“What Are the Odds?”: Upholsterer Answers Call for a Completely Different Business—And Somehow Knew the Right Guy
Pexels/Reddit
It really is a small world sometimes.
One upholsterer learned that after an irritated woman called her shop looking for someone named Fred.
The only problem was that she wanted a completely different Fred who worked at a nearby Ford dealership.
Luckily, the upholsterer knew exactly who she meant because she had taken her own car there for service.
Even after she explained the mix-up, though, the woman still seemed suspicious.
Read on to see how their conversation played out.
“You don’t look like Fred.”
I didn’t have much direct customer contact at the upholstery shop I used to work at, so we were all a little confused the day that one of the front end staff came to the back shop and said line one was for me.
I picked up the phone, “Hello hello! Fred speaking.”
The older woman on the other end said, “You don’t look like Fred.”
So, I said, “Uhh, I did last time I looked in the mirror! Can I ask who is calling?”
At first, she was very confused.
Correcting herself, “I mean you don’t SOUND like Fred.”
“I assure you I do! Can I ask who is calling?” I asked again.
So she says, “This is [Judith Wheeler]. Calling you back.”
Confused, I said, “Hmm, I don’t think I was expecting a call from you. Can I ask what this is in regards to? Perhaps you can jog my memory.”
Then, she realized what was happening.
At this point, she’s very annoyed that I wasn’t expecting her call, “I was told to call back and ask for Fred in Service.”
Then, I realized what was going on and asked, “Servi… Oh! Are you trying to call Fred Koroluk in the Service Department at Merlin Ford?”
Upset she said, “Yes.”
Relieved, I said, “OK, well that makes more sense. You’ve reached Braithwaites Upholstery. I’m Fred, the upholsterer.”
The lady still couldn’t understand why she got the wrong Fred.
Confused, she asked, “Why did they put me through to you?”
I explained, “Probably because you asked for Fred, and Lisa probably just figured you said Service instead of Shop by accident. But we figured out the problem, so no worries! You can just call Ford and ask for the right Fred!”
Getting upset again, she said, “I did call Ford.”
I explained, “Well… Our number is 306-664-%%#€. Ford’s is 306-931-}}€€…”
At this point, it was a little more obvious.
The woman is now deeply suspicious, “How do you know who I’m looking for?”
Laughing I told her, “I drive an Escape. It’s old enough that it needs a fair bit of service. I spend a lot of time and money at Ford. I know their Service staff now.”
Then, she asked, “So why did I get YOU instead of the real Fred?”
Taken back, “I’m also a real Fred, but I don’t know. Did you dial the number on a keypad, click a link online, or click the caller in your call history on your phone screen?”
To make sure the lady understood, she explained everything the lady needed to do.
She said, “My call history.”
Not sure what to say I told her, “I don’t know, but I’d guess it was a computer glitch or a crossed wire with your phone provider. I’d suggest dialing directly from your keypad after we hang up. If it puts you through to us again, just tell Lisa you have the wrong number when she answers, and then try calling Ford from someone else’s phone.”
Still very cross, as if I am somehow responsible for this, “Fine. I’ll try that.”
I happily said, “Good luck! And have a great rest of your day!”
When she hung up, her coworkers wanted to know what happened.
Before hanging up, she said, “Goodbye.”
I hung up the phone. All six of my coworkers present that day had stopped their work and were staring at me in terrible confusion.
“WHAT was THAT?!” my boss asked.
“Oh, she had the wrong number. She wanted Fred Koroluk at Merlin Ford.”
Never Miss a StorySign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
“WHAT????”
And then I had the entire conversation again to explain it all to them. LOL.
Wow! She caught on very quickly.
Let’s check out what the readers over at Reddit think about it.
This person’s mom shared her name with a neighbor.
These people had a similar phone number to a doctor’s office.
That’s funny.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a customer who still asked for a manager after receiving perfect service.
Here’s someone who applauds their customer service.
That woman basically hit the lottery with wrong numbers.
What are the chances she’d reach another Fred who happened to know exactly which dealership she meant and who worked there?
A call like that usually ends with someone saying she has the wrong number and hanging up.
This one somehow worked out anyway, which makes the whole thing hilarious.
Enjoyed this story?
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
