We’ve all gotten wrong-number calls and texts; some of us have even been on the receiving end of repeated wrong-number calls looking for the same person. But Consumerist reader Ed wants to know why his phone number is listed — twice — as a babysitter on Care.com, even though he’s (A) not a babysitter, and (B) never had an account with the site. [More]
wrong number
Lawyer Bombarded With Errant Texts Demanding Free Chipotle Burritos
By 2.9.16
On one end of the wrong-number spectrum is the lawyer who still gets calls and texts intended for Sir Mix-A-Lot, on the other end is the D.C.-area attorney who received some 300 text messages yesterday from people seeking free burritos from Chipotle. [More]
NJ Residents Call For Info On Sprint Refund, Get Phone Sex Line Instead
By 5.14.15
Earlier this week, Sprint and Verizon reached multimillion-dollar settlements with federal regulators for allowing third parties to bill for unwanted and unauthorized add-on services. But when New Jersey residents tried to call the Sprint information number given out by the state’s attorney general, they were in for another telephonic surprise. [More]
California Healthcare Phone Number Sends Callers To Hotline Touting “Hot Ladies”
By 4.1.14
While at some point in your life it might be beneficial to talk to hot ladies or exciting guys on the phone, it’s not particularly helpful to be directed to a singles hotline when you’re looking for information on healthcare. That’s what happened when some California residents called a number posted on the Covered California homepage recently. [More]
Toll-Free Number On Walmart Black Friday TV Voucher Forwarded To Wisconsin Spa
By 12.4.13
There might have been thousands of people who received vouchers from Walmart during Thanksgiving weekend that entitled them to order a television online at a certain price. For many of them, the voucher didn’t work, so they called the toll-free number on the voucher. For some reason that isn’t clear to anyone yet, this number was forwarded to a spa in Wisconsin. [More]
San Francisco Accidentally Directs Callers Complaining About The Marathon To Sex Line
By 10.22.13
Why is that every time we hear about a city or otherwise very public entity getting a phone number wrong, it’s inevitable that callers end up dialing a sex line? The Surprise! This Is A Phone Sex Number And Not The Number You Were Looking For phenomenon struck San Francisco residents trying to complain about Sunday’s Nike Marathon. [More]
Why Does Comcast Keep Telling People My Sister In Oregon Is A TV Repair Business In New England?
By 9.7.11
Jack’s sister was recently assigned a new phone number after moving to a different area. That’s not unusual. What is unusual is that she keeps receiving phone calls from people in New England looking for a nonexistent TV repair service. [More]
Psycho Debt Collectors Will Not Stop Calling Me About Someone Else's Debt
By 8.1.08
Reader Rachael wants to know if there’s any way she can get a harassing debt collector to stop calling her 3 times a day — looking for someone else who used to have her number.
Let Judge Judy Take Care Of Debt Collectors
By 5.22.07
Is this a good method for dealing with harassing debt collectors? We have no idea. Did it amuse us? Yep. —MEGHANN MARCO
