Wrong number

Hobbes

It's an oldie...

From: California Wireless Incorporated <cwi@rahul.net>

Leola Starling of Ribrock, Tenn., had a serious telelphone problem. But
unlike most people she did something about it. The brand-new, $10 million
Ribrock Plaza Motel opened nearby and had acquired almost the same
telephone number as Leola. From the moment the motel opened, Leola was
besieged by calls-not for her. Since she had had the same phone number for
years, she felt she had a case to persuade the motel management to change
its number. Naturally, the management refused-claiming it could not change
its stationery. The phone company was not helpful, either. A number was a
number, and just because a customer was getting someone else's calls 24
hours a day didn't make it responsible. After her pleas fell on deaf ears,
Leola decided to take matters into her own hands.

At 9 o'clock the phone rang. Someone from Memphis was calling the motel
and asked for a room for the following Tuesday. Leola said, "No problem.
How many nights?" A few hours later Dallas checked in. A secretary wanted
a suite with two bedrooms for a week. Emboldened, Leola said the
Presidential Suite on the 10th floor was abailable for $600 a night. The
secretary said she would take it and asked if the motel wanted a deposit.
"No, that won't be necessary," Leola said. "We trust you." The next day
was a busy one for Leola. In the morning she booked an electric appliance
manufacturer's conference for Memorial Day weekend, a college prom and a
reunion of the 82nd Airborne veterans from World War II. She turned on her
answering machine during lunch time so she could watch the OJ Simpson
trial, but her biggest challenge came in the afternoon when a mother called
to boook the ballroom for her daughter's wedding in June. Leola assured
the woman that it would be no problem, and asked if would be providing the
flowers or did she want the hotel to take care of it. The mother said she
would prefer that the hotel handle the floral arrangements. Then the
question of valet parking came up. Once again Leola was helpful. "There's
no charge for valet parking, but we always recommend that the client tip
the drivers." In a few months the Ribrock was a disaster area. People
kept showing up for weddings, bar mitzvahs and Sweet 16 parties and were
all told there were no such events. Leola had her final revenge when she
read in the local newpaper that the motel might go bankrupt. Her phone
rang, and an executive from Marriot said, "We're prepared to offer you
$200,000 for the motel." Leola replied, "We'll take it, but only if you
change the telephone number."