[nilesfunnies] Fw: If the 'phone won't stop ringing

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If the 'phone won't stop ringing
Leola Starling of Ribrock, Tenn., had a serious telephone problem.
But unlike most people she did something about it. The brand-new
$10 million Ribrock Plaza Motel opened nearby and had acquired
almost the same telephone number as Leola.

From the moment the motel opened, Leola was besieged by calls not
for her. Since she had the same phone number for years, she felt
that she had a case to persuade the motel management to change its
number. Naturally, the management refused claiming that it could
not change its stationery.

The phone company was not helpful, either. A number was a number,
and just because a customer was getting someone else's calls 24
hours a day didn't make it responsible. After her pleas fell on deaf
ears, Leola decided to take matters into her own hands.

At 9 o'clock the phone rang. Someone from Memphis was calling the
motel and asked for a room for the following Tuesday. Leoloa said,
"No problem. How many nights?" A few hours later Dallas checked
in. A secretary wanted a suite with two bedrooms for a week.
Emboldened, Leola said the Presidential Suite on the 10th floor was
available for $600 a night. The secretary said that she would take
it and asked if the hotel wanted a deposit. "No, that won't be
necessary," Leola said. "We trust you."

The next day was a busy one for Leola. In the morning, she booked an
electric appliance manufacturers' convention for Memorial Day
weekend, a college prom and a reunion of the 82nd Airborne
veterans from World War II. She turned on her answering machine
during lunchtime so that she could watch the O.J. Simpson trial, but
her biggest challenge came in the afternoon when a mother called
to book the ballroom for her daughter's wedding in June. Leola
assured the woman that it would be no problem and asked if she
would be providing the flowers or did she want the hotel to take
care of it. The mother said that she would prefer the hotel to
handle the floral arrangements. Then the question of valet parking
came up. Once again Leola was helpful. "There's no charge for valet
parking, but we always recommend that the client tips the drivers."

Within a few months, the Ribrock Plaza Motel was a disaster area.
People kept showing up for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Sweet
Sixteen parties and were all told there were no such events booked.
Leola had her final revenge when she read in the local paper that the
motel might go bankrupt. Her phone rang, and an executive from
Marriott said, We're prepared to offer you $2,000,000 for the
motel." Leola replied. "We'll take it, but only if you change the
telephone number."