I Need Your Name!

[MoonCat]

It's amazing what people think is "legally required." I'd love to see their faces when the cops tell them there is no such law.

[Zellie Crescent]

I bet we could start a thread called "But you HAVE to..." all about the things customers think we are required (by law) to do for them... starting with "you have to give me your name."

That sounds like a really good idea, I have a couple to put up there. As for me, I have 3 aliases that I go by:
1) for work I go by Sarah Belmont
2) online I go by Sarah Valentine
3) this one is a little weird (please don't judge me) when I play video games I put my name in as Kyle Reese.

[MadMike]

I don't deal with customers at my job, but there are other departments that do. The ones that deal with customers over the phone get assigned a fake name, and if the customer asks for a name, that's the name they get. If a customer has a valid complaint against an employee, their manager knows who it is can take action, and employees don't have to worry about being stalked.

On a related note, I had to work on one of the programs a few years back that maintain employee lists and their aliases. One of the requirements of the "user alias" field was for it to be alpha only -- no numbers. We were discussing that at a meeting, and someone asked why that was even necessary. The manager replied that is was so that we couldn't put something like "R2-D2" in the field. Then someone else asked, "Why not? The customers know we're lying anyway!"

[Kristev]

Cops wouldn't tell them what's legally required. Cops don' typically know. However, lawyers and judges would know. And would tell them.

[Brojekk]

It's amazing how many people (SCs) quote the law. Yet they know absolutely nothing about it.

[bainsidhe]

I now work in a professional environment and my company email is firstinitiallastname@company.com. The only time I have a problem is if I get a flashback to retail. When I worked fast food/retail/telemarketing, no way would I tell folks my last name. I'm the only one in this state with that name. Right now, only handful of people (my family) have that last name in all the US. So no, I'm not keen on giving out my private information. What's funny, is that my name isn't really that unusual. Just no one else has it.

[Mmmm_Beer]

I always use Mr. Jasshole. Hugh is my first name

[EricKei]

SC: Nonna Yerbizness.
.

I always use Mr. Jasshole. Hugh is my first name

And there's always Ms. Waite, first name Helen....

[Ironclad Alibi]

When I worked for the Navy, people on the phone would sometimes mishear my first name as "Captain." I rarely bothered to correct them.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Surprisingly I have no issue giving my First and Last name, but there are a few reasons.

1) Nobody ever believes me.
2) When they do believe me, they think I am somebody I am not (at least if over the phone)
3) It is a famous name (well semi famous), but I am not said famous (or semi famous) person.

The thing is, I always get asked "Were you named after such and such?"

Well no..seeing as I am older, and even if not..since such and such is kinda young, my parents hadn't heard of them when I was born.

Well, now I must demand your name!!!

At the bookstore we answered the phone with our first name, and it was on our nametags, but we never gave out last names. The only people whose last names were ever given out were the store manager and the community relations manager (both of whom had business cards).

Customer service at the warehouse uses their first names only, as well, at least on the phone. I don't know what the rules on last names are but they do use them in emails (our email addresses are firstinitiallastname @ company.com). But I don't deal with customers anyway.

The only other person with my first name is my mother (and technically it's her middle name; she goes by it in most circles, but wouldn't likely be listed under it anywhere).