Do You Have to Provide your 'Personal' Name by Law

[Mattzew]

Hi,

I run an eCommerce store selling men's clothing, on my email signature I just provide my business name/ address/ number etc... BUT i don't put my personal name.

If a customer requests my name do I have to tell them ? Any kind of law?

Cheers Mattzewski

 

[Paul_Rosser]

If you are running as a limited company then this information is very easy to obtain, so why wouldn't you want to tell them ?

 

[Mattzew]

Because it's more simple to put "B & B Clothing Support Team"

I know by law I have to provide Comp reg name, reg number, place of reg, reg office.

But what about the person responding to the support requests, I don't want to give out my staff names.

 

[Scalloway]

The Business Names Act 1985 says

The Business Names Act requires that you give the owner's name and address on business communications under a trading name. This applies specifically to business letters, purchase orders, invoices, receipts and written demands for payment.

http://www.topenterprise.co.uk/noticeboard/what's_new_on_topenterprise/document_247_354.php

 

[Paul_Rosser]

I see, there is no law saying you have to, I often get emails from "Business support at X" without an individuals name.

Can you track who has sent the email though ? Just in case someone complains and you need to take action.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

The Business Names Act 1985 says



http://www.topenterprise.co.uk/noticeboard/what's_new_on_topenterprise/document_247_354.php

Thats only for sole traders though isn't it ?

And in this case it's not the owners name they want to protect but their staff.

 

[Mattzew]

You get a email from asda/jessops/sainsburys customer services you dont get the list of Directors in the signature of the email.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

Are you a limited company or sole trader ?

If a Sole Trader then as Scalloway says you have to use "Fred Bloggs T/A Bloggs Suppliers" or "Bloggs Suppliers, Proprietor - Fred Bloggs"

If a limited company then using something like www.deudil.com someone can lookup the directors.

 

[Mattzew]

My company is LTD.

But my staff reply to 'Customer Support Emails' not the directors.

Do my staff legally have to provide their personal names?

 

[Newchodge]

This is one of the things that really puts me off doing business with an organisation. If I ask 'who I am speaking to' and they say 'it is not company policy to give out names'. Particularly if I have rung with a query that they have asnwered. When things go wrong I need to be able to say that Fred Bloggs told me to do this...

 

[Scalloway]

The Business Names Act applies to all businesses but I hadn't spottesd the OP's post just above mine. If you have a company's details it is very easy to get directors' info from Companies House.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

My company is LTD.

But my staff reply to 'Customer Support Emails' not the directors.

Do my staff legally have to provide their personal names?

Don't think legally they do, however I would stop doing business with any company which had a policy of not giving out names.

One of the IT support companies I had to deal with wouldn't give me their name, but would tell me they were team member 23.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

The Business Names Act applies to all businesses but I hadn't spottesd the OP's post just above mine. If you have a company's details it is very easy to get directors' info from Companies House.

It's slightly different for LTD as the directors have to be listed at companies house so you don't need to include the owners details in correspondence - http://www.topenterprise.co.uk/noticeboard/what's_new_on_topenterprise/document_249_354.php

 

[Mattzew]

A casing argument to that would be staff protection.

A troublesome customer, protection of the staff!

Don't exactly want to put my employees well being at risk, customers could stalk or attack i dont know.

 

[cjd]

You can do whatever you like with this. You can say Customer Service, or Joe Blogs or Joe. You can make up names (like they do in Indian call centres) if you like.

Personally we go with first (real) names; customers do want to know who they're talking to so that they can ask for them again if they still need them, finger them for not doing something they promised or just to thank them.

I don't think it necessary or a good idea to give out full names or refuse to give any name. (Apart from the obvious legal requirements of naming the directors of the company.)

 

[Steve2507]

I personally don't see the problem in giving first names (as we do). I wouldn't expect my staff to give out surnames as there may be problems further down the line if you have a seriously upset customer.

 

[ThePublisher]

I personally don't see the problem in giving first names (as we do). I wouldn't expect my staff to give out surnames as there may be problems further down the line if you have a seriously upset customer.

A friend of mine has a very distinctive surname, there is only him and his wife in the country with it. He used to work in a council tax department. You can imagine that sometimes people didn't always agree with what he told them. Somebody had a right old rant at him on a blog which has then populated itself onto other blogs and has made a lovely trail on the net you wouldn't want about yourself.

 

[smo]

My company is LTD.

But my staff reply to 'Customer Support Emails' not the directors.

Do my staff legally have to provide their personal names?

No they don't legally have to but not giving them might be worse than giving them if asked!

We sign all emails with the company name (or abbreviation of) as it could be one of several people replying, however if a customer asks I dont hesitate in giving my name and position and always tell my staff to do the same. We do the same on the phone when asked and never try and hide behind a number or anything as it would put customers off and create the wrong impression.

 

[Ian J]

A casing argument to that would be staff protection.

A troublesome customer, protection of the staff!

Don't exactly want to put my employees well being at risk, customers could stalk or attack i dont know.

Are you looking for problems where none exist or is your customer service so poor that disgruntled customers are the norm?

How would you feel if you contacted your bank and the person that you dealt with refused to give you his name