Top 10 dumb calls to 911 in B.C.

VANCOUVER— British Columbia’s largest emergency dispatch centre has released a list of unnecessary calls it received this year, ranging from someone reporting a lost jacket to a retailer refusing to redeem a coupon.

But E-Comm says the most inappropriate use of the service on its top 10 list occurred when someone reported a fast-food restaurant was not open 24 hours a day as advertised.

Heather Andrews handled that call and she says when someone phones 911 to complain about customer service, time is taken away from helping people with real safety issues.

The 911 centre handled 1.45 million calls between January and November. E-Comm handles 92 per cent of the province’s 911 calls.

Kayla Ryan answered a call from an irate consumer about a business refusing to accept the return of a pair of shoes without the original box.

“When someone calls 911 for general information, we still have to confirm the person is safe before completing the call,” she says in a news release. “Calling the police to complain about a store’s return policy isn’t a reason to call 911.”

E-Comm says other ill-considered calls to the emergency line this year include:

To complain a local fast food restaurant wasn’t open 24 hours a day, as advertised.

To complain a store won’t take shoes back without the original box.

To complain that a gas station attendant put the wrong type of gas in their car.

To report a rental company provided the wrong-sized vehicle for a customer’s reservation.

To report a restaurant wouldn’t redeem a customer’s coupon.

To ask for help turning off their car lights.

To report their vehicle’s windshield wipers had stopped working.

To find out where their car had been towed.

To report a lost jacket. To ask if clocks move forward or backward during the spring time change.