You can try to be a nice person and handle things like an adult, but you can’t make the person on the other side of the equation do the same.

OP learned this lesson (probably not for the first time) when he moved and had to get a new phone number. Fine, except he soon realized that his new number was someone’s old number, and that someone often got phone calls – early in the morning and multiple times a day.

I had just moved to Australia and gotten a new phone, but as it turns out my number was someone else’s old number.

Every other week I’d get calls by a tradie who wanted to know why I wasn’t “on site, mate”, or “what I wanted done with building project ABC ..”.

Every time I explained at length that they got the wrong number and quite often folks on the other end were absolute rude or thought I was lying and insist I answered their questions or show up “on site, NOW”.

OP tracked him down, explained the situation, and asked him to please update his number and let his contacts know he had a change.

I was over it, so I googled my own number and did some digging and eventually found out the guy who had my number before, then his new number and then I called him.

I politely explained my dilemma, pointed out that there were two websites still having his old (my now new) number and if he could please change this and let his contacts know about his new number and to delete the old one as it was getting quite tedious for me.

By that time I had used my number for work, visa applications and landlords and friends and changing it would have been a huge pain. I explained all of that.

The guy told him to go shove it where the sun don’t shine, basically.

Well, of course he was just as pleasant as most of his contacts and told me something along the lines of “I don’t give a hoot, mate, that’s not my problem. Get *******, sort your own stuff out, mate.”

So, the next time someone called needing work advice early in the morning, OP gave him his best advice. Or advice, at any rate.

Well, the universe provides and so I got a great opportunity to do just that only a few weeks later.

I received a call in the early hours of one morning by another disgruntled guy telling me he was early and demanding to know where I wanted the sand put down and how to get in. I asked what sand and was told he had a full truckload of sand as ordered and no one was on-site and it was all fenced off.

Very briefly did I think about launching into my explanation but I was tired and over it and then realised the opportunity provided, I snapped back at him with no uncertainty: “Mate, it’s all good, dump it all right in the driveway, front of the fence, we’ll sort it out when we get there”

The guy said: “You sure mate? It’s a lot of sand.”

Me: “Absolutely sure mate, thanks a lot”

Him: “Alright then boss” and hangs up.

That got the ex-number-holder’s attention, as it pretty much ruined his day. He was angry, but he also finally took care of updating his number.

Well, I go back to bed, snoozing for another hour with a big smile until my phone rings again and I see it’s old mate with his new number who I had saved when I called him a few weeks ago.

I pick up rather chipper and he doesn’t waste any time launching into a series of swear words and how he has no access to the site and that he has to move a literal ton of sand by hand and whether or not I told the sand guy to dump it all there.

I replied: “You told me to sort this out myself, this is me sorting this out. You can remove the numbers and let your contacts know or not. Totally up to you. Mate.”

He was fuming, called me a few more choice words, promising to find me and a lot more before we ended the conversation.

However the numbers disappeared from the internet really quickly after that and I never got another call again.

And OP got a lasting chuckle.

I still have my number and every time I see a truck with sand I chuckle to myself thinking of this guy moving a ton of sand by hand and losing a fair few hours of labour because he was a douchebag and couldn’t be bothered sending a few texts.

Does Reddit agree this is a win/win? Let’s hear them out!

They say sometimes in life you’ve just gotta have a little fun.

That he never complained is just hilarious.

They finally took care of it themselves.

It took three years.

This person says thanks for the advice.

Life can be annoying sometimes.

It’s always a good idea to hang onto your sense of humor.