"One call got off on the wrong foot"

"Obviously, when you work in a call centre and take hundreds of calls a day, you’re bound to get the odd wrong number. Usually it’s just a matter of the caller saying “Oops, sorry, wrong number” and that’s the end of it. But I do remember getting one call that didn’t quite go like that.

"When I answered the call the gentleman on the other end asked me who he had rung. I told him that he had come through to the AA. I must admit that his reply took me back a bit. He said that he wanted to order some shoes so I must be on the wrong number! He then asked me why every time he called this number the person who answered always asked if he was in a safe location. “Of course I am,” he said. “I’m at home and all I want to do is order some shoes.”

"When I explained to him that I could help him with a broken down vehicle but not with shoes, the penny dropped and he apologised, said his phone must have a fault and hung up. It kept me smiling for the rest of the day."

Debra Watson, AA Call Centre