Metropol

what is the best way to ask someone who they are, without revealing the fact that you have deleted them from your phone? i've tried all the general "how are you" crap to try and get a few clues, but that never works.

I usually use something likes, Hi, long time no see (which is usually the case if I've deleted them) how are you? It seems like ages since we've been in touch, when was it I wonder..."

Hopefully you then get told a date/event you can recall.

How about telling the truth?

When you're of my advanced years, you can get away with saying something like "by the way, who the heck are you, I deleted all my phone contacts by mistake and now all I know about you is that you're 01632 960444".

Can't you get away with that in your exceedingly youthful state?

This link might be useful, however, to get the location from the number.

I accidentally duplicated my entire contacts list on my phone when I was trying to make a backup, now no one's name comes up unless I delete the second entry of their number. There's a couple of hundred in there and it will take some time to sort.

If you can squeeze that into 147 characters then you have your get-out-of-jail card and know it is someone's true story.

Tell me this - what is one to do when a caller's forename, surname and possibly cryptic descriptor flash on my handset and I still haven't a clue who it is?

Trust me - the small talk is excruciating.

Aha!

So you know Bill Jones (Mobile) as well, then.

Nick Harvey wrote:My advanced years... Can't you get away with that in your exceedingly youthful state?

Honestly, the way you talk, anybody would think you were old.

Let me know if you want to borrow my bus pass.

I've been in this position too and you have to accept that you must have deleted them for a reason...

By pure coincidence I have had no less than three people text me today with unknown numbers and I have no idea who they are... either it is some kind of particularly elaborate joke, or 28th June is National Text A Person Who Has Deleted Your Number Day. Figuring out who one person is is tricky enough but this is ridiculous.

I love it when I get a new number because I can text people I know and tell them very personal things I know about them and they don't have a clue who's sending the texts! At least not until I've wound them up a bit!

Nick Harvey wrote:How about telling the truth?

When you're of my advanced years, you can get away with saying something like "by the way, who the heck are you, I deleted all my phone contacts by mistake and now all I know about you is that you're 01632 960444".

Can't you get away with that in your exceedingly youthful state?

This link might be useful, however, to get the location from the number.

aah but i don't really ever call anyone on a land line, they're all 07s. you'd think this day in age that in the absence of an entry in your phone book, instead of displaying the caller's number by default, phones would be able to display the caller's name.

i used the "got a new phone" (which is true) excuse and was presented with a name - sadly i know several people with that name so i had to do a bit of angela lansbury investigating and asked if they were still working at the same place etc etc and finally solved the mystery

that'll teach me for being too lazy for just moving the sim card across and once i'd made sure the important numbers were on it i wiped the old phone's contact list.