Tag: technology fails

  • The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (And Why I Still Have That Goat Farmer on Speed Dial)

    The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023 (And Why I Still Have That Goat Farmer on Speed Dial)

    Have you ever wished for a little more excitement in your life? Be careful what you wish for, my friends. My life was perfectly normal, filled with spreadsheets, grocery shopping, and the occasional Netflix binge, until one fateful Tuesday morning. That’s when my phone transformed into a direct line to… a goat farm?

    It all started with a text. “Morning! Agnes here. The alfalfa delivery is running late again. Can you give them a nudge?” Now, I know my fair share of people, but no Agnes, and certainly no one expecting an alfalfa delivery. This had to be a wrong number. I politely informed the sender, picturing a sweet, silver-haired Agnes shaking her fist at the sky.

    Then came the calls. First, a frantic woman asking if I had seen her prize-winning rooster, Bartholomew. Then, a gruff but friendly man inquiring about the best way to shear a particularly woolly alpaca. By lunchtime, I was an unofficial hotline for all things farm-related.

    Operation: Reclaim My Phone Number

    Clearly, something was amiss. After several fruitless calls to my mobile carrier (apparently, “mass phone number mix-up” wasn’t in their troubleshooting script), I decided to take matters into my own hands. I politely explained to every bewildered caller that I was not, in fact, a veterinarian, a sheep shearer, or an expert on building chicken coops.

    Most people were understanding, even amused by the situation. Some, however, were harder to convince. Like Bob, who called every hour on the hour for updates on his missing piglet, Penelope. (Spoiler alert: Penelope was found happily napping in the hayloft. I felt like a proud parent, despite having no idea what a piglet looked like at the time).

    Agnes and the Unexpected Friendship

    Through the chaos, one caller became a constant – you guessed it, Agnes. She was incredibly apologetic about the mix-up and even offered to bake me a batch of her famous goat cheese scones as compensation. How could I resist?

    We met at a charming little bakery in town (no goats in sight, thankfully!). Agnes turned out to be a force of nature – a woman who could wrangle a runaway sheep and bake a mean scone, all before breakfast. We talked for hours, about everything from the challenges of running a farm to our shared love for reality TV cooking shows.

    It’s been a few months since The Great Phone Number Mix-Up of 2023. The telecom company finally sorted things out, and my phone is back to its usual, non-agricultural self. But I still have Agnes on speed dial. We chat regularly, and I even visited her farm (adorable baby goats, you guys!).

    Could a Wrong Number Lead to Something Wonderful?

    Who knew a wrong number could lead to such an unexpected friendship? Have you ever experienced a similar case of mistaken identity that turned into something wonderful? Share your stories in the comments below!

  • 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 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.