Dear LPG, 

I found myself reading a recent article which left me feeling a little guilty because I, like Mr Winston Harvey, who was featured in that story, am guilty of being known by a different set of initials than the ones that my parents first decided upon (►►►).   

I am not a fan of my first name but never changed it officially, and many of my friends would have similar problems trying to find me listed in a directory although we don’t really use such things as much as we used to any more.  Mobile phones have become equally as expensive as landlines and less used which has to be the reason why more and more people are opting to do away with their home phone.   

I found some internet evidence which tells that in the past 10 years, the 80% of people who had a land line has dropped to about 50%, and it is now a lot less likely that a new mobile phone means getting a new mobile phone number which should make a search easier.  

It is interesting that we really only know the telephone numbers of people who have actually given them to us, or that we have found through a mutual friend even though there are online and telephone directory enquiry services around.  

Out of interest I tried to find my own telephone number on line, using my official name, and was unsuccessful although I suspect that if I had been willing to pay for the information, I might have had a more positive outcome.  

One of the biggest problems is that, unlike some sixty years ago, everyone is now busy trying to keep their numbers private to minimise the risk of being contacted by one of the many scammers who we all know are still likely to be the person who is on the other end of the line when you pick up the phone. 

With that last thought in mind I think it important to follow this bit of telephone etiquette.   While the most strait forward way to find someone’s telephone number is the ‘ask a mutual friend’ approach, for the sake of both the person you want to get in contact with, and the person who might be able to share their telephone number, don’t ask for the number.  Instead, ask if your telephone number can be passed onto your intended contact so that the man in the middle is saved the embarrassment of having to refuse your request.  And if you ever find yourself as the middle-man, offer to pass the enquirer’s number on rather than give it out without the permission of its owner.  

A personal telephone number has become a much more valuable commodity in recent years and their owner’s ability to limit the amount of people who can acquire them is much more important than it ever was a couple of decades ago. 

FM, Bromley. 

 

 

While the following link is designed to help sell security products, there is absolutely no need to buy anything, and it also contains some eye-opening information about what can happen to your phone number if it gets into the wrong hands…

 

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