Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: Mitch Wagner <wagner@utoday.com>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Getting Action on Wrong Numbers
Message-ID: <11516@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 30 Aug 90 13:28:16 GMT
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Reply-To: wagner@utoday.UUCP (Mitch Wagner)
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 608, Message 1 of 11


In article <11424@accuvax.nwu.edu> TELECOM Moderator notes:

# I had to practice the very same guerrilla warfare twenty years ago. My
# telephone number appeared in error on a list of janitors assigned to
# various apartment buildings here belonging to one real estate company.
# They flatly ignored my requests to correct their list. I finally
# started taking tenant complaint calls, and giving smart aleck answers
# back; i.e. tenant says 'no heat in my apartment', my answer would be
# to consult my imaginary roster of tenants and reply, "The rent you pay
# does not entitle you to have heat in the winter." Tenant says 'my
# toilet is out of order', my answer would be to use the one at the gas
# station on the corner instead. Finally the realtor got the hint and
# corrected the list they gave tenants.  PAT]

Fabulous! I'll have to remember that one. 

I was getting dunning calls for some poor guy named Jose Silvera for a
while there. When I moved to a new place, they continued -- much to my
surprise, until I figured out that someone there had heard the "calls
are being taken by... " message and taken down the new number.  The
chain was broken when I had my number changed to an unlisted one for
entirely unrelated reasons.

For a while there, I was also getting a series of phone messages for
 -- apparently -- a nice, conservative Long Island couple in their
'60s or '70s. One of these messages was absolutely hilarious. I didn't
have the presence of mind to save it, but I can still break friends up
laughing with my imitation.

At the time, I had one of those cute answering machine messages on my
home phone. You also have to imagine the sort-of-whiny voice with the
heavy New York accent of a Long Island woman in her 60's or 70's.

MY ANSERING MACHINE: "Hi. This is Superman. You know, I woke up this 
    morning and decided all this truth, justice and American way 
    stuff is just a bunch of crap. I'm going to stop wasting
    my time with it. I'm going out now for a couple of beers.
    Maybe I'll pick up some whores. I'll be back in a few
    hours. Leave a message." <BEEP>

WOMAN:  (Long pause.) "Hello?" (Another long pause.) "Oh, 
    Roz, I don't understand your answering machine *ONE BIT.*" 
    (Aside) "Shh, Henry, I'm *cawling*, I'm *tawking* to her." 
    (To phone.) "Anyway this is *Shirley.* We're at the *airport.*" 
    (Aside.) "Shh, Henry, I'm *cawling,* I'm *tawking* to her." 
    (To phone.) "Come *get* us, we're at the *airpawt....*"

Another time Shirley called from Florida to tell Roz the directions
that Roz gave her were messed up and her and Henry were completely
lost.

I miss Shirley and Henry and Roz.


Mitch Wagner

VOICE: 516/562-5758                                   GEnie: UNIX-TODAY
UUCP: wagner@utoday.com                          ...uunet!utoday!wagner