Heat Mosquito

(inspired by Indexed)

Pet Peeve: Name Calling

In the process of moving to a new apartment I've had to call the electric, gas, and phone companies to have services canceled or transferred. This is not my pet peeve. Making these calls is an inevitable consequence of moving and these companies actually made the process quite painless. My pet peeve is that all customer service representatives are trained to learn your name and repeat it incessantly. I'm quite aware that my name is Steven, yet each of these representatives took it upon themselves to remind me of that fact approximately every other sentence.

If you know me, and you probably do if you're reading this blog, you know that I rarely, to the point of never, use the name of the person to whom I am speaking directly. Something in my hard wiring defines this as an inefficiency, seeing as how the person is already aware I am speaking to them, and it is eliminated. This causes me to be especially aware of it when others do, but it doesn't bother me when used in moderation.

My pet peeve is that these customer service representatives are being trained, against their natural tendency, to overuse my name to the point of creeping me out, all in an effort to make me feel like a valued customer. Honestly, I would prefer it if they didn't use my name at all, or perhaps only when coming back from putting me on hold. That would be natural. Instead they sound like one of those people who say "Father" at every pause in a prayer to remind themselves who they're praying to (sub pet peeve).

I realize it's not their fault, I just wish their employers would give them the leeway to actually come across as personable, instead of trained automatons. Grr.