Apostrophies in name and the internet!

L

Lauren

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It infuriates me that certain company websites don't allow users with apostrophies in their names to enter the name correctly! Just signed up for a Halifax credit card and the online application would not accept the apostrophe in my surname. So, assuming I'm approved, do I end up with a credit card that reflects my name incorrectly because I had to enter it without my beloved apostrophe!?

Halifax aren't the only offender. Some airline booking sites can't cope with this either. Used to travel a lot with Qantas and I used to have to remember for their frequent flier system I had no apostrophe but when booking I had one...Arghhhhhhh .... Having an email address with an apostrophe is a nightmare too as some systems don't allow that so you need to have an alternative email address (without an apostrophe) for receiving confirmations etc.....All in all its a right royal pain in the proverbial!
 
There may be valid reasons for not allowing apostrophes. I work with databases and have seen apostrophies cause issues around such areas as data matching, transformation rules and XML incompatibilities.
You'll see these data standards applied more in healthcare and finance systems than anywhere else.
 
OK everyone, keep it civil and stay on topic.

I agree with the OP that banking and airline booking systems which cannot deal with apostropes is a problem.

I remember working with an HR/Payroll system a few years back which found the apostrophe in Irish names (eg O'Connor or O'Riordan) difficult to deal with. It is also worth pointing out that in Gaelic names the apostrophe is not used.

aj
(moderator)
 
No, read the post. I am not trying to humiliate anyone - swordshead did not understand what the point was. I was simply explaining it.

mf
 
Listen...I have a great idea.

Seeing as they are doing little else at the moment why don't we get Eddie O'Sullivan, Ronan O'Gara, Gordon D'Arcy, Brian O'Driscoll, Donnacha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell to tell us what they do when they go online?

How do they handle the apostrophe (or is it as tricky as the oval ball)?

Sure it would be a bit of light relief for them?...huh...whaddya think? :D
 
mf1 said:
No, read the post. I am not trying to humiliate anyone - swordshead did not understand what the point was. I was simply explaining it.

mf
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I was just wondering why DrMoriarty asked what an apostrophy was..with a "y", i thought he was correcting Laurens spelling of it with the "e" which was the correct way..anyway..no worries!
 
swordshead said:
I was just wondering why DrMoriarty asked what an apostrophy was..with a "y", i thought he was correcting Laurens spelling of it with the "e" which was the correct way..anyway..no worries!
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I think Doc's point was that The OP's spelling of the plural, "ies" implied that the word had a "y" ending in the singular.
 
Lauren had originally written 'apostrophy' in the singular, too, but subsequently corrected it to apostrophe.

(But she hasn't yet corrected 'apostrophies'... :p)
 
Dr. M...I don't have the energy....I give up..Noone seems to share my little frustration....I'll grumble to myself in future...
 
It's a bit off topic but the thing that drives me mad is when Internet sites require a postcode when you are registering - I was trying to sign up for Flikr a while back and the site wouldn't accept 'n/a'; 'na' etc
 
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muesli said:
It's a bit off topic but the thing that drives me mad is when Internet sites require a postcode when you are registering - I was trying to sign up for Flikr a while back and the site wouldn't accept 'n/a'; 'na' etc
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I agree, but I think the problem is one of the government/an post etc.

Ireland must be one of the only developed countries that doesn't have a post code system.
 
muesli said:
It's a bit off topic but the thing that drives me mad is when Internet sites require a postcode when you are registering - I was trying to sign up for Flikr a while back and the site wouldn't accept 'n/a'; 'na' etc
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I find zeros work well.

Surely we don't need postcodes for what Twink called ' a little patch of mud in the Atlantic' on Liveline today?
 
I live in Kildare and Mr Mac buys a lot of products on line and we have no problem with postcodes, we enter na and that is accepted.
 
So far on this thread, I've had my spelling corrected (thanks ;) )....I've been told that I've little else to be worried about (my lighthearted response to which was deleted!) and now you are all raving about postcodes...Doesn't anyone care about the apostrophe issue?

Oh and that awful woman Twink got a mention on my thread...arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
 
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