[Flipside]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-29649603

Must admit, whilst I can understand why this was traumatic at first, I think that once I knew what had happened, I'd find it funnier than upsetting, but maybe that's just because my Grandparents were the sort of people who would have found this funny too.

[Dragon]

Funny little misunderstanding. In retrospect, it should've been obvious that the phone company isn't going to waste a perfectly good number on a dead woman's phone. She was lucky anyway, those messages could've gone to somebody less benign, or to some corporation.

[karajorma]

Of course it's pretty obvious. Who the hell thinks that after 3 years the number would still not have been recycled?

She obviously should have just got a "Pay as you go" account for grandma when they buried her.

[Flipside]

I think by that stage, she'd already gone

Sorry...

[Veers]

I received a nice call from a Senior Detective on my number (which by this point I have been using for over 3 years). Tracking down the previous owner for reasons unspecified.

Quite happily called the local Police station and verified his identity. (Organised Crime Squad, imagine how happy I felt hearing that).

RECYCLE ALL THE THINGS!

[Dragon]

Considering that people like this are especially likely to ditch phone numbers, I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to quite a few people.

[Mongoose]

Sweet, you have a burner!