Thais And Wrong Numbers

[girlx]

i am posting this based on a couple of conversations i have had with people recently on this topic- why are thais so weird when it comes to wrong numbers? ie. i will get a call from someone who has dialed the wrong number. i tell them sorry, i am a farang, i don't know you, try again. should be the end of the story. but noooo.... they keep calling over and over again, sometimes for months! and it is not just one person, it is many numbers. and it is no one i know.... my friends also have this problem. do you? what's up with that? i have actually had to block a couple of the numbers from my phone. are they just titillated when they hear a farang voice or what? weirdos...

[Tippaporn]

Not sure if it's sex related, girlx, but being male I've never had a problem of that sorts.

[sbk]

Nope, its happened to my husband too.

Don't know, maybe they just can't believe its really a wrong number and figure if they keep on trying eventually the person they are calling will answer the phone!

The other thing I dislike is the general rudeness of people who dial a wrong number. Occasionally I will get a "katord" but usually I get the old "Who is this?" said in a very rude way until I finally hang up.

My personal favorite was the person who called my mother-in-law on her landline (no caller id, too bad!) and then swore at her when he realized it was a wrong number!!!!

[bkkjosh]

Nope, its happened to my husband too.

Don't know, maybe they just can't believe its really a wrong number and figure if they keep on trying eventually the person they are calling will answer the phone!

The other thing I dislike is the general rudeness of people who dial a wrong number. Occasionally I will get a "katord" but usually I get the old "Who is this?" said in a very rude way until I finally hang up.

My personal favorite was the person who called my mother-in-law on her landline (no caller id, too bad!) and then swore at her when he realized it was a wrong number!!!!

I must say that I've had similiar experiences... I've had the same mobile number in thailand now for 6yrs but I still get wrong number phonecalls very frequently.. usually at 2am in the morning etc. Occassionally they keep calling as well. Best to switch the mobile off and say a silent prayer hoping they don't have your home number.

[meadish_sweetball]

Nope, its happened to my husband too.

Don't know, maybe they just can't believe its really a wrong number and figure if they keep on trying eventually the person they are calling will answer the phone!

The other thing I dislike is the general rudeness of people who dial a wrong number. Occasionally I will get a "katord" but usually I get the old "Who is this?" said in a very rude way until I finally hang up.

My personal favorite was the person who called my mother-in-law on her landline (no caller id, too bad!) and then swore at her when he realized it was a wrong number!!!!

My experience mirrors yours to a T (except for the example about the mother in law).

[sbk]

Nope, its happened to my husband too.

Don't know, maybe they just can't believe its really a wrong number and figure if they keep on trying eventually the person they are calling will answer the phone!

The other thing I dislike is the general rudeness of people who dial a wrong number. Occasionally I will get a "katord" but usually I get the old "Who is this?" said in a very rude way until I finally hang up.

My personal favorite was the person who called my mother-in-law on her landline (no caller id, too bad!) and then swore at her when he realized it was a wrong number!!!!

My experience mirrors yours to a T (except for the example about the mother in law).

That was a classic, that one. Good thing for that man he called her on a landline and she didn't have caller id. It was definitely a local and if she had found out who he was, he would have been in for some serious trouble!

[Tippaporn]

I forgot which thread I read this in, but if it's someone repeatedly calling you on your mobile simply set the ringtone for that number to mute.

[Totster]

Nope, its happened to my husband too.

Don't know, maybe they just can't believe its really a wrong number and figure if they keep on trying eventually the person they are calling will answer the phone!

The other thing I dislike is the general rudeness of people who dial a wrong number. Occasionally I will get a "katord" but usually I get the old "Who is this?" said in a very rude way until I finally hang up.

My personal favorite was the person who called my mother-in-law on her landline (no caller id, too bad!) and then swore at her when he realized it was a wrong number!!!!

My experience mirrors yours to a T (except for the example about the mother in law).

Same here... we had the same person call us repeatedly for about 2 months at all times of the day, no matter how many times we both told the caller she had the wrong number she carried on anyway. It was only after my wife got pretty nasty to her (after another rude awakening) that she stopped calling !

totster

[Thaipwriter]

I forgot which thread I read this in, but if it's someone repeatedly calling you on your mobile simply set the ringtone for that number to mute.

Wow, that's a great idea.

The ex missus keeps calling at all hours, we broke up 6 months ago

[Totster]

I forgot which thread I read this in, but if it's someone repeatedly calling you on your mobile simply set the ringtone for that number to mute.

Wow, that's a great idea.

The ex missus keeps calling at all hours, we broke up 6 months ago

That is a good idea..

totster

[OldAsiaHand]

Yep, same same.

And we notice a similar phenomenon with answering machines on land lines. Any time we have a hang-up, there will be a long series of them one after another, sometimes including very funny Thai-language background discussions of how to make our machine stop answering so that the caller will be connected to the person they really want to talk to.

Even the dimmest idea that they might themselves have done something wrong, such as calling the wrong number, just never seems to enter into the calculation at all. The cultural parallels are too apparent to comment.....

[Losangels]

I sometimes get wrong number callers say something like, who's this or where is this? It used to drive me nuts. I usually say to them who do you what to talk to. Eventhough in my mind I'm thinking why don't you know where the <deleted>> you calling Most of the time they don't bother to say sorry for the wrong call. I guess it's because it's difficult to accept mistakes and lose face.

[george]

I always make them mad at me when they call wrong.

They ask: -"Tee nai?"

I answer: -"Tee nee!"

They ask again: -"Tee nai?"

Me: -"Tee nee"

I mostly get some profanity back like "baaksida meluu ruang"...

I love it, great fun

[lopburi3]

Ok; if you had been here in the old days you would probably not be asking why. The old system was very prone to dial out a wrong number from the exchange so you had to keep trying in the hope that you would get though. So today many people do not believe they may be dialing a wrong number - it must be the system. And today most phones have that redial button so if they entered the number wrong the first time it just gets dialed again.

And yes; telephone manners can sometimes be worse then the auto highway.

[Losangels]

I always make them mad at me when they call wrong.

They ask: -"Tee nai?"

I answer: -"Tee nee!"

They ask again: -"Tee nai?"

Me: -"Tee nee"

I mostly get some profanity back like "baaksida meluu ruang"...

I love it, great fun

Heh! heh! heh! that's a good one. I think I will say the same next time

[English Noodles]

I forgot which thread I read this in, but if it's someone repeatedly calling you on your mobile simply set the ringtone for that number to mute.

Have a look here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62595&hl=

[p_brownstone]

I agree with Lopburi3 – I think the major problem is that blasted re-dial function on most ‘phones these days.

My home 'phone number here is just one digit different from the local shop supplying Ice – I am 02 ABB XXXX. The Ice Shop is 02 AAB XXXX – something I eventually discovered after several months of wrong numbers, usually late at night with an obvious party going on in the background and an obstreperous Thai demanding “Ran Nam Keng chai mai?” .

These days, since I know the number they want I will explain that they have the wrong number and give them the number of the Ice Shop: You’d think that would be the end of it, but no, 9 times out of 10 the caller will hit that re-dial button anyway, often several times until I take the ‘phone off the hook for the evening, apparently hoping that the Farang has gone away and the Ice Shop miraculously appeared in his stead.

Patrick

[Khutan]

Ah, such fun can be had with wrong numbers, or pretending it is a wrong nember when it isn't.

When the phone rings at 6:00 am, I know its my wife's family wanting money.

Normally goes like this :

Ring-ring:

Me: Hello Krup (I know its no one I want to speak to).

Them: Kho-sai Giah. (Can I talk to Giah)

Me: Long Pause:.... Pud Arai Krup (What did you say)

Them: Kho-sai Giah. (Same again)

Me: Korr-tot, mai-khao Jai, pud igg na krup. (Sorry I don't understand, please say again)

Them: (Nice and Loud) Kho-sai Giah.

Me: Kott Tot Na Krup, Mai Khao Jai, pud cha cha na krup. ( sorry I don't understand, speak slowly)

Them: (Nice and Loud and slow) Kho-sai Giah.

Me: Giah lang naawn, Saw wat dee krup. (Giah is sleeping - Good Bye)

At this point I turn off the phone, or change it to silent. If nothing else it discourages the early morning calls.

[lingling]

Just tell the caller that the person he/she is looking for is a) in prison or dead. Should make them stop.

[moonoi]

I remember my gf telling me about a person who kept calling her mobile asking for her husband. When she was still studying at Uni.

Fist conversation sth like:

my gf: "Hello"

caller: "Wheres' my husband?"

my gf: "Sorry I think you have wrong number"

caller: "No I don't I know his number what have you done with him?"

She hangs up

calls back again but this time my gf decides to string her along Told her that he was busy in the shower etc etc. She carried this on for several months...even her mum and friends decided to wind this woman up. They tried to tell her lots of times they were only teasing her and that she had the wrong number but the crazy caller was having non of it...she knew the number was correct. In the end the crazy woman wanted to meet her, so she arranged the time and place, my gf got her Dad to go instead and gave this woman a piece of his mind for wasting his daughters time and for making threats her

Can't imagine the hel_l that womans husband must have gone through for those months....still find it funny though...all because the woman couldn't accept she dialled wrong!

Obviously I've condensed the story a fair bit because I can't be bothered to write down all the details

[astral]

I always make them mad at me when they call wrong.

They ask: -"Tee nai?"

I answer: -"Tee nee!"

They ask again: -"Tee nai?"

Me: -"Tee nee"fun

Good one.

My response is in English,

"Sorry, who do you want to speak to?"

Ususally results in silence, and then they ring off.

Works pretty well anywhere outside the UK, or other English speaking countries

[too true]

Last week in the space of about two minutes I got 10 sms messages with no words, all from the same phone number, which I didn't recognize. Handed the phone over to my husband and had him call the number. Conversation went something like this:

"Hello. You've sent me 10 messages in 2 minutes. Do I know you?"

"Who are you? I haven't sent any messages."

"I'm in Chiang Mai. Yes you have. 10 of them."

"No I haven't"

"Yes you have"

"No I haven't."

"Well how do you think I got your number? Check your balance and see for yourself."

Then he hung up.

30 seconds later the guy calls back. "You're right. But I didn't mean to. sorry about that."

How does that happen? Is the guy sitting on his phone and it's just a huge fluke that it ends up being our number that his backside punches into the phone? I don't get it....

[lopburi3]

It may have been his four year old daughter? Found our granddaughter yesterday with her big sisters phone and trying to make calls. She knows how to use the camera but is not supposed to be calling. Her excuse was that she did not have a real phone of her own so has to "borrow" sisters.

At least the guy did own up to it after he found out you were right.

[sbk]

I have a friend who received some bizarre love poem in Thai (SMS) on his phone every day at the same time. He went to the phone shop and had them block the number with his service provider (he didn't have block calling on his phone).

This person never called him to find out why no response so why would someone waste their time SMS'ing a love poem to a total stranger?

[Thaising]

Me too, having the same problem like the rest of you. My answer to the caller is Po Teck Tung Foundation for the dead. This will put the caller scratching his/her head and away from calling again.

[kat]

ok, I'm currently having this problem. Over the last 2 weeks, Thai wrong numbers have been calling me which have now escalated into mild but highly annoying harassment. They are Thai guys, and they are calling me from different numbers, so it is difficult to keep track. I received a phone call today at 6 a.m. I'm glad that I left my mobile in another room last night.

At first I spoke back to them in English and limited Thai, because I know a political prisoner here who sometimes has people call me with varying degrees of English-speaking skills. So, I think the original problem is that I made it far too fun for them.

I have a new strategy and I hope it works: when they call, I don't say anything after hello. I just let them ramble on and on so they can use up their account and waste their money. It has to get dull very soon I think. I hope!

*edit: how do you get numbers blocked if you don't have this feature on your phone? Can you just turn up at any shop?

Edited May 11, 2006 by kat

[sbk]

ok, I'm currently having this problem. Over the last 2 weeks, Thai wrong numbers have been calling me which have now escalated into mild but highly annoying harassment. They are Thai guys, and they are calling me from different numbers, so it is difficult to keep track. I received a phone call today at 6 a.m. I'm glad that I left my mobile in another room last night.

At first I spoke back to them in English and limited Thai, because I know a political prisoner here who sometimes has people call me with varying degrees of English-speaking skills. So, I think the original problem is that I made it far too fun for them.

I have a new strategy and I hope it works: when they call, I don't say anything after hello. I just let them ramble on and on so they can use up their account and waste their money. It has to get dull very soon I think. I hope!

*edit: how do you get numbers blocked if you don't have this feature on your phone? Can you just turn up at any shop?

Yup, go to a phone shop, they can call in to your provider and get it blocked, much easier that way then trying to deal with the phone company yourself, I think.

[stats]

Same here... Got lots of wrong number caller everyweek very weired

[dantilley]

Same here... Got lots of wrong number caller everyweek very weired

Maybe it's rival teams trying to distract you from forming your tactical master-plan?

[daleyboy]

I forgot which thread I read this in, but if it's someone repeatedly calling you on your mobile simply set the ringtone for that number to mute.

Wow, that's a great idea.

The ex missus keeps calling at all hours, we broke up 6 months ago

You might need more than a silent ringtone, sounds more like you need an injunction for stalking