I tend to agree with Shell & co.
In Portugal, the normal situation is for people to treat me as Mr. [first name]. And the ladies also get Miss [first name]. It's been like that since I was a kid, I guess.
Last names are so military... and college... and high school... damn, I have a too common first name and the last names were our way of distinguishing among ourselves.
Some businesses cater more to a younger audience and have learned to drop the Mr. completely. But those are rare, since, as soon as you start addressing people 25yo and up, the Mr. comes right back into the conversation.
Mr.... well... in Portuguese it's senhor, very similar to the Spanish señor, abbreviated to Sr.
Now that you know my background, I guess my opinion of that car rental service depends on their target audience. If they want young people around them, then they want people who identify by their names.
If they want anyone to do business with them, then they should just stick with the society norm and, when someone comes along with "special needs", they just need to cater to those. It's not difficult.
Personally, I don't care how businesses address me when talking in person, but the Mr. before my name does seem to add a touch of professionalism which is expected from certain types of services.
Also, car rental through the phone? I always do those online.
In Portugal, the normal situation is for people to treat me as Mr. [first name]. And the ladies also get Miss [first name]. It's been like that since I was a kid, I guess.
Last names are so military... and college... and high school... damn, I have a too common first name and the last names were our way of distinguishing among ourselves.
Some businesses cater more to a younger audience and have learned to drop the Mr. completely. But those are rare, since, as soon as you start addressing people 25yo and up, the Mr. comes right back into the conversation.
Mr.... well... in Portuguese it's senhor, very similar to the Spanish señor, abbreviated to Sr.
Now that you know my background, I guess my opinion of that car rental service depends on their target audience. If they want young people around them, then they want people who identify by their names.
If they want anyone to do business with them, then they should just stick with the society norm and, when someone comes along with "special needs", they just need to cater to those. It's not difficult.
Personally, I don't care how businesses address me when talking in person, but the Mr. before my name does seem to add a touch of professionalism which is expected from certain types of services.
Also, car rental through the phone? I always do those online.
