DH opens door and becomes business partner?!!!

[WaitingForMe]

I run several businesses and have a six month old. I'm pretty busy so suggested DH come and work FOR me. One task was to let a supplier into a premise and oversee him. No big deal.

I just got the invoice made out to Mr and Mrs X. I have known the company owner for over a year, he's done work for me and I've done work for him. We discussed the fact I was employing DH!

I just sent it back with a curt note asking for it to be corrected to the correct client details. WTF? They've invoiced me many many times. What makes them think I've given DH half of my business? He's still on probation FFS!!!

he's still on probation

I think if they know the the specific situation and you've actually explained it that you are totally right to be pissed off.

If you hadn't I wouldn't be upset about someone assuming a wife and husband team working together were partners

So annoying! You did exactly the right thing!

Sadly I'm not surprised.

I remember visiting suppliers etc when I managed a man, who was younger but taller than me. Guess who people addressed first, because they thought he was the manager? [eyeroll]

Something similar happens to me all the time. DH is a minor shareholder of my consulting company, and a company director (mainly for tax reasons and so he can do the books).

But for reasons known only to banks, insurance companies, sales people etc etc etc, company mail OFTEN gets addressed to him.

I try very hard to find reasons for this that aren't 'because he's the boy' (in order not to be paranoid / cross permanently) but it's getting challenging.

Also, at the client, because I sit outside some offices of fairly senior people (from a different department to mine) people often assume I'm a secretary. They do not do this to the two men who sit next to me, outside the same offices. It's soooo annoying. I'm usually very rude to them (so unprofessional, but satisfying).

Can't help with any useful strategies, but I sympathise OP!

Not surprised ... I used to run a shop and customers always used to assume any man in the place was the manager.

If this is an existing client then it is pretty gobsmacking, because surely in the past they have just put your name on the invoice? Why would you change it just because a bloke has now appeared to supervise the last round of work? I wouldn't change an invoice name unless I was specifically told by the company that it had changed.

Not quite the same but years ago now, we moved house and claimed a council tax refund. Despite the council tax account having both our names on it, guess who the cheque came made out to?