guest room you would like them to come look at renting for the night."
Chances are they will be stopped cold, but they may also be curious and talk to you about your B&B. I had a fellow B&B owner tell me that and I tried it a few times, and I actually got a few positive responses where the people began asking me about our B&B, the rates, etc. Give it shot and let me know if it works.

.

Odd, because I don't say they have the wrong number. I do pretty much what you said, reiterate they have called a B&B and can I help them. If they have asked for a person by name, I ask if that person is staying here as a guest. Still, everyone just apologizes and hangs up.

 

[YellowSocks]

We get wrong numbers ALL the time... our town's main prefix is 289, which is what our number is. But there's someone with our same number and the town's secondary prefix, 281, and they have rentals. So I'll get a call asking about the two bedroom apartment for rent in the paper, and the fact that I'm a B&B doesn't mean they have the wrong number at all.
I just repeat the mantra, "You need to dial 281 instead of 289..."
Oh well!
=)
Kk.

 

[Morticia]

We get wrong numbers ALL the time... our town's main prefix is 289, which is what our number is. But there's someone with our same number and the town's secondary prefix, 281, and they have rentals. So I'll get a call asking about the two bedroom apartment for rent in the paper, and the fact that I'm a B&B doesn't mean they have the wrong number at all.
I just repeat the mantra, "You need to dial 281 instead of 289..."
Oh well!
=)
Kk..

I used to get that in VT all the time...same last 4 as the town rec dept. Always getting calls to sign up for some class. Or someone looking for the director and angry that he wasn't at the number they called. It took quite awhile for me to figure out why I kept getting calls.

 

[muirford]

Our toll-free number must be similar to some VA or Veterans' Benefits number somewhere - we occasionally get calls for that. One guy calls on a regular enough basis that I recognize his caller id so I can just ignore the call if I need to. Last time, though, he called at 3:30 a.m. I didn't answer but I still had to get up to check the id in case it was an emergency of some kind. That's irritating.

 

[wendydk]

After having our phone number for more than seven years, I still get collection agency calls for the previous number holder...and they never believe me that he's not here.
Ummmm...if he hasn't paid you by now, hang it up!

 

[Morticia]

Our toll-free number must be similar to some VA or Veterans' Benefits number somewhere - we occasionally get calls for that. One guy calls on a regular enough basis that I recognize his caller id so I can just ignore the call if I need to. Last time, though, he called at 3:30 a.m. I didn't answer but I still had to get up to check the id in case it was an emergency of some kind. That's irritating..

And that guy is clueless, right? He refuses to believe he has dialed the wrong number. Didn't he call like 10 times one day?

 

[muirford]

Our toll-free number must be similar to some VA or Veterans' Benefits number somewhere - we occasionally get calls for that. One guy calls on a regular enough basis that I recognize his caller id so I can just ignore the call if I need to. Last time, though, he called at 3:30 a.m. I didn't answer but I still had to get up to check the id in case it was an emergency of some kind. That's irritating..

And that guy is clueless, right? He refuses to believe he has dialed the wrong number. Didn't he call like 10 times one day?
.

Yep, once every 15 minutes. He kept telling me the phone company must have the wires crossed. So how come you're the only dummy I'm getting these calls from?

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

My father used to get calls constantly for the local pizza joint. The number was the same except for the last digit.
After fighting it for years, he resorted to "Pickup, 15 minutes!"