Wrong Number Woes

We've all rung the wrong phone number and we've all received calls for the wrong person, but sometimes wrong numbers just won't go away.

When I was a little girl my parents' telephone number was only one digit different from a Poodle Palour's. This was the 1970s, so the idea of beauty palours for pooches was very amusing to my brother and I. Eventually the owners of the business rang my family to apologise for all the wrong calls we were receiving. Or it may have been because my brother, due to reaching his frustration limits, had started taking bookings for "Fifi's bath and clip at 3:00pm" etc.

As an adult I've received the odd missed call, but recently the days of the Poodle Palour have returned, this time it's a school that keeps ringing me.

For the past few months I have continued to received calls from a school about 'my son Ryan'. He apparently hasn't been doing his homework and now he needs to have his immunization shots. Some of the calls were leaning on the nasty, angry side too.

There is only one problem. I don't have a son called Ryan, the only Ryan I know is a 31 year-old photographer, who I am pretty sure has finished school. In fact I don't have any children at all.

I keep ringing the school to tell them that they are ringing the wrong number, but the calls persist.

So please, Ryan, who ever you are, please do your homework, get your immunization shots and most of all give your school the correct number for your parents, because if I find you I am going to take away your pocket-money for a very long time as punishment.