We all have a name. It’s a name we identify with and a name we claim to be ours. As a kid, whenever I met someone with the same name as me, I’d think, hey, that’s MY name, as if they were trying to steal my identity. But the other rather frustrating phrase I often have to say to people is, that’s NOT my name. You spelled my name wrong.
My name isn’t hard to spell. It’s not the most common name, but it’s a name that many people have – yet some people still struggle to spell it correctly. In a card or handwritten note, it’s slightly understandable to some extent if you spell it wrong. Maybe you’re that auntie or uncle who just wanted to send me a Christmas card, and have only ever heard of my name through my parents – although I do have to say, even they don’t mess up my name. The people that I usually find spelling my name wrong are those who literally have my name typed out right in front of them, but they are just so careless that they don’t bother checking what they’ve typed or written themselves. Yes, it’s “just” a careless mistake, but it is also an unforgivable mistake when it happens on important paperwork.
If your job is to prepare documents that have someone’s name on it, it’s also part of your job to ensure you have the correct spelling of the names. I should not have to spend even an extra minute telling you that you’ve spelled my name wrong. It only takes you a few seconds to check for spelling errors, yet I have to experience delays ranging from days to months to contact someone who can fix the spelling, explain that it’s not my name, prove that it really is me, and wait for them to correct it – all because of your careless mistake. You may not think it’s a big deal, but it’s a huge deal when it interrupts my daily schedule, delays my plans, and even causes me to miss out on opportunities or registration deadlines.
To all those who have spelled my name wrong before, stop being so careless.