WIBU to mess with this caller who thinks my house is a insurance company

[RainbowDash123]

For the last four years on my landline I have receiving calls from a local number. Every time I answer she says the name of a well known insurance company.

Every time I tell her no wrong number this is a residential land line. I've been polite but I do usually just hang up after stating the above.

This has been going on for about 4 years now and I seem to get a call at least once a month more often than not every 2 weeks.

If I don't pick up the call she keeps ringing leaving messages on my answering phone.

The lady in question doesn't sound old at all.

I've had a google to see if our phone number is any way simular to this insurance company and apart from the dial county code it's nothing remotely simular.


Now I've had enough after constant calling yesterday. The convo went like this.

Me: hello
Her: insurance company name:
Me: sorry you have the wrong number. (Hang up phone)

Less than a min later she rings again and we go through it all again and I say sorry you have the wrong number this is a residential landline.

She calls again so I repeat again then hang up.

Again she rings back, so I say look I've told you, you have the wrong number. She said but I need to talk to insurance company and I say look this is not a insurance company you are ringing a land line, I've told you neumerous times you have the wrong number please stop calling me.

She rings again and I let it go to the answer macHine.


What do I do, WIBU take her details and have a bit of fun with her insurance quote or whatever?

What I can't understand is our phone was disconnected for 9months when we went over to talk talk when we finally got our line back up and running we had so many calls from this woman on our voicemail asking to call her back about a letter she received you think she might have checked the number.


How can I get through to this person or satisfy my own ammusment?

[Seriouslyffs]

If she's given you the companies name find their number and give it to her.
The elderly father of the man we bought out first flat from called us regularly. I just had his son's number on the pad next to the phone and have it to him.
Not difficult.

[MrsQueen]

Well, she's obviously confused. The fact that she's not old is irrelevant really, she might have a learning difficulty.

It must be annoying receiving so many calls from her, but it wouldn't try to mess with her, you might accidentally distress somebody quite vulnerable.

Can't you just block her number? The phone company can do it for you.

[londonrach]

Agree with seriouslyffs idea.

[Castlemilk]

Ask for her details for her insurance claim next time she calls.

Then send her an official looking letter informing her in writing that your number, as quoted, is NOT the company and that now you have her details, next time she calls you'll report her for harassment.

Alternatively, do same, then say (once you've got her details) - 'thanks, great, now for the last time this isn't an insurance company. Now I have your details, if you call me again I shall spend a happy hour signing you up to the dodgiest spammy mailing lists I can find. Call me again, and you will sign yourself up to a LIFETIME of ten times this amount of nuisance calls. I hope this is the last time we speak. Bye!'

[Castlemilk]

Agree with above in principle but surely OP has determined whether she is confused or has LD! -assume she wouldn't be posting in this vein if that could be the case.

[Pastamancer]

Ask her if she has the letter there. Once she has it in front of her ask her to read out the phone number on the letter. Tell her she needs that one and that you can't transfer her so she needs to hang up and dial it herself

[JoanHickson]

I agree with milk, take her details write to her informing her if you hear any more from her it will be taken as harassment.

[MrsQueen]

But she's obviously confused! Somebody who was functioning normally wouldn't keep dialling the wrong number once they've been told. If the op doesn't know this woman personally, she can't possibly know what issues may be in play.

Either block her number, or keep giving her the correct number. Don't mess with her, it's just unkind.

[Fabulassie]

I think the right thing to do is as suggested above: tell her that you've looked up the correct number ("yes, it's similar, but it's not the same") and give it to her. Since she sounds confused, make sure she writes it down and have her repeat it back to you.

If she continues to call then consider it harassment. She is probably mentally ill or something so I would try to be helpful at first.

[TheSkiingGardener]

I would block the number. No matter what you do she isn't getting the message so I don't think you ever will.

[FruVikingessOla]

I wonder if it isn't a misprint on her letters - maybe a direct line number rather than the main number? By why it should just happen on her letters but nobody else's, I don't know.

It does seem odd that she's let this go on for four years though, I think MrsQueen has hit the nail on the head.

I agree with others to ask her what the number is that's printed on her letter.

[Oldraver]

I dont think she has LD's or is confused I think she gets kicks from winding you up

[milkpudding]

Can you ask your phone company to block her from calling you? I think they can do this, it would solve your problem.

Why on earth does she want to speak to her insurance company so often?

Could it be a long winded prank?

Or could she have MH problems?

Very frustrating for you.

[milkpudding]

I lived in a house that had a similar address to a psychotherapy institute nearby and people frequently knocked on the door looking for their therapy appointment. It was incredibly annoying to have the exact same conversation over and over again. I should have thought of inviting them in to lie on our sofa and see what they had to say!

[TrendStopper]

Does the woman leave her number displayed or is it withheld? Maybe you know her & she is playing a prank or trying to harass you.

I would take her details, then give her the right phone number, if the phone calls continue I would write to her telling her you are reporting it as harassment.

[whois]

Agree that she is obviously confused. It's not normal to keep on ringing the wrong number.

I don't think you're helping by just putting down the phone.

Try talking to her, explaining very clearly and checking she understands this is a wrong number and then give her the correct number.

[Marylou62]

I lived next door to a known drug dealer...you wouldn't believe how often (desperate?) people knocked at my door asking when he'd be home!..I agree, block and as much as you would like to, don't wind her up...it would be unkind...you don't know her or if she is SNs...

[VanitasVanitatum]

Do not mess with her. Find the correct number and give it to her.

[Booboostoo]

If possible block her number.

A restaurant in the area has our phone number on their website...for the last four years since we moved here. We get calls for reservations all the time so I have to explain the situation but a small minority of callers get huffy with me and insist I reserve them a table! Not sure what they expect me to do for them!

We also have and dress very similar to another property inthe village that is a small hotel and hosts weddings and conferences. A few times a year their guests come to us and our visitors go to them but we are both happy to redirect. One lady turned up looking for a conference, I explained the confusion and gave her directions to the correct place but she refused to believe me! She insisted that she had the right place and wanted the conference so in the end I had to tell her to knock herself out conferencing in my garden and walked away.

We're in France so I don't know if people are more bonkers here, they are certainly more rude!

[BoomBoomsCousin]

We had a number close to that of a local pizza place, so often had calls late at night (more mistakes made after a few beers I think). If anyone was unwilling to believe me or called staight back I just took their order and unplugged the phone. I think this case is a bit different though OP and you probably WBU to mess with her.Offering her a solution might work, or seeing if she has a support worker or carer of some kind and explain to them (risk offending her asking about this, but given it's been going on for four years...).

[QueenTilly]

If she is still calling, despite all your previous conversations, I see absolutely no reason why a formal letter would make it suddenly click.

Give her the correct number, next time.

[littlebrownbag]

I used to have a number very similar to a local taxi firm and would get calls all times of the day and night. Even my answerphone message started "If you wanted xxxx cabs, you have the wrong number....".

the worst was an elderly gentleman though who obviously didn't quite get that he was dialing the wrong number (even thought I gave it to him), I very nearly jumped in my car to go and give him a lift after he called me three times in a row and he was getting frustrated and distressed at the situation.

I agree this woman either has cognitive issues, or is messing with you deliberately. Ask her what number she thinks she wants as there is an outside chance she has been given a direct dial number for someone at the company that is not listed but very similar to yours, and she's dyslexic and dialling it incorrectly. Then explain in words of two syllables or less that the number she has been dialling isn't right, give her the right number from Google then block and ignore.

[Wishtoremainunknown]

I'd get her details and pass them on to the police. Wouldn't even threaten to do it, I'd just do it.

[FruVikingessOla]

"Does the woman leave her number displayed or is it withheld?. The OP said that it's a local number, so obviously the caller's number is not withheld from the OP's Caller ID.

I find it difficult to believe that this is a prank or malicious - otherwise the caller, after 4 years, would have realised that she'd been rumbled and possibly reported for harassment.

There is something very odd here. Either the insurance company has printed an incorrect phone number on its letters to the caller - or she has some issues which means that she doesn't understand what's wrong.