Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Things "Professionals" Say That Make You Laugh, and Cry, and Internally Combust
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
February 15, 2011 at 6:54 pm #717342
SueParticipantmaude, I had the same problem before I got married, as my maiden name is also woman’s first name. I got so tired of the sigh and the snotty attitude of “NO, I said your LAST name.”
February 15, 2011 at 7:22 pm #717343
SarahScootParticipantThreadjack: Sue, I changed my name when I married because my “maiden” name was incredibly common. (Sarah’s a common first name, and I had a very common American last name; everywhere I was a patient/customer etc., there was at least one other “me” in their system.) I was thrilled to change to my husband’s much-less-common last name. Unfortunately, it’s also a fairly-common men’s name — let’s say it’s “Matt.” I still sometimes get the snotty reply when asked for my last name: “No, your last name.” Ugh… but it’s a million times worse for my husband.
February 15, 2011 at 7:30 pm #717344
lucky chickMemberHa – I have a very ethnic and uncommon last night and have to brace myself for the blank, uneasy stare followed by “how do you spell that?” Not that I really mind, but now I usually just respond by spelling it straight off. At least no one suspects it’s my first name! :)
I should probably add my husband’s. Then my name would be Uncommon Ethnic-OtherEthnic.
February 16, 2011 at 2:56 am #717345
ZenguyParticipantContinuing the thread jack…try having three first names that can also be last names, let’s just say I answer to all of them…lol
February 16, 2011 at 4:34 am #717346
singularnameParticipantSheesh … on the name thing … and beyond … (leaving lighthearted but my jaw has drooped since I bought my house 3 years ago) …
When I bought my house and got all the paperwork from the title company, it all reads: “… Joe Blow (seller) sells house to Jane Doe, an unmarried woman (buyer) … .”
I’m not an “out-there” feminist by any stretch–happily single for 15 years and too many of my father’s genetics to allow me to NOT take care of my own self in all matters, but sheesh that one frosts me to this day. All the women I ask about this, of all “politics,” are appalled; all the men I ask about this, ditto, are confused by what I’m bent outta shape about.
February 16, 2011 at 5:41 pm #717347
lucky chickMemberWHAT UTTER BS!!! Now I’m going to be bent out of shape about it too! I hope you gave them h311 (although you were probably too shocked and polite to even register what they had said). UNBELIEVEABLE!!
February 16, 2011 at 6:45 pm #717348
datamuseParticipantsingularname: Whaaa–? Why did they even care?? That makes no sense. (I mean, I don’t doubt at all what it said, I just don’t get why it was even in there!)
On a similar note, several years ago I got a telemarketing phone call where they asked to speak to “the male head of household”. I told them my cat was technically male but he didn’t take phone calls. (I’ve since married, but “male head of household”? Really? Who still talks like that?)
February 16, 2011 at 8:04 pm #717349
JanSParticipantdatamuse…just tell them he died last week. (J/k). The downside to answering that there is no male HOH is then they know that you’re a female who lives alone. What a crock!
I now use Caller ID and screen all my calls. I figure if it’s important you’ll leave a message. If you don’t , then…too bad for you :)
February 16, 2011 at 9:32 pm #717350
datamuseParticipantYeah, Jan, that didn’t occur to me until later. My self-defense instructor would be so proud. *facepalm* (That also reminds me, in high school I dated a guy whose father HAD died a few years before and still got telemarketing calls on occasion. To their credit, the callers were polite and sympathetic when he told them.)
We got rid of our landline when it stopped working and we didn’t notice for several weeks. We figured that meant we didn’t need it. My cell phone does automatic caller ID and it’s a godsend.
Thinking about the original post on this thread…I know sometimes it seems like cs reps are asking stupid questions, but having been on the other end of that phone line, it’s amazing how often the issue really is something that simple. (Conversely, it does drive me crazy when I call tech support and they walk me through everything I’ve already tried, then tell me they have to escalate the call to someone with more expertise. I get the rationale behind the tiered phone support system but it’s very frustrating at times!)
February 16, 2011 at 9:38 pm #717351
celeste17ParticipantMy father has been gone for 11 years and every so often we get a call for him or the male of the house and I ask if they have a landline to heaven? That shuts them up really quick. LOL
February 16, 2011 at 11:12 pm #717352
MBParticipantMy father died 9 years ago and we occasionally would still get calls for him before we ditched the landline. My response was usually “he’s dead,” that too shuts them up and makes them very apologetic ;) I know, I know…not very nice of me, but I know it would crack my dear ol’ dad up!
Also, on the name thing…my married name is a very popular breakfast meat that everyone knows how to spell and I almost always get asked how to spell it. My response, just like the meat.
February 16, 2011 at 11:38 pm #717353
ZenguyParticipantMB, I bet it is the favored breakfast meat of the WSB…no doubt!
February 17, 2011 at 1:09 am #717354
cclarueMemberi knew a girl who married a guy with the last name pigg. problem was her name was Dusti. and she took his name!!
February 17, 2011 at 1:22 am #717355
MBParticipantYa, we definitely will have to take our last name into account when choosing first names for our children! I took the name, unhyphinated and all…that’s some real love there ;) Glad I wasn’t stuck with Pigg, just a part of one…a quite tasty part ;)
Still trying to come up with a story pertaining to the OP…uggh, too young for such a bad memory!
p.s. Poor Dusti Pigg ;(
February 17, 2011 at 1:56 am #717356
ZenguyParticipantI used to work with a former High School aquaintence that had a difficult last name, yet she decide to hyphenate it. Otherwise she would have been A. Hole…lol
February 17, 2011 at 3:21 am #717357
MrJTMemberMB – Don’t feel sorry for Dusti. She’s great, and has the personality to pull it off !
February 17, 2011 at 5:24 am #717358
MBParticipantGood for Dusti! When you have last names like ours, you just have to suck it up and own it. My hubby says I have no room to complain anyway, because I didn’t have to grow up with it. I’m pretty sure he got sent home a few times for “pounding” a kid or two that made fun of him in elementary school ;)
February 18, 2011 at 3:18 am #717359
singularnameParticipantThe phone calls regarding the deceased family members are bittersweet readings to me. After my dad died, I’d call his cell phone just to hear his quick seven-word message. I left a couple of messages. My mom didn’t *seem* to mind, but thinking back it might have made it harder for her. Fortunately, she wisely closed that account after about a year, but she needed it to just let his life-long acquaintances know on those yearly calls.
@datamuse, lucky chick: No, I didn’t pursue it. You’re shocked, the “menfolk” weigh in that you’re too sensitive, you’re crazy busy with life … but I was thinking about it this morning–picking it up again, making a few calls. ;->
February 18, 2011 at 3:23 am #717360
sweetflutterby41MemberI worked for a travel/tourism company and one of the most common questions was “how long is your one hour tour?” hahaha… Our responses were usually either “one hour” or “60 minutes.”
February 18, 2011 at 4:03 am #717361
waterworldParticipantSingularname: way back at post 30, you described the title company’s documents about your home purchase — the papers that listed you as an “umarried woman.” Is it possible that they were using standardized boilerplate documents? Lots of real estate documents, like deeds and purchase-and-sale agreements, specify what the marital status is of both parties, or come with instructions to include the marital status of the parties. And in many states, lawyers advise buyers and sellers to include marital status. I gather that it relates to establishing whether something is community property, separate property, or jointly owned property. I know that doesn’t explain why the seller’s status wasn’t listed, and I’m not saying this excuses including that if it wasn’t legally relevant. It just seemed like a possibility to me, so I thought I’d mention it.
February 18, 2011 at 5:48 am #717362
singularnameParticipant@Waterworld: I’ll dig it out this weekend and let ya know. If I can post a pic up here I’ll blur the names and put it up–it really eats at me so if enough folks said to chill I might be able to. *lol* Unless I’m a *crazy* unmarried woman, I’m 99.9999% postive the seller wasn’t at all identified as male. I’ll feel like a dang idiot if I’m wrong on that.
February 18, 2011 at 1:02 pm #717363
ZenguyParticipantI used to work in mortgages and that is normal and what they call “vesting” it is the name/s and an unmarried man/woman, husband and wife, corpration, trust…etc.
March 6, 2011 at 5:36 pm #717364
k2piggMemberI AM DUSTI PIGG! And I’m proud of it! Don’t feel sorry for me! I would be a pretty vain person if I didn’t take my husbands name just because it sounds funny to some.
March 6, 2011 at 6:41 pm #717365
k2piggMemberThanks MB!
March 7, 2011 at 12:19 am #717366
maudeParticipantYears ago we went through the Taco Bell drive thru in Ballard. We only ordered three soft drinks but the woman taking our order was on auto pilot and asked if we wanted “hot, fire, or mild sauce with that”. Um, no, thanks.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.