Unfiltered Story #233757

(I’m at work at a fairly well known electronics chain in Canada. We also sell contracts for a major phone provider. One day, I get this call.)

Me: Thank you for calling [store], your wireless destination. How can I help you?

Customer: Yes, I’d like to talk to your accounts receivable department.

Me: (We get a lot of customers calling us because we sold the phone instead of calling [provider]) Oh, I’m sorry, you’ve reached the store in [city]. You’ll need to call your provider directly.

Customer: I don’t understand, I just want to pay this bill.

Me: Okay, so you can just dial [quick number] on your phone and it will connect you.

Customer: I don’t understand. This was the number they gave me.

Me: Like I said, we’re not actually the provider. I can look up the direct number for you. Are you with [provider] or [sister provider]?

Customer: (getting frustrated) I just want to pay this bill to [city which is not mine] school district.

Me: (confused, I Google the school she is asking about.) Ma’am, do you mean the [school district] in [city], Arizona?

Customer: Yes, exactly!

Me: Do you mind if I ask where you’re calling from?

Customer: I’m in New Jersey.

Me: This is an electronics store in Canada.

Customer: Really?

Me: Yeah, but I have the number the school district lists on their website.

Customer: Oh, thank you so much!

(I give her the phone number and she hangs up. After telling the story to coworker and boss who were in the back room, we look up the school district again and find the principals number, which was exactly the same as ours except two of the numbers in the area code were reversed.)