Addressed by your last name

[Alpo]

Somebody wants to do business with you. Whether they want to sell something or buy something is really irrelevant - they want to do business with you.

 

Now let's assume that your name is John Smith. You get a letter from them.

 

Dear Smith,

Yada yada yada

 

 

Not dear John, not dear Mr Smith. Dear Smith.

 

Would you want to do business with them?

 

I received a letter today and I believe they want to sell me an extended car warranty. So why wouldn't do business with them anyway, but that's how the letter started. Dear Smith.

 

And I thought that if I had even considered getting my car's warranty extended I wouldn't do it with these people.

 

I frequently get offers to buy my house in the mail, and by text. And I got a text one time that started

Smith - I want to buy your property at blah blah blah blah

 

I sent him a text back telling him that the next time he wished to do business with someone he might consider calling them Mr.

 

Never heard back.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Had a CSR in India on the phone call me Mr Edward.  In much of the world the norm is last name first name.

had another call me Hed.

I no longer care if they can do what I need done.

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

Try having the surname of Ruprecht, .... and then the movie "Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels" came out .......  

 

ps .... it's pronounced Roop-rite 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

My last name is Roberts. My emule is roberts8812... When I receive something that starts"Dear Roberts", I presume that they got it from a "list" somewhere and that it is spam of some sort, so it goes into the round file.

[Finagler 6853 Life]

I learned while in Mexico, that in Spanish they use the same title, Senor for Mr. and sir.  A native was agreeing with me and was able to say, Yes Mr. where we would have said yes sir.

 

I agree with you however.  If you can't get my name correct, I won't take you seriously.  I was born at night but not last night.

[Alpo]

In Puerto Rico if your father's name is Smith and your mother's name is Jones your name would be Smith Jones. Everyone would call you Smith, but officially your name would be Smith Jones. On your driver's license on any legal documents, whatever.

 

I'm down there on a job one day and I sign in at the airport. Show the guard at the gate my driver's license - John Henry Smith - and she writes me down.

 

14 hours later I have finished and go to sign out. Shifts have changed, and it's a different guard. I tell them I need to sign out - John Smith. They can't find my name on the list. Well damn it, it needs to be there. I signed in at 9:00 this morning. So they go to the 9:00 sign in and there I am - John Henry. Because to the Puerto Rican guard looking at my license, Smith was my mother's name.

 

Such fun such fun.

[MizPete]

When I was a kid my mama & best friend/Aunt Gerry were nurses.  Nurses were addressed by their last names.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I love when I get stuff addressed to Mr. Miles!!  My cowboy email is ryemiles@gmail.com 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Oh yeah, there WAS a time when I was called by my last name, but that stopped when I made Corporal.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

2 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Oh yeah, there WAS a time when I was called by my last name, but that stopped when I made Corporal.

I call my Marine Shanley ALL THE TIME. It just is.

But, to address him that way in writing would be wrong.

[Alpo]

I'm not talking about work. I have frequently been addressed by my last name on this job or that job.

 

I'm talking about someone writing you.

 

And Sue called it perfectly.

16 minutes ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

to address him that way in writing would be wrong.

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

8 minutes ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

I call my Marine Shanley ALL THE TIME. It just is.

But, to address him that way in writing would be wrong.

He's YOUR Marine. You can address him any way you desire. But for anybody else to address him in a familiar manner when they don't know him is wrong. 

Funny story: My first wife and I were stationed in Massachusetts, (I have NO desire to ever go back again). I had recently bought a new Jeep, so we were always getting various credit applications and such, including for Time Shares. We knew that we wouldn't be getting one, but we sometimes would go to the presentation, mostly for the drive.

They were all pretty much the same, so we knew what to expect. The free T.V. they promised JUST FOR VISITING, SURE. It's only $200 for the shipping. The chance for the CAR. Stick this key in the keyhole mounted in a block of wood to see if you won.

But sometimes we really let them think that we were interested, and THEN ask if our dogs were welcome. Oh NO, NO dogs. My wife would then ask them is they didn't allow children either, because our dogs were LIKE our children. 

I usually just sat back and watched her give it to them. But there was one time, this sleazy sale creep said, "Look Honey.."

I stood up and leaned over the table, getting right in his face, and in my best Marine voice said, "EXCUSE ME, DID YOU JUST CALL MY WIFE HONEY?!?!?"

Well he backed up sputtering and stammering so fast it almost made me laugh. You just don't get that familiar with anybody that you don't know. 

[Rip Snorter]

Actually, my last name, even slightly mispronounced never bothered me.  Because the first son for four generations had the same first name, I always went by a nickname.  Three generations with the same name was confusing so I got used to the nickname.  From grade school on, it ticked me off to be addressed by my "legal" first name.  Any time someone starts a conversation that way, it sets my teeth on edge and they obviously don't know me!

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

My last name is of Basque origin.  And it has an accent.  And you have to be able to roll the R'S.  When I answered the phone at work it was always "FAA, Miami (or Daytona or FT Myers) radar unit, XXXXXXXX speaking, how may I help you.........."  The answer I always got was "WHO?"  I finally just gave and switched from my last name to just "Frank".  Problem solved.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

My friends and relatives, and many acquaintances of long standing, can call me by any of my legal names and several of my aliases and nick names.  Over the years I have been called by my rank, title, and some familiar nicknames.  Marines of the old school call one another Mac (MC...Marine Corps  MAC) in informal situations.

 

Nobody calls me by any of these until they know me better than any salesman on the phone or used car dealers.. I have told a bunch of people over the years that they may call me "Mr. Taylor", "sir", or "your highness" but they best by God not do it with a grin, smirk, or rolled eyes.  I had one snot nosed punk car salesman tell me he didn't have to do any of that.  

 

I walked over to the receptionist and asked the receptionist ten feet away to call the manager up there for me.  When he got there I told him I wanted to buy a car that was on the floor and I wanted someone to help me...anyone except THAT A------!

 

Another fifteen year old looking kid came up and treated me with respect and I drove the car off the lot a half hour later.  I never saw the first guy guy again, then or ever.

 

I sold cars for about six months once and I won't take that from anyone who thinks he's better than I am, but I learned that trick from a forty year old millionaire named Veldon Black who decided to go back to college.  We drove from his ranch to a Caddy dealer.  We had been hunting and were a bit ripe.  The "salesman" told Veldon not to touch the car.  Mistake.  Veldon was a really good friend of the man who owned the dealership.  Veldon drove the Coupe de Ville hame and I followed in his 15 year old Power Wagon.

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

1 hour ago, MizPete said:

When I was a kid my mama & best friend/Aunt Gerry were nurses.  Nurses were addressed by their last names.

I miss the traditional nurse uniform. You knew who was an RN, LPN, etc. And they looked professional.

Not a fan of the "scrubs" look.

Off topic, I apologize.

[Rip Snorter]

Hey, how about Physicians in casual clothes and sneakers?  Almost a shock when you see the atypical Doc with a crisp shirt, slacks and polished shoes.  Dad was one of those.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Most of the emails I get fromNigeria address me as Dear Beloved.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

12 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Most of the emails I get fromNigeria address me as Dear Beloved.

Nobody is allowed to call you that except US!

[Pat Riot]

If I get correspondence and they can’t get my name right it goes in the recycle bin after shredding. 
 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

4 hours ago, Lawdog Dago Dom said:

I miss the traditional nurse uniform. You knew who was an RN, LPN, etc. And they looked professional.

Not a fan of the "scrubs" look.

Off topic, I apologize.

Don't apologize when you're right....and you are right.

[watab kid]

i believe i might assume they were "not from around here" , most folks dont refer to me that way , only close friends , it would set off a caution light in my thinking 

[Texas Joker]

You're looking at it wrong:  give out the wrong name. Any time I sign up I use a variation of my name so I can see if my info got sold. And I round file anything addressed to that name

[Trailrider #896]

The second letter of my last name is "a".  But many people pronounce it as if the second letter was "e". If it is a matter of how the name is recorded on a computer or some other record, I will correct them. Otherwise, it ain't worth the effort!  Sometimes, especially over the phone, I will spell it for them phonetically!  Former military types or others familiar with the phonetic alphabet sometimes ask me (sometimes chuckling) what branch I served in. 

[Eyesa Horg]

My last name ends in "oski", yet it gets pronounced to me and spelled by others with a W after the O. I say it doesn't hurt to say it as spelled, there is no ow in there! 

[watab kid]

my last name is different than my wifes [she kept her maiden name for a number of reasons] when i get mail with my first and her last name it goes in the round file - she has to be a little more careful as there are many that assume she took mine , 

[Utah Bob #35998]

6 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

My last name ends in "oski", yet it gets pronounced to me and spelled by others with a W after the O. I say it doesn't hurt to say it as spelled, there is no ow in there! 

Like Utaw.

[Painted Mohawk SASS 77785]

Surname is  Spencer...get Spence now & again, sometimes Frank...nowadays mostly Mohawk or Skip from my Army days...&   my real christian  name of Ross from family members, never really bugged me what I'm called.

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

14 minutes ago, Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 said:

Surname is  Spencer...get Spence now & again, sometimes Frank...nowadays mostly Mohawk or Skip from my Army days...&   my real christian  name of Ross from family members, never really bugged me what I'm called.

 

 ..... if your anything like me you don't like to be called late for dinner .....   

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

On 11/15/2022 at 5:19 PM, Lawdog Dago Dom said:

I miss the traditional nurse uniform. You knew who was an RN, LPN, etc. And they looked professional.

Not a fan of the "scrubs" look.

Off topic, I apologize.

 

I agree, nurses should look like nurses, not the cleaning lady.

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:15 PM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

He's YOUR Marine. You can address him any way you desire. But for anybody else to address him in a familiar manner when they don't know him is wrong. 

Funny story: My first wife and I were stationed in Massachusetts, (I have NO desire to ever go back again). I had recently bought a new Jeep, so we were always getting various credit applications and such, including for Time Shares. We knew that we wouldn't be getting one, but we sometimes would go to the presentation, mostly for the drive.

They were all pretty much the same, so we knew what to expect. The free T.V. they promised JUST FOR VISITING, SURE. It's only $200 for the shipping. The chance for the CAR. Stick this key in the keyhole mounted in a block of wood to see if you won.

But sometimes we really let them think that we were interested, and THEN ask if our dogs were welcome. Oh NO, NO dogs. My wife would then ask them is they didn't allow children either, because our dogs were LIKE our children. 

I usually just sat back and watched her give it to them. But there was one time, this sleazy sale creep said, "Look Honey.."

I stood up and leaned over the table, getting right in his face, and in my best Marine voice said, "EXCUSE ME, DID YOU JUST CALL MY WIFE HONEY?!?!?"

Well he backed up sputtering and stammering so fast it almost made me laugh. You just don't get that familiar with anybody that you don't know. 

"Darling" to me, but it's "Mrs" to you. Also got in someone's face once upon a time, in a state far, far away.......

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 11/15/2022 at 5:58 PM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Nobody is allowed to call you that except US!

That's true, Sweetheart.  

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Just now, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

That's true, Sweetheart.