I was a very shy, overly sensitive child and it didn’t take much to upset me. I always tried very hard to be polite to adults because I didn’t like people being angry with me.

I was probably about seven or eight. It was in the evening, we were at home, and the phone rang. My father asked me to answer it, figuring it was probably one of our family members.

I picked up the receiver and said hello, only to hear a woman screaming.

Woman: “WHY DID YOU CALL ME?”

I immediately teared up because, again, I was a wimpy kid, and because this strange adult was yelling at me and I had no idea why. When I tried to explain that all I’d done was answer, she began to scream louder. I was pretty upset by this point and handed the phone to my father, sobbing that I didn’t know what was wrong.

My father was very angry himself and snapped into the phone

Father: “Lady, WE DIDN’T CALL YOU! YOU CALLED US!”

Woman: “WELL, WHY DID YOU ANSWER IT?”

My father immediately hung up on her and calmed me down, explaining that in situations like that, I had every right to be “rude” and hang up anyone, even an adult, who was behaving like that.

I’m at work when my company cell phone rings; it’s an unfamiliar number. I pick up and a man is on the line. He apparently does not hear the voice he expected.

Caller: “Hi… I’m looking for [Stranger]?”

Me: “Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name. You’re speaking to [My Name].”

Caller: “No, that’s not right. This number belongs to [Stranger].”

Me: “Well, this is my work number, which I only received very recently, and numbers do get reused for new users, so I guess this number might have belonged to someone else before me. Sorry, I don’t know how to help you further.”

The caller pauses for a moment.

Caller: “Are you single?”

Me: *Confused* “Um, excuse me?”

Caller: “You sound attractive.”

Me: “Um, that’s a strange way to meet people. I’m not on the market, though.”

Caller: “I thought it might be a sign from God. You know, it’s so funny, me meeting you through this call; it must have been destiny.”

Me: “Yeah, how about no?”

Caller: “Oh, okay. Bye, then.”

I’m still wondering if this method of picking up dates ever works on anyone.

I work for a currency exchange. A woman calls me on a Monday afternoon.

Caller: “Hi, I want to book 100€ in Czech Crowns for tonight. I’d like to go to your location on [Street].”

Me: “Sure! I’ll put it through.”

Caller: “I would also like to tell you that yesterday I called, and I was told to go to [Other Location] to collect this money, but when I got there nobody knew anything about it. You made me lose a lot of time.”

Me: “I’m really sorry about that. Let me find out what happened.”

I do a little research and can’t find anything related to what she says. She keeps insisting that she was told ON THE PHONE to go to the other location, where she could buy that currency.

Me: “Ma’am, maybe there was some technical issue? I don’t understand why I can’t find anything about that. Are you sure you called us?”

Caller: “Yes, absolutely. Today I just redialed the number I dialed yesterday.”

Me: “Wait, you said yesterday? Because yesterday was Sunday and we are closed on Sundays. Who did you talk to?”

Caller: “Well, I don’t remember the name, but it was a man.”

Me: “That sounds strange, too. We don’t have men working here. Are you 100% sure you called us?”

Caller: “Once again, yes! I’m totally sure!”

In the end, I think she was genuinely saying the truth; she wasn’t angry, she wasn’t asking for some crazy favor or discount, and she didn’t sound crazy.

I took her booking, but we are still wondering who the man is who answered that phone on a Sunday, and that’s not comforting at all!

I work in a back-office, non-customer-facing role at a small steelworks. One day, my phone rings with the caller ID showing an unfamiliar number, so I answer with my best “professional” voice, as I occasionally get customers coming through to my direct line by mistake.

Me: “Good afternoon, you’re through to [Company]. This is [My Name] speaking; how can I help you?”

There is a pause.

Caller: “I need to make an appointment with the doctor.”

Me: “Err… I’m sorry, but you must have got the wrong number.”

There is a pause again.

Caller: *Insistent* “No, I haven’t. I called the doctor’s and I want to make an appointment.”

I go into my “normal” voice.

Me: “Err… I don’t know what to tell you, love. This is a steelworks.”

She disconnected, so I never got to find out why she thought her doctor’s receptionist would be lying to her, but on the other hand, at least I didn’t have to continue the conversation, because I really didn’t have anywhere else to go from there!

A friend calls me one day to say he has someone who wants to talk to me. He puts this other guy on the phone.

Me: “Um… hello?”

Guy: “Hey, this is [My Name], right?”

Me: “Who is this?”

Guy: “I’m [Guy].”

Me: *Still confused* “Okay…”

Guy: “We went to high school together.”

Me: “Oh. Okay. Uh, when did you graduate?”

Guy: “2003. You were a couple of years behind me.”

Me: “Yeah, I guess.”

Guy: “Don’t you remember me?”

Me: “I don’t; I’m sorry.”

Guy: “I was on the football team.”

Me: “Yeah, I didn’t really—”

Guy: “You were in the band, right?”

I’m getting pretty uncomfortable.

Me: “Um, was there something I could do for you?”

Guy: *Crestfallen* “You don’t remember me? I was friends with your neighbor, [Neighbor]. We used to go hunting together.”

Me: “Yeah, I don’t hunt. I don’t know who you are, so if that’s all you wanted—”

Guy: “You’re a f****** liar. You were a weirdo and nobody liked you.”

Me: “Well, I have no idea who you are, but apparently, you know all this stuff about me. Who’s the real weirdo here?”

He hung up. I called my friend later and told him to never give that guy my contact info. My friend apologized, saying he thought I knew him since he knew so much about me. I looked through my old yearbooks to see this superstar football guy. I still have no idea who he is.