Even if/when they don't fully "own" the phones, users ought to always be able to access their data (at least for backup) and call emergency services (which is a legal requirement in many countries).

More generally and regardless of time pressure, I can't believe someone can "play" with such test a script (used with a production tool) without even thinking it might fuck up and hit real phone numbers... (and if the developer was aware that his approach might fuck up, then he should make his boss aware that he had no time to fully test the feature rather than play russian roulette. Time pressure is not an excuse for everything...)