First world problem - using the wrong titles. Would it annoy you?

[SarahAndQuack]

Our lettings agency has, at some point, decided it's going to write to us as 'Misses'. They obviously got paperwork from us initially that gave the titles we actually use, which are Dr and Ms. I know it doesn't particularly matter, but being addressed as 'Misses' makes me feel as if we're two six-year-olds. Would it annoy you?

Yes, it would annoy me too.
I expect people to use my correct title and I would correct someone who didn't.

Yes, it would annoy me too. Especially the Dr. Whether medical or doctorate, you work bloody hard to earn the right to that title!

I'd be pissed off by that, for sure, and I'm a Mrs. I default to Ms if i don't know preferred titles. Miss is old fashioned and for babies, imo.

Thanks all. TBH I wouldn't mind if they used Ms rather than Dr.

It did cross my mind to wonder whether they'd automatically address a male-female couple as 'Master and Miss' or even 'Mr and Miss'. I bet you they wouldn't.

I'd correct it on paper and verbally firmly but with a smile. "You've transcribed this information incorrectly". Their answer will show how professional they want to be. The rental agreement is a legal document and you want to know they are good at paying attention to important detail. They're being ignorant and eventually they'll piss off a lot of people. They should have written (Dr forename surname and Ms forename surname). Unless you've married or CPed and share surname then it's (Dr forename and Ms forename Surname). Doesn't matter that you're both women. You've told them who you are and they're not listening. You say "Ms and Dr" and they might as well have answered "ok Professor and Baroness".

That's crazy.

Are they registered with the standards agency? ARLA is it?

Appreciate you might not fancy dragging it round the houses as a formal complaint but I'd want to make an example of them.

I think they're registered (I admit, I've never checked, but they're one of the fairly big ones).

This is making me feel like complaining TBH (I was thinking it might look a bit petty).

It would (and often does) annoy me. You might get people coming to say 'couldn't get worked up, why does it matter?' but it does. It's common courtesy. DH and I both use the title 'Dr' yet I have had post addressed to Dr and Mrs...rude.

I agree.
I have always been Miss.
I am happy being Miss. I have never been married. (Unlikely now too... )
But I get official letters to
Mr smith
Mrs smith
Ms smith
Occasionally miss smith.
Quite often from people replying to me, when I have clearly signed as Miss smith.
I have been known to send stuff back, saying "there is no mr Smith at this address "
Dd had a great letter the other day, from a medical professional

Header at the top (shows through clear window in envelope)

Miss A B Smith
1 some street
Some town

Dear sir/madam

Body of letter (asking 5 year old for a mobile number)

Yours faithfully

(Left blank)

I always worry that these people are left in charge of important information.
If they cant get your name right, is any of their communication accurate?
Decimals all in the right places?
Right units?

What purpose do titles serve anyway? Unless you are a Dr, they just serve as an irritation to women who constantly have to put up with other people mis-titling them and other people making assumptions about them based on the title they choose or are forced to use if we can't get away with being first name last name.

Men get called Mr, or Dr etc if entitled, but women have to put up with a stream of 'is it Miss, Mrs or Ms' and the associated connotations from those who assume that Miss = child or old maid, Mrs = married or assume that if you're 30+ that you're a Mrs anyway or Ms = divorced or rampant man hating feminist lesbian, rather than neutral title for adult women and when we get to neutral titles for men and women, why does it matter anyway and why can we just call every John or Jane etc?

Yes but few people in business know or care how to address you correctly if you are a woman. It's not helped either by using the format for personal details that has been programmed into the computer by some IT person and then used for both your name on documents and how you are addressed on an envelope; they are different things. I'm pretty sure the hypothetical couple in your example would never be addressed as Miss and Mr.

I agree with ^^ pp. I’d love to get rid of titles altogether, or have the same for everyone, except maybe drs.

I'd be pissed. I get pissed when people call me Miss or Ms instead of Mrs (I'm widowed)

Tell them. Repeatedly if necessary.

Not being called Dr doesn't bother me (I am one lol), I hate being called Ms because I hate that title so I'd call that one out - some drop down menus don't have Dr though and often just Mr Ms Miss Mrs ... in this instance I'd be peeves if I was anything other than Mrs if they knew the detail

I get irritated by it. I am Mrs and that goes on all paperwork and my email signature so it pisses me off when people get it wrong.

When I got married, the bank we opened a joint account with (purely to bank cheques addressed to Mr and Mrs X) tried to refer to me as Mrs

Another that can't stand Ms. I'm a Mrs soon to be divorced so don't fit any box apart from the crappy Ms. Think I'll stick with Mrs.

I can't get too worked up about it though, People who try to shorten my christian name though give me the rage. I never introduce myself as the shortened version so unsure why people do this of their own accord.

The shortening of names would annoy me too.

I don't generally feel super-bothered by the wrong title, but I think in context I'd be less annoyed by Mrs, too - it's like we're spinster aunts who just happen to live together.

My forename can be used for men or women and I do get some correspondence to Mrs RandomChap. I suspect it's because I'm a single parent and some people expect single parents to be the mum. It sometimes does knock me as it looks like the correspondence is for my late wife but at least it gives me a list of companies/organisations I'll never use.

In this case, I would definitely complain. You have to deal with this company and the absolute least they can do is address you and your partner correctly.

It just shows a distinct lack of professionalism and care in their work.

That's awful, @randomchap.