Grrr, I am so cross with myself and want to let off steam! I got home today to find a message on my answerphone from a mum looking for lessons for her daughter. I duly wrote down the number - the answerphone was a bit hissy and unclear, but I listened to it three times and was sure I had the number right. Then I deleted the answerphone message. Then tried to ring back, and of course 'this number is not recognised'.... Poooooooh!

I am so annoyed, I have been hoping for more new pupils recently, then one comes along and this happens! I can't even do 1471 because my mother-in-law rang inbetween. I couldn't catch their name on the answerphone either, so I can't try directory enquiries.

Do you think people are likely to try and ring again before they give up on you, or do they take your lack of a return call as an indication you don't want to teach them? I have only ever not rung someone back once before, because I was too busy, and they never rang again either. (I didn't mind that time because I was too busy to give them lessons too.) I just wonder what is more typical.

This has at least prompted me to buy a better answerphone!

Oh no, what a shame.

It's hard to tell really - I guess it's going to depend on the individual person. I know that one of my current students said that the first couple of teachers he'd contacted (by email) hadn't got back to him so that's how he got to me. If I had left a phone message for someone and didn't hear back I would try them again after a couple of days, especially for something like starting lessons.

Not sure if that's gonna help, but I hope they get back in touch.

Lucid

It's quite possible they won't call back - they may assume your lack of response means you're not interested in teaching them.

All may not be lost though - have a look at the number you wrote down - odds are the STD code is correct if it's a local one (if you're not sure try googling STD codes, there's a list of them somewhere). That leaves you with 4 numbers, at least one, but quite possibly only one is wrong. I think that the numbers you'd be most likely to mishear and mix-up are 5,9 and maybe 8. Do you have one of those in the last 4? What happens if you substitute one of the others? The worst that could happen is a wrong number.

Unfortunately it's a mobile number, and the two possible permutations of it (after the 07) both exist, according to Google. And of course, that means I can't work it out by my locality. So the wrong number is possibly any of the remaining 9!

Hmm, if they don't ring back I might just try swapping random numbers around and see how many wrong numbers I can call!

When the people answer, don't ask if they phoned you earlier. It sounds unprofessional (get 1571 if you're with BT by the way). Be definite, "Hello you rang me earlier about music lessons!" It doesn't matter if a wrong number hears that.

It's happened to me in the past, not because of a hiss, but people give you a message and then give their number almost as an after-thought, speaking it very quickly! You can listen to a message several times and still not be sure of the number.

Good luck with your mission!

We often get messages on the answerphone at work and occassionaly people accidently leave the wrong number. People suprisingly do ring back quite often. Will cross fingers that this happens to you.

people give you a message and then give their number almost as an after-thought, speaking it very quickly! You can listen to a message several times and still not be sure of the number.

yes, I find this too.

I would chase it up any way you can. Be positive and warm. You might even find somone who never rang you in the first place ends up booking in for lessons


I nearly always find when I phone back people are almost surprised -"ooh thanks for returning my call"
is it really so unusual ? I'd always bother -even if I was full.

ps meant to say good luck !

Surely most people are aware that answering machines occasionally scramble or lose messages, so I would have thought there is a good chance that they will ring again. I had a similar experience recently when my husband told someone I was in the middle of eating and asked them to call back. I was furious with him, thinking it would have given a really bad impression, and like you had another call so couldn't 1471 it. Despite a further missed call, I did eventually speak to the chap. Hope you hear from yours again. Perhaps you could put your mobile number on your new answer-phone message?

Yes it must be as I get the same reaction when people send me an email with their phone number and I call them that night. Maybe if some teachers have no space they just don't ring back?

The way I see it, whoever emails me about lessons could also have emailed 4 other people with the same enquiry, so it probably pays to be prompt about calling back

There's a good chance your prospective pupil will phone back Claire! If I left a message and got no call back I'd probably ring again incase they didn't get it. It would be different if I'd actually spoken to someone who said they would call me back.

There's a good chance your prospective pupil will phone back Claire! If I left a message and got no call back I'd probably ring again incase they didn't get it. It would be different if I'd actually spoken to someone who said they would call me back.


I know I would call back after a couple of days, even if I had left a message on an answerphone. You'll have to let us know what happens

Well, just spent an entertaining 15 minutes ringing every possible permutation of the number I could think of... Got a lot of 'this number is not recognised', and a lot of bemused people saying 'music lessons????' A couple were answerphones and one of them *did* sound a bit like the woman who called, so fingers triple-crossed... She hasn't rung back since thursday, though, so I'm beginning to doubt she ever will!

I've just ordered my new phone/answerphone from the BT website so hopefully that one won't garble messages any more!

If you get a cordless phone you can see a whole list of calls you miss when you are out on it and do not have to dial 1471.