Today's adventure.

I’m Don. This will be my first venture in to the blogsphere. My son Trever handles our websites. Nearly every day is an adventure here and some stand out more than others. These last few weeks things have happened that I thought visitors to our site might find interesting if not comical.

This past Wednesday a typical barrage of emails and phone calls came in from all around the world while we were moving some 65 jukes to another warehouse. Thursday evening I had a chance to listen to some 12 messages on one of several phone lines we have in the office.

One was from a British speaking gentleman who was calling from a cell phone that was breaking up so bad, about all I could make out on the answering machine was that button #12 had broken off. I couldn’t make out a name and he didn’t leave a phone number as far as I could tell.

Then Friday morning I find another message on my machine from a British speaking gentleman who sounds like he’s interested in buying a jukebox we have on our website. He says he’s English but wants to know the cost of mailing it to PA 16823. He leaves a very long phone number.

I research the zip code to learn its Bellefonte, PA. I attempt to dial it directly from my Verizon cell phone. No go. I call Verizon to ask what I need to do to make this call. I’m told I need to dial 011 44 before the call. She asks me how I well she did in helping me and I give her a 10 (great) rating.

There is a cute ending to this story, so hang in there.

I hang up and dial the number only to get (what used to be called) an incorrect dialing tone. I call Verizon wireless back only to be told Verizon is unable to call the UK. What!!! How can that be. How can Verizon not be able to call the UK????? Amazing.

I hang up and dial Time Warner (another of our phone services). You need to have several carriers on several lines to stay in business when phones loose service. Time Warner says it’s no problem calling the UK. All they have to do is run a credit check and take my driver’s license number.

Wait! They’ve been cashing my checks for phone, cable TV and Internet services for years and they want to run a credit check? I say go ahead and soon the guy returns to the phone and says I pass the credit check. I told him if I hadn’t, Time Warner wouldn’t be my cable, phone and Internet service provider anymore. He lucked out. He sets it all up then tells me I can’t make the call for 24 hours. What?!!! I hang up.

We’re out all day moving jukeboxes. I get back in to find another message from a British guy, but this time I can make out who he is. It’s one of our customers who has a broken #12 key on his 1475 Rockola.

In fact he’s a producer of one of the most popular television shows in the world. I call him back at his home and we talk about fixing his #12 button. Then I relay the story of his call that was garbled and the other British fella’s call and my trouble calling him. The producer asks for the guy’s number. I play back the message on the answering machine and he says: "I got it!"

I ask what he means and he says: “I’ll give him a ring in the morning”. I respond with: “You’ll call him?” He answers: “Of course!”

How cool is that? This potential customer of ours in England is going to get a call from this world famous television producer. I’ve got to say it’s pretty cool doing business in LA.