IBM outsource press relations to my work phone number!
OK, so it is a Friday, but I have just fielded one of the funniest calls I’ve had for a while.
Had a call transferred through from an equally confused colleague, the call in question being from a hack over at PC Pro magazine (published by Dennis, one of our rivals). He wanted to know about configuration specs for the new X41 Thinkpad laptop. In particular, he wanted to know whether all X41 units shipped with a docking station, and whether the inclusion of a CD drive in the spec also meant it would include the docking station.
He went on to say that he needed a definitive answer for the piece he was writing, so I suggested he should speak to IBM in that case. Silence followed, eventually punctuated by his question asking who exactly he was speaking to.
When I explained who I was and which mag I was on, the very embarrassed caller made his excuses and apologies and exited the call - clearly he thought he was calling IBM.
Not sure if it was a genuine mistake, or if one of my former VNU colleagues, now working at Dennis set him up, but either way - very funny, and I’m still laughing.
