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Insurance Company Apologizes After Technical Glitch Causes All Customers To Be Called 'Michael' In Email Blast
28 January 2020
Getty Images / d3sign
Aviva has apologized after mistakenly referring to thousands of customers as "Michael" in emails.
The insurance giant said that a temporary technical error was behind the blunder – adding that there had been no wider privacy issues relating to people's personal data.
<p>It is understood that several thousand customers were mistaken for Michaels.</p><p>"We sent out some emails last week to existing customers, which, as a result of a temporary technical error in our mailing template, mistakenly referred to customers as 'Michael,'" Aviva's statement read. </p><p>"We've apologized to these customers and reassured them that the only error in the email was the use of the incorrect name as a greeting. There was no issue with personal data; the remainder of the email and its content was correct."</p><p>Famous Michaels include Sir Michael Caine and <em>Monty Python</em> star Sir Michael Palin.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vaW1hZ2UuYXNzZXRzLnByZXNzYXNzb2NpYXRpb24uaW8vdjIvaW1hZ2UvcHJvZHVjdGlvbi8yZDQ5ZDQyYjJjYzBhODc2OTJhMDhmMzUwMDljZTI4N1kyOXVkR1Z1ZEhObFlYSmphQ3d4TlRnd01qazNNek0xLzIuMzA4Mzg5NzQuanBnP3c9NjQwIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDQ0NTg4Nn0.PnjcWTtnV2V_f8n8if0z9c1HF8jLOZSu2wCyazgUztI/img.jpg" id="7d910" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c9fcc3b6d7b47f546ea28d03dd2d43c" alt="Michaels"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Famous Michaels include Sir Michael Caine (Isabel Infantes/PA)</small></p><p>"Getting a first name wrong is one thing, but what if it was my data – my address or policy information – being sent to someone else instead?" one accidental Michael, whose real name is Andrew, quoted on the BBC website said.</p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p><strong>Twitter brought the jokes.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b26df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2HNJBI1580249120"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1222213863183134727" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@SkyNews I'm sure they've been called a lot worse 🙄😂</div> — Em (@Em)<a href="https://twitter.com/emma_y_/statuses/1222213863183134727">1580233467.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="a9f12" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="HKUS6H1580249120"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1222212836954464256" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@SkyNews Personally I didn’t mind that much...</div> — Michael (@Michael)<a href="https://twitter.com/MikeRotchburn95/statuses/1222212836954464256">1580233222.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="81809" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="NMZY6D1580249120"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1222212185490935809" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@SkyNews I would hate to be called Michael. What a tragedy....the insult!</div> — Julz (@Julz)<a href="https://twitter.com/jetsetjulz/statuses/1222212185490935809">1580233067.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="f4a19" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="S6MEHO1580249120"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1222129090993557504" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">- Is your name not Michael?
- No it's Bruce
- That's going to cause a little confusion. Mind if we call you 'Michae… https://t.co/Pg1lGYtriD</div> — Nigel Quin (@Nigel Quin)<a href="https://twitter.com/hazeltunes/statuses/1222129090993557504">1580213256.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="1f7a6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="64P9LB1580249120"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1221989366848991232" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@BBCNews You know the one to blame is the Aviva computer programmer named Michael</div> — Not Good Stops (@Not Good Stops)<a href="https://twitter.com/youdidntanswer/statuses/1221989366848991232">1580179943.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Some real-life Michaels took to Twitter in a light-hearted defense of their name as news of Aviva's blunder emerged.<br></p><p>"I really don't understand the problem?" one wrote.</p><p>"Lucky them, I can't even get some people to call me Michael (instead of Mike)," another said. </p><p>Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show 869 babies born in England and Wales in 2018 were named Michael – making it the 74th most popular name for boys that year, with Oliver in first place.</p>
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