The menace of wrong numbers.

Operator assisted calls are a history:

Canon / Bell & Howell Dial 35 (Photo credit: bcostin)

Telephone has been around for nearly a century. It started with manual connections, where different operators used to complete the link by connecting through respective boards. The privacy was neither the issue nor the policy. Important urgent matters were quickly taken care off.

Analogue Telephone Exchanges

That era of operator assisted calling gave way to analog dialing. This was the most nightmarish experience for telephone users. The exchanges were unreliable. Dialing a number would more often than not would result in a connection to wrong number. Everyone knew it yet no one believed. One could pick up a ringing phone only to hear intimate details of some gossip from other side. The caller would often fail to bother about verification of the number called and would start talking like

You know you were right, that bi**h did call on me today and she was asking me to do ………..just as you told me

The wrong number would become an interesting gossip. Often wondering who the caller was and whom did he/she called? what it was all about?

Digital Age

The era of technical wrong number dialing is almost over. Now only human error results in wrong number. Some one keeps pressing a digit too long or noting down a wrong number. Due to former reasons, the number having repeated digits get more wrong number than the other. another reason for dialing wrong number is due to hip dialing or something like that. Which means pressing of buttons of mobile phone due to squeezing of pocket or purse or carry bag etc.

I received both type of calls today. The one who called on land line was very cautious, he did not speak a word without seeking confirmation of name. He was calling some Rahul. I neither had intention to deceive him nor the reason but he should not have called the name. In my experience, most of the people are not able to recognize the metallic voice over telephone. They should be more cautious.

The other call was on my mobile from an unsaved number. The caller was talking rather bargaining with a vegetable vendor. I could listen to and learn some bargaining lesson but I had some less important matters to attend to. Hence I disconnected. Mercy fully the call was not repeated.

Why we can not be little careful in our actions. Small carefulness can make life easy for others. This disturbance by wrong numbers, over and above, telemarketing calls causes unnecessary irritation. This is more so, for the people who are chasing some mission in life. I have seen people losing temper over phone, just because caller is a wrong number or a telemarketer. It is not just a problem of etiquettes alone. Small irritations can have wide ripple effect which can not be easily imagined. Let me be careful with my calls from today. That is one beginning. Hopefully there shall be more.

© Sandeep Bhalla