Oliver asked the hotel desk for a wake-up call at seven. His train left at eight.
At 6:15, the phone rang.
“Good morning, sir,” said the receptionist. “Just confirming your seven o’clock wake-up call.”
Oliver went back to sleep.
At 6:45, the phone rang again. “Just a reminder—your wake-up call is in fifteen minutes.”
“I’m awake now!” Oliver shouted. “Don’t call me again until seven!”
At seven, the phone stayed silent. At eight, Oliver woke in a panic, grabbed his suitcase and hurried down to reception.
“You promised me a wake-up call at seven!”
The receptionist opened his notebook. “At 6:45 you told me you were awake, sir. I marked the wake-up call as completed.”
“But I went back to sleep!”
“The wake-up call worked,” the receptionist said. “Going back to sleep was an optional extra.”