Monday, August 2, 2021

RING RING


I have mentioned before that I really hate the sound of a phone ringing. I have no cell service here so it is just my land line. Somehow, the sound finds my last nerve so I am quick to check it out so it will stop. Callie also hates the sound and immediately wants outside.  Maybe I need to change phones.

I have caller ID so I screen my calls.  If I don't know the caller, I let it go to the answering machine.   If it is a robo call, the answering machine voice is usually enough to get them to hang  up.  Occasionally, I will get a long message about some nefarious transaction on my credit card or that they are from Microsoft and my computer is at risk.  Ok, known bad guys so I ignore them.

I have noticed how they try to use fake numbers as callers, even appearing to come from my tiny town to throw me off. Not sure how they do this but again I am not fooled.  I need proof I know them. 

This time, the name on the ID was strange but the area code was from the same area as my family in Florida. Still I let it go to the answering machine.  Then weird happened.

Beep, click click and what sounded like shuffling papers.  Thinking I had a rookie scammer, I let it go on.  Then I heard , "gaa, gurgle, grunt", followed by more beeps.

I was thinking this had to be their first day on the job. 

Then a happy squeal, scratching, a giggle and the words "ticky loo" and a pretty identifiable "naaaaaa"  followed. Not sure if this was a millennial  version of the old "breather" phone calls of my youth but then I heard a man's voice say sharply "Give me that" and then it all went silent. 

Yep, I had been connected to a toddler who had evidently been playing with her parent's cell phone. Have no idea how the child was able to accidentally connect to my phone. I checked the ID number on the Internet and it belonged to a young business woman from Florida.   According to LinkedIn, she was right age to have a toddler. Wonder if they will be able to dispute the charges when they get the bill?

Have you ever gotten such a call from a child just punching keys on a phone or has one of your own done the deed?  I have gotten butt dials from family before but never a wrong number. Still it was more fun than the annoying calls from the fake Microsoft.

41 comments :

  1. Hahaha! I've never received any toddler calls, but I sure loved your sound effects, Patti--you gave me a good laugh! Darn it, I'm sorry you hate your phone's ring though. I just got rid of my own landline 2 weeks ago today, it's a bit scary no longer having one, but I must admit to not missing that ring either! Hope you have a great week ahead, P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doug,
      Glad you enjoyed, I know I did:) Wish I could get rid of my land line but no cell service here. What is with their rings however? Just annoying no matter how I turn down the volume.

      Delete
  2. I only have a cell phone now and the big draw for me is turning it off! People get mad at me. When did we all develop an obligation to be instantly accessible to anyone who know us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olga,
      I know. Don't we deserve at least the choice? And they get angry if we don't respond right away. Sigh.

      Delete
  3. That toddler call is so cute. Now that's a wrong number I wouldn't mind getting. You know how I feel about spam calls. I actually wrote a letter to the editor at the NYTimes about it, after reading an op-ed about RoboCalls by Gail Collins. I hope they publish it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. robin,
      Oh how I hope they do publish it. Be sure to post about it if they do.

      Delete
  4. That is cute. I have never had a cute miss call. Those robocalls can impersonate everyone's number. I had someone leave me a voicemail once asking why I had called them. It was not me. A robo must have used my number.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue,
      Now that is scary. I know one time the number on the ID was my own. They didn't think that one through.

      Delete
  5. Never got a toddler call but drunks can be just as entertaining.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jean,
      Come to think of it, often a drunk caller could pass for a toddler:)

      Delete
  6. That was the best kind of wrong number! I've never had a call from a toddler - Eli has yet to figure out the password to his mom's cellphone so I expect it's a matter of time. As far as I know, neither of my children have phoned anyone either.

    I've had fewer robo call since I went to cellphone only. Caller ID is my favorite feature.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eileen,
      I know isn't it wonderful? Without it I probably would never answer my phone till I heard a familiar voice leaving a message.

      Delete
  7. First off,even when we did have a land line, I flipped the ringer switch to off. Always. As with emails of today's times (I don't like the invasion). Now with cellphones I have it set on vibrate only when I take it with me. At home, I have special ringtones for each family member...I may or may not answer. Other calls are ignored!! Text messages or voice mails for me.

    Who knows if that call was actually WAS a toddler, OR a prank.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anni,
      If I switched it off, I'd miss just about every legit call since everyone I know realizes I have no cell signal here. I did think prank at first but it was too much random gibberish to be an adult. Then Dad grabbing the phone sealed it.

      Delete
    2. I just don't let a phone call dictate my life. If it's emergency, they'll leave me a message or in a few cases they've sent a sheriff to advise us

      Delete
    3. Anni,
      Since I live alone and am a bit on the old side, if I did that I would have a call from the sheriff also for a wellness check. So I just screen or answer. Besides, I enjoy most of my calls. The toddler was one of the enjoyable ones.

      Delete
  8. Oh my, that is hilarious! You have the strangest episodes in your life.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've had butt dials by people I didn't know as well, but never children. The last guy called my number by accident, not a butt dial, and when I told him he had the wrong number he apologized and we said good bye. Then he called back, I laughed and said, still the wrong number. He said, "How about you be Paul and we'll just settle the issue I called about." We both had a good laugh. At least it was a nice caller.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peg,
      Now I'd be curious about he and Paul's issue:)
      Think I'd put that guy on my list of calls to answer. He was a hoot with a sense of humor.

      Delete
  10. My brother has butt dialed me a few times. I can hear his voice in the background. I never carry my cell phone in my pocket so I don't do that! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margaret,
      Ha, must be a sibling thing. My brother did the same thing. I could hear him and my SIL talking.

      Delete
  11. You're right, that was much more fun and all of the "Scam Likely" calls I get.
    Scam must really like me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda,
      Me too on scams. That is why that child was such a delightful break.

      Delete
  12. That was a fun one, and made for a good post as well. I now have an Apple Watch, and it just vibrates on my wrist. I can see who's calling or spamming me, and there's no sound at all. My phone is permanently switched off. it works great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Djan,
      Wow, you are really like Dick Tracy, Love the silent feature. Wish we had cell service in tiny town.

      Delete
  13. That reminds me of some of the really stupid stuff we did on the phone as tweens. My youngest granddaughter used to call me and all I would hear is heavy breathing so I knew it was her. I would talk to her a little bit and then tell her bye. it was so cute

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara,
      Ha ha, sure glad you knew it was your granddaughter. When I was younger, heavy breathing calls were considered obscene and usually from a stalker.

      Delete
  14. I have got a few butt dials.

    I set my cell to only ring with numbers in my list. I can check the bogus ones later to make sure I didn't miss anything important, but I don;t get bothered when I am busy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. joeh,
      Oh how I wish I could do that with my land line. What a cool feature.

      Delete
  15. Never had an accidental toddler call, but did once get a call from some sailors who were "back in town" and looking for a good night out. We'd recently moved in to that house and apparently the number used to belong to a brothel. We had it changed the next day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River,
      Oh my goodness. That had to have been a shocker. Good move on changing the number. Pity who got it next.

      Delete
  16. I know I already commented yesterday but this made me laugh all over again! Patti you should have a folder for Classic Pattis (like that one trucker who dropped his drawers) and include this little guy :^)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doug,
      Goodness, you want me to put the toddler in the same folder with a naked trucker:) That is funny Doug and am delighted you enjoyed both of those.

      Delete
  17. No toddler calls but once at a hotel where we were staying, we kept getting night calls from men who wanted to spend some time with Crystal. We finally had to unplug the phone. The hotel was about a half block away from a well-known Denver strip club. I think one of the girls saw clients there when she wasn't dancing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb,
      Well that was interesting. Kind of like what River went through. Good thought to unplug.

      Delete
  18. That's a unique call indeed. Just a butt dial or two from my eldest daughter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mage,
      Butt dials are funny. You hear the strangest things:)

      Delete
  19. I've gotten butt dials too, but never had a toddler call. I must say that after I registered all our phone numbers with the government Do Not Call List, our phone has been pretty quiet. We get a few calls that come through, but it's about 80% better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kay,
      So glad it is working for you. I don't get many, maybe word has spread that I won't answer them. They have really dropped off lately.

      Delete
  20. I've never had a toddler call that I know of. Calls go to my answering machine -- some callers seem to allow a long silence before a disconnect. Then there are the recorded calls and someone calls my name, or my husband's who died in 2006, as though somehow one or the other of us is listening in real time which I am not. How I long for the days before people began to rudely intrude into my home with such calls. Whenever I get around to checking the answering machine, once I hear the first couple of words, I just delete them and never even listen to their whole message.

    ReplyDelete

Comments moderated. No spam will be published nor comments with links