Sent: 17 January 2008 16:08
To: Another Dave Smith
Subject: please stop!
Dear Dave (or whatever your name is):
You have caused unbelievable chaos in my life over the past few months by pretending to be me when people have written to your email address by mistake. Yes, my address at Google has a "g" in the middle and yoursdoes not. Had I gotten your mail by mistake, I would have just told the senders to check out the address and try again. Instead, you pretended to be me and sent obscenities to some of them and gibberish to others. Luckily three people knew me well enough to realize that it was a sophomoric prank, and that is how I discovered what has been going on. Even so, it took lots of explaining and apologies. The real worry is that I have no way of knowing how many people were truly offended and have now written me off. I have just gotten off the phone once again explaining all of this to one of my supervisors at work who wondered why his emails had be answered by nonsense.
I have begged Google to ask you to stop, but they will not get involved. Of course, you probably knew that already.
Grow up and get a life!
Dave
On 1/18/08, Dave Smith wrote:
Hello David,
Thank you for your email. As per your request, I shall no longer take our name in vain. For quite a long time my responses were generally informative, but the volume of email I got on your behalf became overwhelming. It got to the point where it seemed as though you were using my variation of your email address for liaisons with people that perhaps you did not want to deal with. I appreciate this is an assumption, but as I had no idea who the 'other' David Smith was and since it's such a popular name, I didn't feel this conclusion was entirely untoward. It was always easy enough to get in contact with myself at any point, yet no communication came so I thought nothing more of it.
It seems you've gotten yourself into quite a state, even contacting Google yet never thought of actually contacting me yourself. I shall stop replying to the emails, but would request that you're more explicit when sharing your email address.
Also, Dave.
Thank you for your email. As per your request, I shall no longer take our name in vain. For quite a long time my responses were generally informative, but the volume of email I got on your behalf became overwhelming. It got to the point where it seemed as though you were using my variation of your email address for liaisons with people that perhaps you did not want to deal with. I appreciate this is an assumption, but as I had no idea who the 'other' David Smith was and since it's such a popular name, I didn't feel this conclusion was entirely untoward. It was always easy enough to get in contact with myself at any point, yet no communication came so I thought nothing more of it.
It seems you've gotten yourself into quite a state, even contacting Google yet never thought of actually contacting me yourself. I shall stop replying to the emails, but would request that you're more explicit when sharing your email address.
Also, Dave.
From: Dave Smith
Date: 21 January 2008 12:52
Subject: Re: please stop!
To: Dave Smith
Dear Dave,
Thanks for your note...very glad to get this cleared up. I discontinued use of this email address after the first incidents were brought to my attention last fall and now use it for the sake of checking archived mail. I had not contacted you directly on the advice of friends who had dealt with identity theft cases, but I realize now that the direct approach would have saved us both considerable inconvenience. Sorry about that...you live and learn.
I have by now contacted everyone in my address book with my new address which cannot be confused with yours, so I hope you do not be receive any further mails that were meant for me.
Sincerely,
David Smith
6 comments:
Gosh. Dave Smith sounds like a bit of a cock, doesn't he?
I particularly like how he's been "begging" your email provider to get you to stop, um, sending email replies to people who have emailed you. I mean, what were you thinking?
Exactly. They deserve all they get if they can't manage the simple task of getting an email address right. Is it really that difficult?
Absolutely hilarious!
I have a reasonably common name, and I got to Gmail quick enough to get an address without any silly numbers or middle names in etc. Unfortunately this means I am now forever cursed with getting e-mails intended for my many namesakes, as they or their friends are too stupid to get the right address.
So far I've gone through the 'polite reply phase', and am in the 'aloof silence phase'. I think this blog may well spur me on to the 'self-amusing mischief phase'! Thanks!
Personally, I think you're a prime candidate for a visit from my crack leechtroopers. You're a waste of good oxygen that could better be used by starving lichens on the slopes of Mons Olympus. If you'd done something like that to me they'd be on their way by now, and what your shower stall would look like the next day wouldn't bear thinking about.
My name isn't that common, yet everyone else who seems to share it WANTS MY ADDRESS, it would appear. I've only given in to the temptation to do this sort of thing once, when the would-be me was on a very busy mailing list regarding fundamentalist Christianity. "She" went through a journey from full acceptance to loss of faith before the rest of the list cottoned on. My, that was fun.
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