Wrong Number (Adventures in Working: 1)

Because I work with insurance companies, I often have to make calls to 800 numbers on the east coast to verify benefits and eligibility, and like most companies that only have east coast offices, they like to close at 5:00pm EST, which makes it hard to verify benefits after 2:00 PST. So it's not unusual for me to leave paperwork to take care of on a later day.

Last week, I was following up on a new worker's comp case that was done on Monday. Since it was an injury done over the weekend they didn't have any of the information, and wouldn't for a couple days, making me have to follow up on it in a few days to make sure everything was good.

So I'm sitting in our little office that we converted from a bathroom into a registration room we have dubbed the "Fishbowl" calling this east coast insurance company when I realize I might have called the wrong number. I then call one of my coworkers:

"Hello?"

"Hey Stacey. Can you come to the Fishbowl?"

"Ugh. I'm working on something."

"I know, but could you just come over here real fast?"

"Why?"

"I need you to… witness something."

"...What?"

"Could you just come here real fast?"

"Fine. I'll be right there."

When she gets there, I explain how I am following up on this workers comp case, and I think I've got the wrong number, and I just wanted her to make sure that I'm typing in the right number, and that I called this number by mistake.

I then turn on the speakerphone, just like I did before (this is a habit I most of us get into. We turn on the speaker phone, dial the number, and pick up the headset once someone comes on the line), dial the number slowly saying each number aloud (1-888-###-####), and then we both hear:

"Oooooohhhh. *giggle* I like it when you…"

Then I hang up.

Stacey's eyes grew big as her jaw dropped, staring at the phone.

"I just wanted you to be here in case someone finds out this number was called, you can be my witness that it was called by mistake, and that I had the wrong number written down."

Of course, Stacey just laughs about it. And why wouldn't she? I was laughing about it, because of course, I would be the one that would write down "888" instead of "800" on a piece of paper that would lead me directly to a different kind of 800 number. And it had to be me sitting in this little room where all sounds echo out into the hallway with a speaker phone on when I dial such a number for various people, both patients and staff, around to hear.

Of course it would be me!

I then call my supervisor to explain what just happened to cover myself incase this would come back to me, and she also got a kick out of it. After it went around that Sam called a dirty talk line and turned bright red, I finally decided to get back to work and call the right number.

I go online, found the right number, called it, and got voice mail.

It was 2:01.

Well, there's always next week!