Banks calling me by my first name

[sun1234]

I just got an email from my credit card company addressing me by my first name. I don't like it. What's wrong with Mrs Sun?

In my head its desirable to have work colleagues and other people who know me use my first name. I am happy that the physiotherapist I see uses my first name and I wouldn't mind if the teachers or school secretaries did it too. Just not credit card companies, banks or other financial institutions (and not the council either). Come to think of it, I don't like it with people representing official bodies who I don't know.

AIBU or am I just getting old?

I don't think they do usual that's why I was annoyed with her. She became a lot more polite towards me when she realised I was Mrs not Miss.

Don't get me started on banks.
Oh go on then - I've been dying to get this off my chest.
I've been talking to a bank for a few weeks about an important transaction (mortgage). Been given a right run around and finally blew my top yesterday. Ranted at a call centre jobsworth who really couldn't care less. I eventually admitted defeat in the realisation he wasn't prepared to use some initiative and help me. He finished the call with the immortal line "have a nice day".
I then wasted another 2 minutes of my life asking him how dare he patronise me by using a script.
Bet he was laughing at me after I put phone down, but I bloody wasn't

I don't like it (and I'm not old at all) but I would def prefer to be called the right first name than Miss Splinters or Mrs DHname. Titles for women drive me crackers -- Ms Splinters or nothing for me! There is something a bit wanky about making people call you 'Dr', but when I finish my doctorate the temptation to enjoy my gender-neutral title might just win over my powers of wankiness-resistance.

ProvincialLady -- also with you about being called 'miss'. It's so rude! If a man in his twenties is going to be 'sir', I will be 'madam'.

Good, have enjoyed my daily rant, thank you MN. Back to work..

YANBU, it really bothers me, I think it should be Mrs Yaimee, until they are given permission otherwise. It particularly bothers me in setting such as hospitals, where I feel staff use it to insert their authority over patients. It's completely unprofessional. The only thing worse is being called 'love'.
I'm only 23, my Mum also hates it and she's 60, it's nothing to do with age, it's just common courtesy.

Can I join in? My pet hate is that my although first name is Meikyo-Ann and I introduce myself as Meikyo-Ann total strangers and cold callers immediately start as addressing me as Meikyo!! (or even a shortened version of Meik!! ) i certainly don't mind friends and family calling me Meikyo, but prefer my first name as it was given to me by my parents.

annoys the HELL out of me...I am Mrs Pudden until Isay you can call me Ophelia.

What has annoyed me today? Ringing BT/Asda/insurance company/Royal Mail and getting some recording of a grinny bugger saying "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"...it is "Hello"

I am a bit pished (due to todays builders malarkeys) so please excsue

I have strong drink taken

I have a vaguely unisex first name (my spelling is the girl's way but fair enough not everyone would know that). If someone has emailed me professionally but hasn't met or spoken to me, 9 times out of 10 I will get "dear mr Krankie". It's odd, whether I am male or female has absolutely no beating whatsoever on how I do my job but I do tend to sign off my reply with "WeeJimmy Krankie (Miss)".

Interestingly, I live in Hong Kong and so of course speak every day to people whose native tongue is Cantonese, which doesn't distinguish between genders for people's titles, so it's very common for locals ( and this includes educated professionals) to call me "Mr" to my face! To them it's as arbitrary as the French concept of nouns having a gender is to us.

In a less professional context it's v common in shops etc to be called "Missy" - for example my removal man called me that yesterday. They seem to think it's polite- would love to explain it's usually only heard when mothers are scolding their daughters .

Getting back to the UK, every now and again I see a letter signed off with the old style "Margaret Jones (Mrs)" with the title clearly added to tell the recipient about marital status rather than to clarify gender- that goes back to the poster who felt she was treated with more respect in the bank when the teller realised she was married. A lot of people in their sixties probably do still think that way.

As for being called by your surname as a mark of respect, makes me think of Kathy Burke playing Perry " yes fank you missuspatterson"

Re: the health care example if a patient is confused/crashing etc. they will respond better to their first name.

But outside that it should always be what the patient has asked you to call them.
Personally when I was practising it was always Mr/Mrs/Ms until invited to called them something else. Totally agree matter of respect and dignity.

But I quit nursing the day after I was told that I couldn?t tell a patient to stop swearing at and ?hitting on? (sexually assaulting in my point of view) the junior staff, I should give him a yellow card, followed by red, and then..well nothing.
Seriously!

Rookie I agree! It's rude of someone who's never met you to ask "how are you today? I usually refuse to answer :o