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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have laughed

161 replies

TellMeItsNotTrue · 09/02/2017 11:10

AIBU to have laughed at this and now be telling you?

I've spent the morning with my sister and while I was there she had to call and chase something up, they asked her for her order number and she read it out to them starting with S for Sea. That made me laugh so I walked out of the room so I didn't distract her, she gave me a dirty look. I walked back in after composing myself to hear her arguing about the order number being wrong, apparently it was too many digits. So the man on the other end of the phone read it back to her "S4C...." which started me off again Grin looks like it wasn't just me that heard it that way! The S was the only letter in it as well so he couldn't have realised from her saying F for frog or whatever

Anyway, she is in a huff with me and the useless member of staff who works for that company, WIBU for telling her to lighten up when she was moaning about it?

Does anyone else have any S for Sea type mistakes they have made or heard someone else make? I could do with some more laughing Grin

OP posts:
xStefx · 09/02/2017 11:12

I had someone once say B for Bum , lol they genuinely couldn't think of another word beginning with B

JonSnowsWhore · 09/02/2017 11:18

Not a mistake but me & my friend were having a night in & ordering a take away. Obviously there was an accent barrier & the person was struggling to understand the postcode my friend was giving. All I remember is her sitting on the bed shouting 'no, E, E FOR EGG!' Repeatedly at this man on the phone until he got it. I was in stitches

raffleswinch · 09/02/2017 11:41

Ha, classic case of miscommunication where everyone involved thinks everyone else is a moron! :D Made my day Grin

ArthurShelbysTash · 09/02/2017 12:00

I once had a bloke attempt the phonetic alphabet whilst on the phone to me. "O for 'orrible" he said. Righto.

buckeejit · 09/02/2017 12:06

I worked in a call centre years ago & in the first few weeks another new starter who hadn't clearly learned the phonetic? Alphabet couldn't quite think & was confirming to a client & said'c, c for cunt'

Even though everyone else was on calls it resonated around the room!

PamplemousseRouge · 09/02/2017 12:07

Hahaaa!!! Love the 'E for egg' story 😂 I'm just imagining it now in my mind!!

PamplemousseRouge · 09/02/2017 12:08

Oh my god buckeejit Shock

FreezerBird · 09/02/2017 12:16

My sister, who very very rarely uses any sort of bad language, was once having a very frustrating call with an unhelpful (as in, actually obstructive rather than a just bit useless) person on the end and in the middle of spelling her surname for what felt like twentieth time finally lost it and said "w for WANKER".

I roared.

WasabiNell · 09/02/2017 12:17

My surname has the letter V in it and once at work I went completely blank with the phonetic alphabet when spelling it out and said 'V for vagina' without thinking. Why???

Also I was giving someone my manager's name and said his first name was Vic. They didn't hear me and went 'pardon?' And instead of spelling it I said 'yeah like vic reeves'. They then thought his name was in fact vic reeves and tried to call him that when they were next in.

ProfYaffle · 09/02/2017 12:19

Someone at work once memorably said G for horse (as in Gee Gee)

Another person used to be as creative as possible with them "FB, F for fried, B for Badgers" was my personal favourite.

kaitlinktm · 09/02/2017 12:23

This is why I have the police alphabet saved on my desktop. Grin

GummyGoddess · 09/02/2017 12:23

I had a customer yell "It's F for FUCK OFF!" at me and slam the phone down after I repeatedly asked if he was saying S or F because he wouldn't elaborate.

I will never work in a call centre again.

sofiainwonderland · 09/02/2017 12:26

Years ago I used to be a receptionist for a dodgy hotel. Some random guy said B for banana, I started laughing so hard, I had to hung up and apologise afterwards saying it got disconnectedSmileSmileSmile

emwithme · 09/02/2017 12:29

My Physics Teacher at school told us that he once had a letter addressed to Mr Clark Withernee (instead of Clarke ).

Friend frequently gets letters addressed to Mark Withersea (rather than Marc Surname)

MrsTarzan1 · 09/02/2017 12:30

I used to work in a call centre and someone said "F for fag" once Grin

harderandharder2breathe · 09/02/2017 12:31

I regularly say "B for Bravo" and the customer goes "t for tommy?"

user1485102013 · 09/02/2017 12:32

I'm laughing way too much at these and I'm on the bus Grin

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 09/02/2017 12:37

dh is very fond of the phonetic alphabet...which is fine, it's his job, but when people spell their names out using it I want to smack them very hard.

Me: Can I take your surname?
Them: Davies
Me: is, or ies?
Them: deltaalphavictorindiaechosierra

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 09/02/2017 12:38

Nope, YANBU. I'd have laughed too.

Your sister really needs to think about her phonetic alphabet usage!! Grin

Mind you, I have the letter F in my maiden name and I ended up having to say "F for Freddy" or it would always be transcribed as S.

My surname now is a right PITA to spell. I usually have to do it at least twice and half the time it still comes back spelled wrong.

Rugbyplayersarehot · 09/02/2017 12:39

Ffs I didn't even realise that people used the phonic alphabet or it was a thing.Sad

I though it was just used on police dramas. Holy fuck.

I have said all sorts of words.

TipBoov · 09/02/2017 12:40

I was once spelling my email address out and said T for tea Blush

FeliciaJollygoodfellow · 09/02/2017 12:44

I use it all the time. As children we'd sing it like a song when parents were sick of eye spy Grin

My favourite was N for knee Grin

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 12:45

I quite like this.

To have laughed
pocketsaviour · 09/02/2017 12:46

Working at a local newspaper back in the 90s, on the BMD column (Births, Marriages, Deaths. Remember them?!)

Most announcements were phoned in, and a colleague took a call for a birth announcement. Of course we would always read and spell the names back very carefully on these announcements.

Baby's name is RUPERT.

Colleague reads back, "So that's R for... rabbit, U for umbrella, P for.... for... Paedophile!"

AlpacaPicnic · 09/02/2017 12:55

We tried to make a whole phonetic alphabet once using silent letters.
P for Pteranadon, W for Whole etc...
I cannot remember how far we got.

I am weeping at P for Paedophile...