Oh gosh this happens to me too! I receive emails for my namesake in Scotland who works for a big political talk show here in the uk - I’ve received work emails intended for her, including from the show’s host who is well known here. I’ve also received personal emails for her, including an argument she’d had with her dad. I always feel awful and have frequently replied to explain it’s not for me!
Late in my junior year of college, I realized in a panic that the room my friend and I had committed to did not have a high-speed network connection to the campus computer labs, and that I wasn't sure I could manage my classes without that necessity (which had been impossible a mere two years before). We were desperately trying to negotiate for a different housing assignment with a campus housing coordinator, who did not seem sympathetic to our pleas.
Complicating factors was that her email client consistently auto-completed my address when she was intending to instead email her recently-ex-husband. At 20, I was quite at a loss about the etiquette in these situations.
Omg, I didn't really think about the fact that anyone else experienced this! I've been getting emails for various Helen McLaughlins for YEARS. Like, very personal emails (from dating sites...when I know that particular Helen McLaughlin is married, based on other emails I've gotten). There's a Helen McLaughlin in Australia, at least two in the UK, one in Canada, and even one in the US whose emails I get. Messages from school headmasters, e-bills for phone service, online order confirmations for clothing, you name it. I even have an entire folder in my Gmail account labeled "The Other Helen McLaughlin," wherein I save many of these messages. 😂 I write back to almost every single email to let the person know they've reached the wrong one of us. Often I get replies replete with apologies, which is funny, because I don't really feel inconvenienced by any of this, lol. Except, of course, when I find myself subscribed to emails that I know I definitely never subscribed to...that gets a little annoying.
I had a book idea a few years ago that included these various emails for other Helen McLaughlins. Never did anything with it, but it's still floating around somewhere in the back of my mind. Anyway, what a fun thing to chat about! Thanks for bringing this up!
Oh gosh this happens to me too! I receive emails for my namesake in Scotland who works for a big political talk show here in the uk - I’ve received work emails intended for her, including from the show’s host who is well known here. I’ve also received personal emails for her, including an argument she’d had with her dad. I always feel awful and have frequently replied to explain it’s not for me!
Late in my junior year of college, I realized in a panic that the room my friend and I had committed to did not have a high-speed network connection to the campus computer labs, and that I wasn't sure I could manage my classes without that necessity (which had been impossible a mere two years before). We were desperately trying to negotiate for a different housing assignment with a campus housing coordinator, who did not seem sympathetic to our pleas.
Complicating factors was that her email client consistently auto-completed my address when she was intending to instead email her recently-ex-husband. At 20, I was quite at a loss about the etiquette in these situations.
Omg, I didn't really think about the fact that anyone else experienced this! I've been getting emails for various Helen McLaughlins for YEARS. Like, very personal emails (from dating sites...when I know that particular Helen McLaughlin is married, based on other emails I've gotten). There's a Helen McLaughlin in Australia, at least two in the UK, one in Canada, and even one in the US whose emails I get. Messages from school headmasters, e-bills for phone service, online order confirmations for clothing, you name it. I even have an entire folder in my Gmail account labeled "The Other Helen McLaughlin," wherein I save many of these messages. 😂 I write back to almost every single email to let the person know they've reached the wrong one of us. Often I get replies replete with apologies, which is funny, because I don't really feel inconvenienced by any of this, lol. Except, of course, when I find myself subscribed to emails that I know I definitely never subscribed to...that gets a little annoying.
I had a book idea a few years ago that included these various emails for other Helen McLaughlins. Never did anything with it, but it's still floating around somewhere in the back of my mind. Anyway, what a fun thing to chat about! Thanks for bringing this up!
You should totally write that book! Clearly there's an audience for it. Who knew there were so many of us getting each other's mail!!