Deaf or stupid? You decide!

[Rainman]

This one isn't about me, but a co-worker. (MODS forgive me if I am posting this in the wrong place)

I have a co-worker named Ben, and despite him always speaking clearly, customers/other XXX Bank employees can NEVER GET HIS NAME RIGHT! Today alone, which is quite slow being Sunday, I have overheard the following. . .

Ben: Corporate Security, this is Ben, how can I help you?

Person on phone: yeah Steve, how ya doing. . .

another call: Did you say Patrick?

Yet another: Did you say Ahmed? What, XXX Bank doesn't employ Americans anymore? blargle. . .

This happens to Ben, and only Ben, ALL THE TIME!! I could understand if the names they came up with were somewhat close, but they never sound remotely like "Ben". How does this happen? lol Anyone else get people calling in who clearly are not listening to a word you say?

[Mytical]

All the time! I swear, I thought I was speaking martian accidentally, or something. "Yes, this is Mytical calling for X."

"We have no Y here Alfred. You have the wrong number."

or ...

"I am calling for Mytical."

"Yes, this is Mytical."

"Can you get Mytical please?"

Gah..where is that universal translator at?!

[Teskeria]

Since when does 'name that sorta rhymes with nikki' sound anything even remotely resembling shaquila or shakira or belinda or andrea?

[MoonCat]

Ha! Amateurs. In my 33+ years at my job, I have been called so many other girls' names that I actually kept track for a while. Stopped when I reach something like 35. Most of the other names don't even sound like my real name. People just don't listen.

I especially hate when I say, "This is [name] speaking, how may I help you?" And they respond with, "Well, Miss [name], I want to..." Apparently saying "This is..." sounds like "Miss" to some idiots.

I also had one of those oddballs recently that uses your name in every single sentence. Creepy.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I feel bad that I often mangle a customer's first name at the beginning of a call, but I blame the phones. No matter what, inevitably the beginning of a call is always quiet and then suddenly it gets louder. So things often go like this:

me: Thank you for calling High End Home Store, my name is BTDT, may I have your name please?
customer: mumbleflubber
me: I'm sorry, was that "mumbleflubber"?
customer: no, "Thomas Franklin"



Of course, sometimes I can't understand it even after they repeat the name, but the above scenario happens way too often. Why can't our stupid phone connections be clear from the outset? I hate screwing up people's names.

[EricKei]

I also had one of those oddballs recently that uses your name in every single sentence. Creepy.

There are some stores/companies who insist that their employees do exactly this, as it allegedly makes the service more "personal" or "caring", somehow.

Uh....no. You called it. It's just plain creepy.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Back when I was a civilian employee of the US Navy, I would answer the phone by giving my name. Often the person calling would misshear my frist name and think I said "captain." Sometimes I wouldn't bother to correct them.

[FenigDurak]

I'm named similarly to my icon but frequently get called Maya, which isn't that far of a stretch. It's the last name that gets screwed up more. The apostrophe makes most brains BSOD.

[BroSCFischer]

I have a higher pitched voice for a guy, and I get "Ma'am" all the time. When I correct them, and tell them I am a guy, they apologize, but not more than a minute later, they call me "Ma'am" again.

Or I hear them talking to their friend/child/SO etc and they refer to me as "she".

SC

[manybellsdown]

This one isn't about me, but a co-worker. (MODS forgive me if I am posting this in the wrong place)

I have a co-worker named Ben, and despite him always speaking clearly, customers/other XXX Bank employees can NEVER GET HIS NAME RIGHT! Today alone, which is quite slow being Sunday, I have overheard the following. . .

Ben: Corporate Security, this is Ben, how can I help you?

Person on phone: yeah Steve, how ya doing. . .

another call: Did you say Patrick?

Yet another: Did you say Ahmed? What, XXX Bank doesn't employ Americans anymore? blargle. . .

This happens to Ben, and only Ben, ALL THE TIME!! I could understand if the names they came up with were somewhat close, but they never sound remotely like "Ben". How does this happen? lol Anyone else get people calling in who clearly are not listening to a word you say?

My husband is also named Ben, and he's got a collection of receipts from restaurants where they got his name wrong. Order for ... Bean, Bran, Baen, and Barn.

[Chromatix]

Better not send him to Norway or Iceland then - they'll just call him Bjørn (an extremely common name in those countries).

[KellyHabersham]

When I worked in the church office, I had to be really distinct with how I spoke when answering the phone, otherwise callers would mishear my name and call me anything from "Michelle" to "Jessica". It got a little frustrating, but I figured that if I ever got an SC who contacted the pastor to complain, I could deny any knowledge of the incident.

[raudf]

I shortened my name down when I worked, because even with a farking name tag on and a face to face conversation, customers would get my name wrong. Even shortening didn't help. I'd get everything BUT my actual nickname/name.

Over the phone, however, I didn't have that problem! It's like head/hand set = instant hearing aid?

[Treasure]

My real name is a very common one, esp for my age.... and if people are going to get it wrong, its usually for the other slightly more common name however I've gotten, Lindsey, Lacy, Jackie; non of which sound remotely like MY Name - there are 3 shortened variants to my name, only 2 do I answer to... (the 3rd gets you death-glared) the Other Name only has 2 short variants, only One of which sounds remotely like the names I've been called....

there is a reason I go by Treasure..... even my mom has paged me by that... Not a whole lot of people are gonna own up to a name like that - either parents are weird, or i'm an "exotic dancer" with a name like that.... SO NOT the case.... le sigh

[ApolloSZ]

I had 7 alternate names when I left my old job. Bruce I could understand, the end of that is slightly similar to the shortened version of my name I often go by.

How ever, when I email you, and my email says

"regards,
[first name] [last name]"

DONT frigging get it wrong and email me back "hi [Last name]" - Its a pet peeve when you fail at basic reading comprehension (not just for my name, but when you ignore every piece of info I send aswell).