He Refused To Update His Old Number, So Someone Finally Decided To ‘Sort It’ For Him

Getting a recycled phone number is annoying enough, but getting one that belonged to someone who refuses to update their details turns everything into chaos.

One newcomer to Australia learned this the hard way when tradies kept calling him at all hours, demanding job updates and treating him like he was slacking off on worksites he didn’t even know existed.

After politely asking the previous owner to update his contacts and getting a rude, profanity-filled response, he decided to “sort it himself,” just like the guy told him to. And the universe handed him the perfect chance for petty, glorious revenge.

A man stuck with someone’s old number finally “sorts it out” his own way

In this story, the OP simply wanted peace, no more early-morning calls from tradesmen, no more explaining the situation over and over, no more rudeness from strangers who believed he was someone else.

That emotional exhaustion is something many people can relate to. The moment the previous number owner snapped and said, “Sort your own sh*t out,” the OP’s disappointment shifted into something sharper: a need for fairness after being repeatedly dismissed.

His eventual choice, to let the sand delivery fall right at the man’s feet, wasn’t just revenge; it was the culmination of feeling unheard, minimized, and disrespected.

From a psychological perspective, the OP’s actions reflect what behavioral researchers call reactive justice—a natural impulse to restore balance when someone treats you unfairly.

According to social psychologist Dr. David DeSteno, people react strongly when they feel their good faith efforts are met with contempt. His research highlights that revenge isn’t always rooted in cruelty; often, it springs from a desire to re-establish dignity when someone violates our trust or cooperation.

In this case, the OP attempted diplomacy first. Only after being insulted, and essentially told his inconvenience didn’t matter, did he shift toward a corrective response that made the consequences land squarely where they belonged.

But there’s another angle that offers a fresh perspective. While many readers might cheer for the OP’s clever retaliation, others might see a deeper layer of accountability.

Some people avoid responsibility because it forces them to confront their own disorganization or carelessness. The previous number owner’s anger likely masked embarrassment, changing your details requires effort, and admitting you forgot means acknowledging personal negligence.

As therapist Dr. Harriet Lerner explains in her work on conflict patterns, people who react with hostility often do so to protect their ego rather than to address the actual problem.

Understanding this helps explain why his reaction was so disproportionate and why the OP’s firm boundary eventually forced him to act responsibly.

Dr. Lerner’s insight emphasizes that people change their behavior only when they experience real consequences, not when they are gently encouraged.

The OP’s sand-related solution, while dramatic, created the kind of external pressure that finally led the man to remove his old number from public listings. In essence, it achieved what polite requests could not: accountability.

In the end, this story reminds us how emotional burnout can push even patient people into decisive action.

When someone refuses to fix a problem they created, the consequences may eventually land right on their doorstep, sometimes literally, in the form of a full truckload of sand.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

This group shared stories about misdirected calls and texts turning into opportunities for petty fun

These commenters described escalating situations where the previous number owner’s negligence created ongoing problems

This group leaned into playful sabotage, canceling reservations, receiving accidental medical faxes, or sending shocking texts

These commenters dealt with long-running wrong-number issues tied to official or professional lines

Do you think OP’s response was a fair lesson in consequences, or did they cross a line by weaponizing the misdial? Have you ever inherited a number with baggage? Drop your thoughts below!