Help I'm getting email for my same name but in Wales.
December 4, 2015 10:28 AM Subscribe
Can any MeFi users in Wales contact me at my MeFi e-mail so I can provide the name and such and have you call this person to let him know? Gmail reporting of this seems useless and sending him a message with his address comes to me. His address is the same as mine but has no period between first and last names and mine does. WTF?
This post was deleted for the following reason: Heya, sorry you're dealing with this and hopefully some of the answers so far will be helpful, but more generally "mefimail me and call someone" isn't really an okay Ask MetaFilter question. -- cortex
Periods don't make a different in gmail addresses. You could put a period between every letter of your gmail address and it would go to your address. - So he is using your gmail address.
posted by Brent Parker at 10:30 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Brent Parker at 10:30 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, this happens to me all the time. (I have firstnamelastname at gmail AND yahoo.) He either doesn't know his own email, or people are getting it wrong when they're trying to email him -- very possibly both. You'd be surprised how many dumb people don't know their own email address.
Anyway, welcome to the rest of your life of getting random emails meant for this guy. (I know so much about the women who think my email belongs to them. I've had to call a medical clinic in Dallas three times to tell them to stop sending me her freaking medical details.)
It's annoying but it can be entertaining. There is very little you can do about it. Write back to the person emailing you and tell them they're reached the wrong person, though.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 10:35 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anyway, welcome to the rest of your life of getting random emails meant for this guy. (I know so much about the women who think my email belongs to them. I've had to call a medical clinic in Dallas three times to tell them to stop sending me her freaking medical details.)
It's annoying but it can be entertaining. There is very little you can do about it. Write back to the person emailing you and tell them they're reached the wrong person, though.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 10:35 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
See everyone above, but if you want this to stop try to find fake-you on Facebook. I found the poor woman who kept giving out my address there and messaged her (it is, perhaps not surprisingly, really easy to find someone on Facebook when you have access to the taxes their accountant filed). It went to her "other" box but eventually she found it. I haven't received anything meant for her since.
posted by AmandaA at 10:43 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by AmandaA at 10:43 AM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
Perhaps the difference between your email address and his is not in the first part before the '@' but in the domain name. I get emails for a person with my email address when people use (my) gmail.com instead of (their) gmail.co.au. Does your Welsh alter-ego have an address gmail.co.uk?
When I get emails intended for my Australian namesake I just reply telling the sender I'm not who they expect.
posted by anadem at 11:02 AM on December 4, 2015
When I get emails intended for my Australian namesake I just reply telling the sender I'm not who they expect.
posted by anadem at 11:02 AM on December 4, 2015
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No, it isn't. He or some other people think it is, but as far as gmail is concerned, firstlast@gmail and first.last@gmail are the exact same email address. That has always been true. His email is something different - there's a middle initial or an underscore or something, and people (maybe even including him - this is surprisingly not unusual) are getting it wrong.
posted by brainmouse at 10:30 AM on December 4, 2015 [6 favorites]