Marie Lovetere probably never had a more difficult day as office manager of Allston Insurance Agency in Boston.
Shortly after comedian Louis C.K. sent out an email announcing a surprise show in the city Tuesday night, the phone at Allston Insurance began ringing. The reason? C.K.’s email incorrectly listed Allston’s phone number instead of the phone number for the Paradise Rock Club, the venue for the show.
“Allston Insurance; this is not the Paradise, they gave you the wrong number,” Lovetere would answer when the phone range.
The Paradise’s number is 617-562-8800. C.K. had listed 617-562-8200, the number for Allston Insurance.
Most of the calls were for the Paradise, but Lovetere said she had to answer each one on the off-chance it was a genuine call relating to the agency’s business.
“We have to answer because we don’t know if it’s a customer or not,” the belabored office manager told the
Boston Globe. “It just keeps ringing and ringing. There’s no stopping. What do I do?”
Lovetere manned the phones solo, as she and agent Kevin Fraser were the only ones in the office Tuesday. With Fraser busy attending to his clients, Lovetere braved the avalanche of phone calls requesting tickets to a show for a comedian she’s never heard of – in a venue she’s never been.
“I’m really worn out right now,” she laughed. “I’m like a broken record.”
Lovetere has worked at Allston for more than 20 years, but she told the
Globe she’s never had a day like Tuesday.
“What can you do?” she said. “Things happen. We just have to bear with it, that’s all.”
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