Just Relaxed Blog

Tag: phone number mix-up

  • The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (And Why I Keep Getting Called ‘Brenda’)

    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (And Why I Keep Getting Called ‘Brenda’)





    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (And Why I Keep Getting Called ‘Brenda’)

    The Case of the Missing Pizza

    “Hi, is Brenda there?” the voice on the other end chirped. I glanced at my phone. Wrong number? Nope, this was definitely my number. “Uh, you’ve got the wrong number,” I responded, a little confused. “There’s no Brenda here.” The voice on the other end gave a confused sound, mumbled an apology, and hung up.

    No big deal, right? Wrong numbers happen. Except, this one didn’t seem to want to stay wrong. Over the next few days, the calls kept coming. “Hey Brenda, it’s your hairdresser, confirming your appointment tomorrow?” “Brenda, your prescription is ready!” And my personal favorite, “Brenda! Where’s the pizza? I’m starving!”

    Brenda (And Get My Phone Back)

    This was getting ridiculous. I mean, I love pizza as much as the next person, but I draw the line at being responsible for someone else’s pepperoni cravings. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started by answering the phone with, “Brenda’s phone, who’s this?” hoping to piece together the mystery.

    Turns out, “Brenda” was having a pretty interesting life. She was apparently a hairdresser herself (awkward!), had a dog named Sparky, and a serious online shopping addiction, judging by the sheer volume of delivery notifications I was getting. This was more information than I ever wanted to know about a stranger, but it did give me an idea.

    The Wrong Number That Was Actually Right

    I decided to use my newfound knowledge of Brenda’s life to track her down online. After all, how many hairdressers named Brenda with a dog named Sparky could there be in my city? Turns out, not that many. I found a likely candidate on social media and sent her a message.

    “Hi Brenda, I think we might have a phone number mix-up…” I typed, feeling ridiculous. To my surprise, she responded almost immediately. It turned out, Brenda had just switched phone carriers and somehow, in a cosmic comedy of errors, we’d ended up with each other’s numbers.

    We had a good laugh about the situation (and her online shopping habits). She promised to contact her phone company and get things sorted. In the meantime, we agreed to act as each other’s personal assistants, relaying messages and even intercepting the occasional pizza delivery.

  • The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (and Why I Still Answer to ‘Brenda’)

    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (and Why I Still Answer to ‘Brenda’)



    We’ve all been there. You’re going about your day, innocently sipping your coffee, when suddenly your phone erupts with the shrill cry of a wrong number. Maybe it’s a confused grandma looking for “Timmy,” or a teenager desperately trying to reach “Chad.” Usually, a quick “You’ve got the wrong number” suffices, and you move on with your life. But friends, my story? Oh, it’s a saga.

    The Day My Phone Became a Portal to Brenda‘s World

    It all started innocently enough. A call from an unknown number. I answered with my usual, “Hello?” A chipper voice on the other end chirped, “Hi Brenda! It’s Cindy from [Insurance Company I Will Not Name]. Are you still interested in that life insurance quote?”

    Now, I’m about as far from a “Brenda” as you can get. My name is decidedly not Brenda. It’s not even close to Brenda. So, I politely informed Cindy that she had the wrong number. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she chirped, and that, I thought, was that.

    The Calls That Launched a Thousand Wrong Numbers

    Reader, I was wrong. So, so wrong. Over the next few weeks, my phone became a hotline to Brenda’s life. I received calls from:

    • The pharmacy reminding “Brenda” to pick up her prescription.
    • A frantic woman claiming to be Brenda’s sister, demanding to know why Brenda hadn’t picked up her kids from soccer practice.
    • And yes, dear reader, even more calls from Cindy from [Insurance Company I Will Not Name], each time more insistent than the last that Brenda needed to secure her future.
    Humorous illustration of a person skydiving with a phone clutched in their hand
  • The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2007 (and Why I Still Get Calls About It)

    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2007 (and Why I Still Get Calls About It)



    “Hello?”

    “Hi, is Debby there?”

    “Uh, no. You have the wrong number.” *click*

    The Never-Ending Wrong Number Symphony

    That, my friends, is the soundtrack to my life. Well, not all the time. But often enough to make me wonder if I should just record a message saying, “This is not Debby, please stop calling.” It all started back in 2007 with what I can only describe as… The Great Phone Number Mix-Up.

  • The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2017 (and Why I Still Get Nervous Calls)

    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2017 (and Why I Still Get Nervous Calls)






    Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you’re living in a sitcom? Where the universe seems to be playing a cosmic prank on you? Well, that was my life for a solid year, all thanks to The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2017.

    The Case of the Missing Pepperoni (and Other Phone Number Misadventures)

    It all started innocently enough. I needed a new phone number – you know, the usual adulting stuff. Little did I know, this seemingly mundane task would plunge me headfirst into a world of mistaken identities, hangry callers, and enough pizza-related inquiries to last a lifetime.

    My first clue that something was amiss came a few hours after activating my new number. The phone rang, and an enthusiastic voice boomed, “Yo, I need a large pepperoni, extra cheese, and hurry it up!”

    Papa Joe’s Pizzeria?”

    And so began my reign as the unwitting recipient of calls meant for Papa Joe’s, a once-thriving (judging by the call volume) pizza joint.

    The Pizza Pilgrims and Other Wrong Number Tales

    The calls were relentless. Hungry customers, delivery drivers seeking directions, even other pizza places wanting to borrow a cup of mozzarella – all found their way to my line. I quickly learned the Papa Joe’s menu by heart, could recite their delivery radius in my sleep, and even became somewhat of a connoisseur of pizza-related complaints (“Sir, I’m truly sorry, but I can’t help you with your undercooked crust”).

    One particularly memorable call involved a group of tourists who were convinced I was holding their deep-dish hostage. Apparently, they had placed an order at the old Papa Joe’s location (now a laundromat, according to my intel), and were on a mission to claim their cheesy prize. It took all my persuasive powers (and a Google Maps search) to convince them they were on a wild goose chase.

    Life After Papa Joe’s: Why I Still Answer the Phone with Caution

    Eventually, the calls dwindled. Papa Joe’s faded into urban legend, and my phone number became my own again. But the experience left its mark. Even today, years later, I still answer the phone with a hint of trepidation, half-expecting to hear, “Yeah, can I get two slices and a Coke?”