Hints From Heloise

Dear Heloise: I had to respond to the lady who calls back wrong numbers left on her answering machine/voice mail.

You said, “I bet the people appreciate it.”

Well, as someone who has done that for years, I can tell you the response is definitely mixed. Professional offices (doctors, etc.) have seemed annoyed.

Too many people don’t listen to the recording to begin with, so they don’t realize they are leaving their message with the wrong household. - Allison Dolan, Henrietta, N.Y.

You are right. It also might help if people either leave the phone number or name on their answering machine message so people who call know they’ve called the right party. For example, say, “You’ve dialed 555-5555,” or “This is the Jones residence”instead of simply, “Leave a message after the beep.”

Note: Please say phone numbers slowly and repeat them at the end of a message. - Heloise

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