Creeper much?

[Cookie]

So, I haven't talked much about my new job. There is plenty to tell. I just work at a computer all day and want to get my eyes away from the screen when it's over. However, we need a slight bit of background. I am still an omelet ninja, but I keep my mad egg cracking skills to my time off now. Instead, I do email customer support and live chat customer support for a mass email service. Overall, I'm loving the job. The only thing about it is while with email, you can take a deep breath and decipher what the hell somebody is trying to say, with chat, if you don't answer in 2 seconds, they flip out and think you've left them. As I told a co-worker, it's real-time dumbass. Ok, that was a tangent...

Basically, I was working an early morning email shift and helped a guy upload his contacts into his account. Well, not so much helped as told him the upload he did worked, he just didn't wait the two more minutes to see that it finished and it completed while I was looking at his account. (What is so hard about progress bars?) So he was super happy and went to Twitter to say "Thanks Incognito cook from @companyname. You rock!" Wow, happy to oblige. Um, yeah. I didn't do a damn thing.

That evening, he sent me a friend request on Facebook. His profile picture was him winking devilishly at the camera. Hells no. My supervisor and I agreed to take my last name off of the chat and email and I am only known by my first name now to customers.

[Whiskey]

My supervisor and I agreed to take my last name off of the chat and email and I am only known by my first name now to customers.

I hate this kind of visibility. Some customer asked me if my real names was <Whiskeys Real Name>. I told him, yeah, thats my name! He said it was refreshing not to get some random generic name.

My first name is as generic as it gets. He doesnt know my last name though, which is generic irish.

Ick.

[Zellie Crescent]

Whenever a customer asks me what my last name is I tell them it's Belmont.

[Cookie]

The thing is, despite being an internet based company, we try to keep it real with the customers. Corporate bullshit is generally frowned upon, although there was one recent instance... that's another story. Most of the staff is on a first name basis with a lot of the clients and we have our "regulars" in support. I responded to an email to support recently about a typo on the website and it turned out I was talking to the CEO's father in law who turned about to be one train stop away from me and we had about 10 emails in the thread. It was hilarious. I end up talking with customers about how we both deserve chocolate and/or booze after a horrible Monday. With that kind of atmosphere, I can understand why we want to be real about our names. Just not our last names. :P

As for generic names, mine is as generic as it gets. So was my maiden name. You would probably think it was made up if I told you. So how did creeper dude find the right person with my name on Facebook? No freaking clue.

[XCashier]

My supervisor and I agreed to take my last name off of the chat and email and I am only known by my first name now to customers.

That should be the policy from the beginning. I wouldn't want to be known by my full name in case some loony decides to hunt me down.

Ace Of Diamonds had a story on the boards about a former coworker who had a crazed customer do just that. Her full name was printed on her name badge, so SC looked it up in the phone book and called her day and night, harrassing her. SC also harrassed her parents. It finally cumulated in SC hanging around outside her house. When the police were called, they found knives on SC!!!

So yeah, I don't want people knowing my full name and finding out my personal info, whether it's infatuation, intent to rob, or anger. If I want drama I'll rent a movie, TYVM.

[ralerin]

Oh, the same thing happened to K, where some creepy customer of ours figured out her last name on Facebook and is currently stalking her through that site.

I've been considering Facebook because of my family but since my first name is unusual enough to be memorable I'm thinking it's not such a good idea.

[zombiequeen]

Scary stuff!

I work with a bunch of creepers, and in the office (which anyone can go into, especially if the boss has to run an errand) is a paper with our home and cell phone numbers...and the papers with our addresses are generally left out in the open as well.

Had a dude follow me out to the car once...too late did he realize that I was getting into the passenger's seat and my husband was getting out of the drivers'. Guy quickly stammered something about being worried about me (I had a pretty nasty cut on my leg...but I didn't even notice that I had done it, so I wasn't worried) and RAN across the parking lot to his car, jumped in and locked the doors.

Might I mention my husband is very quick at the whole "take pocket knife out and open it in one swift motion"? He also ran cross...so he was FAST.

[hinakiba777]

My ex-coworker did the opposite. She would take guest information off the registration sheets and use that to contact guests. She sent letters to one man's place of work because that was the address he gave. She added people on facebook, and left notes in peoples rooms. IT was CREEPY.

My last name is hard to guess. Even when I give people the big clue it is NO WHERE near common enough for people to get.

[iradney]

I had a customer send me a friend request on FB that said "YUM YUM"
I ignored it, and the second request he sent me. SERIOUSLY? YUM YUM??? EW

[KiaKat]

Facebook does have a privacy setting where no one can send you friend requests. It has another privacy setting that only friends, and friends-of-friends, can send you messages. If you're worried about people you don't know trying to get a hold of you, check into it.

[MoonCat]

This is one reason I'm not on Facebook (the other reason is that anybody I want to talk to, I can call or email).

At work everytime we email or fax someone, our name appears on the fax or email. I hate that. I give my first name when customers call in and that's enough as far as I'm concerned. I have no authority, it's not like I'm a manager, so they don't need my name.

[blas]

The privacy settings are great for people who don't want to make any friends.

I have it set open because you never know, an old friend or a family member from states away may join and want to add you. If you're in hermit mode, you'll never know.

But what sucks about keeping it open is just about anyone can try to add you. Some people try multiple times.

[Treasure]

At an old job, when we answered the phone, or made calls, we identified by our first name - One of the girls got somebody who was being and EW, asked for her last name, she said "I don't have to give you that" he said "yes you do" argued back and forth, then some one told her to tell the SC:
"No sir, I do not, it is company policy for privacy and safety reasons, that i am in fact NOT ALLOWED to provide you that information"
I don't know what happened to the rest of that call... or if she even passed that along... or just disconnected it.

[Whiskey]

The privacy settings are great for people who don't want to make any friends.

Or an abusive exboyfriend who likes harassing and stalking you intermittently.

[Android Kaeli]

When I joined Facebook, I didn't even put my real name on the site. If I want to friend someone I know and haven't seen in years, I'll do it myself and say, "Hey, how are ya? This is <insert real first name>, haven't spoken to you since <insert some random time in school/random event/whatever>. How's <insert other common friends and/or family members>?" To tell them that, hey, it's me and not some random creep.

I don't even wear my name tag at work any more, haven't for over two years now. This is one of the reasons why I don't wear it, if a customer wants my name they need to give me a reason why they need it or they won't get it. I'm sorry but I most likely won't ever see the majority of these customers again and, if I did, I'll either won't remember them or they're one of the regulars.