When was the last time you called the radio to request a song? Okay, let's change the question - when was the last time you listened to the radio? It is likely that this was the time when you were driving a car or riding in a taxi - but many years ago, ordering a song for yourself, your friend or your love was incredibly cool.
We are talking, of course, about the eighties, when telephones were landlines (and some also had disks) and radio DJs were real superstars. Of course, the radio station managers felt like agents of the stars - and behaved accordingly.
Featured in the Reddit community "I Don't Work Here Lady", this story captures those good old days and has garnered almost 5.5K upvotes and over 200 comments to date. Yes, people love vintage narratives, especially if they're as funny as this one.
More info: Reddit
This story goes back to the beginning of the 80's when people used to call the radio to order songs
Image source: pxhere (not the actual photo)
So this was in the early eighties and the phone number at the Original Poster's house was 555-5070. At the same time, the local radio station launched a direct line to 555-5700, and as a result, if someone wanted to order a song or just call live, they often got connected to the OP's house.
Image source: Swifty-Dog9
The radio ads caused a mix-up with the OP's home and radio station numbers
The problem was exacerbated by the fact that in the ads of the service for ordering a song, the announcer did not pronounce their phone number quite correctly. They said "Call us at Five-Five-Five, Fifty Seven Hundred" - and as a result, many listeners perceived it as 50-70. The first few wrong calls just looked funny, then it became annoying, and over time turned into real torture.
The OP's father could not stand it - he called the manager of the radio station, explained the problem and politely asked them to re-record the ad's text so that they would no longer call their house. We've said before that radio station managers felt extremely entitled at the time, didn't we? This one was no exception.
Image source: Swifty-Dog9
After being rejected by the manager, the OP's father told the next caller that they had won a free car
The man happily informed the next person who got the wrong number that they had become an anniversary listener, and for this they had received a gift - a free car. All they had to do was go to the radio station and say they were sent from the direct line.
If there were any questions about getting the desired car, said the OP's father, you just needed to call that very manager - and he would definitely sort things out.
Image source: Swifty-Dog9
The OP recalls that his father managed to give away two cars, after which calls to their house abruptly stopped, and they did not hear anything more about that radio station.
Image source: bixentro (not the actual photo)
Commenters basically admired the smart way that OP's father sorted things out
People in the comments, of course, were delighted with the resourcefulness of the OP's father, and some remarked that he should have taken money from the radio station for call forwarding at all.
And, of course, the commenters also recalled many similar stories - not only with radio stations, but also with pizza ordering services, shops and others - however, not everywhere did it turn on the entitled manager so cleverly.
If you have come across similar stories, we will be very happy to read your comment. Unfortunately, it will not work to order a song, although you can write your favorite, and we will try to sing it to ourselves, at least.