to get a bit annoyed when all and sundry address me by my first name uninvited...or am I just old fashioned?

[Mowiol]

Having just been at an appointment and been addressed by my first name without invitibg the person to do so, I felt a bit annoyed. Maybe it's my age group but I was brought up never to call adults by their first name unless expressely invited to do so. I've lost count of the number of times I've been in shops, banks, car showrooms etc. and staff will look at paperwork or whatever and instantly start referring to you by your first name. One occasion, just to give an example, was when I was buying a new mobile and had filled out a form - the 12 year old (well OK maybe 19 year old!) assistant then proceeded to pepper my first name around the conversation without so much as a by-your-leave.
Mind you, I remember my grandmother used to call her friends Mrs X or Miss Y so maybe that's going too far!! Am I just too old-fashioned (and unreasonable)?

I hate being addressed as Miss/Ms/Mrs AndMiasmas(any of them, since people always like to hazard a guess). I try to avoid using a title at all unless a form really requires one (e.g. CRB curse it).

It has never crossed my mind that many people are insulted by their first name being used (at all, not in the irritating-salesman way). My teachers at college and university were known by their first names and calling them Dr Cleverpants would have been IMO odd and distancing. Friends of my parents, adults I knew through dance class or whatever - they are all known by their first name.

Mind you I think it is a generational thing. If someone my age were to address their new boss as Mr Johnson, I think they would be seen as quite quaint and not very with the times.

My aunt, who is 90, became very fedup with new hairdresser calling her by her first name repeatedly, "so Debbie where are you going on holiday, Debbie isn't it lovely weather" etc. When the hairdresser asked what she had done before she retired, she drew herself up to her full height and said "I was an Ambassador at the Court of St James". Apparently not another word was spoken.

I'm definitely in the prefer first name camp.

I'm also currently wondering why, since it seems to annoy everyone, why salespeople haven't been trained not to use people's names excessively.

And I've already posted this on squeaver's thread, but did anyone else find HVs and community midwives called them and DC 'mum' and 'baby'. I thought it was quite rude, after all, I'm not their mum. Wouldn't have been that much effort to look at the notes and find out our actual names.

I do nlt like to be addressed by my first name by strangers, Drs and so on I prefer Mrs, also I do not and never have let my children call adults by their first name it is disrespectful

I get immense satisfaction when someone from a call centre (but who I need to speak too, like bank or gas) says 'Can I call you Lindy', to which I invariably reply 'No'. And I leave it at that, which can leave an uncomfortable silence but makes my day

Apologies for the poor punctuation - and me an English teacher

I detest it too. All that insincere over-familiar mateyness drives me nuts.

It's like people asking on the phone or at the door if you are ok and having a nice day before trying to flog you something

Dh does quite an amusing line in using their name back at them at every opportunity. It's quite funny to listen to because they know he's being sarcastic and he knows they're not really being friendly.

Nomorerain, having come across plenty of very impolite people over the years, I doubt if they would hold back about what they are called! When I think about, having been in loads of hospitals/clinics etc ( have 4 children, you get the picture!) I can't remember when I was last called by my title+ surname!

Oh, I do! It was quite funny, actually. My boss answered the phone in work and person asked to speak to MrsDhSurname. Boss said "We have no such person working here" Person insisted that was the contact no. I had given and it took a long time for her to figure out that it was in fact me! I have never used dh's surname in my life and boss have forgotten what it was!

I mostky get called Ms Fairy and not prozac.

Makes me feel all old though and some people hesitate when they do it (I'm 24 but look about 18). One bloke from virgin media even told me he felt weird calling me Ms Fairy coz I looked young enough to be his daughter.

I hate being called 'mrs such-and-such'.

1. I have never married (through choice)
2. quite often sales people would assume I am mrs my-ex
3. If I did marry, I would still keep my own surname and the title 'Ms' as I hate on principle that a woman's marital status is defined by title, but a man's isn't.

I'd MUCH rather someone called me by my first name, and make no assumptions in order to do so.

(It also bugs the crap out of me that at work, unless I specify otherwise on each individual letter, that the secretaries title me Miss. Can't they get the hint after all this time that I do not want to be defined by title? Is it just me?)

I think this means I fall into the "old hag with stick" camp...despite being under 30. I'd much prefer to be addressed as Miss Girl by a stranger, rather than Groupie.

And even my friends get told off for calling me Groups.

I, too, get quite annoyed with people referring to themselves in the third person as Auntie FriendOfMummy's when talking to my daughter...I wasn't aware I had so many sisters!

LOVE the idea of overusing cold-callers names at them...

I am irked by it as well. I was also taught it was disrespectful and wakted to be invited to do so. I mentioned in the thread about calling mil's mum, that I called my mil Mrs. MIL for ages, as she never invited me to do otherwise. I did begin to call her by her first name, but dh and I were married with a 2 year old before I did so. Because she never actually invited me to call her by her first name, it felt really uncomfortable, and bold.