“What is your file number or invoice number?”

I work in a law firm where I take credit card payments over the phone for client files (identifiable with a file number) or bill (invoice number). If it is a new file, they are paying a retainer fee.

Sometimes I get direct calls, sometimes I’m transferred a call from the front desk. It is not an 800 number or an 888 number (though close).

This call was a transfer where the Caller had to have heard, “Dewey Cheatum & Howe, how may I help you?” before getting to me.

Eve: Hi, this is Eve. How can I help you?

Caller: I’d like to make a credit card payment,

Eve: Great! Let me pull up my terminal…what is the file number or invoice number you are calling to pay on?

Caller: …it’s Visa…

Eve: We take Visa. What is the file number or invoice number?

Caller: My card number is (recites credit card number).

Eve: Thank you! Is this for a retainer or a bill?

Caller: It’s a credit card payment.

Eve: Which attorney are you working with?

Caller: No, I’m making a credit card payment.

Eve: …you’ve reached Dewey Cheatum & Howe, is this where you were trying to reach?

Caller: You don’t take credit card payments?

Eve: For our cases, yes. Do you have a file number?

Caller: I’m making a payment on my credit card.

Eve: Sir, are you trying make a payment on a legal case with one of the attorneys at Dewey Cheatum & Howe or are you trying to make a payment on your credit card? I can help you figure this out.

Caller: Yes, but you are no help. Good-bye.

He hangs up the phone and I look for his number in our records and on a phone search and found nothing. Looked for the firm number with one digit off and found…possibilities….but no smoking gun.

One month later…

Transfer call.

Eve: Hi, this is Eve. How can I help you?

Caller: I’d like to make a credit card payment,

Eve: Great! Let me pull up my terminal…what is the file number or invoice number you are calling to pay on?

Caller: …it’s Visa…

I look at the number and recognized it. History was repeating itself verbatim.

Eve: Sir, I believe you called last month. This is the law firm. If —

Caller: You’re no help!

He hangs up.

It’s not just that he called the wrong number twice, but that he got called twice AND got transferred twice. Hearing our firm name twice and still thinking everything is fine and that he was definitely going to make a card payment for his Visa at Dewey Cheatum & Howe.