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Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/26 22:01
I have a Softbank mobile phone number and frequently have strangers calling me and speaking in very fast Japanese. It's super awkward because my Japanese is not good enough to properly understand them, so I say: "sumimasen, wakarimasen, watashi no nihongo wa jozu janai, eigo onegashimasu?". They talk for a little bit more in Japanese, hang up, then call me again a few minutes later speaking super fast again and so the cycle continues. Tonight I had six missed calls and two voice mails from a woman speaking super fast saying something like "nani nani konbanwa, nani nani onegashimasu, nani nani domo arigatou, thank you". I thought it was weird that she said "thank you" in English at the end - does this mean she knows me? My Japanese acquaintances are programmed into my phone and it's not them, so I'm wondering if it's telemarketers. How common is it for telemarketers in Japan to call after 6pm at night and leave voice mails like this? Or could it just be that people are misdialing my number thinking I'm someone else? And if so should I send them a text message telling them I don't speak Japanese and they must have the wrong number?
by jennjett  

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 13:25
It better not to answer nor reply the number. You may involve in an incident.

If you have an iPhone with ios 7, you can block the number if the caller tells you his/her phone numbers.

The otherwise, an optional service called Number Block which costs you 100 Yen per month blocks all registered numbers up to 20.
If you like to know about the Number Block service, visit Softbank mobile shops. Softbank doesn't provide a free number blocking service.
by tokyo friend 48 rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 13:42
Tokyo Friend, do you think these are telemarketers, or just normal people who have dialed the wrong number? Do telemarketers use Keigo?
by jennjett rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 13:57
If you don't recognize the number just answer the phone in English. If it's a wrong number, they'll figure it out rather quickly.
by daai maou (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 14:00
I'm not sure but telemarketers often call on home phone, not on mobile phone.
by tokyo friend 48 rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 14:15
I used to receive a whole bunch of calls (intended to the previous holder of the number) on my mobile. They were usually money lenders, and other telemarketers. You could simply block the numbers that you don't recognize. If you happen to take the call by mistake, just talk in English, and hang up.
by AK rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 15:48
You probably have your number accidentally registered somewhere. Or perhaps someone else has a number that is very much like yours.

Of course you can block them, but you can also simply register the callers' numbers so that when they call again you know you can ignore them. Meanwhile, you can try Googling that number to see if there is anyone else having the same problem with that number (there often is). Type quotation marks (") around it so that you can search for that precise number.

I never had that problem with my Softbank phone, but I did with my other phones including my land-line phone.

It was funny and annoying at the same time, because I kept being waken up very early in the morning from milkmen who thought I was their wholesaler. I finally called the wholesaler, who did have a very similar number, to see if this could be corrected. The operator was apologetic but said they couldn't do much. However, these calls did stop quite soon, so perhaps the wholesaler looked over their information or something.

Another time, people were thinking that I'm a driver of some sort. These people were always drunk and called me in the early hours of the evening telling me to pick them up to go to "the usual place." Like the milkmen, these were also seemingly innocent people who said things like, "Ah, come on, stop joking, ha, ha!" for a while, and then suddenly they'd go, "Okaaaay, ha, ha." and hang up.

I kept record of them. I registered their numbers by names such as "wrong 1" or "one-car-please guy" or "the guy who thinks I go to Zama." I think one or two numbers called me more than once. But now it's all stopped, thank goodness.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/27 18:50
Haha Uco, that is funny! What confuses me is when I do answer and tell these people I can't understand them and I don't speak Japanese, they keep calling back. It must be related to the previous owner of my phone number, maybe they're debt collectors or something.
by jennjett rate this post as useful

Re: Wrong phone numbers 2015/2/28 00:47
jennjett, yes, I understand what you are saying and I'm not telling you to respond in Japanese. I'm just saying that by keeping track of the callers' numbers, you may be able to find out something. Anway, I hope it stops sooner or later.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

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